Bowl of creamy Apple Slaw with shredded cabbage, red apple slices, carrots, green onions, and dried cranberries in a sweet creamy dressing, served on a gray surface with extra slaw in the background.

This apple slaw mixes crisp cabbage, thinly sliced apples, cranberries, and almonds with a creamy, lightly sweet dressing. It comes together quickly and makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Table of Contents

Why This Works
Ingredients For Apple Slaw
How to Make Apple Slaw
Make Ahead and Storage
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Table of Contents

My apple slaw is crisp, creamy, and lightly sweet, with just enough tang from the dressing to keep it balanced. I learned to slice the apples really thin so they blend in with the cabbage and carrots, which gives you an even crunch in every bite.

The secret: I make the dressing with a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream, so it stays light and smooth. Then I add honey and apple cider vinegar for a bright sweetness that doesn’t feel heavy.

This makes about 6 to 8 servings and works well as a side for grilled chicken, BBQ'd beef, sandwiches, or an easy dinner.

Apple slaw with thinly sliced red apples, cabbage, carrots, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds tossed in a creamy dressing in a shallow serving bowl

Why This Works

I love a good shortcut, so my recipe keeps prep simple by using a bag of coleslaw mix. And just like that, most of the work is already done.

The most important step of the prep is slicing the apples very thinly, which keeps everything consistent, instead of having large pieces of apple that throw the texture and flavor balance off.

I add dried cranberries and slivered almonds for contrast. The cranberries soften into the slaw, and the almonds keep their crunch, so each bite has a mix of textures instead of everything blending together.

I let it chill for a short time before serving so everything settles together. The cabbage softens slightly, but the apples stay crisp, which keeps the texture right where it should be.

Ingredients For Apple Slaw

Ingredient shot for Apple Slaw with coleslaw mix, apples, matchstick carrots, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, green onion, mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper arranged in bowls. On-image text labels each ingredient and amount.

To make apple slaw, you'll need:

To Make The Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

To Make The Slaw

16-ounce bag cole slaw mix (this should give you about 6 cups)
2 large red apples, cored and cut into julienned strips (this should give you about 2 cups)
½ cup matchstick carrots
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup slivered almonds

A note about the almonds: I like slivered almonds for this salad. They are similar in shape and size to the matchstick carrots. Slivered almonds aren't the same as sliced almonds. But if you can only find sliced, it will still give you a nice crunch and a warm, nutty flavor.

What apples to choose: This salad works best with sweet, crisp apples. Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, and Ambrosia apples are good options. (I'd avoid red delicious and McIntosh, as they are soft and break down too quickly.)

Close-up of Apple Slaw in a glass mixing bowl with wooden salad spoons, showing crunchy cabbage, red apple matchsticks, carrots, green onions, and dried cranberries coated in creamy dressing.

How to Make Apple Slaw

STEP ONE: Start by whisking together the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper until smooth. This will only take a minute or two. Once it’s mixed, set it aside.

STEP TWO: Add the coleslaw mix to a large bowl, then slice the apples into thin matchsticks. Add the carrots, green onions, and dried cranberries.

Coleslaw mix with sliced red apples, matchstick carrots, green onions, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds arranged in a glass mixing bowl before adding dressing. — If you are making your salad more than an hour ahead of serving, wait to add the almonds. If they sit too long in the dressing, they soften and lose their crunch.

STEP THREE: Pour the dressing over the top. Toss everything until the slaw is evenly coated. Take a minute here to make sure the dressing reaches the bottom of the bowl so you don’t end up with dry spots.

Apple slaw with cabbage, thinly sliced red apples, carrots, green onions, dried cranberries, and almonds being tossed in a creamy dressing with metal tongs in a glass bowl

STEP FOUR: Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving. This short chill time lets the dressing settle into the cabbage and softens it slightly while the apples stay crisp.

Make Ahead and Storage

MAKE AHEAD: I like to make this the same day I plan to serve it, so the texture stays at its best. The apples stay crisp, and the cabbage still has a bit of bite after a short chill time.

If I needed to prep this ahead, I'd slice the apples and mix the slaw ingredients, then store the dressing separately. Then I'd toss everything together 30 minutes to an hour ahead of serving.

LEFTOVERS: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 1 to 2 days, but the texture will start to change. The slaw will soften, and the dressing will loosen slightly as it sits.

Bowl of Apple Slaw on a gray surface, filled with creamy coleslaw mix, red apple slices, carrots, green onions, and dried cranberries, with extra slaw bowls softly blurred in the background.

Serving Apple Slaw

This apple slaw fits right in with other simple side dishes that you can make ahead and serve cold. Recipes like classic coleslaw, broccoli apple salad, potato salad, and macaroni salad all follow that same idea, so you can mix and match depending on the meal.

Apple Slaw

This apple slaw mixes crisp cabbage, thinly sliced apples, cranberries, and almonds with a creamy, lightly sweet dressing. It comes together quickly and makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Prep Time 10

Chill Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 185 kcal

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Slaw

6 cups coleslaw mix (from a 16-ounce bag)
2 large red apples (cored and cut into julienned strips (approximately 2 cups))
½ cup matchstick carrots
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add the coleslaw mix, julienned red apple, carrots, green onions, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds.
Pour the dressing over the apple slaw ingredients and toss to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Slice apples into thin matchsticks so they mix evenly and stay easy to eat
Chill for about 30 minutes to soften the cabbage slightly while keeping apples crisp
Add almonds just before serving to keep their crunch
For make-ahead, store dressing separately and toss before serving

Nutrition

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Apple Slaw

Why This Works