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This creamy coconut coleslaw takes me back to our vacation in Maui. It is, I could say, a “copycat” of the famous “France’s Coleslaw” we tried in Coconuts Fish Cafe on the island of Maui.
My sister and her husband went to the restaurant with us in Maui. We all had the coleslaw and tried to guess what was in it. I jotted down the proposed list of ingredients and was determined to make it at home. Props to my sister Sveta for picking up on the horseradish. Re-creating this was fun.
I should have taken a picture of my test kitchen. I had ramekins everywhere! The results were amazing. I think you’ll love this coleslaw!
It is delicious in any sandwich, over tacos or just in leu of your average coleslaw. I made the most amazing shrimp tacos with a mountain of this coconut coleslaw and those tacos were basically inhaled.
My sister came over to try them and she went on and on about how much she liked the coleslaw and even packed a to-go box for her husband to try it.
Ingredients for Coconut Coleslaw:
1/2 medium green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 small purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup Real Mayo
1/4 cup Coconut milk (Original, unsweetened)
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (both work great!)
1 tsp Horseradish cream sauce
How to Make Coconut Coleslaw:
1.In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp horseradish sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice – honestly I tested both and liked them. My husband liked the vinegar slightly more so I went with that one for this batch).
2. In a medium bowl, combine thinly sliced green cabbage with very thinly sliced purple cabbage. I like the contrast of larger green cabbage pieces with thinner purple mixed in.
3. Once the dressing is creamy and smooth, pour it over your prepared cabbage and stir well. Just before serving, give it a quick stir to make sure any dressing at the bottom coats the cabbage. So yummy!
Creamy Coconut Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/4 small purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Coconut milk, Original, unsweetened
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, both work great!
- 1 tsp Horseradish cream sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp horseradish sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (
- or lemon juice - honestly I tested both and liked them. My husband liked the vinegar slightly more so I went with that one for this batch).
- In a medium bowl, combine thinly sliced green cabbage with very thinly sliced purple cabbage. I like the contrast of larger green cabbage pieces with thinner purple mixed in.
- Once the dressing is creamy and smooth, pour it over your prepared cabbage and stir well. Just before serving, give it a quick stir to make sure any dressing at the bottom coats the cabbage. So yummy!
Nutrition Per Serving
Hello! I’m making this today for the first time and am wondering if I can make the dressing early and then add to the coleslaw when ready to serve. Thanks!
Hi Ashley. That should be fine. I haven’t tested it more than 48hrs in the refrigerator.
I’ve made this recipe many times with our Kalua Pig Hawaiian Sliders! I would suggest adding more coconut milk and horseradish as the flavors are very subtle in the recipe. Superb!
Hi Jennifer! That sounds amazing. Thank you for the tip.
Made it today for an impromptu neighborhood barbecue. It is absolutely delicious. I added one grated carrot just for color.
That’s wonderful, Joni! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this last night and thought it came out bland… while I was making it I was wondering about the quantities of seasoning vs cabbage, whether they were supposed to be tbsp instead of tsp but I went with the recipe so I could do an honest review. Next time I will increase the horseradish and acid.
Hi Lorena, if it didn’t seem like there was enough dressing, it may be that too much cabbage was used? If using more cabbage you would want to increase the dressing, otherwise the proportions are correct.
Agree but did up the horseradish a bunch to my taste and added some siracha for heat and it was phenomenal – also needs some salt — but again that’s my taste
Hi Natasha. I made this recipe exactly as written except I used Halibut instead of shrimp. It was awesome! The tanginess of the cole slaw works really well with the fish. Shrimp is next but I’m sure that will be just as yummy.
That’s great, Robert! Thank you for sharing.
I made this and the dressing was rather bland. I scrimped on the horseradish because my husband refuses to eat anything that contains it. Is there anything I might be able to add to give it a little more ‘OOMPH’?
Hi Debra! I have not tested anything else in its place. A couple of things that come to mind would be ginger or some spicy mustard/mustard powder. Let us know if you experiment with anything.
I added some lime juice and salt and pepper. Next time, I will try some mustard powder. Thanks!
Can this salad be made a few hours ahead of time or best just prior to eating it?
Hi Wendy, I’ve made it a day in advance and it was still good after being refrigerated 48 hours. I haven’t tested it further than that.
