This Pineapple Coleslaw is an easy and creamy side dish for summer. It’s full of flavor and is perfect for cookouts, backyard BBQs and as a side with pulled chicken or pulled pork sandwiches.
Pineapple Slaw recipe
- This is such an easy recipe – but still full of flavor from all of the delicious ingredients.
- The Hawaiian inspired flavors go great with so many summer dishes and grilled meats. It’s such a versatile side!
- You can serve it right away, but also store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days for an easy make ahead dish.
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
- Coleslaw mix: I love shredding my own cabbage (don’t know how? Learn how to cut cabbage!) and carrots for the most delicious slaw, but a bag of Tri-Color coleslaw mix is something I definitely use for convenience when time is short. Either bagged or shredded from scratch is fine for this recipe.
- Pineapple: I use canned pineapple tidbits here because they don’t turn brown (compared to fresh pineapple), and canned pineapple is what I grew up with in coleslaw. If you absolutely want to use fresh pineapple (I also have a tutorial for cutting pineapple), keep in mind that the enzymes in fresh fruit can affect creamy dressings over time. I do highly recommend sticking to canned pineapple if you are not eating the slaw right after making it.
- Jalapeño: I usually don’t add this to the slaw in my season of life, because I have three young kids. You can use a finely diced ¼ of a green bell pepper (what do you know, I also shared how to cut a bell pepper with minimum mess and waste ?). When I can find them at the market, I will use a fresh mild green chile. Just leaving out the Jalapeño is perfectly fine, too.
- Sugar: Want to stick to natural sweeteners? Use the same amount of honey in place of the sugar.
- Cilantro: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, try using flat-leaf parsley instead.
- Vinegar: I always use apple cider vinegar in this recipe, but a white wine vinegar or a white balsamic are also acceptable.
- Mayonnaise: If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, feel free to use Greek Yogurt or sour cream in its place. You can also do a mix of half mayo, half yogurt for a lighter slaw that still has the creaminess of mayonnaise. If you’re planning to add yogurt or sour cream to your coleslaw, you must stick to canned pineapple. The enzymes in fresh pineapple quickly break down dairy and lead to a metallic, bitter taste in food.
How to make a Pineapple Coleslaw
1. Start by preparing the coleslaw – if you’re using a bagged mix, I highly recommend soaking it in ice-colds salted water for 30 minutes before using. It washes off some of that “bagged” taste and refreshes the shredded vegetables. Freshly shredded cabbage can just be tossed with salt and allowed to sit for 15 minutes to raw out some of the water (freshly shredded carrots do not need to be prepared this way, I only do it with cabbage).
Drain the slaw very well, then either gently pat dry (for crunchy slaw) or fully squeeze dry (for soft slaw; added benefit is that the vegetables don’t release much water once mixed with the dressing; so the dressing stays creamier).
prepare coleslaw mix by soaking in cold, salted water
2. Whisk up the dressing right in the salad bowl. Then, add the prepped cabbage mix and all of the other ingredients.
whisk dressing add all ingredients
3. Toss well to make sure all the ingredients are coated with dressing.
I highly recommend making the slaw in your biggest bowl, because it’s so much easier to toss. Even if you’re going to transfer it to a smaller serving bowl later – a big bowl is key to properly toss your slaw.
toss well
You can serve the slaw right away, or allow it to chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. This will soften the cabbage, but also allow the flavors to come together.
Recipe tips
- To keep the slaw from becoming watery as it sits, pat dry the pineapple with paper towels before adding to the bowl. You’ll also want to soak the cabbage as mentioned above, then squeeze out any extra water with paper towels (I do not recommend using a kitchen towel, as the purple cabbage can leave stubborn stains). Just as a side note, this will soften the cabbage, so your slaw will no longer be crunchy – but the upside is that the slaw doesn’t become watery if you’re making it a day ahead.
- If you like a very saucy/creamy slaw, feel free to double the dressing.
- Store the slaw covered in the refrigerator at all times. Eat within 2 days.
Serving ideas
This is a great slaw to serve with a summer picnic, a family cookout or backyard barbecue. We enjoy it a lot with pineapple bbq chicken kabobs or with crockpot BBQ pulled pork sandwiches (ahem, crockpot pineapple bbq pulled pork, anyone?).
It’s also a great topping for my pineapple bbq pulled chicken tacos or to go with my pineapple bbq meatballs. Can you tell I’m in love with all things pineapple BBQ?!
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.
