I used to really hate coleslaw until I made my own homemade coleslaw. It’s so fresh, crunchy, and creamy, and not at all gloppy or heavy like the storebought stuff. AND you can make it different flavors to suit your meal! This Cumin Lime Coleslaw has a bright and sunny dressing made with fresh lime juice, earthy cumin (which has always smelled kind of lemony to me), and a small pinch of cayenne. Green onions and shredded carrots add color and flavor to the crunchy cabbage and round out this easy, breezy coleslaw.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
How to Serve Cumin Lime Coleslaw
As with any coleslaw, this one makes a great side dish for things like Cilantro Lime Chicken, Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas, or Turkey Taco Skillet. But you can also pile it onto a sandwich, use it to top tacos, or even use it as a base for a bowl meal! And last week, I served it as a side to some tacos made with my Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork and Pickled Red Onions. That combo was to die for!
Take a Short Cut
If you’re short on time, you can skip shredding your own cabbage and carrots and use a bag of coleslaw mix (pre-shredded cabbage and carrots). You’ll want one bag (14-16oz.) for this recipe.
How Long Does it Stay Fresh?
This cumin lime coleslaw stays good in the fridge for about 2-3 days. It does soften a bit as it refrigerates, but it’s still quite tasty. You’ll want to give it a good stir before serving each time to redistribute the dressing.
Cumin Lime Coleslaw
Servings 6 3/4 cup eachIngredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise ($0.80)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime) ($0.50)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- 1 tsp sugar ($0.02)
- 1/2 head green cabbage (about 6 cups shredded) ($0.68)
- 2 carrots ($0.16)
- 4 green onions ($0.22)
Instructions
- Prepare the coleslaw dressing by stirring together the mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, salt, sugar, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
- Remove the core from the cabbage and then finely shred. Peel the carrots, then use a large holed cheese grater to shred the carrots. Thinly slice the green onions.
- Combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top, then stir until everything is well coated in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. After refrigerating, make sure to stir the slaw well before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Cumin Lime Coleslaw – Step by Step Photos
Begin by making the dressing so the flavors have a little time to blend. Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Finely shred 1/2 of a head of cabbage (about 6 cups), shred two carrots using a cheese grater, and slice four green onions. Add the cabbage, carrot, and onions to a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and then stir until everything is well coated. Serve the Cumin Lime Coleslaw immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. As will all slaws, the salt in the dressing will cause the cabbage to slowly soften and let off a little water, so be sure to stir the slaw before serving to redistribute the dressing.
But if you need to prepare it ahead of time, go ahead and make the dressing and prep the vegetables, but combine the two just before serving for the crunchiest coleslaw possible.
Such a great coleslaw recipe. I made it exactly as written, and it’s so yummy. Thank you!
This is delicious! But is it meant to be 1 carrot per half head of cabbage or two – quantities say 2 carrots, how-to instructions say 1 carrot?
Thanks for catching that typo. It’s two carrots, but honestly, this recipe is so flexible that it will work just fine if you only have one. :)
Have made this both unaltered and with 1 TBSP orange juice + 1 TBSP lime (I was short!) and five-star recipe all around!
This recipe turned out great as a topping to Shrimp Tacos. I added cilantro, black pepper, and a little water to thin out the dressing. Definitely will be making this again.
I have probably made this recipe a hundred times over the years for myself and guests. It is always a hit. Thank you for all the delicious recipes!
We make and eat this once a week on crunchy chicken or beef tacos with Spanish rice in the side. I too my tacos with it, and my kids eat it as a side to theirs. We love it!!
Thank you so much for this wonderful delightful way to use my leftover cabbage! I roasted some for the first time, absolutely delicious!! Oh and I made Miss Brenda Gantt’s cabbage casserole 😊so delicious 😋 I love just having shredded cabbage in a bag with my veggie oil, garlic and apple cider vinegar 😀
I didn’t know slaw could be this good, straight up. We had it with fish tacos last night but i’m eating leftovers by themselves.
I love the coleslaw. But I added a lot of black pepper to the recipe, and liked the slaw better. Before the pepper the cumin was too up-front for me. With the pepper, the cumin receded a bit, with a pleasing flavor complexity added by the pepper.
This was crazy good! Maybe my body needed the nutrients, but I couldn’t seem to get enough of it. Who knew coleslaw could be so good?! I used prepackaged carrots + cabbage and it was so easy.
What can I use if I don’t have Mayo please??
Hi! Sub with 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt mixed in. If you don’t have sour cream, you can put 1/2 cup heavy cream in a mason jar with 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Close the jar and shake it up until the cream thickens. XOXO -Monti
I would use Greek yogurt, and increase the sugar by one half to one teaspoon. If it is too sour, add more sugar. Often for standard coleslaw I use half mayo and half Greek yogurt, without adding more sugar.
