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This light and fresh Purple Cabbage Citrus Slaw made without mayonnaise is is a delicious and vibrant coleslaw perfect for topping pulled pork sandwiches!
There are a few tricks to get the cabbages shredded really fine. Much of the liquid from the cabbage is released prior to tossing in the lemon vinaigrette, making this coleslaw perfect
Why I prefer purple cabbage:
I just thought this head of cabbage was stunning. Only nature could provide such an amazing thing as a head of cabbage. I’m being totally serious.
Have you ever cut into a head of cabbage and studied how each leaf fits perfectly with the next? If you’ve ever shredded a head of cabbage, you know what I mean. How else can a tiny little head of cabbage produce so much cole slaw?
I also think the colors are spectacular. Different shades of purple and green on the outside, and when you shred it, all you see is purple and white. How does that happen?
To me, purple cabbage, or red cabbage, is much like a red onion is to a yellow onion. Same great flavor, but much more mild and definitely more vibrant to look at.
How to finely shred cabbage:
I think cabbage tastes best when shredded (not chopped) really fine. With my Angel Hair Coleslaw made with green cabbage and a mayonnaise dressing, the finely cut cabbage perfectly absorbs the light dressing.
- My preferred method these days to shred cabbage as thin as possible is to use a mandolin. I remove the outer leaves, quarter the head, and then shred on the thinnest setting leaving only the core (which I happily feed to my chickens).
- You can also use a spiral cutter to shred cabbage, as well as to make things like pesto zoodles. This method can be tricky because the cabbage can fall apart.
- Finally, you can use a food processor, but I find that only really high quality food processors can get the job done right.
Releasing the liquid:
The trick to this wonderful purple cabbage citrus slaw is to let it sit, coated in sugar and a bit of salt, to allow some of the liquid to extract.
This is how you get a delicious coleslaw and not something that resembles coleslaw soup.
What to serve with this slaw:
We served up this amazing slaw on top of the most delicious slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches, topped with my favorite whiskey BBQ sauce. Oh dear, now I’m hungry.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head purple cabbage outer leaves remove and finely shredded
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toss 1 head purple cabbage with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and half of 2 teaspoons kosher salt and allow to sit in colander for 1-4 hours. Discard any liquid that is created.
- Whisk 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime, if using) juice, 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds, remaining salt, and freshly ground pepper (if desired) in large bowl. Add cabbage and toss to coat. Chill 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Notes
- To finely shred the cabbage, use a mandolin, spiralizer, or food processor
- As the cabbage sits in the sugar and salt, toss it every so often to help distribute the ingredients and release the liquid quicker
- Coleslaw is best served, in my opinion, on the first day as it will continue to release liquid until consumed
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally created in September 2014 and was recently updated for your reading pleasure.
It’s so sweet, and so oily, which are just characteristics slaw doesn’t need to have, especially if you are using it to cut the richness of BBQ pork! I would recommend using that much sugar only if you plan on waiting the full 4 hours and draining it off in the liquid. I waited about 1.5 hours. For the oil, I used MUCH less than 1/2 cup olive oil and it just made the whole thing taste like olive oil, and it covered up the citrus sourness it did have. And I put more lemon juice than called for. And after I finished making it as per recipe, I added apple cider vinegar.
Most of the reviews are from people who have not yet made the recipe ??
Thank you for the detailed feedback. This was one of the first recipes I made for the blog and it sounds like I need to revisit it! Glad you were able to tweak it to your liking.
we absolutely love this slaw! I use lime juice because we use it in our fish tacos. Its also delicious just to eat as a side. is definitely my go to recipe!
Followed this recipe exactly using freshly squeezed lemon juice with the other ingredients. Pretty color but zero flavor, what am I missing?
When anything feels like it’s lacking flavor, I always add more salt and more acid (lemon) until it tastes right.
Mine was yummy! However, heads of cabbage vary widely in size. If yours was on the large end, there may not have been enough sugar, salt, and the finished dressing to flavor all the shredded cabbage. Try using a smaller cabbage or doubling dressing ingredients, including the sugar and salt for extracting moisture.
This is super good and simple! I love the the cabbage is salted to release juice before hand – it’s such a nice texture. Will be eating it on pork sliders tonight!! Thanks for a quick and easy recipe!
We love using cabbage in a slaw or salad! The citrus on this is so good!
Oil and lemon juice is my favorite salad dressing so I know I’ll love this purple cabbage slaw! Thanks for sharing.
Looks so fresh and delicious! A must make for sure!!
Love this recipe the purple cabbage and the citrus are perfect together. I add it to my pulled pork sliders.,
This is ONE RECIPE I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING. This is the type of coleslaw to add to the table at outdoor gathering.
I adore purple cabbage and just got a head of it from the organic farmer’s market. I can’t wait to use it for a batch of this slaw!