Printable recipe
Pineapple Coleslaw
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 (16-oz) bag tri-color coleslaw mix (or 3 cups shredded white cabbage, 2 cups shredded purple cabbage and 1 cup shredded carrots)
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice reserved from canned pineapple
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple tidbits drained (reserve juice for dressing!) and patted dry with paper towels
- 1 Jalapeño stem and seeds removed and chopped
Instructions
- Place coleslaw mix in large bowl and cover with ice-cold water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and stir, then allow to sit for 15-30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels (squeeze dry for a creamier slaw).
- Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, pineapple juice, lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large salad bowl until smooth.
- Add all remaining ingredients and prepared coleslaw mix; toss well to coat with dressing.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Coleslaw mix: I love shredding my own cabbage (don’t know how? Learn how to cut cabbage!) and carrots for the most delicious slaw, but a bag of Tri-Color coleslaw mix is something I definitely use for convenience when time is short. Either bagged or shredded from scratch is fine for this recipe.
- Pineapple: I use canned pineapple tidbits here because they don’t turn brown (compared to fresh pineapple), and canned pineapple is what I grew up with in coleslaw. If you absolutely want to use fresh pineapple (I also have a tutorial for cutting pineapple), keep in mind that the enzymes in fresh fruit can affect creamy dressings over time. I do highly recommend sticking to canned pineapple if you are not eating the slaw right after making it.
- Jalapeño: I usually don’t add this to the slaw in my season of life, because I have three young kids. You can use a finely diced ¼ of a green bell pepper (what do you know, I also shared how to cut a bell pepper with minimum mess and waste ?). When I can find them at the market, I will use a fresh mild green chile. Just leaving out the Jalapeño is perfectly fine, too.
- Sugar: Want to stick to natural sweeteners? Use the same amount of honey in place of the sugar.
- Cilantro: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, try using flat-leaf parsley instead.
- Vinegar: I always use apple cider vinegar in this recipe, but a white wine vinegar or a white balsamic are also acceptable.
- Mayonnaise: If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, feel free to use Greek Yogurt or sour cream in its place. You can also do a mix of half mayo, half yogurt for a lighter slaw that still has the creaminess of mayonnaise. If you’re planning to add yogurt or sour cream to your coleslaw, you must stick to canned pineapple. The enzymes in fresh pineapple quickly break down dairy and lead to a metallic, bitter taste in food.
Recipe tips
- To keep the slaw from becoming watery as it sits, do not skip patting dry the pineapple with paper towels before adding to the bowl. You’ll also want to soak the cabbage as mentioned above, then squeeze out any extra water with paper towels (I do not recommend using a kitchen towel, as the purple cabbage can leave stubborn stains). Just as a side note, this will soften the cabbage, so your slaw will no longer be crunchy – but the upside is that the slaw doesn’t become watery if you’re making it a day ahead.
- If you like a very saucy/creamy slaw, feel free to double the dressing.
- Store the slaw covered in the refrigerator at all times. Eat within 2 days.
Rachel says
fantastic!
Nora says
So glad to hear it, Rachel!
Sherrille says
I’m not a coleslaw lover…in fact, I won’t eat most. However, this one just might have made me “like” coleslaw. There’s a few things I’ll definitely do differently – first off, I’ll completely follow the recipe! I only had red cabbage, so that’s what I used. Also, I increased the carrots and cilantro (by a lot!). The dressing is amazing!!! DO NOT USE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE – make the trip to the store to get chunks or tidbits! I used what I had on hand; and while it was tasty, the presentation would’ve been much better with something more substantial. (Also, it might keep the dressing from getting runny.) Thank you for a great flavor profile for this coleslaw. I’m already thinking of adding chopped pecans and/or craisins for a fall slaw. Now that I think of it….I guess I really did “love” it!
Judy says
Loved the recipe – as well as so many you have posted. It’s a go to place for me to find a really good and reliable recipe. Thanks so much!!
Ava Walling says
great!!!!!
Tracey G says
This marinade is great! I would recommend topping off with some grilled pineapple rings or add a side of pineapple coleslaw to give it an added little bit of a sweet acidic kick! Great recipe!
Sharon says
I just made this for our Mele Kalikimaka Christmas party. It tastes very tropical and delicious. I will be pairing it with Huli Huli chicken, Hawaiian Pulled pork and Hawaiian SPAM fried rice. Can’t wait to taste it again tomorrow as I know the flavors will be even better after having a chance to come together.
Kimberley says
Soo good! Super easy!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Kimberley!