This is soooo good I’ve made it so many times ❤️ The tangy lime in the sauce makes it different to boring bland coleslaw, so yummy we love this. It’s my favourite coleslaw recipe ever
Cumin is an unusual ingredient in this, but once it got cold it was very yummy. I added cilantro.
I made this tonight and it was really good! Very fresh and light tasting with the cumin and lime. I used coleslaw mix already chopped up and it saved on time and wasn’t too expensive. Very easy. I’m not going back to coleslaw dressing from a bottle.
I love coleslaw and this recipe didn’t disappoint! I put it in a turkey sandwich with a sprinkle of caraway seeds.
Love this! We substituted canned coconut milk for the mayo due to allergies and it turned out great. :)
I used to hate coleslaw and this recipe converted me!
My husband smoked a brisket and we chopped up some of the leftovers for brisket tacos. Made this cole slaw to top them off- delicious!
lo adoro
Just mixed up a batch of this to go with fish tacos tonight. I included the zest from the lime (waste not!), subbed honey for sugar and chipotle for cayenne. My quality control.bite tasted great! Can’t wait to see how the flavors combine after a little fridge time.
Any thoughts on using a vinegar-based dressing rather than mayo? Partner doesn’t care for mayo, and I like the idea of reducing some calories.
I’ve wanted to develop a mayo-free coleslaw recipe for a while, but haven’t had the chance to test it yet.
I always substitute plain greek yogurt for mayo. Or you could try a lime dressing like ones used for apple jicama slaw. Heres a basic of what I usually start with.
2 T lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
2 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2T avocado oil ( or of your choice)
1 T water
S&P to taste
I’d add the seasonings listed in the dressing above
Try plain Greek Yogurt
I love this. Upped the cayenne for personal preference, swapped green onions for a shallot because it’s what I had on hand. It is delightful!
This is AMAZING! So different from standard slaw. It’s light, tangy, and just the right amount heat. It’s got it all!
I make a lot of your recipes and found this one awhile back and it is DEFINITELY in my top 5. It’s a staple in my meal planning rotation. It is just sooo delicious!! I use bagged coleslaw mix which makes it super quick and easy and oh so fresh. I made it last night to go along with enchiladas. It’s the perfect side dish and my whole family gobbles it up. I don’t comment online often but just had to let you know how much I LOVE this recipe. P.S. I recommend your blog/site to EVERYONE that is looking for quick, simple, yummy recipes. Lots of love from Alabama.
We never, ever get sick of this! So delicious. We often add finely sliced red capsicum or other veges we have.
This is sooooo good! Originally made it to go with your fish taco recipe. Have made it twice since just to eat it on its own. Made exactly as your recipe, this is a keeper!
I’m curious, why peel the carrots? Why not just shred them with the skin on?
Made today and it’s an excellent version of coleslaw. Only had 1 TBSP lime juice so used 1 Tbsp rice vinegar and that worked okay. Used a shredder to make 3 carrots worth of shreds. I’ve found that most deli type salads taste better after being refrigerated for a while. Mellows onions and allows flavors to combine. Had it with chicken cooked in a seasoned liquid and then shredded. Added cream cheese to the cooking liquid – an idea I got from another BB recipe for a chicken in a creamy spicy sauce. Thank you BB for so many great tasting and simple recipes. I use other sites other recipe sites but BB is my favorite and used most often.
This is sooooo tasty! I don’t like my coleslaw very sweet, so I used 1/2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt instead of the other way around. I also used 1/4 of a red cabbage and 1/4 of a green cabbage for more color and nutrients. I used vegan mayo instead of regular mayo, and my partner and I put this in tacos with vegan “crab” cakes (using hearts of palm instead of crab), and it was TO DIE FOR. I would expect to pay $10-15 per serving for this dish in a restaurant and I’d think it was a great deal. I ended up chopping up the other 3/4 head of green and red cabbage and chucking it in the freezer. Now I have cabbage ready to go next time I make soup or stir fry! This recipe is a winner all around.
Replying to add a rating which I forgot to do the first time around XD
Made this to serve along side my teriyaki grilled chicken thighs. Bagged salads are hard to find during the pandemic, but I have been creative with cabbage, thanks to you, Beth! I had carrots, and added a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro. Yum!
I made this to go with fish tacos. I used packaged coleslaw mix and added the green onions. I found it a bit too salty so added more cumin and cayenne pepper. It worked perfect!
Made this to go along with carnitas, so good!
