I know there are some mayo haters out there.
But even if you don’t mind mayo, you probably won’t mind a lighter cabbage salad recipe.
I love cabbage salad and coleslaw, but if there was ever a way to take a virtually calorie-free and healthy food like cabbage and turn it into a diet derailer, all you have to do is coat it with cups of mayo and mission accomplished.
This healthy salad is light, fresh, and perfect for summer. In addition to being bikini-friendly, you don’t have to worry about the mayo factor and it spoiling if the salad is outside in warm temperatures.
It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and super fast and easy to make. Plan ahead so it can marinate for at least 6 hours in the fridge. Over time, the cabbage and vegetables soften and the flavors marry.
It’s made with an apple cider vinegar-based dressing so it’s pleasantly tangy, and the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar used for the entire recipe lighten sweeten the salad and balance the vinegar.
You can make it spicy by adding a pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes. Spicy slaw makes a great topper for burgers, sandwiches or you can pile it onto chips and wash them down with ice cold All-Natural 3-Ingredient Margaritas.
The bagged cabbage blend I used contained carrots, and I bulked up the salad and the crunch factor by adding orange bell peppers, corn, cucumbers, and edamame. The crunch factor is off the charts, and I love that.
You can also keep it plain Jane, minus any extra veggies, but I find myself gravitating toward the chewy edamame, juicy cucumbers, and crunchy peppers and picking those out first.
Use the recipe as a freezer, fridge, or pantry cleanout opportunity and toss in whatever you have from peas to pineapple to pepitas. It would be excellent dressed with peanut sauce for an Asian-inspired twist.
I estimate that for a 1 cup serving you’re looking at 50 calories max. I haven’t plugged in the data to an online calculator, but there’s only 60 calories in the 4 cups of the cabbage/carrot blend I used. Factor in the additional vegetables and the fat-free, low-cal dressing, and this is a very light recipe.
Value-based eating at it’s finest.
But you’re not compromising anything on taste. The sweet-and-tangy dressing is so good and makes you want bite after bite. Sweet-and-sour (or spicy) foods tent to do that. The more you have, the more you want.
You definitely won’t miss any gobs of mayo or those empty calories and fat grams as you crunch away on this.
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Skinny Mayo-Less Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 heaping tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- pinch salt, to taste
- about 4 cups sliced green cabbage, I used half of a 16-ounce bagged blend of green cabbage and carrots
- ½ cup diced bell peppers, I used orange
- ½ cup corn, I used frozen straight from the freezer
- ½ cup diced cucumbers
- ½ cup cooked edamame
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add the vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add all remaining ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Toss well to make sure everything has been well-coated.
- Transfer salad into a large Tupperware-type container with a lid, or cover mixing bowl with plasticwarp, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours; or up to 24 hours. If marinating longer than 6 hours, stir mixture once or twice to re-coat the vegetables evenly. Re-refirgerate until serving.
- Serve salad by itself, or on top of sandwiches or burgers, or as a chip or cracker dip. Salad will keep for up to 3 days. As time elapses, vegetables will release their juice and become softer, and amount of liquid in container will increase.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have to admit, I’m a total mayo hater… and that is why this looks so delicious! Its so refreshing to see salads that are typically coated in mayo to be in their natural state. The colors are much more vibrant, and the dish looks fresh and tasty! Good job!
I think when veggies are fresh, most often, the less you do to them, coat them, smother, smear, change, etc them, the better! Focus on the fresh ‘n crispy taste is what I prefer!
This looks so good. As I was reading I was thinking of the parties/BBQ’s I am going to take it to. I love the idea of a little sweetness with the brown sugar but might have to try some cayenne too. Thanks for the great recipe…Pinned! I also pinned the pumpkin spice brown rice cranberry salad…yum!
I love the cayenne because it adds a little pop without being at all ‘spicy’ per se; but it’s not bland and boring, either :)
the most colorful salad I have ever seen and you knocked it out of the ballpark with the combo of cabbage and edamame. my two favs for summer time
You are so sweet and thanks for the wonderful compliments!
I love cabbage salad, and I have to admit that I don’t mind the mayo. But on days I want something light, this is a perfect version of cabbage salad. Thank you so much for sharing, Averie! :)
Thanks for saying you don’t mine mayo from time to time – I was beginning to think that everyone out there despises it and I may never be able to blog about it again :) LOL So many people have said they loathe it!
What a beautiful, bright summer salad! Totally making this salad this summer! Thank you for a great recipe, Averie!
For those of us post-menopausal, slightly “cooking” the cabbage in the microwave for a minute or two breaks it down a bit. Dare I say what my grandfather used to warn against, “Tie down the covers tonight!” – ?
I’m all about a crunchy, fresh salad (without mayo). This is perfect for summer BBQs!
I hate mayo, I love ACV and coleslaw. AND I just bought a head of cabbage and a gallon of ACV last night! AND I am going to a pot luck on Thursday. I know what I’m bringing!
I thought you’d like this one. Like raisins, and bananas, mayo is another food that until I started blogging I had no idea how many people were really really not into it!
I’m loving this mayo-less cabbage salad. As much as I enjoy a creamy dressing now and then, it does nothing for my waistline. I’m thinking this weekend will be the perfect time to give this salad a try! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning! And yes, mayo is one of those things a tablespoon or two is almost as dense as PB. I’d rather have PB calories than mayo ones :)
Averie, I am myself not too much of a mayo person and this salad looks just delicious with all the crunch!
Mayo hater right here! This recipe is perfect for me! Pinned!
I read that in your cookbook! LOL Thanks for pinning :)
Ha, after our email today, this made me laugh. I hate mayo, aioli and anything that remotely looks like it. Hence, I’ve never had coleslaw. But this? Needs to happen. Also? I need to try edamame. I know, right?
I can see you being picky about mayo, aioli, etc. And yes you totally do need to try edamame. LOL I think it was one of Skylar’s first foods. I can’t imagine life without it! ha!
I do love how versatile slaw can be.
And if you dress it up right you really don’t need mayo.
It’s weird how we both posted cabbage today!
Yours is perfect for fish taco’s!
You know when I made this, I thought about actually doing it with fish tacos but that then seemed like way too much to prep and deal with…LOL And yes, great minds today :)
I love cabbage. So of course I love cole slaw. I love the colors in this version. Plus you could easily add chicken or chunks of salmon and really make a lunch salad out this recipe.
Exactly! And for me, the edamame is enough but yes, doctor it up with just about anything!
What a great summer lunch recipe! Looks delicious!
Perfect light lunch!