Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

Try this fresh, tangy cilantro lime coleslaw on your next taco night! Add the perfect crunch and loads of zesty flavor to your dinner with this quick and easy Mexican slaw that comes together in only 5 minutes.

Whether we’re having Spicy Shrimp Tacos, Black Bean and Corn Salsa Tacos, or Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, every taco night is better when you add cilantro lime coleslaw.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know that my family loves taco night. This cilantro lime coleslaw emerged as a result of our obsession with my Slow Cooker Carnitas, but its goodness reaches way past taco land – it’s also an amazing side dish with pulled pork, chicken sandwiches, or even just as part of a quick lunch spread.

There’s just something about the fresh cilantro and lime that I love, and I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve gotten on this combination. For the classic flavor you find at every cookout, my Creamy Coleslaw Recipe is perfect, but for taco night, we stick with this one.

CILANTRO LIME COLESLAW

Here’s why I love this easy coleslaw recipe:

• It tastes amazing!
• Simple, real food ingredients
• Quick to make
• Adds great flavor to many different meals
• Budget-friendly

CILANTRO LIME SLAW RECIPE INGREDIENTS

The ingredients for cilantro coleslaw are incredibly basic and cost-effective. It’s hard to attribute the flavor of this cilantro lime slaw to just one ingredient, so you’re going to have to trust me when I say everything together makes this amazing. Kind of like Thai peanut sauce.

With that said though, you still have substitution options:

• Olive Oil. The base of the dressing.
• Green Onions: Use white, yellow, or red onions if that’s what you have.
• Chopped Fresh Cilantro Leaves: There’s flavor in cilantro stems, so if you want to save the leaves for topping, definitely use the stems in the slaw!
• Garlic: Fresh garlic will knock your socks off, but if you’re out (or don’t feel like peeling and chopping garlic), garlic powder will work too.
• Salt. Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
• Fresh Lime Juice: Like garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice simply cannot be beaten, but I’ve used bottled lime juice as well. The flavor is more muted with bottled, so you might want to add more here too.
• Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt means you’re getting a bit of probiotics in your dinner (and you can make Greek yogurt too), which is always a win, but you can substitute sour cream or mayo (my Failproof Homemade Mayo Recipe) as well.
  • If you use mayonnaise or even sour cream, you might want to up the lime juice or add a splash of apple cider vinegar for the extra tart flavor.
• Cabbage. I used mostly green cabbage, with a little bit of purple cabbage just for color. Honestly, pick whatever cabbage works for your budget and/or is on sale. Bagged coleslaw mix is useful in a pinch!
  • Napa cabbage is SO good and great for those who typically don’t like cabbage in general.
  • Bok choy is also in the cabbage family. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but if you like bok choy, I’m sure you won’t go wrong.
• Additional Vegetables. I added julienned carrots to my version, partly for color, but also because making cilantro lime coleslaw is an easy way to get the kids to eat more vegetables.
  • You can add julienned broccoli stems, which is a GREAT way to use those stems up if you tend to favor the florets.
  • You can also add shaved Brussels sprouts too like I did in the Costco-copycat Sweet Kale Salad.

INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE CILANTRO LIME SLAW

Step 1. Combine the coleslaw dressing ingredients (except the apple cider vinegar) in a blender. Pulse until the ingredients are combined, yet some green leaves are still visible.

Step 2. Adjust the dressing. The consistency should be similar to salad dressing, so if you used Greek yogurt, sour cream, or mayo, you might need to thin it. Taste it first, and thin using either water, apple cider vinegar, or additional lime juice as desired starting with 1 tablespoon. Stir well after each addition and taste.

Step 3. Combine dressing and vegetables. When the dressing is ready, place the cabbage (and carrots, if using) in a very large bowl and toss using two forks or a pair of tongs.

Step 4. Let the cilantro lime slaw sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. Serve cold.

Store your cilantro coleslaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. This cilantro lime coleslaw is best within 24 hours – after that, it loses a lot of its crunch. Luckily, it’s easy to whip up another batch!

COLESLAW RECIPE FOR FISH TACOS

This is the perfect coleslaw recipe for fish tacos (or any tacos really), but it’s also yummy with a bunch of other recipes too!

• Serve it up with some Instant Pot Whole Chicken
• Make Carnitas, add some Homemade Flour Tortillas or Homemade Corn Tortillas, wrap it up, and call it dinner!
• Use it as the base of a burrito bowl, or as a garnish if you like to start your bowl with Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
• Throw it on as a side with Homemade Fish Sticks
• Enjoy with Instant Pot BBQ Chicken sandwiches.

FISH TACO COLESLAW RECIPE FAQS

PAIR THIS MEXICAN SLAW FOR TACOS WITH:

Looking for other ways to dress up your tacos? Try these other recipes with your Mexican slaw for tacos:

• Coconut Rice
• Instant Pot Spanish Rice
• Refried Beans
• Southwestern Corn
• Easy Homemade Salsa
• Guacamole
• Homemade Frank’s Hot Sauce

WATCH HOW TO MAKE CILANTRO LIME COLESLAW