
Homemade Creamy Avocado Coleslaw (without Mayo) is a perfect fresh, light, and healthy side dish recipe for summer! A great homemade slaw dish for your grilling party or as a condiment for sandwiches and tacos. Gluten free.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe
A classic cabbage salad cole slaw is just perfect for a warm summer day!
This Creamy Avocado Coleslaw (without Mayo) is a great alternative to a mayo coleslaw recipe or vinegar coleslaw recipe. We make a no mayo coleslaw recipe by using avocado as our base mixed into green cabbage.
You still get a great creamy flavor, all from using avocado! And this simple recipe is made with ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store.
It is a great recipe to use with our Baja Fresh Fish Tacos, on pork sandwiches, and as a classic side dish for your BBQ cookout!
Ingredients
Full quantities and recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Let’s talk about the simple ingredients you need to make this healthy coleslaw recipe!
Avocado – the star ingredient!
Bag of Coleslaw Mix – pre-shredded cabbage is the easiest way to do it! But you can also finely shred green cabbage, red cabbage (purple cabbage), and carrots by hand if desired. Cabbage goes a long way, so you only need about half a head of cabbage for the recipe.
Plain Greek Yogurt – I like to use a little of this for some added creamy flavor and protein. But you can absolutely skip it to keep it dairy free or vegan and just use more mashed avocado instead. You could also use sour cream.
Fresh Lime Juice – key to bringing a fresh and bright flavor, plus it helps prevent the avocado from turning too brown
Fresh Cilantro – you can skip this if desired
Fresh Green Onions – for fresh texture and flavor!
White Sugar – you can also use honey or agave. It brings a touch of sweetness to balance the other flavors, but is not a sweet slaw.
Garlic Powder
Chile Powder – just a little for flavor. You can add more if you want it to have some heat and spice
Salt
Black Pepper
Optional – Apple Cider Vinegar – you can add a Tablespoon or so if you want more of that acidic vinegar kick in your slaw. We are getting acid from the lime, which is what makes this not mandatory. But if you miss it and want a tangy coleslaw, add a Tablespoon! You can also use any kind of vinegar like red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar as desired based on what you have.
Making Slaw Without Mayo
This creamy coleslaw recipe is very easy!
Mash up your avocado and mix it with the other dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix the avocado mixture with your slaw mix, fresh cilantro, and green onions.
Season to taste as desired. Store in an airtight container and chill a couple of hours (ideally) until ready to serve.
Kim’s Tips
Some people prefer a next day homemade coleslaw that has been sitting overnight and has become softer. You can do this if desired, but the green color will fade some. It should not turn brown because of the lime, just like lemon juice prevents browning.
I love using this creamy coleslaw recipe on my fish tacos and pork sandwiches in addition to it being a classic side dish.
FAQs
What’s the difference between coleslaw and slaw?
Is apple cider vinegar better than white vinegar for coleslaw?
More BBQ and Grilling Sides
Sides for BBQ and Grilling
Just a few of some side dish recipes for grilling and BBQ meals!
Creamy Avocado Coleslaw (without Mayo)
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula or spoon for mixing
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 pound slaw mix shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots
- ½ cup mashed avocado approximately 2 medium
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon sugar or honey, or agave
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 Tablespoons green onion chopped
Instructions
- Mash your avocado and combine all of the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.½ cup mashed avocado, ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, 3 Tablespoons lime juice, 1 Tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- Chop your cilantro and green onions.½ cup fresh cilantro, 2 Tablespoons green onion
- Add the cabbage slaw mix, cilantro, and green onions to the large bowl with the dressing. Stir to combine.1 pound slaw mix
- Season to taste as desired. Chill until ready to serve, ideally 2 hours.
I love all the flavors. The avocado and yogurt made the salad so light.
Delicious recipe!!