Mango Slaw

This Mango Slaw is sweet, tart and is made with 5 simple ingredients! It elevates everything from burgers, to tacos, to chicken and fish!

We love to top salmon burgers and grilled fish tacos with it!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatile: This mango slaw, truth be told, can be eaten as a salad or use as a topping for tacos and burgers.
• Delicious: There’s a delicious balance of sweet and tangy, crunchy and juicy which makes everything taste better!
• Oil free: That’s right. It doesn’t need any oil, but if you want to add a bit of avocado oil, that might be nice!
• Quick and easy recipe: 15 minutes and only 5 ingredients is all you need to make this coleslaw recipe! You can also use store-bought slaw!
• Healthy: This slaw is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free making it an easy, worry-free crowd pleaser!

Ingredients for Mango Slaw

To make this mango coleslaw, you need just 5 simple ingredients.

• Cabbage: Your choice of any color finely shredded cabbage like green cabbage, red cabbage or a mix of both.
• Mango: Pitted and diced ripe mango like Tommy Atkins mango or champagne mango.
• Basil: Can also use fresh cilantro, fresh mint, green onions or fresh parsley.
• Vinegar: I used white wine vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar. You can also use red wine vinegar or white vinegar.
• Salt: Just a bit to balance the sweetness of the mango and to help break down the cabbage.

How to Make Mango Slaw

Here is quick overview how to make this mango slaw in one bowl in 15 minutes. The hardest part is to shred cabbage and chop mango. See Tips below how to save time on these steps as well.

• Prep: Shred cabbage using sharp knife into thin strands. I cut cabbage in half and then “shave off” one half while easily holding onto it. Or use a mandoline. Chop mango as per instructions below or use your tried and true method.
• Combine slaw ingredients: In a large bowl, add cabbage, mango, basil, vinegar and salt.
• Gently toss: As you toss the salad, shredded cabbage will start releasing its natural juices which meet sweet mango juice and vinegar on the way. Therefore, no need for oil. Voila, a mango cabbage slaw ready to enjoy in minutes!

What Is the Best Cabbage to Use?

There are 4 types of cabbage you can find in most grocery stores.

• Green cabbage is what I use and is commonly used for salads and stir fries.
• You can also use savoy cabbage. It is light, not dense and has rigid leaves. I often make savoy cabbage salad with it.
• Napa cabbage is Asian cabbage and is bitter and peppery. It’s usually used to make kimchi and I would save it for that use.
• Red cabbage or purple cabbage is a cousin of green cabbage and is dense with bright magenta color. It adds nice pop of color to salads.

How to Choose and Cut Mango

According to Mango.org, it’s all about touching when it comes to picking mango. When choosing mango for salad, be sure to pick mango that’s firm to the touch with some softness. You don’t want too soft mango because it will become mushy in a salad. You also shouldn’t pick very firm mango because it will not add that necessary sweetness we desire in a mango coleslaw.

• Ignore the color of mango as it is not an indicator of its ripeness.
• Touch the mango. You need somewhat firm fruit for the salad.
• Use your experience with peaches and avocados to help you easily choose ripe mango.
• Size doesn’t matter.
• Sometimes ripe mango will have a fruity aroma at its stem.

Mangos have very large pits, so sometimes it’s difficult to navigate around it. Neatly, anyway! Here is how I dice mango:

• I like to peel it first with a vegetable peeler.
• Then using a paring knife, I neatly cut away around large flat pit into large chunks.
• Then all you have to do is chop it into bite-size pieces.

Tips for Best Results

• Shred cabbage thinly: For more pleasing texture, I recommend to use thinly shredded cabbage. If you are not experienced with shredding method using sharp chef’s knife, I highly recommend to invest in a mandoline.
• Buy coleslaw mix: If you are short on time, you can buy 1 pound of pre-shredded coleslaw mix. It’s OK that it has carrots, they will add more sweetness to the salad.
• Use the right ripeness mango: For more pleasing texture and level of sweetness, be sure to not pick overly ripe mango or very underripe mango.
• Buy chopped mango: Many grocery stores carry pre-chopped mango in plastic containers in their refrigerated deli section.
• Avoid shredding the cabbage too small or dicing the mango into tiny pieces. The taste will still be there, but you want to be able to bite into some texture.

Variations

• If you want to try swapping mangos for a different fruit (I haven’t), you could try peaches, nectarines, or even pineapple.
• If you don’t love either basil or cilantro, by all means, toss in your favorite herbs. It does add another layer of flavor, but if you can omit the herbs completely if that’s just not your thing.
• Add thinly sliced red bell peppers for some crunch and a pop of color.
• To make spicy slaw, add thinly sliced jalapenos or serrano peppers. Throw in some red pepper flakes.
• Use fresh lime juice instead of vinegar.

What to Serve With Mango Slaw?

This mango slaw goes great as a side dish with so many main dishes:

• Black bean burgers
• Turkey burger recipe
• Chicken street tacos
• Shrimp tacos
• Cilantro lime chicken

How to Store

Store: If you have any mango slaw leftovers, keep it in an airtight container or jar for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Freeze: I don’t recommend to freeze it because cabbage will become soggy and watery once thawed. I know some recipes online recommend to freeze it but I am against it. The slaw will be limp without any crunch whatsoever.

Instead I recommend to make it ahead of time! Here is how.

Can I Make It Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! You can shred your cabbage, chop your herbs, and dice your mango. Combine them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 36 hours. Hold off on adding the vinegar and salt until just before serving. If not, you run the risk of everything becoming soggy and the cabbage will lose its crisp texture.

FAQs

More Mango Recipes to Try

• Mango black bean salad
• Mango salsa
• Mango ice cream
• Chicken quinoa bowl with mango

More Coleslaw Recipes

• Healthy coleslaw
• Vinegar coleslaw
• Peanut slaw
• Ukrainian dill coleslaw
• Asian chopped salad

You may also love to browse over 50 healthy salad recipes!