Spicy Cabbage Slaw

Name: Spicy Cabbage Slaw
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 14 – 17.5oz coleslaw mix (white cabbage, red cabbage, carrots); 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped; 1/2 cup mayo (adjust to your preference); 2 tsp sriracha (PaleoChef makes a Paleo version); 4 tsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp lime juice; 1 1/2 tsp raw honey; salt & pepper to taste

September 8, 2017 By Whip & Wander 54 Comments

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By now you’ll know I love a good jalapeño. I also love a dish that comes together quickly, meaning I’m not standing over a cutting board for half an hour just prepping the ingredients to assemble and cook for dinner that night. Luckily, this Spicy Cabbage Slaw should take you 5 minutes to assemble, from start to finish.

A classic go-to side

Spicy Cabbage Slaw is one of those recipes that never gets old. It’s our go-to when we are looking for a quick, healthy side dish that requires minimal chopping, no cooking, and few ingredients. It’s not uncommon for me to make this dish nearly every week, regardless of the season, though it is a superb side dish to make for a summer bbq and will beat anything you can find at the deli.

It also makes a great alternative to a salad as the only thing you need to chop is the jalapeños. This is assuming, of course, that you are lazy like me and buy your cabbage mix pre-shredded. Unless I have both cabbage and carrots lying in my produce drawer that need to be used immediately, I just use a pre-shredded mix.

It’s all in the sauce

Let’s talk about what really makes a good slaw: the sauce. This recipe calls for a traditional mayo base, but it’s kicked up a notch with a few things you likely already have at home: sriracha, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and honey. The tanginess of the apple cider vinegar and lime combined with the sweetness of the honey balances out the heat in the jalapeños and sriracha, and the mayo makes everything creamy and smooth.

I prefer to use Glory Bee Raw Organic Clover Honey, as it’s undergone less processing than traditional honey, and Bragg Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with the “Mother.” If you are strictly paleo or grain-free, PaleoChef Sriracha is a good alternative to traditional sriracha. I find that it is not quite as spicy as many traditional srirachas you may be used to but it does give a good kick of flavor. I generally like to make my own mayo so I can control what goes in it, but if you’d rather buy it my favorite is Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo. It’s not strictly paleo, but it much lower in sugar than traditional blends.

A note for special diets

This Spicy Cabbage Slaw is grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and friendly for Paleo, SIBO, and Keto diets. The net carb count per serving on this recipe is only 4g, however, if you choose to omit the honey it drops to 3g per serving.