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Healthy and delicious vegan recipes using no salt, sugar or oil.

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Creamy Coleslaw

September 1, 2013 42 Comments

There are countless variations of this popular side dish; my recipe is inspired by my mom’s, which includes apples and raisins. I use a cashew-based dressing instead of oily vegan mayo, but you can easily forego the cashews for a lighter dressing.

Coleslaw_SUF_2190_3

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Creamy Coleslaw
Prep time:  20 mins
Total time:  20 mins
Serves: 6 (makes about 8 cups salad, 1 cup dressing)
 
Ingredients
  • For the salad:
  • 3 cups chopped green cabbage
  • 1¾ cups grated carrots (1 to 2 medium)
  • 1½ cups diced apple (1 to 2 medium), peeled or unpeeled
  • 1 cup chopped red cabbage
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup finely chopped red onion

  • For the dressing:
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 ounces raw, unsalted cashews (about ½ cup)
  • 2 tablespoons mustard (I like Dijon or stone ground)
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar (I like apple cider)
  • 1 medium clove garlic, sliced
Instructions
  1. Place all of the dressing ingredients (water, cashews, mustard, vinegar, and garlic) into a blender, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the cashews can soften).
  2. Place all of the salad ingredients (green cabbage, carrots, apple, red cabbage, raisins, and onion) into a large bowl.
  3. Blend the dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Notes
For a little variation, add ¼ cup of thinly sliced radish, celery, or fresh fennel, or ½ cup of chopped bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, or pineapple.


For a lower-fat dressing, substitute ¾ cup of cooked white beans for the cashews.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙ recipe, 1.3 cups Calories: 141 Fat: 4.6g Saturated fat: 0.8g Carbohydrates: 24.7g Sugar: 14.9g Sodium: 95mg Fiber: 4.1g Protein: 3.6g Cholesterol: 0
3.5.3226

Coleslaw_SUF_2201

Coleslaw_SUF_2278

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please share a comment below or on my Facebook page. If you’d like to print this recipe, use the green “Print” button near the top-right of the recipe. Learn more about the Straight Up Food Cookbook here. Thank you! 

Filed Under: Fan Favorites, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged With: Apple Cider Vinegar, apples, cabbage, carrot, cashews, cole slaw, coleslaw, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon, oil-free, onion, raisins, red cabbage, vegan

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Comments

  1. James Welch says

    September 1, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    Just made this and it is FANTASTIC! I think my fiancee may eat the whole batch before we make it to dinner time and he’s not even vegan…and he doesn’t like traditional cole slaw. Added celery seed and squeezed some lemon juice into the dressing as suggested in the notes. Also used currents instead of raisins, which I do quite often anyway. Super, super GOOD STUFF! Thank you so much for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 1, 2013 at 6:42 pm

      Hi James, Yay! Thank you for the feedback. You’re my first comment, and I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! 😉 Cathy

      Reply
  2. Heidi says

    September 1, 2013 at 9:14 pm

    Love that you offered a suggestion with the cashews! I don’t use many nuts in my cooking. So having the option already spelled out was super helpful. 🙂 I made a batch this afternoon to have tonight. Cheers!!

    Reply
  3. Ellen says

    September 1, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    This looks fantastic. I have all the ingredients – gonna make it tomorrow! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. JoanieART says

    September 2, 2013 at 11:29 pm

    This is amazing. I’ve been salivating since I first read it, but tonite it was my main dinner…let’s see 3 bowls? That dressing is to die for, as the saying goes. Great job, Cathy, and thanks so much for sharing. It’s my next potluck meal.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 3, 2013 at 7:48 pm

      Woo hoo! Thanks Joanie! 😉

      Reply
  5. Lynn says

    September 4, 2013 at 2:43 am

    This is really delicious, and a great food bargain!

    I bought all of the ingredients on my way home from work (except for the cashews, which I already had), and spent less than $5.00. For that I ended up with a large amount of really great tasting, healthy food. This is so amazing and good! Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 6, 2013 at 11:23 pm

      Great to hear, thanks Lynn! 😉

      Reply
  6. loveandkale says

    September 7, 2013 at 11:38 pm

    I am at a party and they served this and I ate 4 bowls. Is that too much?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 8, 2013 at 12:18 am

      Ha! 🙂 No way! xo

      Reply
  7. Monica says

    September 11, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Absolutely delicious, Cathy!! Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Kathy G says

    September 14, 2013 at 1:58 pm

    Cathy, this is fabulous! I made this for a plant-strong potluck that I am going to tonight. I couldn’t stop taste testing! I hope I have leftovers to bring home. If not, I will have to make again tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 14, 2013 at 2:10 pm

      Thanks for the comment Kathy! 🙂 Yay!

      Reply
  9. Frances Martinez says

    October 1, 2013 at 4:09 pm

    It is delicious! Question: About how many calories in a cup? I’m entering my daily meals on MyFitnessPal.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 1, 2013 at 7:02 pm

      Hi Frances, I don’t calculate calories with the recipes, but you can at Cron-o-meter by entering the recipe ingredients/amounts. http://cronometer.com/ 🙂

      Reply
  10. Samantha Jane says

    October 2, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    Your cashew dressing is just FANTASTIC!!! However I want to share a tip for people who are rushed and forgetful like me..I don’t put all the ingredients in the blender with the cashews..I make the cashews soften in just enough water to cover them..then I start the blender and only once they are creamy do I add the rest of the ingredients..I did this the first time ‘cos I was late for dinner and had forgotten to set the cashews aside..and it worked!!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 2, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      Great tip, thanks! 😉

      Reply
  11. Kristi Rimkus says

    October 22, 2013 at 11:25 pm

    Love the dressing. I’m a big slaw fan and the cashew dressing sounds amazing!

