Fruity Coleslaw With Apple and Raisins

Apple in Coleslaw? Why not. This alternative coleslaw recipe tastes really fresh and sweet, perfect side dish any night of the week. So quick and easy, just mix it and go. Trust me you will never want to buy readymade coleslaw again.

If you’re looking for a fresh tasting side dish, then look no further. Creamy coleslaw is a recipe that can be whipped up quickly and served straight away. It’s great for parties and barbeques and pairs well with many things, especially inside burgers and on the side of fried chicken. Try these Lemon Chicken Bites or this Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger, both go really well with this recipe. You can also pair it with other sides including these potato wedges.

Coleslaw, sometimes simply called Slaw, is usually made with shredded cabbage, that is uncooked and often contains the additions of grated carrot and sometimes, onion. It is served as a side dish all over the world in it’s varying forms. It can be made with mayonnaise or some type of salad dressing.

While coleslaw isn’t the healthiest type of salad you can eat and isn’t totally guilt-free owing to the dressing, it does contain a lot of raw vegetables and fruit. These provide you with a mix of vitamins and minerals. I’ve kept the dressing simple for this coleslaw, it’s just mayonnaise. Unlike some coleslaw recipes, this one does not contain any added sugar in the dressing, you get all the sweetness from the fruit that is added here.

How to Make Fruity Coleslaw

Making a crunchy fruit coleslaw is a really simple chopping and mixing process, it is no-bake and ready in as little time as it takes you to prepare everything. I particularly like to get the kids involved in making this recipe. They love to help incorporate all of the ingredients and mix the mayo in.

In my opinion coleslaw is best, when the cabbage is finely shredded. I use a mandoline slicer, but you can achieve a fine shred with a food processor (with a slicer attachment) or by hand with a bit of patience.

The carrot should be grated finely and then everything else chopped to your desired size, before being mixed together so all the ingredients are spread throughout. Mayonnaise is then spooned in and stirred through so that everything in the bowl gets a coating.

I really like the colour that the red cabbage provides to this dish, but you can also use a different cabbage instead, if you’d prefer. You can also mix it up and use a variety of cabbages together. Green, red, savoy, or Napa cabbage will all work well.

I use red apples in this recipe, but green ones can work too. Green apples have a sharper, less sweet taste to them than their red counterparts, which you might enjoy more. However, don’t use cooking apples such as Bramley’s in this recipe.

You can increase all ingredients listed to make a larger batch to suit your requirements, if you’re making this for a party for example.

Coleslaw will soften over time, if you prefer it with a little less crunch, try making it at least 3 hours in advance. The salt in the dressing aids in this process, but if you’d prefer it with no added salt, you can leave it out.

Feel free to jazz up the dressing a little. Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and a little lemon juice, make good additions to the dressing and provide extra flavour, if you feel that mayonnaise alone isn’t enough.

You can use a lower fat or vegan mayo in this recipe to suit your needs if required.

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