This super simple Mexican-flavored coleslaw is perfect for picnics, BBQs and potlucks because its mayo-free and takes just a few minutes to toss together.
There are some recipes I slave over. Working, reworking and working them again to make them just perfect.
That’s not this recipe.
Instead, this recipe came together the very first time I made it. It was perfect from the get-go, and I’m not the only one who said so. I made it up to serve for a family BBQ with an upcoming recipe for some DELICIOUS Mexican-inspired pulled pork I made with this salsa that I’ll be sharing soon. Because if you know one thing about pulled pork, you know it needs a little crunchy kick to add to it.
Not that pulled pork is the ONLY thing this coleslaw is good with. It’s tasty as a side for pretty much any chicken, steak or seafood, especially when you’re looking for something with a little texture and crunch. I’m also planning on serving it alongside enchiladas as an alternative to salad. It’s totally adaptable that way.
This recipe is tried, tested and approved, and I KNOW it’s one you’ll have the same success with too.
About the Recipe
When you hear the words “Mexican food” you might conjure up images of becoming a fire-breathing dragon. This slaw is far from that. Rather than spicy with heat, it’s simply spiced with a dressing of classic Mexican flavors.
Lime juice. Garlic. Cumin. Oregano. Coriander. And just a slight dash of hot sauce. Because I just couldn’t help myself and had to add just a dash of heat, but certainly not the whole enchilada.
Rather than mincing the garlic, I’ve totally been into the using a garlic press like my mom always used to do. This one has been a solid helper in my kitchen.
A slither of honey sweetens the dressing that’s then poured over the crunchy slaw with slivers of red onion and freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Then you simply toss and let it sit. If cilantro is not your thing, you can always give good old flat leaf parsley a go or leave it out all together.
Recipe Ideas to Serve With Your Coleslaw
You’ve made this yummy coleslaw, but now what to serve it with?
- Cocktail: Palomas with Spicy Chili Sugar
- Main: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
- Main: Spicy Fish Tacos
- Main: The Best Steak Fajitas
- Dessert: Mexican Chocolate Pie
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Easy Mexican Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce package prepared coleslaw mix
- 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 limes juiced (about 1/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 6 dashes hot sauce
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the colelsaw mix with the sliced onion and chopped cilantro. In a small bowl or jar with a fitted lid, mix the canola oil, lime juice, garlic, honey, cumin, oregano, coriander, hot sauce and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the coleslaw mixture and toss. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This recipe is best eaten day of, but can be refrigerated overnight.
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electric bicycles sale says
Nice sharing! Glad to read your post!
Shirley says
Question: Should 1/4 TBSP chopped cilantro read 1/4 CUP??
heidi says
Whoops! Good catch!!! I’ll fix now, thank you!
Linda says
I was questioning the 1/4 TBSP cilantro also. From the picture it looks like more.
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
My husband is a huge coleslaw enthusiast, me? Not so much. I just don’t love the typical coleslaw drenched in creamy dressing. This however, this I would love. Light dressing, bright flavors, and super unique. Definitely giving this a go next time he request coleslaw.
fillo says
try it it is good
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
We are huge fans of coleslaw! This Mexican version sounds so good – I need to make it soon!
Kari says
Yum! Looks so fresh & crunchy!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/make-garlic-marinara-sauce-zoodles-15-minutes/
Jose Comida says
When are you people gonna learn that Cumin does not belong in real Mexican food.
This is Tex-Mex style and if you go south of the border, you will be hard pressed to find cumin in any food, except in the resorts that cater to Americans. Use some ground thyme instead. And for hells sake: packaged coleslaw mix? You sound more like a housewife than a foodie or gourmet. if you can’t cook stuff from scratch, you should not give cooking advice.
