Cilantro Lime Slaw

This Cilantro Lime Slaw is easy to make and tastes so delicious with the creamy, flavorful dressing! It’s great for summer get-togethers or as a side/topping for Taco Tuesday.

You can easily make it ahead, too – and I’m sharing my number one tip to keep the slaw from turning watery over time!

I’m very specific when it comes to coleslaw, and I will not eat every slaw placed in front of me ? This one though, is one of my favorites!

• It’s full of flavor from amazing ingredients, such as green onion, cilantro and lime juice.
• It is creamy and stays creamy, thanks to salting/squeezing the cabbage beforehand (this is optional, but I highly recommend it to keep the slaw from becoming watery!).
• It is perfect to use on fish tacos, on grilled or fried chicken burgers (use my oven fried chicken or my air fryer fried chicken!) or with grilled or oven fried fish.

Jump to:

• Ingredients you’ll need
• How to make a cilantro lime slaw
• Recipe tips
• Storage tips
• Printable recipe
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• Comments

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Cabbage: I use equal parts white and purple cabbage, and I freshly shred it whenever I have time. I do prefer it over the taste of bagged coleslaw mix, but I obviously can’t deny the convenience of using pre-shredded (and I do it frequently when life is busy). You can use either. If you’re wondering how to cut it, I have a tutorial for how to cut cabbage.
• Carrots: Again, I do prefer freshly grated. But it’s no problem at all if you need to use bagged/shredded carrots, or if you use a bagged mix that already has carrots.
• Green onions: These are a must for me in this slaw for a flavour kick. If you don’t have any on hand, you can also use white or red onion; or just leave it out if you’re not a fan of raw onion.
• Lime juice: I used freshly squeezed to help with keeping the slaw as fresh as possible when it sits in the fridge for a while, but bottled can be used, too.
• Honey: I recommend using a mild, runny honey for this recipe. It will blend better into the dressing over a very sticky one, and a mild taste won’t overpower the other ingredients.
• Mayo/sour cream: I like equal parts mayo and sour cream best for this slaw. I used homemade mayonnaise because I had it on hand, but that’s not a must. Any store-bought mayo you enjoy is fine. Feel free to substitute part or all of the mayo/sour cream with Greek Yogurt. I honestly think this slaw does need mayonnaise for the best taste and texture, but feel free to add whatever you like best.
• Spices: The spices listed in the recipe are my preferred ones for this recipe. Feel free to use ground paprika, chili powder or smoked paprika in place of the chipotle. I have also made the slaw before without any of the individual spices and instead just used a tablespoon or two of Taco seasoning. Works in a pinch!

How to make a cilantro lime slaw

1. Prepare the cabbage: This is optional, but I do highly recommend it in order to keep your slaw from turning watery over time. I really dislike it when creamy salads turn runny from the vegetables releasing water as they sit in the dressing, and prepping the cabbage this way does also help digestion.

One caveat: It does soften the cabbage, so if you only like very crunchy coleslaw, feel free to skip it.

Just toss both cabbages with a teaspoon of salt and let them sit for 15-30 minutes. (If you have bagged coleslaw mix, I very much recommend soaking it in salted, ice-cold water instead of just salting. It takes away some of that bagged taste and refreshes the cabbage.)

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Once it has sat with the salt, the cabbage should be releasing water. You can only pat dry for crisper cabbage, but I like to pat it dry in the bowl first and then tip it out on a few layers of paper towels and really work it with more paper towels to press out all of the excess water. This is great for those who struggle with eating raw cabbage, and for those who want to keep their slaw as creamy as possible.

2. Make the dressing: For the dressing, just stir together all of the ingredients until smooth.

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3. Combine salad: Now just add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl with the prepared cabbage and pour over the dressing.

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Carefully toss to mix all of the ingredients and to evenly coat everything with dressing.

For a crisper salad, refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.

Recipe tips

• Preparing the cabbage with the salt is not mandatory to yield a delicious coleslaw, but I always do it. It helps with digestion and also keeps the cabbage from releasing excess water as it sits in the dressing. I have kept this coleslaw in the fridge for 3 days with zero watering down occurring. My tolerance for watery coleslaw is pretty low, so I much prefer softer cabbage in creamy dressing over crunchy cabbage in watered-down dressing.
• If you use a bagged coleslaw mix, I highly recommend not just salting it, but soaking it in salted ice water for 30 minutes before patting it dry/squeezing out extra water very well.
• If you’re not a fan of chopped cilantro in the salad, feel free to add it to the dressing, then blend with a stick blender. Keep in mind that this will change the color of your dressing, and hence of your coleslaw.

Storage tips

Keep the coleslaw in a bowl closed with either a lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge at all times and use within 2-3 days.

The cilantro and green onion do develop quite strong odors, so be mindful of that if you’re sensitive to smells in the fridge.

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

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