Easy Creamy Vegan Coleslaw

This easy vegan coleslaw recipe is ready in 15 minutes or even less. It is a must-have side dish next to your favorite vegan burger. If you need something quick and light to prepare for a summer potluck or grill party, think of this classic coleslaw salad.

While you here looking at our creamy coleslaw recipe, you should take a look at our juicy burger recipes as well. They are perfect to serve with it. We cannot recommend enough our meatiest vegan TVP burger, our vegan beetroot burger, or our vegan pulled pork burger.

What to expect from this recipe?

Did you know that coleslaw is actually Dutch? I’ve never thought about it, but I was totally surprised when I found out. Originally, they made it with only shredded raw cabbage and vinaigrette or mayonnaise.

Well, our version is a bit closer to the classic coleslaw recipe you may know. The dressing is kind of like a lemon mayo-based sauce which makes this salad really creamy. Personally, I think egg-free vegan mayo is quite close to egg mayo. Therefore, you will not tell the difference in terms of flavors between this vegan coleslaw dressing and the original recipe.

Ingredients

So what do you need? Vegan slaw is actually a 2-ingredient salad with

• shredded green cabbage – there are many types of cabbages you can use, even purple cabbage to make your coleslaw vibrant and colorful
• shredded carrot – we recommend you use thin, young carrots with bright green leaves as they are sweeter than the extra-large ones. Even sweeter than baby carrots since they are just the rounded broken parts of large carrots.

To make the quintessential salad dressing you will need the following 5 ingredients

• lemon juice
• white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar – choose a gluten-free vinegar, if you need them
• egg-free vegan mayonnaise
• sweetener of your choice (maple syrup, agave syrup – please note that honey is not vegan, so choose a vegan honey substitute accordingly)
• seasoning (salt and black pepper)

How to make vegan coleslaw?

If you only have 5 minutes, you can use a pre-shredded coleslaw salad mix to whip up this quick side dish. However, here is a quick description of how to make it from scratch.

How to shred cabbage?

1. Wash the cabbage head and remove the outer leaves. I usually go until I reach the first crispy, clean, light green leaves.
2. Cut off the stem with a sharp knife, so the cabbage head lies flat on the cutting board.
3. First, cut the cabbage head in the middle to have two halves. Then again, until you have quarters.
4. Then, cut diagonally off the stem part at the bottom. Now, you can begin the shredding.
5. If you prefer to use a knife, lay the quarters on the cutting board using a flat side. Start cutting thin strips, as thin as you can manage.
6. If you have the strips, you can cut them half horizontally to make them shorter.
7. If you want thinner, you can go vertically through them again with your knife.

You can also use a mandolin to shred the cabbage wedges (quarters) to get quick and thin strips.

How to shred carrots?

The easiest way is to use a box cheese grater or a mandolin or the shredding blade of your food processor. But first, don’t forget to wash and peel them. This is not the recipe where you slice the carrots.

How to make the dressing?

Take a large mixing bowl and add all ingredients (egg-free mayo, freshly squeezed lemon juice, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper) whisk them until creamy. When it is ready, pour it on top of the salad and mix gently with a spatula.

A quick tip: It is so much easier if you mix the dressing separately like this and not stir them one by one right into the salad.

Top tips for making it perfectly

• The quickest way to make these is using a box cheese grater, a mandolin, or the shredding blade of your food processor.
• This creamy vegan coleslaw tastes best after 1 hour in the fridge, but be aware that the cabbage loses water as a reaction to the salt in the dressing. You can read the FAQs below on how to avoid watery coleslaw.

What to serve with it?

Think of BBQs and picnics! What would you like to eat there? Skewers, burgers, and sandwiches, am I right? We do have several delicious recipes that are just perfect with a creamy vegan coleslaw salad.

FAQs and substitutions

Can you use red cabbage instead of green?

Yes, you can absolutely use other types of cabbage. The coleslaw will be perfect with any of them. You can see this recipe with red cabbage in our bbq vegan pulled pork burger recipe. I also saw recipes that add shredded Brussels sprouts and apples and mix them together with carrots and green cabbages.

What can you use instead of mayo for the dressing?

If you need to eat oil-free, there are plenty of different vegan and oil-free mayo recipes like this one over at Nora Cooks using cashews. You can also try using a combination of dijon mustard and dairy-free yogurt.

Why is the coleslaw too watery?

The cabbage loses water as a reaction to the salt in the dressing. There are 2 ways to avoid that as it largely depends on the water content of your cabbage.

• You can avoid that by sprinkling some salt on the shredded cabbage before mixing and waiting for 5 minutes to drain the water.
• Alternatively, you can leave the salt out and only sprinkle the coleslaw with salt right before serving.

How long does it last?

I think it tastes the best on the day. Apart from getting a bit watery later, leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. After that, the cabbage really loses its crispiness.

This Easy Coleslaw recipe is vegan, so meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegetarian, nut-free, and gluten-free diets. It is not WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) since the mayo most likely contains oil.

More vegan side dish recipes

You can browse through our vegan gluten-free side dishes or our quick vegan meals collection or check out

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UPDATED: This recipe is originally published in July 2019. More tips, steps and FAQs have been added and republished in June 2022.