This quick and easy Mexican coleslaw is the perfect side dish for picnics, BBQs and potlucks or as a topping for tacos, carnitas, burrito bowls, and more. It takes just 5 minutes to throw together and since it’s mayo-free it can sit out for longer than regular coleslaw!
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“Fabulous! Discovered this a year ago and have made & shared your recipe ever since. It’s a keeper!” -Alice, FoodieCrush reader
The Lime Dressing Takes This Coleslaw Over the Top!
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.
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.
I made it up to serve for a family BBQ with my DELICIOUS pulled pork tacos. This coleslaw won raves, proving it’s been tried, tested, and approved, so I KNOW it’s one you’ll have success with too.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Slice the onion into thin slivers. This helps it meld into the dressing and gives the coleslaw a mellower flavor.
A 30-minute rest brings the flavors together. I always make this ahead of time so the veggies have time to tenderize and soak up the flavors of the tangy lime dressing.
Don’t want to use packaged coleslaw mix? Buying a bag of coleslaw mix significantly reduces the hands on prep for this recipe, but you can replace it with roughly 14 ounces of finely shredded green cabbage and carrots if desired.
Ingredient Notes (+ Substitutions)
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Coleslaw mix — Typically a blend of shredded cabbage (green and red) and carrots.
- Red onion — Adds a nice bite to the Mexican-style coleslaw without overpowering it. Want something less pungent? Finely chopped green onions (green and white parts) offer a milder flavor.
- Cilantro — If cilantro is not your thing, you can always give good old flat-leaf parsley a go or leave it out altogether.
- Canola oil — My neutral-flavored oil of choice for making the lime coleslaw dressing.
- Lime juice — Use fresh if possible.
- Honey — You need a little sweetness to balance out the spices and hot sauce. If you don’t have honey, use pure maple syrup or granulated sugar instead.
- Spices — The dressing is flavored with granulated garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, and ground coriander.
- Hot sauce — Just a dash adds a nice zip of heat without giving you dragon’s breath.
The 3 Simple Steps to Making Mexican Coleslaw
- Toss the salad components together. I use bagged coleslaw mix but you can certainly slice and dice the cabbage on your own.
- Make the dressing. I use a glass jar with a fitted lid to shake the ingredients together. A slither of honey sweetens the dressing poured over the crunchy slaw with slivers of red onion and freshly chopped cilantro leaves.
- Toss it all and let it sit. 30 minutes is ideal, but you can also prep this the night before.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This coleslaw needs to be eaten within 24 hours. After that, the cabbage will wilt to the point of being mushy.
If you’d like to prep this well in advance of serving, store the shredded and sliced veggies in a separate container from the dressing. If you do this, you can safely prep the ingredients 4 days in advance and toss together when ready to serve.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Tangy Mexican Coleslaw
Ingredients
Coleslaw
- 1 14-ounce package prepared coleslaw mix
- ¼ small red onion , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves , chopped
Dressing
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 limes , juiced (about ¼ cup)
- 3 cloves garlic , pressed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 6 dashes hot sauce
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Toss. In a large bowl, toss the colelsaw mix with the sliced onion and chopped cilantro.
- Dress. In a small bowl or jar with a fitted lid, mix the canola oil, lime juice, garlic, honey, cumin, oregano, coriander, hot sauce, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the coleslaw mixture and toss.
- Chill. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This recipe is best eaten day of, but can be refrigerated overnight.
Nutrition
Ways to Serve
This is the perfect cabbage slaw for tacos, burritos bowls, enchiladas, and more. Try serving it one of the following ways:
- As a taco topping. Pair it with my Copycat Taco Bell Ground Beef Tacos, Grilled Steak Tacos, Shredded Chicken Tacos, or Baja Fish Tacos.
- In a Mexican-inspired bowl. Pile it onto Fish Taco Bowls, Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls, or Veggie Burrito Bowls.
- As a side dish. This cabbage slaw is great with Carnitas, Chicken Mole Enchiladas, Beef Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Taquitos, and Taco Zucchini Boats.
More Easy Coleslaw Recipes to Try
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Big JiLm
Wifey loves this version w/o Mayo, and so do ! 5 stars!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it Big Jilm !!! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Janice Tretter
Made the Mexican coleslaw…it was awesome!!!
My new favourite way to have coleslaw ♥️
Hayley
Thanks for sharing Janice, we’re so happy you enjoy the recipe!
Miles Gilmore
I’ve made this slaw many times now, and its always delicious! I usually cut a red, yellow or orange bell pepper into matchsticks(and cut them into shorter lengths). I will many times also add a small bag of broccoli slaw as well, as it has great crunch that doesn’t wilt. And lastly as someone else stated, I too usually add a splash of cider vinegar also! This is an amazing recipe and I’m sure glad I found it!!
Love your addition of the bell peppers and occasional broccoli slaw. Thanks for the input Miles!
Alice
Fabulous! Discovered this a year ago and have made & shared your recipe ever since. It’s a keeper! Thank you!
So glad you enjoy it enough to make time and again Alice. Thanks for the comment and 5 stars!
Barbara Holmes
Great recipe. I also added apple cider vinegar for more zing.
Sounds delicious Barbara! Glad you enjoyed :)
Ginger
So easy and delicious! I’ve made this several times and tend to substitute so I don’t have to go to the grocery store. Scallions versus purple onion and I use my own small batch of green chili pepper sauce for the heat instead of hot sauce. Incredibly versatile and thanks so much.
Happy to hear it!
Madeline Hernandez
This recipe is delicious! I just made it and I can’t wait to put my fish tacos together with this coleslaw. I took a sneak taste and omg it’s so yummy! thank you for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed Madeline!
Pat
I took this to a family reunion and the guests raved about it. The second time I made it I blackened corn and rinsed black beans and added them. The dressing makes this salad so delicious!
Susan
This recipe was good, however, I felt it lacked some ‘zing’. I added a bit of apple cider vinegar and it was the bit that was needed.
Shawn
Wonderful! Added thinly sliced jalapenos too
Awesome Shawn, and thanks for the jalapeno idea.
Lance
Great tasting recipe.
Judy
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.