You are going to love this light and fresh twist on traditional coleslaw! Cool strawberries, cucumbers and cilantro mix it up with crunchy cabbage, radishes, celery and a little kick from red onion and a jalapeño pepper in this fun Strawberry Coleslaw recipe. Dressed in a strawberry vinaigrette, this slaw is the perfect side dish for cookouts, picnics, fish frys and makes a great sandwich topper!
Why We Love This Recipe
- If Peter Rabbit could make a salad, I think this would be it. This strawberry slaw is a veritable farmer’s market dream.
- When strawberries are in season, there is nothing like the juxtaposition of a refreshing forkful of plump, sweet berries, cool cucumber and cilantro and the earthy flavor of cabbage and radishes. It is 100% addictive!
- This is absolutely a “no-guilt” recipe so feel free to stand at the fridge and eat it right out of the bowl.
- Strawberry Coleslaw goes with just about everything. Check out my meal suggestions below to see just what I mean!
If you like coleslaw, you’ll also love my Crunchy Apple Slaw with Buttermilk Dressing & Broccoli Slaw with Apples & Brussel Sprouts.
What To Eat With Strawberry Coleslaw
This recipe is perfect for a fish fry! Use any leftover fish and slaw to make incredible fish tacos! (Homemade Tortilla recipe)
We also love it with Pepper Crusted Pork Tenderloin and Potato Pancakes.
Use your crock pot to cook up some Cherry Cola BBQ Pulled Pork. Pile it high on a bun and top it with this Strawberry Coleslaw for amazing BBQ sandwiches!
And I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention how delicious this slaw is when served with Crispy Southern Fried Chicken and Ultimate Pepper Jack Macaroni and Cheese.
It’s even yummy on a grilled hot dog!
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- purple cabbage
- green cabbage
- fresh strawberries
- English cucumbers
- red onion
- radishes
- celery
- jalapeño
- cilantro
Strawberry Coleslaw Dressing:
- fresh strawberries
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- mustard seed
- salt & black pepper
- minced garlic
- red pepper flakes
How to Make Strawberry Coleslaw
Thinly slice all of the slaw ingredients.
Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl.
Make the Dressing. Using a food processor or blender, puree the vinaigrette ingredients.
Serve! Lightly dress and toss the coleslaw about 20 minutes before serving. Add more dressing when serving if necessary.
Tips For Making the Best Strawberry Coleslaw
- Using a mandolin or food processor with a slicing blade for everything but the the purple cabbage AND the strawberries cuts the prep time by half or more. It also makes sure that all of the ingredients are sliced really thinly and evenly.
- Pull out your best knife and cutting board for the purple cabbage. The food processor slices it so thin that it breaks down the cell walls, and the purple color will bleed onto the other ingredients when you mix your slaw.
- Use your knife for the strawberries too. They are too tender for the food processor and mandolin.
How to Keep My Coleslaw From Getting Soggy
Coleslaw weeps and “gets smaller” when we dress it because the salt in the dressing draws out the water in the cabbage.
- As a result, it’s important to only LIGHTLY dress your strawberry coleslaw. It will end up “wetter” than you think in the end.
- Wait to put the dressing on your slaw until about 15-20 minutes before you intend to eat it. The longer it sits, the more time the salt and acids (like vinegar) in the dressing have time to break down the cabbage and other ingredients.
- You could salt the cabbage, rinse it and squeeze out the excess water before mixing it with the other ingredients, but the cabbage will lose a bit of its crunch and be less vibrant in color.
Make This Recipe Ahead of Time
To make this recipe ahead of time, simply slice all your ingredients a day or two ahead of time, storing them in separate zip top bags in the refrigerator. You can also make the strawberry vinaigrette a day or two in advance. I store my dressing in a measuring cup for easy pouring. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Storing Leftover Strawberry Coleslaw
Leftovers will last in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if kept in an airtight container. Add extra vinaigrette as desired.
More Strawberry Salads to Love
- Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Strawberries
- Strawberry Asparagus Salad
- Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad
- Layered Strawberry Jello Salad
- Ambrosia Salad with Strawberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup purple cabbage thinly sliced
- ¾ cup green cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup English cucumber not peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 quart strawberries halved and sliced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing
- 16 strawberries
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey optional if berries aren't in season
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl.
- Using a food processor or blender, puree the vinaigrette ingredients.
- Lightly dress and toss the coleslaw about 20 minutes before serving. Add more dressing when serving if necessary.
Notes
-
- Using a mandolin or food processor with a slicing blade for everything but the the purple cabbage AND the strawberries cuts the prep time by half or more. It also makes sure that all of the ingredients are sliced really thinly and evenly.
-
- Pull out your best knife and cutting board for the purple cabbage. The food processor slices it so thin that it breaks down the cell walls, and the purple color will bleed onto the other ingredients when you mix your slaw.
-
- Use your knife for the strawberries too. They are too tender for the food processor and mandolin.
- LIGHTLY dress your coleslaw. It will end up “wetter” than you think in the end.
- Wait to put the dressing on your slaw until about 15-20 minutes before you intend to eat it. The longer it sits, the more time the salt and acids (like vinegar) in the dressing have time to break down the cabbage and other ingredients.
- You could salt the cabbage, rinse it and squeeze out the excess water before mixing it with the other ingredients, but the cabbage will lose a bit of its crunch and be less vibrant in color.
Nutrition
Rate & Comment