This cabbage salad is fresh, delicious, crunchy and above all colourful. Mixed with a sumac and lemon dressing this zingy vegan slaw is the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
This cabbage salad is a world away from the coleslaw you might be accustomed to buying in the supermarket in tubs. I have never been a fan of mayonnaise and so supermarket slaw just doesn’t do it for me.
My vegan cabbage salad however is a different story. Made with a zingy dressing containing just three main ingredients – olive oil, lemon juice and sumac – it is fresh, crunchy and so, so tasty. I haven’t found a meal yet that it doesn’t work well with.
I stepped away from my laptop last week and spent the day cooking lunch in an actual real cafe. It was fairly nerve wracking but also very enjoyable. I hope to repeat the experience soon. For lunch I made this crunchy cabbage slaw alongside these African beans, my sweet potato, spinach and peanut stew and rice. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every single plate came back to the kitchen clean. It was a great combo and this cabbage salad complemented the beans and stew perfectly.
What is sumac and what if I don’t have any?
Sumac is a bright red dried spice, made from crushing the fruit of the sumac tree. Sumac is common in middle eastern cooking. It has a distinctive tart flavour and I love using it in my cooking.
If you don’t have any sumac and can’t get hold of any in time to make this vegan cabbage recipe then you can either just leave it out or you can make a similar dressing with cider vinegar, which will give you a stronger flavour than just using lemon juice.
If you like this you might like my kale and sweet potato salad.
How to make shredded cabbage salad
This vegan slaw is very easy to put together. Thinly slice white and red cabbage, grate carrot and mix them together. Then you need to make a dressing – I’ve used olive oil, lemon juice, sumac and salt for mine – cover the cabbage with the dressing, mix it together well and serve with freshly chopped parsley or coriander.

Shredded cabbage salad with sumac dressing
This cabbage salad is fresh, delicious, crunchy and above all colourful. Mixed with a sumac and lemon dressing this zingy vegan slaw is the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 red cabbage shredded
- 1/2 white cabbage shredded
- 1 large carrot grated
- small handful flat leaf parsley or coriander finely chopped, to serve
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp sumac
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large bowl mix together the shredded cabbage and grated carrot.
In a small jug beat together the olive oil, lemon and sumac and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Just before serving add the sumac dressing to the salad and mix well - I find that using my hands is best for this.
Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or coriander and serve.
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