This vegan coleslaw recipe is simple and cheap to make and totally adaptable to your taste as it’s made completely from scratch with no commercial vegan mayonnaise, no cashews, no tofu and no soy.
It makes the perfect side dish for a barbecue, potluck, burgers or a simple sandwich.
So you’re probably asking yourself now what’s the secret to this no cashew, no tofu, no soy vegan coleslaw? It’s aquafaba!
And what’s aquafaba (in case you’re not aware)? It’s the water you cook chickpeas in. That’s all.
The easy way to get aquafaba is to open a can of chickpeas and use the liquid. If you cook your beans from scratch, save and reduce the cooking water until it’s the thickness of an egg white.
This magic liquid can be used as a vegan egg in all sorts of applications. My favourite is to use it to make vegan mayonnaise.
It literally takes 3 minutes (or less) and you can make it exactly how you like it. (I most often add garlic to make vegan aioli like in the video here).
For this classic vegan coleslaw dressing I did not add garlic, however, but just the basic coleslaw seasonings: apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
Mix up your coleslaw dressing and pour it over your shredded vegetables. You can buy a bag of coleslaw mix if you prefer convenience but, of course, the cheaper way is to get a cabbage and shred it yourself.
I only wanted to buy one cabbage so I chose a green one. You can use a mix of green and purple if you prefer. You’ll have quite a bit of cabbage leftover so why not make a batch of sauerkraut (delicious on a vegan reuben sandwich!)?
I still wanted some colour in my coleslaw so I added half a red onion as well as a shredded carrot. You can add your favourite coleslaw veggies and even herbs or seeds if you like.
This vegan coleslaw recipe will serve at least four, maybe six, as a side dish. I only used a quarter of a cabbage as using the whole one would have left us with coleslaw coming out of our ears.
If you need to serve more people you can use the whole cabbage and an additional carrot but you may need to double the dressing recipe depending on how “saucy” you like your coleslaw.
Wanna see how easy it is to make vegan aquafaba mayo? Watch the video:
Wanna see how to make this vegan coleslaw? Watch the video:
Vegan Coleslaw
Ingredients
- ¼ of a large cabbage (375 grams / 13 oz) shredded with a knife or mandoline - $0.37
- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned - $0.11
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced - $0.18
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid) - $0.00
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil - $0.40
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar - $0.05
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - $0.24
- 2 tablespoons sugar - $0.04
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste - $0.02
Instructions
- Toss the shredded vegetables together in a bowl.
- Put the aquafaba in a tall measuring cup and blend with an immersion blender for about 10 seconds. With the blender still running, slowly (seriously slowly) drizzle in the oil, moving the bender around as necessary to emulsify the oil and thicken the mayo.
- When the mayo is made, stop the blender and add the remaining dressing ingredients. Blend it all together (it will be liquid enough to pour).
- Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to combine. This makes quite a “saucy” coleslaw so if you prefer a drier coleslaw, add half the dressing and toss then add more until you’re happy with it.
- Taste and add salt if you think it’s necessary. You can eat the coleslaw right away while it’s crispy or refrigerate it for later. The texture will become softer and more coleslaw-like the longer you let it sit.
Nutrition
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Donna Mitchell says
I don't see how coleslaw is anything but vegan the way I've been making it for 30 years. No mayo. Vinegar, white wine, lime juice, zest or lemon juice/ zest and herbs, oil. Done.
Tiffany says
WOW thank you for posting this!!! Can't wait to try it. The vegan mayo in the store is great but I can't stand to splurge on it. Would never have considered DIY mayo with aquafaba.
Anita says
How long does the mayo hold up in the fridge?
Melissa says
About a week in a tighly closed container.