5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw

This Cilantro Lime Slaw is the perfect addition to any taco! Crisp, crunchy, and, tangy, it comes together in about 5 minutes and is loaded with all real ingredients – and NO MAYO! This slaw is tossed in a Mexican-inspired lime vinaigrette which leaves it tasting light, zesty, and refreshing!

You Will Love This

• If you’ve never had coleslaw on a taco, you NEED to add this recipe to your must-try list immediately. I love a good taco smothered in cheese and sour cream as much as the next girl. But adding cool, crunchy, tangy slaw just takes the dish to a whole other level!
• It’s so quick and easy to throw together. With minimal ingredients and 5 minute prep time, this cilantro lime slaw is the perfect simple, crunchy addition to any Mexican dinner!
• It’s filled with real ingredients. You all know I’m not a huge mayonnaise fan (unless it’s on a classic deli-style turkey sandwich) which is why I skipped it in this recipe and opted for a lime vinaigrette dressing instead. It’s literally just olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

Instructions

Add cabbage, onion, and cilantro to a large bowl.

In a measuring cup, combine olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, garlic powder, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Pour dressing over slaw. 

Mix until well combined and enjoy!

Tips

• Bagged coleslaw mix from the grocery store works great for this recipe. But I find that a head of cabbage is usually cheaper, so I like to buy that and slice it up myself. A head of cabbage will also stay fresh in the crisper drawer of your fridge for weeks. Bagged coleslaw is going to bad more quickly, but is a great time-saving option.
• To make this slaw vegan, just omit the honey and replace it with agave or another vegan sweetener. The sweetness from honey or agave is going to temper the tart, sour flavor that the lime juice brings.
• You can use purple cabbage instead of green. You could also replace some of the cabbage with matchstick carrots or chopped broccoli!
• I like to use this brand of bottled lime juice. It saves me tons of time not having to squeeze a million limes and is an easy option for having lime juice at the ready for whenever a slaw craving strikes!

Make Ahead

• You can prep the veggies and the dressing ahead of time, but don’t mix them together until a few minutes before serving. The acid in the dressing will eventually break down the cabbage.
• With that said, we usually keep the leftover coleslaw in the fridge for 2-3 days and it still tastes good, it just softens a bit so doesn’t have that crunchy texture.
• If you’re really set on making this ahead of time, try using broccoli slaw instead of regular coleslaw! Broccoli slaw, as you might have guessed, is made from broccoli. The broccoli stands up better to the acid in the dressing and will break down much more slowly.
• If you’d to make this slaw ahead of time – broccoli slaw is your best bet. Bags of pre-shredded broccoli slaw can be found in the refrigerated area of the produce section at your grocery store right near the coleslaw.

Serve Slaw With

• Easy Grilled Chicken Tacos
• Black Bean Tacos
• Baked Fish Tacos
• Simple Vegan Tacos

Try these taco recipes next!