Love this recipe! I’m cutting out added sugars so I went without, doubled the cumin, and also added in some apple cider vinegar
Put them on some black bean and vegan patties, had to resist eating the slaw by itself before my burgers were done….
i thought it needed slightly more sugar, so added a teaspoon. otherwise, delicious!
I live coleslaw but have never made it. Made this and OMG, is so good. My only request is would love to see some more coleslaw recipies eventually. My Dad was famous for a vinegar coleslaw he made. Is my all time favorite but never got the recipe from him. My life would feel complete if I ever tasted something similar again. 😄
Just an idea, I hate grating carrots. it seriously hurts my fingers and takes FOREVER. However there is a spiffy little bag in my grocery stores (Winco and Stater Bros) called broccoli slaw. it has some carrots already shredded and well broccoli is so darn good for you! Just an idea for anyone else who hates to shred the hard veggies.
Another winner! This paired perfectly with your fish taco recipe! Nice choice! I used a bad of coleslaw and just added the green onions. I love that this is low on sugar. My dad used to make a coleslaw that had like a whole cup of sugar! so bad…
I don’t even like coleslaw, but I am crazy about this coleslaw recipe. I would never think to put a Mexican twist on coleslaw of all things, but believe me, it’s magical. I added way more of each spice than the recipe called for, plus garlic powder, plus a lot more lime juice, and just salted it until all the flavors popped. Then I used in on the Budget Bytes taco recipe. A standing ovation for this recipe. So good.
The slaw was delicious. We had fish stick tacos with this slaw, the only difference is I used the whole lime. Thanks again for a good recipe!
can I make this the day before serving?
This one is definitely better the day you make it, but I still ate my leftovers (they’re just softer and more wet).
Do you ever salt your cabbage before making a slaw? I’ve found that technique has really helped reduce the amount of water you get collecting at the bottom of the sale bowl. Either way, this sounds great and I’ll be making it soon. I gotta say, I’ve been cooking for years and just learned about BB a few months ago. Everything has turned out great. Even some things I’ve gone purely off your recipe and it’s worked just right, which is rare. So thank you for all the great food
This coleslaw is delicious! It has a unique flavor from your average coleslaw and it’s just plain tasty. And the recipe makes just the right amount of dressing so the slaw isn’t drowning in it.
I doubled the recipe and ended up with a little too much to fit into my serving bowl so my husband and I have been snacking on the extra slaw :)
I made this for a family get-together last night, and I kept hearing “Wow, this is delicious! I don’t even like coleslaw!” A rousing success! Thanks for the great recipe.
This receipt was amazing! My only complaint is that I didn’t make enough of it. I also added like a 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels which added a little sweetness. Otherwise followed the directions completely. Was so good on my spicy shrimp tacos and I will not lie when I say I ate a good helping of it while I was making it. Good on ya’ Beth this was a straight up win.
This is SOOO good!
I love BB and use it all the time – this time I was desperate for a new slaw and searched the site for slaw. This was one of the only one’s you had so I went for it. It was GREAT and the party I fed all absolutely loved it and kept complimenting it. The cumin and lime gave an interesting and new twist to the old school cole slaw and it went great with all of our grill food.
I don’t usually use lime juice. Can I sub with lemon juice?
The lime juice definitely has a distinct flavor that works with the other ingredients. Lemon juice will give you the right acidity, but it will change the overall harmony of the ingredients. Not that it would be bad, but lime juice is just much better in this case.
I don’t use mayo so I subbed plain greek yogurt. It needed something, so I did add some rice wine vinegar. I really liked it, my husband asked for seconds! We had a some leftover & it’s even better the next day. Served it alongside the honey sriracha chicken & jasmine rice.
So flavorful and delicious!
Hi Beth! This looks like it would be really yummy in the fish tacos, or on top of a burger, like another commenter suggested. For that reason, I might like to try making a big batch, then freezing half for another use later. Do you think that would work?
Also, a more general question: you often give tips on whether something would freeze well or not. Is there a general rule of thumb? Or is it all just based on your experience? Thanks!!!
Generally, fresh vegetables don’t freeze well unless they are going to be cooked later. This is because the plant cells that make the vegetable crunchy burst when the water inside them freezes and expands. That leaves the vegetables limp, soft, and seeping water once thawed. So, dishes like this actually won’t freeze well because you’ll be left with a bunch of watery, limp cabbage. :( Vegetables get soft when you cook them anyway, so it’s okay to freeze vegetables that are going to be cooked after being thawed. I hope that made sense. :)
That’s a great tip…and with a science lesson! Thanks!
Speaking of which…is there also a rule of thumb when it comes to freezing cooked rice or pasta? I once froze a salsa chicken casserole that did NOT reheat well, but I can’t figure out which element made it not work. I’d love to know, since I’m freezing leftovers more and more these days!