    Reply
  12. Linda says

    November 17, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    I’ve made this recipe three times now. Love it!

    Reply
  13. Hope Green says

    November 26, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    Bless you!! We did the 10 day McDougall program in June and have missed our old favorite cole slaw recipe that Himself would make 2x a week- with Miracle Whip of course… Yea Team!!! Cathy to the rescue… I can’t wait to make this up with celery seed and from the reviews I know it will be pure bliss!!!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 26, 2013 at 7:51 pm

      Hi Hope, thanks for the comment! 🙂 Yes, that one is very popular. Let me know how you and your husband like it.

      Reply
  14. Debbie says

    November 27, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    I am taking the Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell and while I have been plant based for some time, cooking without oil is fairly new to me. So I was glad when I stumbled onto your site with recipes that don’t use WHEAT or other concentrated sugars like a lot of the WFPB recipe books do! I’m just curious, do you avoid wheat because of intolerance to it or for other health reasons (effects of gluten, gliadin protein)? Looking forward to trying out the recipes.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 27, 2013 at 11:20 pm

      Hi Debbie, thanks for your comment. I avoid wheat because I work at TrueNorth Health Center (this is where I mostly teach my classes) and so wanted to keep my recipes along their guidelines, including no wheat. They don’t use it because so many people are sensitive to it. I don’t seem to have a sensitivity to it, but I don’t miss it at all in my recipes or in my diet. Cathy 🙂

      Reply
  15. Jody says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:35 am

    I love good coleslaw and this is the best I ever had! Thank you!

    Reply
  16. Julie says

    March 24, 2014 at 8:49 pm

    Oh thank you so much for this one! I made it yesterday and it was so delightful, everyone gobbled it up like dessert. It was such a hit I’m making it for an Easter potluck at work in a couple of weeks.. Creamy coleslaw for everyone!

    Reply
  17. April says

    March 31, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    I made it this past weekend, and my husband and I couldn’t get enough. As noted, it was even better the next day. We will be having this on a weekly basis. Thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply
  18. Linda says

    May 9, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    I use the bottom half of baby bok choy to make coleslaw. It gives it a nice sweetness.

    Reply
  19. Heather Pacheco says

    May 21, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Cathy – I have a son with nut allergies. Have you ever tried this with a seed (or other non-nut) substitute?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 22, 2014 at 1:30 am

      Hi Heather, no but I’m sure it would work fine. I use sesame seeds in this similar dressing. 🙂

      Reply
  20. Pam says

    August 8, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    Thank you so much for this and all the other great recipes on this site! My husband gave this one 4 stars when we had it at lunch yesterday. I’ve shared this site with other WFPB friends and they love it too! One even said “I spent a long time looking at that new website last night. She is really good!” I agree!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      August 9, 2014 at 1:40 am

      Thank you for your comment, Pam! 😉 Aww, so nice. Glad your husband liked this one–4 stars, wow!

      Reply
  21. Emily says

    February 22, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    We have an over abundance of chayote squash growing right now, so tried this recipe and replaced the cabbage with chayote and it was great!! thanks!!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      February 23, 2015 at 10:52 am

      Had it for breakfast this morning and added a diced papaya from the backyard. Amazing flavors.

      Reply
  22. Lynn M says

    March 14, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    My husband has nut allergies, but can eat almonds so I blanched some and used them instead of the cashews (I have used seeds in other recipes calling for cashews, but not this tone – yet). He claims to not like coleslaw (well actually he claim not to like any vegetables), but ate a fairly substantial portion of this coleslaw an said it was pretty good! I loved it – thank you.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      March 15, 2015 at 10:54 pm

      Love to hear that! 🙂 Thanks Lynn!

      Reply
  23. Nancy says

    March 28, 2015 at 6:50 am

    Hi Cathy, I was searching for a cole slaw dressing and came across this one. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      March 28, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      😉

      Reply
  24. Nancy says

    March 29, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    I just made this tonight. I decided to taste a small bowl, just to see how I’d like it. It is now half gone. Thank you so much for sharing! This one is a keeper.

    Reply
  25. Jennifer says

    June 16, 2016 at 10:31 am

    Hi Cathy,
    Please if I’m skipping the cashews do I still add 1/2 cup of water or I’d reduce it to (?)
    Thanks so much for your recipes! 🙂

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      June 16, 2016 at 11:58 pm

      Still use the water as written. 🙂

      Reply
  26. Misty Munzinger says

    November 25, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Hi, Cathy – I’m excited to make this recipe since I love coleslaw, however, I absolutely can’t stand mustard. Any suggestions for a mustard replacement for this dish? thank you in advance!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 25, 2017 at 2:36 pm

      I’d just leave it out. 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to Straight Up Food! I’m Cathy Fisher, a chef and teacher whose passion is creating recipes without animal foods, salt, oil or sugar, and very few processed foods. Eating a whole-foods diet dramatically improves the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment—there are no downsides, only benefits! For more information about this blog and my work, click here. Thank you!

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