Vegan Amish Macaroni Coleslaw! The ultimate mash up of two of our favorite picnic sides: macaroni salad and coleslaw creating a delightful combo in every spoonful.
Rich, creamy, and texturally pleasing, this Vegan Amish Macaroni Coleslaw boasts the classic “mayo” based dressing with delicious bold flavors. Combining the staples of each side dish, this unique fusion is the best of both worlds.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Our family is comprised of a group of individuals with really strong food opinions lol. It’s what makes our food blog strong and filled with great recipes. We often include differing opinions in our blog notes.
So consider it extremely rare when we are all on the same page and everyone in our family agrees on “something”. . . this has only happened a few times in the past 7 years where we all agree and give a recipe the same exact score!
In this case, we all agreed that this delicious dish was a perfect 10! We were literally fighting over it, so unbelievably delicious!
You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This old-fashioned Amish recipe is the best of both worlds combining both a macaroni salad with a creamy coleslaw. It’s lightly tangy and sweet. It’s brimming with delicious flavors.
- Creaminess: This recipe is a Whole Food Plant Based nod to a classic Amish Macaroni Coleslaw dish. The traditional dish is very creamy. We designed this dish to replicate that abundance of creaminess. Do not add more macaroni or cabbage or you will end up with a drier dish.
- Food Processor with Grater Attachment or Box Grater: For optimum results, use a food processor with the grater attachment for both the carrots and cabbage. The grater attachment is a finer chop than the slaw attachment. You can also use a box grater or purchase a slaw mix at the grocery store. If purchasing a slaw mix, give the slaw mix a really good chop to get the cabbage to a grated consistency.
- Taste Testing: It’s important to remember that when tasting the dressing, on its own (without the macaroni, cabbage, and other ingredients), it has to be highly flavorful because once you add the macaroni, cabbage and other ingredients), it will naturally dilute the flavor due to the ratio of dressing to macaroni/cabbage.
- Macaroni Amount: Sometimes, it is hard to gauge how much 5 oz. of dry pasta is without a food scale. On its own 5 oz. of dry macaroni averages to about 2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni. If unsure, it’s best to error on cooking more than less. You can always put the excess pasta in a salad. The key is to end up with 2 cups of cooked macaroni. Do not add more than 2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni as the macaroni really soaks up the sauce.
- Cooked Macaroni: After you cook the elbow macaroni and set it aside, it can sometimes get sticky. Right before pulling the salad together, simply rinse the pasta again with cold water to loosen it up again. Shake well to remove any excess trapped water, then drain for one minute before adding.
- Other Pastas: Feel free to use other small pastas; however, if using a really small pasta (smaller than elbows), use less as there will be more surface area to cover with the sauce.
- Cashew Based Sauces: Cashew based sauces tend to tighten up in the refrigerator. If you need to loosen the macaroni salad up, add a little apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar or warm water.
- Really Sharply Favored Red Onions: If you have a particularly sharp red onion, you can soak it to remove some of the sharpness. Simply place the chopped red onions into a small dish, cover with warm water for 5 minutes, then drain well and add to the dish.
- Red Onions: The red onions can be substituted with sliced green onions.
- Cashew Substitutions: This recipe was specifically designed to use cashews due to the richness they add to this dish. You can try the typical cashew substitutes: silken tofu, white beans, other nuts or seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will change accordingly. You may need to adjust/add ingredients to compensate. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Making and Serving Later: This macaroni coleslaw tastes best immediately after making it. As with most macaroni salads, they tend to really drink up the dressing. If you are planning to make this salad for a picnic (or later use) and you want maximum presentation, texture, and taste. We suggest doing the following:
- Prep all your veggies and place them in a bowl, tightly cover, and place in the fridge.
- Make the sauce ahead of time and place in the fridge.
- Cook the elbow macaroni, rinse with cold water, drain well, and place in the fridge.
- Right before serving, rinse the macaroni with warm water, gently loosen the macaroni with your fingers, then switch to cold water. Drain well, then place in a large bowl with the diced veggies and grated cabbage.
- Cashew-based sauces/dressings tend to tighten up when refrigerated. You may need to add a little splash of warm water, apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar to the sauce, mix well, taste test (add more seasonings, if needed). Place the veggies, cabbage, and macaroni into a large bowl, add the dressing. Stir, taste test, adjust seasonings, and serve. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the refrigerated ingredients to wake up. Refrigerated veggies need a few moments to wake up their flavors.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish cannot be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Yellow Mustard: We used French’s Classic Yellow Mustard. Feel free to use your favorite yellow mustard.
Kitchen Products:
- Stock pot to boil the macaroni
- High-speed blender
- Food Processor with the grater attachment (to grate the carrots and cabbage) or Box Grater
If you try this rich and flavorful dish, 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.
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Vegan Amish Macaroni Coleslaw
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 1/2 Cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Amish
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rich, creamy, and texturally pleasing, this Vegan Amish Macaroni Coleslaw boasts the classic “mayo” based dressing with delicious bold flavors.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 5 oz. dry elbow macaroni (2 cups cooked) *
- ¼ cup small dice celery ribs
- ¼ cup fine dice red onion
- ¼ cup small dice red bell pepper
- ¼ cup grated carrots *
- 3 cups grated cabbage (10 oz.) *
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup (raw) cashews *
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (+/-)
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow mustard *
- 2 Tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Optional Topping:
- Sprinkle sweet paprika
Instructions
- Cook the elbow macaroni according to package directions, rinse thoroughly with cold water (rinse until cold), shake off excess water, set aside to use in Step 3.
- In the meantime, place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain off and discard the water. Place the soaked cashews into a high-speed blender along with all the remaining Dressing Ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and emulsified. Set aside.
- Place all the Salad Ingredients (including the cooked and cooled elbow macaroni) into a large bowl, mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the mixture, gently toss. Taste test for flavor. Add more seasoning, if needed. Place in a serving bowl. Optional – add a light sprinkle of sweet paprika to the top. Best if served immediately. 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.
*Serving: 4 to 6 Servinges. Makes 4 to 4 ½ cups
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