This healthy, lighter take on traditional coleslaw is one you'll want to make on repeat! Instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing, it's tossed with creamy tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of date syrup for the perfect balance of savory, bright, and subtly sweet flavors. It's crisp, refreshing, packed with wholesome ingredients, and comes together in just minutes. For extra crunch and a little nutrition boost, sprinkle pepitas and hemp seeds on top before serving.
I make this slaw for lunch all summer long because it's cool, crunchy and so incredibly satisfying. The rich texture from the tahini and olive oil dressing is so much better than mayo - it's full of flavor yet so simple to make.
Don't get me wrong... I still love the taste of traditional coleslaw and am obsessed with this vegan cashew-based purple cabbage slaw. But, if you're looking for a nut-free purple cabbage slaw, this tahini-based version is full of flavor, plus the raw pepitas and hemp seeds add extra crunch, protein, healthy fats and beautiful color.
And one of my favorite parts about this recipe is that there's no separate dressing bowl to wash. Simply drizzle the ingredients directly over the shredded cabbage and toss everything together until evenly coated.
The Secret to the Best Texture
The secret to this recipe is shredding the purple cabbage as thinly as possible.
I highly recommend using a mandoline on its thinnest setting. I quarter the cabbage and run it through the madoline to create delicate, angel hair-like strands. This completely changes the texture! Thick pieces of cabbage can be chewy, but paper-thin shreds become light and tender and absorb all of the dressing perfectly.
Ingredients
It will definitely look like we are using a lot of cabbage here, but when shredded and tossed in the dressing it will shrink in size significantly!
Instructions
1. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core and use a mandoline on its thinnest setting to create delicate shreds.
2. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients directly on top.
3. Toss well until everything is evenly coated.
4. Serve immediately for maximum crunch or let the coleslaw sit for a few minutes for the cabbage to soften slightly and the flavors to meld together.
Serving Tips
Although I often enjoy a bowl of this coleslaw by itself for lunch, it pairs well with so many meals.
Serve it alongside burgers, tacos, grain bowls or anything coming off the grill. It also makes an easy side dish for barbecues, picnics and summer cookouts. The recipe can easily be doubled when serving a crowd!
This recipe seriously makes purple cabbage taste amazing. Purple cabbage is one of my favorite veggies because it's both beautiful and incredibly nutritious.
Eating a variety of colorful vegetables is one of the easiest ways to increase the diversity of nutrients in your diet, and this recipe is a delicious way to enjoy more purple produce.I can't wait for you to try it!
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Healthy Coleslaw with Tahini (No Mayo)
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy, lighter take on traditional coleslaw is one you'll want to make on repeat! Instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing, it's tossed with creamy tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of date syrup for the perfect balance of savory, bright, and subtly sweet flavors. It's crisp, refreshing, packed with wholesome ingredients, and comes together in just minutes. For extra crunch and a little nutrition boost, sprinkle pepitas and hemp seeds on top before serving.
Ingredients
- ½ medium purple cabbage (yields about 10 cups finely shredded cabbage)
- 2 tablespoons runny tahini
- 1 tablespoon good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press or grated on a microplane
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus up to ¼ teaspoon more to taste
- ¼ cup raw pepitas (or sunflower seeds)
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- Juice from ½ large juicy lemon
- 1 teaspoon date syrup
Instructions
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core, then cut into quarters. For this recipe, you'll use about two quarters of the cabbage to get 10 cups shredded cabbage.
- Using a mandoline on the thinnest setting, finely shred the cabbage. I like to start with the pointed tip of the cabbage quarter against the mandoline to get really fine, delicate, angel-hair-like shreds.
- Add the shredded cabbage to a large mixing bowl. Add the tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepitas, hemp seeds, lemon juice and date syrup.
- Toss really well until the cabbage is evenly coated. The slaw will reduce in volume as it sits because the salt draws moisture out of the cabbage.
- Taste and add up to ¼ teaspoon more salt, if needed.
- Serve right away for maximum crunch, or let it sit for a bit so the cabbage softens slightly and the flavors come together.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Hand stirring
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