Red Cabbage Salad
This vibrant Red Cabbage Salad is as versatile as it is delicious. This quick and easy cabbage slaw is a low-calorie, budget-friendly way to add volume to your meals. Perfect for summer BBQs, it makes a great side for grilled meats and adds crunch and color to pitas, tacos, wraps, or kebabs.
Growing up in Germany, I found this this cabbage salad, aka Krautsalat or German coleslaw, to be a BBQ staple. While traditionally made with white cabbage, this red coleslaw offers the same great taste with a vibrant pop of color.
Perfect for large gatherings, it’s cost-effective, quick, easy to make ahead, and incredibly versatile. It adds a fresh, crunchy, tangy kick to countless dishes without the long fermentation of sauerkraut.
This red slaw recipe uses half a head of cabbage but scales easily for larger crowds. It also stores for up to a week, so don’t worry about leftovers!
We love it with grilled meats, in pita pockets, lunch wraps – like my lamb meatball wraps – and kebabs, especially my lamb kofta kebabs.
For more easy side salad recipes, check out my raw French carrot salad, beetroot and feta salad, and German pasta salad.
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Red Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lb red cabbage finely sliced, about 1/2 a head of cabbage
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 1 small red onion finely sliced
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the tough outer leaves as well as the trunk from 1/2 a head of red cabbage. Finely slice the cabbage with a large sharp knife by hand, a mandoline, or a food processor.2 lb red cabbage
- Add the salt and mix to fully combine with your hands for one minute. Give the cabbage a bit of a squeeze, similar to pounding it during sauerkraut making.1.5 tbsp salt
- Add the finely sliced onion and caraway seeds. Mix to combine.1 small red onion, 1 tsp caraway seeds
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, and black pepper. Whisk vigorously to combine until the sugar has dissolved and the dressing emulsified (has become thicker).3 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture. Stir to fully combine the cabbage with the dressing. Cover the bowl with a plate or clingfilm and store in the fridge for the flavors to mingle for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight).
- After that stir the coleslaw and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe tips
Slice the cabbage: Use a sharp knife, mandoline, food processor, or pre-shredded cabbage if time is short. Cut to your desired thickness. Slightly thicker cabbage pieces add extra crunch. If it’s sliced too thinly the salad can become mushy.
Massage the cabbage: Massaging the cabbage with the salt softens it and improves the texture. Gently rub it into the cabbage for a minute.
Ingredients and substitutions
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Cabbage – You can use white or red cabbage to make this salad. Make sure it’s super fresh and crunchy.
- Caraway seeds: Caraway seeds are the essential ingredient to make a traditional German coleslaw, you can skip it if you really don’t like the flavor but I do recommend trying it with.
- Oil and vinegar: Extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar create the vinaigrette base. You can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar as well.
- Onion: Red onion adds extra color and a milder taste than white onion. You can use shallots as well.
Variations
Fruit: Grated apples, small pineapple pieces, dried cranberries or raisins all make great fruity additions to this coleslaw.
Bacon: Crispy bacon pieces are a popular addition in some German regions.
Add color: Grated carrots, green onions instead of red onion, or fresh herbs such as parsley or chives give the coleslaw some color.
How to make red cabbage salad
See the recipe card for full information on the steps.
Cut red cabbage finely.
Add salt, caraway seeds, and sliced red onion.
Make the vinaigrette.
Combine everything thoroughly.
