Cilantro Lime Slaw

Cilantro Lime Slaw is the perfect for topping for fish tacos, shrimp tacos, burrito bowls, and so much more!

It takes just minutes to make and is best served within a few hours of making. It also makes a great side dish! 

This recipe is not mayonnaise-based based, so it is very light and fresh compared with more traditional coleslaw. 

You can shred your own cabbage and carrots in your food processor or take a short cut and buy the premade coleslaw mix and then whip up the dressing in less than 5 minutes. 

I love it as a topping for Mexican pulled chicken sandwiches, and I bet it would be wonderful on veggie burgers, too! 

Ingredients & Substitutions

There is only one ingredient that you may have trouble finding, and that is the Crema Mexican Agria Sour Cream.

My local Walmart carries it (and I live in the boonies), but if you can't find it, you can use American sour cream in its place.

Make sure to get the sour cream version and not the table cream version or your dressing will be runny.

Slaw Mix

I use a combination of green cabbage, purple cabbage (sometimes referred to as red cabbage), and carrots as the base mix. You can certainly purchase a bagged coleslaw mix. You will need about 2½ cups of the mix, so a small bag should work fine. 

The ratio of cabbage and carrots is completely up to you. I use equal parts green and purple cabbage and a large carrot which is about ½ cup grated. The prepared slaw mixes have more green cabbage than purple, but it will be fine. As long as you have 2½ cups total. 

I also add fresh cilantro to the mix. If you have an aversion to cilantro, you can omit it. 

You can add in red onion, green onions, or sweet onions if you like, but make sure you don't have more than 3 cups total of slaw mix or your dressing to slaw ratios will be off. 

If you want your slaw to be a little spicy, add in fresh jalapeno peppers. Either slice them very thin or dice them small before adding to the slaw mix. 

Dressing

The simple dressing is a combination of fresh lime juice, lime zest, avocado oil, and Mexican sour cream. 

The sour cream I use is called Crema Mexicana Agria sour cream and it is a little thinner than American sour cream. If you can't find it, you can use regular sour cream and add a little more lime juice if desired. 

There are two different kinds of Mexican Crema that I saw in my local grocery store and one is Crema Mexicana Table Cream, which is like heavy cream and then the Sour Cream version.

Make sure to get the sour cream version or use American sour cream because the plain Mexican Crema is not thick enough and doesn't have the slightly sour flavor of the Mexican Crema Sour Cream.

Greek Yogurt can also be used as a substitute for the Mexican Crema Sour Cream. 

The only seasonings in this cilantro lime slaw are salt and black pepper which can be added to the dressing or to taste after you mix the dressing with the slaw mix.

The fresh ingredients are the star of the show here and nothing else is needed in my opinion.

Obviously, you can add anything you want. If you want your cilantro lime slaw spicy, consider adding cayenne pepper or, for a smoky heat, chipotle powder. 

You can also add fresh garlic or garlic powder if desired, but definitely not necessary. If using fresh minced garlic in the dressing, keep in mind it is not going to be cooked and the garlic will be strong so only add a small amount. 

I recommend using fresh limes in this recipe instead of bottled lime juice. The lime zest really adds to the dressing, and I don't recommend skipping it.

Lime juice provides the tanginess in the dressing, so if you cannot have limes, replace it with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. The flavors will be different, but the slaw will be balanced in flavor that way. 

The touch of sugar is to balance the tangy slaw dressing and you can use as much or as little as you like. You can also use a sugar substitute, and I recommend using Swerve which is a 1:1 swap for granulated sugar. 

How to Make Cilantro Lime Slaw

Prep for Recipe

The only prep for this recipe besides measuring out the ingredients for the dressing is cutting the cabbage and grating the carrot -- if you aren't using a bag of coleslaw mix -- and chopping some cilantro.

If you have a food processor with a shredding blade, I recommend using that for the cabbage. You can also thinly slice the cabbage by hand.

Cut a wedge of the cabbage and make sure to remove the core and any outer leaves that are damaged.

I use the slicing blade on my Ninja Foodi Processor and set it to "1" which gives me the perfect size shredded cabbage.

I use the grating blade for the carrot, or you can use a handheld grater.

Cut the top off a bunch of cilantro and remove any large stems. I don't worry about the little ones.

Roughly chop the cilantro and add it to the large mixing bowl with the shredded cabbage and carrot.

Mix The Dressing

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk to combine.

You can add the salt and black pepper now or wait and do it to taste after you mix the slaw with the dressing.

Make the Cilantro Slaw

Up to two hours before you plan to serve the slaw, pour the dressing over the slaw mix and toss to combine.

Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.

After two hours, the slaw becomes a little too wet and isn't ideal for using on shrimp tacos or as a topping, but still makes a delicious side dish.

When using equal amounts of purple and green cabbage, the slaw may also start to turn a pink color after it sits longer than a few hours.

Remove the slaw after it has chilled and toss again to combine all the flavors. It is normal that the amount of slaw has reduced. This happens as the water is pulled from the vegetables. This extra water is what makes the dressing runny when left too long in the fridge.

Serve the slaw as a healthy side dish or enjoy it on top of a Mexican inspired shredded chicken sandwich or shrimp tacos!

Storage Instructions

How to Store Leftover Cilantro Lime Slaw

The Cilantro Lime Slaw is best served within 2 hours of making, but you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 72 hours.

If your slaw is too runny when you go to use the leftovers, you can drain the dressing off the slaw. Mix up a fresh batch of the dressing to freshen it up!

Freezer

I do not recommend freezing leftover slaw.

What to serve with Cilantro Lime Slaw

This slaw is so light and fresh tasting, it is the perfect side dish or topping for so many different foods.

Use it as a topping to add a bit of crunch and tang to shrimp or fish tacos, or serve it as a healthy side dish or light lunch.