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!
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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
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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!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Mexican/American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
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- 14 ounces thinly sliced cabbage
- 1/2 small red onion, petite diced
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked 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!
Equipment
Buy Now → Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 108
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 16.4 mg
- Fat: 9.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.9 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Love this! It’s my favorite cilantro lime slaw. I come back to it over and over. I’m currently on the Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet and had to leave out the cumin. Still fantastic!
I’m so glad to hear that this cilantro lime slaw was still good without the cumin! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
This is the best slaw I have ever tasted. And I have made and eaten a whole lot of slaw. We initially made this for shrimp tacos, and that was incredible. A couple weeks ago I made it and ate half a head of cabbage that way in two sittings. I have subbed in green onions and it’s still delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe.
My late wife was one of those people who couldn’t tolerate cilantro. It made everything taste like soap to her. In case she recovers, is there a substitute for the cilantro? She died 27 years ago, but I’m still hopeful. I love cilantro and grow tons of it in the garden. I always buy limes when they go on sale, and I juice them and save the juice in glass jars in the freezer for later use. I tried this recipe on my daughter who loves it.
I have made this in the past as written but I currently hve a bag of broccoli slaw and want usethat instead of cabbage this time. Do you think I should dress te salad maybe 40 minutes or more before serving? I seems like broccoli mayneed a little time to absorb the dressing?
I think that’s a great idea to make it a bit ahead of time, LuAnn! The broccoli slaw will definitely need a bit more time to absorb the dressing than regular cabbage would. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!
This is excellent! Very fresh, crisp, full of flavor. It would go great on a fish taco, for sure. We ate it just as a snack by itself and plan to have it again with a spiced pork chop. I cut the cumin in half because it was freshly ground seeds so it was definitely more potent. We also didn’t want it to overpower; this was to our taste. I would definitely serve to guests and take to a potluck or picnic.
Is there anything that could be used in place of the honey? TIA!
Agave would work or even maple syrup! Great question, Donna!
Very tasty! I think a little less cumin plus a bit more lime juice would be great, but that is just personal taste. Overall a tasty, easy dish. Thank you for sharing!
Can I dress the slaw in advance?
I don’t recommend dressing it too far in advance as the dressing will start to break down the veggies. This one is best tossed together just before serving or not too far before serving.
This slaw brightens almost any meal with the just right mix of flavors. It is quick to make, and I found it stayed tasty for three or four days after the first day when I mixed the slaw with the dressing. I used both green and red cabbage and added julienned fresh carrots.
I am so glad you enjoyed this slaw recipe, Linda! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Wow. So good. I didn’t have all the ingredients so I made do. But I can’t wait to actually plan this and do it right! Husband was quick to say “make this again.” Made it to go with your Baked Fish Tacos. Success!! Thanks so much for sharing.
I am so glad to hear that you guys enjoyed this slaw recipe. It is SO perfect for tacos!! Thanks for leaving a review, Michele!
I put this recipe together to accompany pan sautéed halibut and steamed rice because my sister doesn’t eat cooked vegetables. Of course slaw isn’t cooked and I thought we’d all be happy. And we were, but the slaw was super delicious and it stole the show!
Best cabbage salad for tacos on the web.
Woohoo! I love to hear that, Sheila! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
Agreed, I think it’s perfect! Just light enough with great flavor without adding mayo which I love.
Awesome and easy; very refreshing on a hot day!!
My kids and I loved this slaw recipe! One of them even asked to have it on his birthday, which is next spring! Thanks for posting a recipe that the whole family (even picky kids) enjoy!
I’m making their cilantro lime slaw door tomorrow for a picnic and would like to do it ahead of time will this be ok until tomorrow if i make it today? I’ve done it with Reg. Slaw not with this one. Thank you
The lime juice in the slaw will cause it break down after it’s made so you could make the components ahead of time – just don’t mix everything together until just before serving!!
Super easy and tasty slaw recipe!
Make this every time we have tacos. LOVE this slaw and it couldn’t be any easier to make! Thank you!!
I could not agree more – this is one of our favorite taco accompaniments, too! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂 I really appreciate it!
truly honestly simply perfect!
Yayyyyyy! I love to hear that, Tracy. Thanks so much for leaving a review!