With crunchy cabbage, spicy jalapenos, and a creamy avocado lime dressing, this Avocado Lime Slaw is a healthy side dish for any BBQ or the perfect topping for your tacos.
I’m not always the biggest fan of coleslaw (especially when it is slathered in a heavy, rich mayo-based dressing). But there definitely are some times where the slaw makes the dish. For example, I can’t eat a pulled pork sandwich without a big mound of tangy, vinegar-based slaw on top. And when it comes to shredded chicken, pork, or even beef tacos, nothing beats that crunchy bite a pile of coleslaw adds.
But, with that said, I usually prefer my coleslaw with a tangy vinegar or lime-based dressing as opposed to the creamier coleslaw dressings. I have never been the biggest fan of mayo, so slathering it all over some cabbage just never did it for me. Plus, who wants all the extra fat and calories? But this Avocado Lime Slaw with avocado blended right in to the dressing is just the right combination of creamy and tangy, with a little hint of spice from the jalapenos.
While this slaw is good enough to eat on it’s own, with the avocado, lime, and cilantro, this coleslaw lends itself to Mexican flavors, making it the perfect avocado slaw for tacos – like these Crockpot Green Chili Chicken Tacos I made for my mom’s birthday.
A Healthy Mayo Free Coleslaw Recipe
One of the best parts of this Avocado Lime Slaw is that you still get all of the creaminess you desire, without adding mayo. Thanks to the avocado, as well as a little Greek yogurt, this slaw delivers all of the creaminess, without being overly rich or heavy. Plus, the healthy fats from avocados and the extra protein from the Greek yogurt give this mayo-free coleslaw recipe a nice healthy boost.
How Do You Make Avocado Lime Slaw?
This slaw is pretty quick and easy to make. For me, the most time consuming part (as with any coleslaw recipe), is cutting up the cabbage. To save time, you can use a food processor to shred the cabbage or by a bag of preshredded cabbage (I won’t tell anyone).
The ingredients for this healthy Avocado Lime Slaw include:
- Cabbage – I like to use all green cabbage because I love how it brings out the green color of the avocado dressing, but you can use green or purple, or some of each.
- Jalapeno – I just used one jalapeno with ribs and seeds removed, as I didn’t want this to be too spicy. This left it really mild with almost no heat, but a subtle jalapeno flavor. If you want to kick it up (or if I was not making this for my parents who don’t like spicy food), you can use two jalapenos. I recommend removing the seeds, as they can overpower the other flavors.
- Green Onions – Green onions add a little grassy, oniony flavor, while keeping in our green theme.
- Avocado Lime Dressing – This dressing is super simple to make, just add the roughly chopped cilantro, 1 avocado, zest and juice of 1 lime, dijon, 1 clove of garlic (grated), Greek yogurt, and salt and pepper to a small food processor and pulse until combined.
After everything is chopped and the dressing made, mix it all together and serve, either by itself or piled high in your favorite tacos.
If you are looking for a great taco recipe, by the way, some of my favorite tacos include:
- Chipotle Orange Brisket Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Slaw – with a tender slow cooker shredded brisket that is to die for
- Pulled Pork Carnitas Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Brussels Sprout Slaw – with a quick shortcut using leftover pulled pork to make carnitas
- Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa – with flavorful chili and lime marinated shrimp that cook up in minutes
Can I Make Avocado Lime Slaw Ahead of Time?
When I first made this recipe, I was pretty sure the avocado would turn brown right away, leaving me with a sad brown coleslaw. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks to the lime mixed in with the avocado in the dressing, this Avocado Lime Slaw actually keeps much better than I was expecting. Once everything is mixed together, this should keep for several hours in the fridge. In fact, when I checked on my leftovers the next day, it was still just as beautiful and bright green.
This coleslaw with avocado, cilantro, and lime dressing has quickly become one of my new favorite slaw recipes, especially for tacos! In fact, it may even replace my usual go to Jalapeno Lime Slaw. What’s your favorite slaw recipe? Share your ideas in the comments below.
Avocado Lime Slaw
Ingredients
- 4 cups cabbage (about ½ head)
- 1 - 2 jalapenos (use 2 for more spiciness)
- 2 green onions
- ¼ c cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic (grated or minced)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cabbage using a knife or food processor.
- Remove seeds and membrane from jalapeno, and thinly slice into strips, chop the strips into about 1/2 inch pieces (this way no one ends up getting a huge piece of jalapeno).
- Thinly slice green onions.
- Add cilantro, avocado, zest and juice of 1 lime, Dijon mustard, grated or minced garlic, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper to small food processor. Pulse until evenly blended (you may still have some green pieces of cilantro that remain).
- In a large bowl toss cabbage, jalapeno, and green onions with dressing.