Vinegar Coleslaw (no mayonnaise)

Isn’t this a beautiful colorful salad? I love the purple, green, and orange explosion of color. It’s like fireworks in a bowl! The flavors of vinegar coleslaw explode in your mouth, as well. Maybe I’m carrying the “explosion” theme too far, but really, I can’t say enough about this colorful and flavorful coleslaw.

This recipe is similar to German coleslaw recipes (“krautsalat”) which you may be familiar with. German coleslaw often contains whole caraway seeds. You could easily substitute caraway seeds for the celery seeds in this recipe.

Coleslaw with Vinegar Dressing

Easy to make. Whether you use a couple bags of coleslaw mix, or shred your own cabbage, this is an easy salad to make. I use my food processor to shred both red and green cabbage for a really colorful salad. My seven year old son is so impressed by how the food processor annihilates the cabbage. It makes quick work of the carrots, too. Watching his amusement reminds me to enjoy the small things in life.

A make ahead recipe. This coleslaw actually tastes better if it spends some time chilling in the fridge, at least an hour but up to a week. It’s almost like a quick cabbage pickle. If you haven’t tried quick pickles yet, make sure you don’t miss pickled red onions or refrigerator dill pickles. Pickled asparagus is really tasty, too, and makes an elegant addition to your charcuterie plate.

Perfect for picnics and potlucks. Since vinegar coleslaw isn’t mayo based, you don’t have to worry as much about it spoiling on a warm day. 

Ingredient Notes

• Green Cabbage and Red Cabbage: You can use a combination or just one kind of cabbage. You can also buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage.
• More Veggies: Although traditional German coleslaw is usually just cabbage, I like to add shredded carrots and sliced green onions for more color, flavor, and nutrition. Other options are bell peppers, onions, pea pods, or celery.
• Easy Dressing: As I mentioned, this is a vinegar-based dressing. I like apple cider vinegar, but plain white vinegar or rice vinegar work fine. Add a few tablespoons of oil for richer flavor. To balance the acidity of the vinegar, mix in honey, agave or sugar.
• Flavoring: A tablespoon of Dijon, along with dried celery seeds, salt, and pepper season the salad. If you prefer, use caraway seeds instead of celery seeds.

How to make vinegar coleslaw

Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a measuring cup.

Combine with cabbage and other veggies. Pour the dressing into a big bowl with the cabbage mixture. Stir well.

Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the coleslaw. You’ll notice that the cabbage will soften as it marinates in the dressing. It also will decrease in volume.

Serve. Give the coleslaw a good stir and taste a spoonful before you serve it. If it’s too tart, or tastes too strongly of vinegar, add a little extra sugar or salt. It should be tangy but not overwhelmingly “clean out your sinuses” tart.

Serving Suggestions

Serve vinegar coleslaw as a side dish with pretty much anything. The tangy flavor and crunchy texture go well with grilled entrees, such as salmon, chicken, or steak. It’s great with burgers and hotdogs, too, and makes a delicious fish taco. Try a spoonful right on your burger, hotdog, or pulled pork sandwich.

Recipe Variations

• Go green. If you’re not a fan of red cabbage, or you don’t want to buy two cabbages, simply use extra green cabbage. If you’re planning on storing the coleslaw for awhile, I would use all green cabbage because the red cabbage tends to bleed color and make the coleslaw pink. The coleslaw can be made with Savoy cabbage, too.
• Add more veggies or fresh herbs. Try red or green bell peppers or chopped onion. Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro are delicious, too.
• Substitute a different kind of vinegar. Try plain white vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, whatever you like. Each type of vinegar will impart a different flavor. If you use plain white vinegar which is more acidic, you may need to add a little more sweetener to balance it. 
• Boil the dressing. My mom always boiled the vinegar dressing, then added the hot dressing to the cabbage. This type of cabbage salad will keep longer in the refrigerator. 
• Make a creamy coleslaw. Try my creamy coleslaw or yogurt-based healthy coleslaw. I also have a creamy coleslaw dressing that can be added to shredded cabbage for an easy salad.
• Looking for something different? Try my Asian salad, another vinegar coleslaw with an Asian influence and lots of crunchy add-ins like ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Another favorite is this cabbage salad with mandarin oranges and honey lime dressing. Lately, we’ve been loving this shredded carrot salad.
• Don’t let the rest of the cabbage go to waste. Try easy sautéed cabbage (green) or German red cabbage (sweet & sour).

Storage tips

Refrigerate: Store leftover coleslaw, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to a week. If you notice a bad or strong smell, see mold or cloudiness, or if it tastes different, discard the coleslaw. It’s never worth taking a chance.

Tip: Red cabbage tends to bleed color after a day or too, turning the salad kind of pink. This doesn’t affect the flavor at all and if you have a young daughter, it could be a selling point. If you would rather not experience this, simply make the salad using all green cabbage. Red cabbage does contain 30% more vitamin C than green cabbage.

Freeze: I’ve heard that you can successfully freeze vinegar coleslaws but I haven’t tried it. If you want to give it a try, package it in freezer-safe bags or containers.