I made this for your Shrimp Taco recipe and Oh! Soooo Good!!!! Just such a delightful flavor and certainly adds to the tacos. I used the can coconut milk as that’s what I had on hand. Will be making this recipe for other uses too. Thanks Natasha!!
Hello Connie, great to hear that the substitution that you used worked well. Thank you for sharing and I’m glad that you loved this recipe!
I want to make this but I need to know how many 1/2 cup servings does this recipe make?
I”m sorry, I have not measured this recipe in 1/2 cup serving sizes to know how much it yields. If I had to guess, maybe 6 cups. But this is still just an estimate based on approximately how much 1/2 of a green cabbage and 1/4 of a purple cabbage would yield when it’s shredded. I hope this is helpful.
Hi Natasha, I think I first saw one of you recipes on Facebook last year and ever since then I’ve been using some of them with my own tweaks , lol . I especially love the Chili with lean ground beef in a crockpot , it’s very close to my own recipe!!! I love following your posts, the photos of you and your family are so great. I love your videos also and the fact how witty, humorous you are. Kind regards, Carol🙂💜
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes and videos! Thank you for your lovely review, Carol!
Natasha – loved the BBQ Pulled Chicken dish…and so did everyone else.. For the Coconut dressing, I only used 1/4 of a cup of mayo and a little less coconut milk, added some lime juice and more of the creamed horseradish for a ‘kicking’ punch. Everyone loved it…and I simply adore you, your recipes and videos.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Love it! I used canned coconut milk as that’s what I had on hand. So creamy and yummy. You have the best recipes and I’m never disappointed!
You’re very welcome, Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Just made your slaw for my low-card chicken tacos. Here’s how I adjusted-backed sugar down to 1 tsp & used Swerve Granular instead. Team this up with low-carb tortillas and some divinely seasoned chicken tenders & this is fabulous! This is a test-drive for a meal I’ll be making for a friend next week.
It lends itself perfectly for shrimp or chicken!
Hello Deb, thank you so much for sharing that with us. That is so helpful!
Can I use regular horseradish is I can’t find creamed?
Hi Jamie, You could leave it out, but the flavor wouldn’t be quite as good. I haven’t tested any other substitutions, so I’m not sure what else to suggest.
Hi. I am looking forward to making this but want to buy a pre-shredded bag of coleslaw. How much do you think I should use? The other ingredients will remain the same.
Hi Kelly, I would try to get the amount a similar amount to the ingredients listed. For reference, When shredded, 1 medium raw cabbage head yields about 8 to 8.5 cups.
Agree but did up the horseradish a bunch to my taste and added some siracha for heat and it was phenomenal – also needs some salt — but again that’s my taste
Just now finding this recipe and can’t wait to try it. My husband doesn’t like anything coconut related so how would it turn out if I omit the coconut milk or what could I substitute it with? Thank you!
Hi Judy, this recipe relies on coconut for its creamy texture so I’m not sure how it would work without it. I also have not tried any other substitutes sorry about that.
Made this as part of a meal train for a new family and they LOVED it! I am going to make it again but substitute monkfruit sweetener for the sugar to make it keto-friendly. Can’t wait!
That’s so awesome! I love meal trains! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hey! How far in advance do you think I could make this?
Thanks!
Hi Greg, I’ve made it a day in advance and it was still good after being refrigerated 48 hours. I haven’t tested it further than that.
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I knew someone would have this on the net. I was surprised when I read in the recipe you live in Idaho! So cool, I have regularly landed on your site over the years and had no idea. I live in Boise. Started reading more about you and look forward to trying your traditional Ukrainian foods. Thank you!
P.s. have you tried Zydecos bbq shrimp in Bend? I have tried a couple copycat recipes…I’ll check your website
Hi, I haven’t tried that but thanks for sharing! It’s always nice to meet a fellow Idahoan.
Oops! Forgot to Rate! Perfect 10
You’re so nice! Thank you!
Hi I was just at Coconuts on Maui and also loved the Cole slaw . The server told me they make it with mayo, coconut milk, pineapple juice and Wasabi for the slight kick. That would replicate the vinegar, sugar and horse radish in your recipe. Will try both and see which works best. Thanks! Love your recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us Steve. I sure miss that place.
i hate horseradish what else can i use