Cathy says
My mother is from Michoacán, MEXICO. And for your information she uses CUMIN (Comino) in a lot of her recipes and my mom was a hell of a cook. You are just a jerk!
fillo says
amen sister
Jacque says
How rude! You don’t have to make it so why are you even looking at the recipe if it’s not for you? That’s ok but don’t bad mouth others and their way of cooking. Some mothers and wives work and don’t have time to chop everything by hand!
heidi says
Thank you Cathy and Jacque. I never have professed to be a gourmet, that’s for sure. And in response to Jose, if you’d like to use coleslaw that isn’t in a mix, I recommend you use a mix of 6 cups shredded cabbage plus 1/2 shredded carrot. That ought to work well. And of course, you can always leave the cumin out.
fillo says
u r an **** *** so shut up
Snowflake says
When are you gonna learn that being rude and arrogant is stupid, ugly and unnecessary?!
fillo says
jerk
fillo says
Learn your place honestly peson we make this and love it so buzz off
Donald trump is me says
yo shut up or your fired
John McMartin says
Donald T is the biggest as*hole of all. Thank you Heidi for this wonderful take on Cole slaw. With Cumin!
Tima says
So, my stepdad, who is Mexican, and his mother have been making Mexican food wrong this whole time!?!? Yeah, probably not. They put cumin in TONS of dishes. So thanks but no thanks for your rude and incorrect comment. Also, plenty of chefs take short cuts now and then.
Sherry says
Prepared coleslaw because it’s quick. Prepared coleslaw because not everyone wants a ton of leftover cabbage. Prepared coleslaw because not everyone has time to drain the carrots & cabbage first. You gotta be kidding with your ridiculous claim about cumin not being in ‘real’ Mexican food. Wow. Just wow.
michelle says
Shut up Jose..cooking is about being creative and the great thing about making your own food is that you can taylor it to your personal tastes.Ethnic food tends to be ethnic because of the ingredients that are available in the region,This is America,anything goes,and that includes coleslaw..
kathy says
Jose…..calm down and go easy. Good golly. We all pretty much know we can slice cabbage and make our own slaw if we want. She was making the recipe easier and quicker to make. That’s it. Tone down your “negativity” next time or just don’t give any review if you have nothing nice to say and move on.
Be Nice says
Jose, you are a complete jerk! If you cant say something nice and provide constructive feedback then don’t say anything at all. You are a miserable human being …….
Lance says
Great tasting recipe…Jose you should stay south of the border with your comments.
Terri says
Jose… no need to be a jerk. She is posting recipes and I don’t see where she calls herself a chef or a gourmet. If you don’t like what you read, please go elsewhere.
Harry Bowden says
That’s true I usually think of spicy as in heat when I think of Mexican food. I think that I might be tempted to add a bit more heat to this recipe but it looks great the way it is too.
– Harry
http://www.bestsousvidebrands.com
Chefette says
What a refreshing alternative to the usual creamy-sweet slaw – and it really does have possibilities! Although it may not be an *authentic* Mexican recipe, it sure will play nice with all those hot & spicy platos mexicanos just the same. ;-) I’m not a big fan of cumin so I would reduce it to maybe 1/2 tsp (especially when using ground coriander) and double the oregano, but that’s my own preference.
And since when is a shortcut (ahem, pre-sliced cabbage/slaw) grounds for verbal lynching from the likes of a Jose Nobody? All those high-ranking chefs have prep cooks to do all the dirty work in their kitchens – I hardly think they’re chopping, slicing, shredding, and measuring all the ingredients themselves. Right?!
Thanks for slaving in the kitchen, Heidi.
fillo says
preach it sis
Snowflake says
Clarification: My previously posted comment, “When are you gonna learn that being rude and arrogant is stupid, ugly and unnecessary?!” should have specifically been addressed to Jose Comida, and NOT to Heidi who appears to be a lovely and gracious person. Thank you, Heidi. And Jose: If you don’t like her recipe perhaps you could take a lesson from her manners. Comer bien. ;-D
Kris O. says
Donna Nordin has a very similar recipe in her cookbook based on dishes served at her now-closed Café Terra Cotta in Tucson. Hers includes avocado and jicama. I arrange avocado to the top just before serving but don’t mix it in – that way, any leftover slaw won’t turn brown or mushy. Looking forward to trying yours!
Lisa says
Very Yummy recipe items . Thanks for sharing this post here . Like this .
fillo says
hi all merry x mas
Danielle says
Loved this recipe. It saved me in the last minute to put my pork tacos over the top. Please keep posting your great recipes.
