Mexican Coleslaw Recipe
This easy Mexican coleslaw recipe is the perfect, healthy coleslaw for all your spring and summer festivities!
Mexican coleslaw is light, refreshing, and has just a slight tang to it from the lime juice. It’s perfect for tacos, burgers, and just about any spring or summer food you need a good side dish for. It has lots of crunch, and your guests will definitely want seconds.
Mexican Coleslaw For Tacos
If you’ve never put fresh coleslaw on your tacos, you’re missing out! This Coleslaw mix could also be referred to as taco slaw. Tacos made with coleslaw instead of lettuce or some other green are so fresh tasting! It adds a level of flavor that other greens just cannot provide.
How To Make Coleslaw Without Mayo
At the risk of stating the obvious, you don’t put any mayo in your coleslaw. Ha! But seriously, coleslaw doesn’t need mayo. Made with other dressings, coleslaw can be just as tasty without the added fats.
How Bad Is Coleslaw For You?
On the contrary, coleslaw can be very healthy for you! Cabbage and carrots, and other whole-food ingredients make for a delicious salad. For low-carb folks, cabbage and mayo is a perfect combination (although you may want to cut back on, or cut out, the carrots completely as they can add up in carbs. For those who aren’t low-carb, a good coleslaw made without mayo is perfectly healthy. It’s just veggies! And aside from that, if you find a clean and healthy mayo, it’s totally fine in moderation. So enjoy that homemade coleslaw!
That being said, the store-bought variety has a lot of garbage in it. So that stuff, you may want to go easy on…
What Goes With Mexican Cabbage Slaw?
You can pair all kinds of foods with this easy Mexican coleslaw recipe!
- Tacos
- Burritos
- As a side salad for summer foods.
- On burgers
- In sandwiches
- Chicken
- Fish
- Steaks
- Fajitas
- Enjoy it by itself as a cabbage salad
Can You Make This Creamy?
You can! While most folks would add mayo or sour cream to the dressing, you can instead use Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. Simply mix a few tablespoons into the dressing to taste.
How Long Does Fresh Coleslaw Last?
Never leave coleslaw out of the fridge for longer than 2 hours. If it’s safely kept in the fridge, it will last from 3-5 days in a food-safe container.
How To Shred Cabbage For Coleslaw
If you aren’t sure how to shred cabbage properly, here’s a video on Youtube that will walk you through the process.
Recipe Variations For This Easy Mexican Coleslaw Mix
Coleslaw Additions:
- Corn
- Black beans
- Red onion
- Red pepper
- Jalapeno pepper
- Lime zest
Dressing Additions:
- Add a sprinkle of taco seasoning
- Add a dash of cayenne pepper
About The Ingredients For Mexican Coleslaw
The Vegetables
Green cabbage – Purchase this shredded or shred it at home.
Red cabbage – Purchase this shredded or shred it at home. And yes, you can purchase a pre-shredded mix if that’s easier. Why do all that work at home?
Carrots – You can purchase them already grated or grate them at home.
Fresh cilantro – Chopped well.
The Dressing
Lime juice – Fresh is best, but bottled will do.
Rice vinegar – This is found in the ethnic section of the store, or in with all the other vinegar, depending on your store.
Ground cumin
Garlic powder – Or garlic granules.
Ground black pepper
Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but use any type you wish. You can add this to taste.
How To Make Mexican Coleslaw
Gather, prep, and measure all your ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Some folks may want to add a little oil just for texture and mouthfeel. If you do, try 1-2 tbsp. But it’s not a necessary addition. I did not use it.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve with your favorite Mexican dishes!
Storing Mexican Coleslaw
Pack this in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing Mexican Coleslaw
Freezing is not recommended for this recipe.
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Mexican Coleslaw Recipe Card
Mexican Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
SLAW
- 2 cups green, shredded cabbage
- 2 cup red, shredded cabbage
- 2 cups grated carrots
- ¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro
DRESSING
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. salt (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Gather, prep, and measure all your ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Some folks may want to add a little oil just for texture and mouthfeel. If you do, try 1-2 tbsp. But it’s not a necessary addition. I did not use it.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve with your favorite Mexican dishes!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 5/5/19.