Red, White, & Blue Cabbage Salad
This Cabbage Salad Recipe is crispy, tangy, and perfectly sweet. Playing off a festive red, white, and blue theme, it’s perfect for summer holidays but is so tasty you’ll find yourself making it all year long!
Why You’ll Love This Cabbage Salad Recipe
We’re big fans of cabbage. It’s a highly underrated vegetable! Not only is it super versatile, but it’s also incredibly budget-friendly, too.
And the refreshing taste means it’s perfect for summer. So, it only made sense to use it in a salad, and this recipe has become a staple at all our family gatherings.
Red, white, and blue in color, it makes for a fun, patriotic theme. Even better, it comes together with minimal prep time, is great to make in advance, and tastes even better the following day!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Salad
- Raw Cabbage – You can buy a head of red cabbage or green cabbage, and thinly slice it into shreds. However, we just buy bags of coleslaw mix to keep it super easy.
- Blueberries – These add a nice texture, a sweet, tart flavor, and lots of fiber and nutrients.
- Bell Pepper – Of course, we used red bell pepper to keep with the red, white, and blue theme, but yellow or red bell pepper will also work.
- Apple – We prefer to use Granny Smith apples because the tart flavor balances the sweetness of the dressing nicely. However, red apples like Gala, Granny Smith, or Fuji taste great, too.
- Almonds – These add the perfect amount of crunch! If preferred, substitute any other chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.
For the Dressing
- Mayonnaise – We use the Chosen Foods mayo brand, but choose whatever mayo you like best.
- Red Wine Vinegar – This adds a subtle sweet, tangy flavor. Do not substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar!
- Lemon Juice – The acidity balances some of the tanginess of the dressing. Freshly squeezed is best
- Honey – Substitute maple syrup if preferred.
- Water – This helps dilute the ingredients, creating a thinner, dressing-like consistency.
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper – Adjust to taste.
How to Make a Simple Cabbage Salad
- Add all the salad ingredients except the sliced almonds to a large bowl.
- Blend the dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Alternatively, you can whisk the dressing ingredients by hand.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, and gently toss to combine and coat.
- Chill the salad in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Sprinkle the almonds on top, and serve immediately!
Common Questions
Yes! Feel free to make this recipe a day in advance, and give it a good stir before serving.
This recipe is similar to coleslaw but is not quite the same. Coleslaw consists of shredded cabbage and a creamy dressing. However, for this recipe, we add extra veggies, fruit, and nuts.
Pair this salad as a side dish with all your favorite summer courses like creamy BBQ chicken salad wraps, BBQ chicken tacos, burgers, and grilled chicken.
Red, White, & Blue Cabbage Salad
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 16 ounce bag coleslaw mix or 7 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 red bell pepper, julianned
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish
Dressing Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Add all ingredients EXCEPT the sliced almonds to a large bowl.16 ounce bag coleslaw mix or 7 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup blueberries, 1 red bell pepper, julianned, 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
Dressing
- Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until combined or add the ingredients to a small bowl and use a matcha frother to blend until smooth.1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Assemble Salad
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
- Sprinkle the top of the salad with the sliced almonds when ready to serve!1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish
- Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
We always make this during the patriotic holidays. It’s so fresh and bursting with flavor. Love the red, white and blue colors too!
Can I make this the night before for a noon potluck after church? Or is that too long to let it sit in the fridge? Looks wonderful!
Dorothy
Hi Dorothy,
Thanks for asking such a great question! You can absolutely make this salad the night before and it will keep well until your church potluck the next day. I hope you all love it!
I’m bringing a salad to a friend’s BBQ for the holiday. This will be perfect.
It will be the hit of the BBQ! I am bringing this delicious salad to a Memorial Day bbq this weekend. 🙂 Blessings to you, Judee!
What a great idea and it looks so good! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party!
This slaw recipe sounds delicious and it is pretty to boot. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle. Pinning
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon, and all those compliments. I certainly hope you enjoy this healthy side dish 🙂
What a pretty salad! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Thank you, Edye! I just love the bright colors too 🙂 Not to mention the delicious flavors together.
This looks absolutely delicious. I love how patriotic is looks too.
Thank you for sharing this with us on the #HomeMattersParty. We hope to see you again on Friday at 12 AM EST when we open our doors.
Yum! I often put apples in my slaw but blueberries?! That’s genius! I can’t wait to give this a try for our next barbeque.. Pinning for later. Thanks so much for linking up with us at You Link It We Make It! We hope you’ll drop by and visit us again! – Kim @ knockitoffkim.com
For some reason, the blueberries just work! The patriotic stars aligned, I guess 😉
Love this healthy, tasty and festive twist on coleslaw, Sammi! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for sharing it with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Thank you so much, April, for your kind words and sharing this fun recipe with you followers!
Thanks for linking up again last week at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party. We are featuring your slaw this week. Don’t miss out on the party this week!
Oh wow! Thanks, Charlene, for featuring it. I hope you had a great 4th!
Love cole slaw. So sweet how you made it so fun for 4th of July! 🙂
This sounds delicious and so perfect for the 4th! 🙂
I love slaw. I love the red pepper touch for the 4th. Thanks for linking up with us at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party this week.
Thanks Charlene! I love this themed salad too for it’s bright colors and healthy ingredients 🙂
I love slaw too! This is very festive????
Thank you! I was so happy with how it turned out. Absolutely delicious and healthy to boot 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Michelle!
We tried this salad today and it was a yummy addition to our BBQ. We will definitely make it again
Yay! I am so glad you loved it, Stacie, and will be making it again. July 4th is just around the corner 😉