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This tangy apple slaw recipe combines crisp apples, cabbage, and carrots with a creamy poppy seed dressing for the perfect easy side dish. It’s ready in just 20 minutes and ideal for picnics, barbecues, and family dinners year-round!
There’s something magical the first sweet-tart bite of a perfectly balanced slaw. The first time I made this recipe, Alex took one bite and immediately fell in love, and my kids actually requested seconds!
This apple slaw recipe transforms ordinary cabbage into special extraordinary by pairing it with sweet-tart apples and a creamy poppy seed dressing that ties everything together. It’s a slaw spin that’s unique in flavor but simple enough that you’ll want to keep making it all season long. It’s the perfect fall side dish, but also works for summer picnics!
Why this apple slaw works
Traditional coleslaw can sometimes feel flat or one-dimensional, but adding apples brings natural sweetness and layers of flavor! The crisp texture also adds a satisfying crunch. I personally also love a good poppy seed dressing, which adds even more texture from the seeds.
I’ve tested this recipe countless times with different apple varieties and dressing combinations. To me, the secret is using the right type of apple—you need something crisp and tart to pair with the creamy dressing.
5 star reader review
“This is much better than traditional coleslaw! It’s a great idea to use apples with a lot more flavor.” -Sabrina
Choosing the best apples for slaw
The apple variety you choose can make or break this dish. I always reach for firm, crisp apples with a good balance of sweet and tart flavors. Here are my top recommendations:
- Pink Lady (my personal favorite): These apples have the perfect sweet-tart balance and stay crisp even after sitting in the dressing for hours. If you know me personally, you’ll know my love for Pink Ladies!
- Honeycrisp: Known for their crunch factor, these apples add wonderful texture contrast. They’re a bit sweeter than Pink Lady.
- Granny Smith: If you prefer a more tart flavor profile, these classic green apples never disappoint.
- Jonagold or Jonathan: These varieties are also sweet tart and maintain their texture well in salads (we often get them when picking apples).
- Fuji: Sweeter than the others, Fujis work if you prefer a milder apple flavor.
Pro Tip: Whatever variety you choose, make sure the apples are firm to the touch and free from soft spots. I slice my apples just before mixing to prevent browning and maintain crispness.
Tips for using cabbage vs coleslaw mix
This recipe calls for both green cabbage and red cabbage. I like to add red cabbage for color, but it’s not necessary for flavor.
- Skip the red cabbage if you prefer. It looks nice color-wise, but swap in green cabbage if you prefer. It can be hard to use up leftovers of two cabbages (though here are leftover cabbage recipes).
- To speed up the recipe, use bagged coleslaw. Buy a 14 or 16 ounce bag and measure out 6 cups of the mixture (to account for the cabbage and carrot quantities).
Serving ideas for apple slaw
This apple slaw is the ideal side dish for any protein or main. Because it features apples it feels appropriate in the fall, but it also works any time of year! It’s great in summer at potlucks and pitch-ins. Here are a few ideas for serving apple slaw:
- BBQ and grilled foods: Serve with grilled chicken, grilled salmon, or grilled tilapia for a fresh contrast to smoky flavors.
- Seafood dishes: This slaw is phenomenal with baked salmon, cajun shrimp pasta, or any of my shrimp recipes.
- Sandwiches: Add a scoop to a chicken pesto sandwich, tofu sandwich, or even chickpea burgers for extra crunch and flavor.
- Holiday tables: This makes an excellent Thanksgiving side dish or addition to your holiday buffet—the colors are perfect for fall gatherings.
- Picnics: Pack it for outdoor gatherings, potlucks, picnic food, or summer dinner idea—it travels well and doesn’t wilt like leafy salads.
- Grain bowls: Add a scoop to veggie protein bowls or Mediterranean bowls for extra vegetables.
Dietary notes
This apple slaw is vegetarian, dairy-free. and gluten-free.
To make it vegan, use vegan mayonnaise or cashew cream in place of the mayo.
Dietary notes
This apple slaw recipe is vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. For vegan, use vegan mayo or cashew cream.
Apple Slaw
This tangy apple slaw recipe combines crisp apples, cabbage, and carrots with a creamy poppy seed dressing for the perfect easy side dish. It’s ready in just 20 minutes and ideal for picnics, barbecues, and family dinners year-round!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Side dish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 2 tart apples, thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots, shredded (2 medium carrots)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or honey)
- ½ cup mayonnaise*
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the apples, shred the carrots, and thinly slice the green onions. Place them in a large bowl, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and stir.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, granulated sugar, mayonnaise, poppy seeds, and ¼ teaspoon salt until smooth. Pour the dressing onto the vegetables and stir to combine. Stores up to 4 days refrigerated.
Notes
*For vegan, use vegan mayo or cashew cream.
A few more apple recipes you’ll love
This apple slaw is a fun savory apple recipe that makes a big statement at the dinner table! Here are a few more apple recipes we love:
- Bake Apple Bread or Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Make a classic Apple Cobbler, Apple Crisp, Apple Crumble, Apple Cranberry Crisp, Apple Pie Bars or Baked Apples
- Go for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal or an apple breakfast recipe
- Make Crisp Apple Salad
Most people would like to know serving size? Is it 1/2 cup or 1 cup per serving? I do not use salt at all. Will it make a big difference in the taste?
This recipe yields about 8 cups, so each serving is about 1 1/3 cups. We recommend using salt since it really brings out the flavor. However, you are welcome to try it without. Hope you enjoy!
much better than traditional coleslaw, which to me is more or less a useless garnish, for lack of flavor, great idea to use apples, a lot more flavor, thank you
Looks delicious ! Will make it asap. QUESTION: Many people can’t eat poppy seeds (more than you might guess!) –and others just don’t keep a bunch of these seeds around. Does this dressing taste as good without ? Or is there some other little thing that would sub in for the poppyseed ?
It would still taste good omitted!