Oil Free Holiday Slaw! Embrace the season with this easy-to-make, oil-free recipe that will have your guests asking for seconds!
This Oil Free Holiday Slaw is the ultimate festive dish that combines tangy and sweet flavors, delivering a refreshing crunch in every bite. Imagine crisp, vibrant cabbage mingling with juicy apples and chewy dried cranberries, creating a delightful contrast that dances on your palate. The zesty vinaigrette ties these ingredients together, adding a tangy punch that elevates the dish to new heights. To top it all off, toasty pecans provide a satisfying crunch, enhancing both texture and flavor. Perfect for holiday gatherings or as a light side dish, this slaw not only looks stunning on your table but also brings a burst of freshness that everyone will love.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
If you’re on the hunt for a dish that’s not only super tasty but also bursting with fun, look no further than this delightful slaw! Perfectly versatile, it’s an ideal addition to your everyday meals or a stunning centerpiece for your next holiday dinner table.
With its vibrant colors and refreshing crunch, this slaw is sure to impress your guests and become a family favorite. You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Holiday Slaw is tangy and sweet. This salad is full of freshness! The cabbage, apples and dried cranberry are perfectly sweet and contrast well with the tangy dressing. The toasty pecans are a nice crunch.
- Purple Slaw: The red (purple) cabbage turns all the ingredients purple that is why it is called a purple slaw. It is typically served on holidays.
- Slicing the Cabbage: The key to the best mouth feel of this slaw is to slice the cabbage into very thin slices, then chop the long slices into bite-size pieces. You can also grate the cabbage if you prefer it grated rather than fine slices. Use can a food processor with a thin slicing attachment or grater attachment. You can also use a box grater/slicer or a sharp chef’s knife to thinly slice the cabbage.
- Red/Purple Cabbage: You can substitute with a green cabbage if you wish.
- Crisp Apples: We used two Gala apples. Honey Crisp and Granny Smiths also work equally well. Feel free to use your favorite crisp apple. You may also wish to splash some lemon juice on the diced apples to retain their freshness. You do not need to peel the apples.
- Dressing/Vinaigrette: The dressing for this slaw is a vinaigrette. It has an orange juice base that does not come through strongly. It is lightly in the background. You can use a natural store-bought orange juice (only ingredient is orange juice) or freshly squeezed.
- Amount of Pure Maple Syrup: Our family was divided over the amount of maple syrup that was needed to create the perfect amount of sweetness. Feel free to use less or add more.
- Optional – Soaked Red Onions: If you are concerned about the sharpness that can come from red onions, then we suggest lightly soaking them. The purpose of soaking the red onions is two-fold. One – it removes any sharp notes as some red onions can be overpoweringly strong. In this salad, mild red onion perfectly complements the flavor. Two – it ever so slightly reduces the crunch. The red onions are still crunchy as they are raw, but soaking can mitigate some of the crunch. Simply place the chopped red onions into a small bowl, cover with warm tap water and steep for 7 minutes, then drain off the water, shake well to remove any excess water, then they are ready for the recipe.
- Toasting the Pecans: Stir constantly to avoid burning. Immediately remove them from the skillet to also avoid burning them.
- Pecan Substitutions: You can substitute the pecans for your favorite nuts or seeds.
- Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completed divided over the amount of sea salt that was needed to perfectly season the salad. Use ½ teaspoon of sea salt as the base level and add more as needed. However, see the notes in the “Make Ahead” instructions below for some tips.
- Serving after Refrigerating: If serving after more than 3 hours of refrigeration, remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to wake up. Stir well to redistribute the dressing. Refrigeration tends to dull flavors.
- Potlucks or Transportation: This slaw holds up well during transportation. We suggest not adding the toasted pecans until right before serving to keep their fresh crunch.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This slaw does not freeze well.
Pantry Products:
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Food Processor, sharp knife or box grater (to slice or grate the cabbage)
- Large skillet (to toast the pecans)
If you try this vibrant salad, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintOil Free Holiday Slaw
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 Minutes
- Yield: 8 Cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Oil Free Holiday Slaw is the ultimate festive dish that combines tangy and sweet flavors, delivering a refreshing crunch in every bite.
Ingredients
Salad Base Ingredients:
- 5 ½ cups (12 oz.) thinly sliced purple cabbage
- 2 crisp apples, diced *
- ½ to 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ to 3/4 cup finely diced red onions (+/-) *
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Dressing Ingredients:
- ½ cup orange juice *
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (+/-) *
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Instructions
- In a large skillet, place the pecans. Toast over medium heat until toasty and fragrant. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Once lightly toasted and fragrant, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, then immediately remove from the skillet onto a plate to completely cool.
- Place all the Dressing Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk well until smooth and emulsified, set aside.
- Place all the Salad Base Ingredients (including the toasted pecans) into a large bowl, gently mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, mix well to thoroughly coat all the ingredients. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the mixture to marinate, then serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: Makes 8 cups (8 to 10)
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