Make this creamy purple cabbage and carrot slaw with tangy dressing this summer. It’s the perfect BBQ side dish for grilled meats.
This purple cabbage and carrot slaw is bright and colorful, perfect for the season. It's an easy side dish that pairs well with anything that’s grilled, with sandwiches and burgers. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. The flavors get better as it sits, making it even tastier the next day and an excellent choice for picnics and potlucks.
Try it with our Grilled Chicken Halves, Pork Belly Skewers, Chicken Fillet Burgers, or BBQ Rice.
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What makes a good coleslaw?
Fresh veggies: Use fresh ingredients. The crunchier, the better. Lumpy carrots and wilted cabbage might be ok in a soup, but they won’t do for a salad or slaw.
Creamy, tangy dressing: Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, and a bit of mustard for a creamy yet tangy slaw dressing. And be generous with the seasoning.
Texture: Keep the veggies finely shredded but not mushy. That’s why shredding them by hand or with a mandoline is preferable and not in the food processor, where they could go from shredded to pureed in seconds.
Rest time: Let the coleslaw sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Recipe ingredients
Purple cabbage, aka red cabbage. You will need about 1 lb/ 450 g; that’s about half of a small to medium head of cabbage, but I always prefer to weigh it to make sure. Use the remaining cabbage to make Red Cabbage Soup, Slow Cooker Red Cabbage, or German Red Cabbage.
- You can use a pre-shredded cabbage and carrot mix from the grocery store, although fresh ingredients are always better. Just make sure the mix is still super fresh and crunchy.
Three medium carrots. You don’t have to weigh them; the difference wouldn't be significant enough to affect the recipe.
Herbs: I use fresh parsley, but fresh dill, thyme, or chives would be great, too. You can substitute fresh herbs with dried thyme, frozen parsley, dill, or chives. The last three mentioned should only be used fresh or frozen; they’re not great when dried.
Dressing ingredients: Your favorite brand of mayonnaise or this Whole Egg Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar), honey, Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. You can replace the honey with sugar, maple syrup, or another sweetener of choice. Check out our creamy Yogurt Dressing, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Additions
- Onion: One small finely chopped white or red onion or 2-3 finely chopped green onions.
- Other vegetables: Shredded white cabbage, kohlrabi, cucumber, or raw zucchini.
- Nut topping: Roasted salted peanuts, almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, or pumpkin seeds.
- Other toppings: Feta cheese, crispy bacon bits, fried tofu cubes, or croutons.
How to make purple cabbage and carrot slaw?
Step #1: Shred cabbage with a mandoline or a large, sharp chef's knife. Shred the carrots with the mandoline or on a box grater. Place them in a large bowl.
Step #2: In a separate small bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, honey, mustard, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Step #3: Toss the slaw mixture with the dressing until well-coated.
Step #4: Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Good to know!
For the best texture, it's essential to shred the cabbage (and carrots) finely. I recommend using a mandoline slicer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to achieve very thin cabbage slices, which works perfectly.
To finely shred a cabbage wedge with a large, sharp knife, start by placing it flat-side down on the cutting board and slice it thinly from top to bottom. If the resulting shreds are too long, you can halve them once more down the middle.
Recipe FAQs
Cabbage salad is thinly sliced cabbage with a light dressing like vinaigrette and other raw veggies. Cabbage slaw uses the same cabbage but with a creamy dressing, like mayo or yogurt.
Yes. For more ideas, check out our Colelslaw for Burgers, German Cabbage Coleslaw, or White Cabbage Salad.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
If it’s made with homemade mayo, I would not keep it for more than 2 days.
Purple Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
Equipment
- Large salad bowl
- Small bowl
- Chef’s knife
- Mandoline slicer optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb purple cabbage 450 g
- 3 medium carrots
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey more to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or medium yellow mustard
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables: Shred the purple cabbage and the carrots and place them in the large bowl. To finely shred a cabbage wedge with a knife, start by putting it flat-side down on the cutting board and slice it thinly from top to bottom. If the resulting shreds are too long, you can halve them once more down the middle.1 lb purple cabbage / 450 g + 3 medium carrots
- Make the dressing: Mix mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, chopped herbs, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.⅓ cup mayonnaise/ 75 g + ⅓ cup Greek yogurt/ 75 g + 2 tablespoon parsley + 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar + 1 tablespoon honey + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Combine purple slaw: Toss the shredded vegetables with the dressing until well coated.
- Chill: Cover and refrigerate the slaw for at least an hour.
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