Vinegar Coleslaw is an excellent no mayo coleslaw recipe for those who love coleslaw but don’t love mayonnaise. This vinegar based coleslaw is tangy, not overly sweet and provides the perfect crunch with its combination of green cabbage, onion and carrots.
I bring this slaw to BBQs and parties as it pairs great with Carne Asada, Honey Mustard Chicken and BBQ ribs. It’s also a delicious side to my BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes.
I love a classic Coleslaw recipe with a creamy, mayo dressing. But I also love this vinegar coleslaw that’s got a stronger bite of flavor (thanks to the apple cider vinegar). It’s always great to have options and you really can’t go wrong with either recipe. So do what I do and alternate them for a little variety!
Vinegar Coleslaw Recipe Video
It’s quick and easy to make this vinegar coleslaw recipe, but it always helps to watch a step-by-step video tutorial. Give it a watch below!
Benefits of Eating Cabbage
One reason you should eat more coleslaw is the amazing health benefits of cabbage! You can boil cabbage, sauté it, ferment it or enjoy it raw, like in this tasty coleslaw recipe. However you eat it, you’ll be absorbing plenty of necessary nutrients from cabbage.
Cabbage comes from the same plant family as kale, cauliflower and broccoli. And like broccoli, cabbage has a similar anti-inflammatory profile. Chronic inflammation over time is associated with heart disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS), cancer and diabetes. In other words, eat more cabbage and other veggies!
Cabbage has a ton of Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that protects cells from harmful free radicals. In turn, Vitamin C has been linked to lowering high blood pressure and boosting your immunity (and you know I’m all about boosting the immune system).
This crunchy vegetable is also high in Vitamin K. Just one cup of cabbage is 85% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin K, which is essential to help with blood clotting. So much goodness from one simple vegetable.
Vinegar Coleslaw Ingredients
One of the things I love about coleslaw recipes are how easy they are to whip up. It’s just a handful of ingredients. Here’s what’s in this oil and vinegar based coleslaw recipe:
- Green Cabbage
- Carrot
- Onion
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Celery Seed
- Salt and Pepper
Why Does Everyone Say Coleslaw is So Bad for You?
There’s a lot of dairy and sugar in store-bought coleslaw and restaurant versions. But this recipe is dairy-free, paleo, low carb and can easily be made vegan by simply swapping the honey for maple syrup.
I’ve also limited the honey to one tablespoon for this big batch of coleslaw. So that’s very little sugar per serving. And trust me, you won’t be missing it in this easy, ultra-flavorful recipe.
More Healthy Sides for a BBQ or Picnic
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 1 head of green cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1/2 yellow or red onion, finely sliced
Dressing
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey, (or more, depending on sweetness)
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add the shredded green cabbage, carrot and onion to a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, celery seed, salt and pepper to create the dressing. Taste the dressing and decide if you'd like to add more honey.
- Add about half of the dressing to the cabbage, onions and carrots and gently toss. Slowly add more dressing until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
- Serve and enjoy!
Lisa's Tips
- This recipe makes approximately 12 cups of vinegar coleslaw.
- You can also store it in the fridge for 3-5 days.Â
Nutrition
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This was the best coleslaw I’ve ever made! The dressing was superb!
I used napa cabbage for a lighter texture, and added grated radishes and cilantro to the mix. YUM! Thank you!
Love the added radishes and cilantro! Glad you enjoyed this coleslaw, Heidi.
Yay, love to hear that! So glad you enjoyed it, Heidi!
This is our new favorite coleslaw recipe, delicious! Thanks for sharing 🥰
Glad you found a new favorite coleslaw recipe, MarLo!
Bookmarked! This recipe is very light and fresh, I used maple syrup instead of honey.V
Glad you’re loving this vinegar coleslaw, Val!
I added a finely diced Granny Smith apple and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m sure the apples added a refreshing touch! Happy to hear you loved this recipe, Charlie.
I made this today as a side dish for oyster po-boys. It was absolutely delicious. I did add a bit more honey but otherwise followed your recipe. Thank you for sharing!
The perfect pairing with oyster po-boys! Glad it turned out great, Sharon.
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes, you can. Just know that the coleslaw will be soft and not crisp, when thawed.
I ‘m not sure what I did wrong, but this Cole slaw didn’t hit the mark. Very disappointing!
I followed the recipe but, it was terrible!
I was so looking forward to it!
So sad!
Wanted it so badly , everyone in my house loves a vinegar cole slaw. I’m going to go over it again to see what mistake I
Made!
Can I swap out white wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar?
Hi Donna – yes, no problem. It might change the flavor a bit, but either one works!