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Apple Coleslaw features apples, carrots, cranberries, and cabbage tossed in a peppery-sweet creamy slaw dressing. It’s healthy, full of texture and flavor, and so easy to make!
I love making coleslaw, and this light and refreshing fruit-filled apple slaw is a welcome addition to the other great slaw recipes on the blog!
Sweet & peppery, this delicious slaw with apples is crowd-pleasing and a nice change from the usual coleslaw recipes.
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Why We Love This Recipe 🍎
- Great flavor and texture: Coleslaw with apples and cranberries combine creamy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, and savory flavors for the ultimate crave-worthy apple slaw.
- Super versatile: Apple coleslaw can easily be customized to suit your preferences. Change up the cranberries and almonds, or switch up the cabbage and dressing base. We love options!
- Quick and easy: Apple Slaw is simple to make and requires minimal effort. Once you’ve prepped the produce, it’s easy as can be to put together.
- Make it ahead: We love that this recipe can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, making it a convenient option for meal prep or as a side dish for gatherings and events.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Made from scratch, this apple coleslaw recipe includes cabbage, apples, dried cranberries, carrots, green onions, and slivered almonds tossed in a deliciously creamy vegan dressing.
Here is everything you’ll need, including variations:
- Cabbage – Use regular green or Napa cabbage.
- Carrots – Shred your own, and for convenience use pre-shredded carrots.
- Apples – Use your favorite apples, sweet or tart – fuji, granny smith, honey crisp, gala, golden delicious, or a combo.
- Cranberries – We love using organic cranberries, preferably unsweetened. They add a nice pop of color. Raisins make a great substitute when needed – use regular, jumbo, or golden.
- Almonds – We used slivered almonds here, but you can easily change it up with sunflower seeds, pecans, or walnuts. They all add extra crunch and nutrition!
- Green onions – Diced red onions can be used in place of green onions.
- Apple Coleslaw Dressing – The dressing is a creamy, no mayo recipe, but feel free to use vegan mayo or plain non-dairy yogurt instead of the tahini, as noted in the recipe.
How To Make Apple Coleslaw
Making apple slaw is super easy, requiring just a few simple steps:
- Start with the coleslaw dressing by mixing together the tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside to let the flavors combine.
- Prepare the cabbage by removing the first cabbage leaf, core and finely slice the cabbage, then give it a good rough chop.
- Wash the apples well, core, and julienne into matchsticks.
- Assemble coleslaw. In a large mixing bowl, add the cabbage, apples, carrots, cranberries, green onions, and almonds. (If you don’t have a large mixing bowl, a 6 qt. soup or stock pot will do perfectly.) Pour the dressing over the slaw salad and mix well to combine.
Serve as is, or let chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.
I often make a batch and eat it as a main dish, grazing on it throughout the day. It’s also great for make-ahead lunches and is even better the next day!
How To Store Apple Coleslaw
Coleslaw can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 5 days.
Can You Make Apple Slaw Ahead?
You can make coleslaw 3 to 4 days ahead of serving it. For the best presentation, I recommend making it within 24 hours of serving. Otherwise, it tends to become watery and limp. You can always prep the ingredients, keeping the slaw and dressing separate until a few hours before serving. To keep the apples from browning, place them in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Will the Apples Turn Brown in Coleslaw?
Nope! The apples will not turn brown with the use of apple cider vinegar in the coleslaw dressing, so you can safely make your apple coleslaw a day or two ahead of time. Just keep it stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
What to serve with apple coleslaw? Here are a few of our favorite pairings from the archives:
- Healthy Baked Beans
More Coleslaw Recipes!
- Classic Vegan Coleslaw
- Asian Slaw, zesty with a miso-ginger dressing, and my all-time favorite
- Spicy Coleslaw, my all-time favorite, with pepperoncini and creamy tahini dressing.
If you try this apple slaw recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
EASY APPLE COLESLAW
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 7 reviews
Crisp, fresh, and delicious, this Apple Coleslaw features a colorful combo of fruits and veggies tossed in a delicious creamy apple cider dressing! Recipe is versatile and can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Salad, Side
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 1/2 head green cabbage (about 4 – 5 cups), shredded
- 2 carrots (about 1 1/2 cups), julienned or shredded
- 2 apples (green or red), cored and cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 – 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 2 – 3 green onions (about 1/2 cup), sliced
Tahini Maple Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini (sub with 1/2 cup mayo or plain non-dairy yogurt)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Add 1 -2 tablespoons of water as needed to thin. Set aside to let the flavors mingle.
Assemble coleslaw: In an x-large bowl, add the cabbage, apples, carrots, cranberries, green onions, and almonds. Drizzle the dressing over the top and mix well to coat. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as is, or store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
Coleslaw can be made a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Makes about 8 cups
Serves 4 – 8
Notes
To replace the tahini: use 1/2 cup non-dairy plain yogurt or vegan mayo.
The ingredients can easily be changed up for variation:
- Replace green cabbage for napa or red cabbage, or use a combo.
- Use your favorite apples – fuji, granny smith, honey crisp, gala, golden delicious, etc.
- In place of cranberries, raisins would work well.
- Vary up the almonds, using sunflower seeds, pecans, or walnuts.
- Use diced red onion in place of green onions.
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