Oh, and by the way, my roommate is throwing a big crawfish boil shindig this Saturday at our house. I’ll be making your cumin lime coleslaw…I think it sounds like the perfect side! :c)
Hmm, I tend to find that rice and pasta freeze pretty well with no special care taken (I just pop them into a freezer bag). Cooling dishes down in the fridge completely before freezing usually helps preserve their texture and quality. What were the unpleasant side effects with the salsa chicken casserole? Maybe I can help trouble shoot that. It seems like that one should freeze pretty weel.
The rice was really mushy, and the casserole overall was watery. I can’t remember if I defrosted it first…that could’ve been the problem…
Hmm. Yeah, I’m not sure what the issue might have been. I tend to freeze in smaller portions, too, instead of entire casseroles, so that might make a difference.
This was a great addition to the fish tacos!! Will use this often!
This coleslaw was AMAZING. I added chopped cilantro to mine and substituted a tsp of honey for the sugar. I used a bag of coleslaw mix to make it a little easier. I don’t think that I will ever make “regular” coleslaw again!!! (it was even better the next day)
Thanks, again, for all of your wonderful recipes!!!
This recipe looks delicious! I’ve never been a fan of mayonnaise, so I’m substituting 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt for the dressing. I did the same with the curried chicken salad and it turned out great!
I have never liked Lime or Lemon in my food. The moment I taste it, I can’t eat whatever it was.
Somehow this coleslaw is so very good and the lime does not bother me. This is an awesome find. Great stuff!
I do NOT like cole slaw. At all. But I was given a head of cabbage, so I tried this, and it was delicious! I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe on hand for summer potlucks.
This is a revelation. Up till now, coleslaw was for me something that came with my set meal in a fast food restaurant, and I plodded through the contents of the sad plastic bowl only because I felt guilty eating fast food in the first place. Now there’s no going back for me to that travesty.
We used half mayo half greek yogurt and it was too tart, as you warned. I sweetened it more to correct my mistake and it was delicious. My 4 year old and I ate huge helpings. Husband doesn’t like cumin enough to gobble it but that’s his problem. We had it with vegetarian chili cheese (sweet potato) fries
This looks great! Im going to try it and the roasted ceaser cabbage as well.
Do you think this would work with red cabbage? I have half a head of it left over from making the SNAP Challenge stir fry this week…
Can confirm. Yup, red cabbage is a bit more dense, but it worked just fine.
Yep, it is a little more “waxy”, so make sure to slice it super thin, but other than that it should be fine. :)
This looks great! And it can easily be made vegan-friendly by using Vegenaise, Just Mayo, or any other egg-less mayo. :)
I forgot to ask if cilantro would be a nice addition to this? Maybe sprinkled on top or mixed in.
Absolutely, yes! I almost added it myself, but then just decided to add it to my tacos later instead of including it in the slaw. :)
Beth, coleslaw is something I love to eat, but I’ve never made it before. Looking forward to trying this recipe out. Cumin and lime… can’t go wrong!
Well, I’m from Buffalo where it’s mandatory that you eat two things 1) Chicken wings and 2) coleslaw. But it has been occurred to me that I could make it myself or that I should add lime. And 50 cents a serving sounds great to me.
This looks very yummy- I love cumin…I’m a printing this out. I just wanted to let you know that I just found your site and it is awesome. I love the easy print feature.
I have recommended this site to my fellow homeschooler types- we might have big families and need to double (or triple) the recipes, but it is doable because of the ‘budget’ part of this. I made a double recipe of the zuppa toscana and my husband also took it for lunch twice. Pefect! Anyways- thanks for this site!
This sounds delicious and super simple to make. Do you have a version that’s oil based instead of creamy?
I don’t currently have an oil based version. I think I’d have to experiment around with that before saying for sure how to do it.
i love your site, but commenting for the first time… why the sugar, it sounds strange, do you think it adds that extra something to this salad?
The sugar helps balance the acid from the lime juice. You can try making the dressing without the sugar first, and if it’s too acidic, just add a little until it tastes better to you. You may find that you don’t need a whole teaspoon. :)
I’m not a huge coleslaw fan, but I really like the flavors in this coleslaw. It’d be great with a spicy burger. :) I’d have to substitute greek yogurt for mayo because I have a slight fear of it. Haha.
Be careful, though, because Greek yogurt is much more acidic than mayo, so the lime juice may put it over the top.
I made this over the weekend with Greek Yogurt I don’t care for mayo. I didn’t find it to be to acidic. I really enjoyed this coleslaw and to be honest it was the first time I’ve ever had coleslaw and liked it. The lime and the cumin are a great combo.
It was so good I ate a huge bowl for lunch yesterday.