Easy Apple Slaw

3.93

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This easy apple slaw features red cabbage, spinach, quinoa and a creamy tahini dressing. It’s such a healthy and unique twist on traditional coleslaw.

Oh man, I think I’ve found my new favorite apple recipe!

I feel like I need to apologize if you were expecting something sweet — apple pie bites, a healthy apple crisp or something along those lines — nope, it’s a SALAD. Y’all know I love my salads.

But before you close your browser, this apple slaw is still plenty sweet!

Apple slaw plated on a white plate.

The base is a spiralized (or shredded) sweet apple (I used a Fuji) with red cabbage, quinoa and baby spinach.

For the dressing I skipped the mayo and went with a tahini and apple cider vinegar dressing that’s really creamy and flavorful. And last but not least, there’s a few sunflower seeds to add some nuttiness and raisins for an extra pop of sweetness!

A labeled photos will ingredients for easy apple slaw

Here’s What You Need For Apple Slaw

  • red cabbage – the perfect crunchy base to this salad.
  • apple – I prefer to use a sweeter variety of apple like fuji or honey crisp, but feel free to use whatever variety you prefer. As I mention above you can use your spiralizer to make apple “noodles” for this salad or just shred the apples! I like using my food processor to shred the apple and cabbage at the same time.
  • quinoa – you’ll want to use cooked quinoa for this recipe. Learn how to cook quinoa.
  • spinach – gotta add in some greens! I recommend chopping the spinach pretty small so there aren’t any big chunks.
  • sunflower seeds – I love the nuttiness the sunflower seeds add to this salad, but feel free to skip them or swap them with another seed or nut. I bet pepitas would be delicious!
  • raisins – the raisins add an extra pop of sweetness, but to reduce the amount of sugar in this salad, feel free to skip them. You can also always swap them with another dried fruit like dried cranberries or cherries.
  • tahini dressing – a delicious combination of tahini, apple cider vinegar, avocado or olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and water.
  • sea salt + pepper – to bring all of the flavors together!
A collage with process shots for how to make apple slaw. One with dressing ingredients in a bowl, dressing whisked together, a bowl of slaw ingredients and then a shot with the dressing being poured on.

How to Serve This Apple Slaw

With the spinach and quinoa you can certainly get away with serving this salad on its own as a light lunch – you could even add some chickpeas if you feel you need a little extra protein. It also works lovely as a crunchy side dish for weeknight meals (I bet it’d be great with fish tacos and/or bbq sandwiches) or even as a side dish for holiday meals like Thanksgiving. I’m willing to bet you’ll crave this salad year round!

Serving plate with apple slaw. A serving fork and spoon are on the bowl.

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftover slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Most of the ingredients are hearty enough to store but the spinach may get a little wilted. If you’re making this salad in advance, you can mix in the spinach right before serving!

More Healthy Side Dishes to Try

More Spiralized Recipes to Try

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3.93 from 26 votes

Easy Apple Slaw

This easy apple slaw features red cabbage, spinach, quinoa and a creamy tahini dressing. It's mayo-free and a healthy and unique twist on traditional coleslaw.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients  

  • ½ small head red cabbage, shredded or spiralized (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large fuji apple, shredded or spiralized
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
  • â…“ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup raisins

Creamy Tahini Dressing

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons water

Instructions 

  • Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients (tahini, apple cider vinegar, oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and water) into a small bowl.
    Tahini, nutritional yeast, vinegar, oil and spices in a bowl.
  • Whisk dressing until smooth.
    Tahini dressing in a bowl next to a whisk.
  • Toss the cabbage, apple, quinoa, spinach, sunflower seeds and raisins in a large bowl.
    Shredded apples, cabbage, spinach, quinoa, raisins and sunflower seeds in a bowl.
  • Add the dressing and toss to combine.
    Tahini dressing being poured over a bowl of apple slaw.
  • Serve and enjoy. Store any leftover slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple slaw
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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Recipe Rating




27 Comments

    1. Maybe try adding 1 Tablespoon of water instead of the oil or 2 tablespoons fresh avocado? Let me know how it turns out. 🙂

      1. Thanks! I feel silly now I should have thought about avocado. I’m still new so thanks for answering! I am going to make this tomorrow.

  1. How much does this make? I’d like to make it for our Easter celebration…about 20 people…double/triple the amounts? Looks great – can’t wait to try it!

    1. I’m not sure the exact yield for the recipe. If you’re doing a potluck style Easter celebration I think doubling the recipe should work great! I hope you love it.

  2. 5 stars
    Not sure why this recipe did not get any ratings, but it’s so damn delicious!
    It’s the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, savory and creamy!

    This is going to be another favorite of mine!

    1. Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Nadine!! So pumped you loved this salad 🙂 Hoping it’ll get some more love soon!

  3. 4 stars
    I have really been enjoying this slaw recipe! Lighter without the Mayo, and I love the addition of apples. Have been putting chicken in it and eating it as a slaw salad for dinners- highly recommend.

    1. So happy to hear you’re loving this apple slaw, Gretchen! Love the addition of chicken! Thanks for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  4. 5 stars
    I was looking for a way to use some leftover cabbage and came across this. I’m so happy with how this turned out! I has to make a few switches just because of what I had on hand—green cabbage, currants, pumpkin seeds—but had everything for the dressing which is really the star of the show. SO YUMMY. One recommendation is to hand squeeze all the liquid from your shredded apple before adding. I think it would really water everything down if not. Probably not as much of an issue if you spiralize. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe.

    1. SO yum! I am glad you found this recipe and it turned out delicious for you, Darcie. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!