Red Cabbage Slaw
by Sommer Collier — on Mar 16, 2026 My red cabbage slaw recipe is bright, crunchy, and full of fresh flavor. I toss crisp red cabbage, carrots, and red onion in a creamy mayo and vinegar dressing for an easy make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for parties, cookouts, or Southern comfort dinners.
If there’s a barbecue, potluck, or picnic happening in the south, you bet your bottom dollar there’s going to be some kind of slaw or two on the table. (I don’t make the rules, people, but I’m good with this one!) I absolutely love our creamy southern coleslaw recipe using green cabbage, but this red cabbage slaw is bright, bold, and has the perfect crunch. Plus, in a table full of brown dishes, I love all the color it adds! It’s a fantastic variation of a classic “white” coleslaw recipe with a similar mayo-based dressing, but brings a different flavor, plus nutrients to the table!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Delicious Side Dish – What really makes my red cabbage slaw recipe shine is the dressing! It’s smooth and creamy, with a rich mayo base that’s balanced with a touch of tangy rice vinegar, bitter celery seeds, and a smidge (or two) of sugar. The flavors are punchy but not overwhelming, so the slaw pairs well with all kinds of main dishes.
Easy to Make and Great to Share – Like my potato salad recipe, this is a great recipe to double and make ahead for a party! It’s best to refrigerate for an hour before enjoying, and it will chill for up to 24 hours and still have a nice crisp yet soft texture. I usually whip it up the night before or in the morning when we’re having friends over later in the day.
Good and Good for You – It’s no secret that red cabbage is packed with vitamins and minerals…I’m not making this out to be health food, but it is a great way to get antioxidants like polyphenols, and a ton of vitamins on your southern dinner table.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Red cabbage – I use a medium-sized head of cabbage, which weighs about 2 pounds and yields roughly 8+ cups of shreds.
- Carrot – You need 1 medium or 2 small carrots to yield 1/2 a cup when shredded. Whether or not to peel them is up to you, but I usually don’t bother, unless they are hairy. However, to make things a bit easier, absolutely you can buy pre-shredded carrots!
- Red onion – I only need 1/4 cup of onion, so roughly a quarter of a medium-sized red onion will do.
- Mayonnaise – I like to use full-fat mayonnaise, but you can certainly use low-fat mayo as well.
- Rice vinegar – Rice vinegar offers a nice light-tangy vinegar flavor, but in a pinch, you could use 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- Sweetener: Use 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or honey), depending on how sweet you like your coleslaw.
- Seasoning – I use a combination of garlic powder, celery seeds, salt, and pepper. Celery seeds provide the quintessential southern slaw flavor, so don’t skip them!
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Slice the Veggies – I start by peeling the red onion, rinsing the cabbage and carrot under cool running water, and then thoroughly patting them dry with a clean towel. It’s super important to remove as much moisture as possible at every step to avoid soggy slaw!
I cut the cabbage into quarters and the onion in half, and use my mandolin to finely slice them into shreds. Then I shred the carrot with a box grater so the pieces are about as thick as the cabbage.
Now I dump the cabbage, onion, and carrots into a large bowl.
Make the Dressing – I add all of the remaining ingredients (mayo, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings) to a glass measuring cup, or you can use a small bowl if you prefer. Whisk everything together to create a smooth, creamy slaw dressing.
Then pour the mixture evenly over the veggies in the large bowl.
Mix & Refrigerate – Now I stir it all together, so the dressing evenly coats every piece of carrot, onion, and cabbage. I recommend using tongs to toss everything, so I’m not smooshing and “overworking” the cabbage with a spoon…This helps keep the shreds firm and minimizes bleeding of the red cabbage color. (Which doesn’t change the flavor, but it means the purple overtakes all other colors, including the orange carrots and white-ish slaw dressing.)
I cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and pop it into the fridge for an hour or so. This gives the dressing time to really soak into the cabbage and make the slaw creamy, toothsome, and flavorful.
Expert Tip
To get the perfect, consistent shred on the cabbage and onion, it’s best to use a mandolin slicer. Set it on the thinnest setting, and pay close attention. Keep your fingers curled back so no accidents occur.
If you don’t have a mandolin, you can certainly use a large chef’s knife. Just slice extra-slow so that the shreds are as consistent as possible and you don’t wind up with thick ribbons or chunks.
Serving Suggestions
This crunchy, creamy, and perky slaw is a delicious side dish with all kinds of classic southern comfort recipes, like –
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Smoked Pork Butt
- Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich
- Low Country Boil
- Nashville Hot Chicken
Or use it as a slaw to pile onto fabulous crispy fried fish tacos!
Storage Notes
Keep the red cabbage coleslaw in an airtight container, and it will store well for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. But I usually like to eat it within the first day or so, while the shreds of red cabbage, onion, and carrot are nice and toothsome. Any longer and they’ll lose their snappiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have tested this recipe dozens of times, and the amount of mayonnaise and vinegar is spot-on for slaw that is creamy, but not soggy. For perfectly crunchy slaw you want to be sure to completely dry the cabbage head and carrot to get rid of any water that could throw off recipe.
Also, do not shred the veggies too thin. They won’t hold up well to being soaked in the dressing, and saturated cabbage and carrots can turn mushy pretty quickly.
Nope, you don’t want to do that! The fresh cabbage slaw would simply turn to mush if frozen and thawed.
You sure can! As I mentioned, the coleslaw needs to be in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so it gets just the right texture and the flavors can properly meld together.
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Red Cabbage Slaw
Video
Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded red cabbage one medium head
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set out a large bowl, and mandolin slicer. Set the mandolin slicer on the finest setting, then shred the cabbage and red onion. Use a box grater to shred the carrots.
- Place the shredded cabbage, carrots, and red onion in the bowl. In a separate bowl combine the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, 1 tb sugar, garlic powder, celery seeds, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Stir well to make the creamy slaw dressing, then pour it over the cabbage and carrots.
- Mix well, until all ingredients are evenly combined. Taste, then add an additional tablespoon of sugar if desired, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix again. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
