Veggie Coleslaw – Vegan and Gluten-Free

You’d never guess the ingredients in this veggie coleslaw! Not too sour or watery, the combination of flavors and textures is just right!

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What? Made-from-scratch coleslaw that’s flavorful, creamy, and entirely plant-based? What magic is this?

My daughter loves coleslaw. So, I challenged myself to make a version without processed mayonnaise or sour cream.

I wondered how the flavors of avocado “mayo” and cashew “sour cream” would translate. Answer: You’d hardly know the difference!

Cashew “Sour Cream”

The sour “cream” is made with five simple ingredients:

• Raw cashews
• Apple cider vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Himalayan cooking salt
• Water

Avocado “Mayo”

And the avocado “mayo” is made with just four ingredients:

• Avocado
• Lemon juice
• Himalayan cooking salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

I’ve provided separate instructions in the recipe below in case you ever want to make either on their own. But to save time, feel free to blend both sets of ingredients at once for the coleslaw.

Veggie Coleslaw

This veggie coleslaw combines the bite of raw cabbage and onions with the sweetness of carrots, apples, and raisins.

What’s Needed?

The following small appliances make this recipe a breeze:

• Food processor – A good food processor allows you to chop/shred the veggies quickly. You can also use it to make the “mayo” and “sour cream” if you want to cut down on cleanup.
• High-speed blender – You can use a food processor, but a good blender makes the best spreads and sauces. A Vitamix also offers a hack for shredding cabbage in seconds.

What Goes Well with Veggie Coleslaw?

This recipe is perfect for summer cookouts and potlucks. I enjoyed mine with some Kale Veggie Patties. What kinds of food do you enjoy with slaw?

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Veggie Coleslaw

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Ingredients

Cashew Sour Cream

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan cooking salt
• 1/4 cup water + 1 Tbsp.

Avocado Mayo

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. Himalayan cooking salt
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Coleslaw

• 1 head cabbage – medium
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1 onion – small
• 2 organic apples cored and quartered (remove peel if not organic)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup cashew sour cream see above
• 1/2 cup avocado mayo see above
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan cooking salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. maple syrup

Instructions

Cashew Sour Cream

• Soak cashews in hot water for 30 minutes then drain.
• Add cashews, vinegar, lemon, water and salt to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. (I use my Vitamix blender, but you may be able to achieve similar results with a food processor if you wish to limit the number of appliances you have to wash.)
• Set aside in the refrigerator.

Avocado Mayo

• Add avocado, lemon, salt, and oil to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
• Set aside in the refrigerator.

Coleslaw

• Shred cabbage in food processor and transfer to a large mixing bowl. (I use my food processor’s coarse shredding disc.)
• Replace shredding disc with S blade and add baby carrots to the food processor. Pulse until carrots are finely chopped. Scrape carrots into the mixing bowl.
• Add onion to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape onion into the mixing bowl.
• Replace S blade with a shredding disc, shred apples and add to mixing bowl.
• Add raisins to mixing bowl and stir to mix ingredients.
• Mix avocado mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and maple syrup with cashew sour cream and add to mixing bowl.
• Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.

Notes

Avocado mayo was adapted from a recipe on food.com

Cashew sour cream was adapted from a recipe on wholefoodsmarket.com

TIME-SAVING TIP

To save time, combine all the ingredients for the dressing in your high-speed blender at once:

1 cup raw soaked cashews, 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbs. + 2 tsp. lemon juice, scant 1 tsp. fine sea salt, 1/3 cup water, 2 Tbs. olive oil, 1/2 avocado, 2 tsp. maple syrup, 1 tsp. dry mustard, and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Then blend until smooth and add to coleslaw.

You can also chop the apples with the S blade instead of using the shredder to save a bit more time.

Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate for special dietary needs. I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

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