This amazing purple cabbage salad is so bright, healthy, and refreshing. You’ll love how the tangy dressing and olives balance out the earthy vegetables!
This red cabbage salad recipe is a refreshing departure from your typical mayo-heavy coleslaw. Packed with a vinegary dressing and puckery olives, it’s the perfect side dish to cool down a hot piece of protein.
How to Prepare a Purple Cabbage Salad
This recipe for tangy cabbage slaw requires you to chop up all the veggies and toss them in a homemade salad dressing.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the oil, white wine vinegar, salt, cumin, minced garlic, and black pepper together. Set the dressing aside.
- Prepare the Veggies: Shred the cabbage thinly, dice the onions, and cut the tomatoes and olives into halves.
- Assemble the Salad: Place all the veggies in a bowl and toss the dressing in. Enjoy!
Tips for Purple Cabbage Salad
A couple of handy tips will help you make the tastiest purple cabbage salad on the planet.
- Enlist the help of a mandoline slicer. A mandoline slicer not only makes it easier to slice the cabbage, but it also ensures that the texture is perfectly consistent
- Prep the veggies ahead of time. If you are whipping this salad up for a party, prepare the vegetables ahead of time and keep them sealed in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Whip up the dressing in advance. To cut down on prep work and get a more flavorful salad, prepare the dressing a day or two in advance and let it marinate in the fridge.
Different Variations
Looking to tweak this salad to your specific tastebuds? Find a couple of ideas below to inspire you.
- Alter the Dressing: If you like it spicy, add some red pepper flakes to the dressing. If you want it more tangy, whisk in a tablespoon of dijon mustard or fresh lemon juice.
- Add Some Crunch: For more texture, mix in some slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds.
- Toss in More Veggies: Swap half the cabbage out for sliced kale. You can also add in minced green onions or broccoli.
How to Serve Purple Cabbage Salad
Our all-time favorite way to serve purple cabbage salad is with a lamb shoulder chop and creamy mashed potatoes. You can also use it to top a steak sandwich for extra crunch and a tangy contrast to the beef.
Storing Purple Cabbage Salad
To keep the cabbage salad on hand for 1-2 days, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. While this salad is best eaten fresh, it’s also wonderful after a day or two of marinating in the fridge.
FAQ
Do you have to cook the cabbage for purple cabbage salad?
No, you do not have to cook the cabbage down before adding into purple cabbage salad. If you slice it thinly enough, it’s perfectly delicious eaten raw and will not be too fibrous.
Is purple cabbage salad good for you?
Yes! Purple cabbage salad is packed with vitamins and fiber. It’s a great side dish and will keep you fuller than lighter, leafy green salads.
Can you swap green cabbage into purple cabbage salad?
Yes, you can swap the purple cabbage out for green cabbage in this salad no problem. The taste will be a bit milder, but it will be delicious all the same.
How do you properly slice cabbage for cabbage salad?
To properly slice cabbage for salad, you’ll want to first remove the tough outer leaves. Next, slice the head in half and remove the core. Shred the cabbage into small strips and toss it in the salad!
More Healthy Cabbage Recipes
- Green Cabbage Cucumber Salad with Herbs – Cucumber, dill, and green onion cabbage salad
- How to Make Homemade Sauerkraut – 4-ingredient pickled cabbage
- Pickled Cabbage with Beets Recipe – Bright and flavorful pickled cabbage and beet salad
- Quick Overnight Sauerkraut Recipe – Classic cabbage sauerkraut
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium purple cabbage
- 1/2 lb tomatoes
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1/3 cup pimento filled olives
Purple Cabbage Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together with a fork. Set the dressing aside.
- Shred the cabbage into thin pieces and dice the onions into small cubes. Next, cut the olives and tomatoes into halves.
- Place all the veggies in a bowl.
- Toss the dressing into the veggies. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Great Salad...Delicious! Definitely on my anytime menu and/or holidays, special occasions😚
It is so simple with tons of texture, glad you enjoyed it too!
Next time I will use shallots, which will make the texture even better and more flavorable...the cumin really makes it pop and I added pepper flakes too!! It will go well with Lamb meat. Thanks again
Okay - now my stomach is literally grumbling! That sounds bomb. Cumin and lamb were made for eachother. Let me know how it turns out (although I have no doubts the answer is delicious). Thanks for sharing, Rae!
Hi olga, I believe I see 6 ingredients on dressing picture, but you have listed only 5. Which one are you missing? Im planning to make this salad today.
I am Natalya 🙂 pepper is missing but its kinda optional. Hope you still enjoyed it!
Amazing! Simple but genius combination of ingredients. Definitely will make it!
Olga, thanks... I cant really take the credit but this salad is so so good!!