Crunchy Kale Slaw
on Apr 22, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My crunchy kale slaw is a vegan, no-mayo coleslaw that’s an updated, lighter version of the classic side dish with a crisp and refreshing bite. Tossed in lemon tahini dressing, it also has red cabbage, carrots, scallions, almonds and sesame seeds. This salad/slaw is nutty with fantastic texture and flavor.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s a no-mayo vegan coleslaw. I’m not a mayonnaise person, and you might not be either. Tahini adds creaminess that balances with the hearty greens, shredded cabbage and carrots.
This is a must-make coleslaw dressing. There’s a reason why you should keep tahini in your fridge, and it’s not just for homemade hummus. Whisking a tablespoon or two into your favorite vinaigrette is an easy way to give it a touch of creaminess, which is great for kale and cabbage that have leaves that can stand up to bolder dressings.
The flavors in this coleslaw work with both Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes. No matter the season, you can serve it with roasted or grilled entrees as a side dish or a salad.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Kale: I have tested this recipe with both curly green kale and lacinato kale. Both are great, so take your pick.
- Red cabbage or green cabbage will work. You can thinly slice part of a head, or buy it already shredded, depending how much time you have to do prep.
- Carrots: You’ll get the most uniform shreds if you buy a bag of shredded carrots. To cut whole carrots, use the big holes of a box grater or a food processor fitted with the shredding disk.
- Scallions are quick to slice, and they have nice mild green onion flavor. They almost act like fresh herbs in the slaw.
- Almonds: Nuts are not a traditional ingredient in coleslaw, but they add crunch and good flavor to the greens.
- Sesame seeds: Because sesame paste is the base ingredient in tahini, it makes sense to also toss toasted sesame seeds with the kale.
- Parsley: Fresh herbs layer more flavor and freshness into this vegan recipe.
- Lemon tahini dressing: It also has a minced garlic clove, whole grain mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. I would call it lightly creamy. This is not the kind of dressing that you can see completely coating the coleslaw.
How To Make This Kale Slaw
1. Put the coleslaw ingredients in a big bowl. That includes kale, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds and chopped parsley.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir the garlic, mustard, tahini, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.
3. Dress the coleslaw. Drizzle in the lemon tahini dressing and toss all the ingredients together.
Serving
Pair this vegan slaw with grilled BBQ tofu vegetable skewers, these roasted cauliflower steaks with red pepper pesto or this sheet pan halloumi with eggplant and tomatoes. You can skip a salad because this recipe does both.
Crunchy Kale Slaw
Ingredients
For slaw
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed, leaves chopped
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
For dressing
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon whole grain msutard
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Save this recipe
Get it sent to your inbox plus new recipes every week.
Instructions
- Combine the kale, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds and parsley in a large bowl.
- For the dressing, whisk the garlic, mustard, tahini, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing into the slaw, tossing to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
