This purple cabbage slaw recipe is a must try! It's full of vibrant, crunchy vegetables and tossed in a creamy peanut dressing. It takes under 15 minutes to make and is vegan and gluten free.
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This purple cabbage slaw is my favorite salad to serve at picnics and BBQs. It's such a crowd pleaser that every time I serve it several people ask me for the recipe. So, naturally I decided to share it with my readers!
Not only is this salad addictively tasty, it's also super healthy. If you've never heard of it - "eating the rainbow" is the best way to incorporate a good variety of vitamins and minerals into your diet. Simply put, the wider the variety of colors on your plate, the greater array of nutrients you'll be consuming. And is there any better way to eat your colors than a big crunchy salad topped off with a yummy peanut dressing?
Why not try my purple cabbage slaw recipe with my favorite lentil loaf or my creamy vegan chicken pot pie? You'll be the hit at your next summer get together!
🛒Ingredients & Substitutions
- Purple Cabbage: With it's bold, peppery flavor and chewy, course leaves, purple cabbage is the obvious star of purple cabbage slaw, but you could substitute green cabbage if that's what you have on hand.
- Carrots: The carrots add sweetness and additional texture. They also give the slaw a nice pop of color. Another crunchy vegetable like yellow bell peppers could be used instead.
- Red Peppers: Contributes flavor, nutrition, additional crunch and visual appeal.
- Peanut Butter: Forms the creamy base of the dressing and provides nuttiness and protein. Almond or cashew butter would also work here if you can't eat peanuts.
- Soy Sauce: Adds crucial umami/savoriness to the dressing. If you want to make your coleslaw gluten-free use tamari.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar adds brightness and acidity to balance out the rich peanut butter. White wine vinegar can also be used, but it will be slightly more acidic, so I suggest adding a touch more maple syrup to balance it out.
- Sesame Oil: Adds an important "toasted" aroma and flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Lends subtle sweetness to complement the acidity of the vinegar. Brown rice syrup or agave would also work.
- Ginger: Ginger adds a vital punch of spiciness and warmth. Ground ginger could work instead of fresh.
- Garlic: Gives an essential undertone of garlic flavor.
- Lime Juice: Brightens up all the flavors. Lemon juice will work in a pinch.
👨🍳How To Make Purple Cabbage Slaw In A Peanut Dressing
- Shred the purple cabbage in a food processor, or with a sharp knife. Julienne the carrots with a julienne tool or a peeler. Thinly slice the red peppers.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded purple cabbage, julienned carrots, and sliced red peppers.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, grated ginger, minced garlic, and lime juice until well combined. If the dressing is too thick, you can add a bit of water to reach your desired consistency.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- Pour the dressing over the purple cabbage slaw and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Allow the slaw to sit for at least 15-20 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together.
- Serve the purple cabbage slaw with Asian peanut dressing as a side dish or as a topping for tacos or sandwiches.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thisdailydish. Or, leave me a comment below. It makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers!
🍽️Serving Suggestions
- Tofu Tacos: The crunch of the slaw complements the soft and crispy textures of tacos nicely.
- Chicken Fried Tofu Burgers: Top plant-based burgers with this vibrant slaw for added crunch and moisture. The peanut dressing is a tasty contrast.
- Veggie Spring Rolls: Use the purple cabbage slaw as a flavorful filling or dipping sauce for crispy fresh spring rolls. Check out my recipe here: Easy Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Vegan Spring Rolls
- Chickpea Buddha Bowl: Layer this sweet and nutty slaw over a grain bowl packed with hummus, avocado, roasted veggies and chickpeas.
- Banh Mi Sandwiches: Slather spicy Asian-inspired sandwiches with this lighter take on the traditional pickled veggies usually served alongside.
❄️Storage Instructions
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend eating this slaw soon after it's made. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
To help the slaw last longer:
- Let it cool to room temperature before storing to prevent excess moisture build up.
- Drain any excess liquid that accumulates to prevent sogginess.
- Place a piece of paper towel or napkin over the surface to help absorb extra moisture.
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing the container to prevent oxidation.
When you're ready to reuse the leftovers, give the slaw a good stir to redistribute ingredients and dressing. The flavors may need a brief time to recombine once out of the fridge so taste and adjust seasonings before serving if needed.
The vegetables may soften over time but the peanut dressing should keep the slaw tasty for leftovers within 3-5 days when stored properly in an airtight container.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
First, remove any tough or damaged outer leaves from the head of purple cabbage. Next, carefully cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the tough core from each quarter. You'll be left with manageable wedges ready for shredding down to an even size. Simply place the cleaned wedges into a food processor fitted with the shredding disc or blade. Pulse a few times until the cabbage is finely shredded to your desired thinness. Be careful not to over-process into a paste. Alternatively, you can shred the cabbage wedges by hand using a large sharp knife and slicing thinly across each quarter on a cutting board. Stack a few wedges at a time and carefully slice into shreds.
Cabbage slaw refers simply to shredded raw cabbage as the main component of a salad or relish. It may have other minimal ingredients added. Cabbage coleslaw builds on basic cabbage slaw by incorporating other chopped vegetables like carrots and onions plus a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing or vinaigrette.
The peanut dressing does pack in a lot of strong flavors with ingredients like soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic. While adjusting amounts could alter the flavor balance, there is flexibility depending on what you have available:
The maple syrup adds sweetness that brown rice syrup or agave nectar could also provide.
Rice wine vinegar could swap for the rice vinegar.
Ground ginger can stand in for fresh grated.
Lemon juice can provide acidity like the lime juice.
Water might help thin out an overly thick dressing texture if needed.
I'd recommend keeping the soy sauce (or tamari), peanut butter, and at least one acid like vinegar or citrus juice. But the other savory flavors like sesame oil, ginger and garlic could be omitted or adjusted based on preference. Tweak to suit your tastebuds! Part of the fun is customizing the dressing ingredients to make this crunchy colorful slaw your own.
You Might Also Enjoy These Vegan Recipes
- Pearl Cous Cous With Roasted Beets and Feta
- Easy Sweet Potato Salad
- Authentic Vietnamese Peanut Sauce
- Veggie Burrito Bowl With Avocado Crema
- Greek Potato Salad - No Mayo
- Easy Quinoa Salad
- Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls
- How To Make Hummus Like A Pro
- Vegan Cobb Salad by Namely Marley
📖 Recipe
Purple Cabbage Slaw In A Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
For the slaw:
- 4 cups purple cabbage shredded
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 1 cup red peppers thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup peanut butter creamy
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred the purple cabbage in a food processor, or with a sharp knife. Julienne the carrots with a julienne tool or a peeler. Thinly slice the red peppers.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded purple cabbage, julienned carrots, and sliced red peppers.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, grated ginger, minced garlic, and lime juice until well combined. If the dressing is too thick, you can add a bit of water to reach your desired consistency.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- Pour the dressing over the purple cabbage slaw and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Allow the slaw to sit for at least 15-20 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together.
- Serve the purple cabbage slaw with Asian peanut dressing as a side dish or as a topping for tacos or sandwiches.
Notes
❄️Storage Instructions
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend eating this coleslaw soon after it's made. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. To help the slaw last longer:- Let it cool to room temperature before storing to prevent excess moisture build up.
- Drain any excess liquid that accumulates to prevent sogginess.
- Place a piece of paper towel or napkin over the surface to help absorb extra moisture.
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing the container to prevent oxidation.
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