Sweet and tangy, this apple slaw is everything you want a summer side to be. With honeycrisp apples, chopped cilantro and a homemade creamy sauce, this comes together in minutes. Keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve.
We save time with this recipe using a pre-bagged mix (so less chopping!). We love apple slaw as a side dish for BBQs or potlucks, but it works great as a garnish, too. We love it with BBQ chicken or pulled pork sandwiches, fish tacos, or pastrami.
The sweetness + tanginess of both the apples and the dressing is the perfect balance for savory BBQ dishes. It’s refreshing and light, with fruit AND veggies in every single bite. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- No cooking needed, just throw together and chill
- Make it ahead of time
- Pairs with dozens of summer dinners
- Flavorful, homemade dressing
Ingredient Notes for Apple Coleslaw:
- Coleslaw mix: one 14-ounce bag of coleslaw mix. This cuts down on the prep time with less cutting. If you want to make your own coleslaw mix, you can do it with a 3-4 cups of red and green sliced cabbage and 1 cup of sliced carrots.
- Honeycrisp apples: you need two medium apples. We like to use this kind of apple because they’re light and crisp without being too dense. You can swap this out for another kind of apple – cosmic crisp, pink lady or fuji all work great. If you want something more tart, swap it out for a granny smith apple.
- Cilantro: chopped cilantro (about ¼ cup). This adds a fresh, light flavor to the slaw that pairs nicely with the tartness of the apples.
- Mayonnaise: this is the base of the dressing. You’ll need a half cup. You can swap this out for plain greek yogurt if you want a mayo-free coleslaw. It will make it slightly more tangy.
- Lemon juice: we use a tablespoon of lemon juice. This helps keep the apples from browning.
- Apple cider vinegar: we use apple cider vinegar instead of regular white vinegar because it’s a little less sharp.
- Celery seed: just a small teaspoon adds the right amount of flavor that coleslaw is known for. You can leave this out if you need to, but we highly recommend adding it.
- Dijon mustard: gives it just a slight bit of a kick that pairs nicely with the tanginess of the apples.
How to make Easy Apple Slaw:
In a large bowl, mix together coleslaw, apples, and cilantro. Mix together the dressing ingredients (mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, celery seed and mustard), then toss it together with the coleslaw mixture. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
Storing and other tips for creamy apple coleslaw
Store the coleslaw in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. The lemon juice should keep the apples from browning too much.
To make it far ahead of time, we would recommend waiting to add the apples until the last minute and storing the dressing separately until you’re ready to serve.
FAQs
That’s what we use in this recipe, but if you want to make your own coleslaw mix, you can easily do it by mixing together 4-5 cups of shredded red and green cabbage and 1 cup shredded carrots.
We like to use honeycrisp apples best, but you can also use fuji, cosmic crisp, gala, or granny smith for extra tartness.
Yes, if you’re using a dairy-free mayo, this coleslaw is dairy free. You can make it vegan by using a vegan mayo and dijon mustard.
What to serve with creamy apple slaw:
This recipe pairs great with anything savory, especially any BBQ dishes. You can see our whole BBQ collection here. These are some of our favorites:
Apple Slaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce bag coleslaw mix (I like the tri-color one)
- 2 medium Honey Crisp apples
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine coleslaw, apples, and chopped cilantro in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add this dressing mixture to the coleslaw mix in the large bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).
Notes
Nutrition
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