Laurie says
This was great on my fish tacos tonight! Thank you.
jessica says
just made this recipe with my mom as we are wanting something new! we love it, and so does my dad! Very fresh and has great flavor. also very easy!
Melissa Tortora says
Can I use olive oil instead of canola?
Sue says
Great recipe, just what I needed for my tacos tonight! I added sliced fresh jalapenos which gave it a little heat. Will definitely be making this again!
Sarah says
I just made this and it’s delicious!!! Absolutely love it – thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Michelle says
This is amazing! I’ve made it countless times, always a hit! I use it on fish tacos, pulled pork, leftovers as a salad topper – it’s incredible!!!
Debra says
I have made a similar recipe. I use olive oil, Add 2 cup thinly julienned jicama and 1/8 cup OJ instead of the honey, thinly sliced seeds removed jalapeno (less if you don’t want the spice) instead of the hot sauce. I thinly slice one whole cabbage but usually buy the pre-shredded carrots. Mine makes more and we love having the leftovers!
I believe this recipe is better the next day!
Tiffany says
I LOVE this slaw!!! I’ve been looking for the perfect topping for pulled pork tacos and this is IT! It’s perfection just the way it is!! I didn’t have coriander so I didn’t add it and I didn’t add the hot sauce because I didn’t think the kids would like the spice. This recipe is a keeper for me!
Diann says
My Grand daughter in law is Mexican she has taught me to make Mexican food and she does use cumin!! As for your Mexican coleslaw recipe I tried it when I made enchiladas it’s really good and tonight I’m serving it with my chili.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
That is so interesting! Thanks for sharing, Diann!
Tabitha Dente says
It sounds good, LOVE cole slaw, always on the lookout for new ways to make it, looking forward to trying it, but I’m not sure 1/3 CUP of oil is any better than 2 tablespoons of a high-quality, gourmet avocado mayo (or even less, depend on how creamy you prefer it). And one suggestion of OJ in place of the honey sounds like a GREAT idea for those of us looking to limit sugar.
Rachel says
I made this as a side for a taco party I had last night. Everyone loved it and it was so easy! Thank you. I’ll be making it a lot more!
Camy says
I made this tonight to go with carinitas. It was fabulous!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Delicous!!
Elaine says
I’d like to make this, but I don’t keep honey in the house and don’t want to buy a jar of it just for this one recipe. Is there a substitution for the honey? I don’t keep any kind of syrup around either, but I’m wondering if I could substitute some amount of white sugar or coconut sugar?
Sarah says
Been making this for over a year now! Love love love it! My husband really likes coleslaw and I’m not a huge fan unless it’s with NC style pork bbq ;) this is great though! So full of flavor and is a great alternative to lettuce salad for a side dish to those spicy mexican dishes to cool the mouth off! :D
I thinly slice at least 1/2 a cabbage and skip the carrots. Use olive oil. Add extra garlic because we are garlic junkies and it adds a little more bite.
Thanks so much for this recipe! It gets the honor of being printed and added to my real cookbook! <3
Ash says
Such a great recipe, my boyfriend made it for me and now I’m hooked! He added some corn and it was a great addition :)
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
YUM!
Andrew says
My wife fell in love with this. We smoked a pork butt last night and it was an amazing topper for the leftover pork tacos we made today. Perfect!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
I am so glad! That sounds delish!
Martin says
Great recipe.
I just added a few more ingredients.
2 fresh jalapenos and green onions.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thanks for sharing!
Alli says
When you say pressed garlic, you just leave the whole pressed garlic in with the mix? Just making sure, thank you!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Yes!
Tricia says
This looks delicious! I will most definitely be using the cumin when I make mine
Adrienne says
Delish! I added diced canned jalapenos and green onion instead of red (didn’t want to make an extra trip to the store for red….) thanks!
Judy says
Everyone who’s eaten this coleslaw at our table is nuts about it. Some are just grateful to have a good slaw without a ton of mayo. But almost everyone asks for the recipe, because of its huge umami.
Shawn says
Wonderful! Added thinly sliced jalapenos too
Heidi says
Awesome Shawn, and thanks for the jalapeno idea.