Rainbow 🌈 Slaw (without mayonnaise)

This crunchy, fresh and raw salad is such a delicious and bright side dish to your table. Serve it with my creamy dressing that has no mayonnaise but all the flavor you need, perfect side salad recipe to accompany any meal.

I am aiming to increase colorful food in my life. Naturally. Low behold this salad was born. It is simple to make but so yummy and wholesome. I must admit the knife skills are a little essential in this recipe but if you got a veg peeler or shredder you are sorted. I still prefer chopping the veggie with a sharp knife. I love the crunch of a good slaw and I am sorry to those who love mayonnaise based slaw recipes but this one is my go to no may salad dressing. It is creamy, so delicious and has no mayonnaise in it. I have left the mayonnaise out only because I don’t like the flavor or texture in my food (but I love it in baking). So let us get to it.

What is slaw? What is coleslaw? What’s in a rainbow slaw?

Slaw or coleslaw is a mayonnaise based salad from America that is a side dish. It commonly consists of finely shredded cabbage with a salad dressing made with mayonnaise. This dish originally came from the Netherlands but was popularized in the US. You can find it served with BBQ, in burgers, as a side dish etc. the meaning of slaw is basically a kind of salad made from raw chopped or finely shredded cabbage. The difference between coleslaw and slaw is that coleslaw has shredded cabbage but slow has a combination of crunchy vegetables. A rainbow slaw is basically slaw with a colorful variety of crunchy veggies, topped with a yogurt based salad dressing.

What is pride month?What does Pride stand for? Why is June 1 Pride month? What is Pride month celebrating?

The month long celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970 – which was a public celebration that marked the 1st anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. The word “pride” stands for an integral part of cultural significance include people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex (LGBTQ) community, representing solidarity, collectivity and identity, with no discrimination or violence. It was Bill Clinton who declared June as the “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month” but it was Barack Obama who went one step further with June being LGBTQ Pride month.

What is the theme for pride month 2025?

The official theme for the pride month in 2025 is “Activism & Social Change” and rightfully so with everything going on in the world right now.

What are pride inspired recipes?

Pride recipes are those which include colorful ingredients to showcase unity in diversity through food. This could be in the form of sweet or savory recipes. They could be starters, main courses, juices, desserts, etc.

What is the significance of the rainbow?

Rainbows in general signify hope, love, happiness and acceptance. When we see a rainbow most often than not it is after a heavy storm, which means there is a sign of good ahead. This emotion has been interpreted to signify joy, togetherness and good fortune for the future. Which are emotions that we need to be accepting of the diversity of humans around us.

What are some rainbow foods?

You can use rainbow colored foods to make rainbow inspired recipes using food colors such as bread, bagels, pancakes, cakes, cupcakes and much more. Alternatively you can use rainbow or confetti sprinkles to make “rainbow” colored foods with the addition of these decorations on your baked goods. However to make easy pride inspired recipes to celebrate rainbow colored foods you can use a variety colored ingredients to create vibrant recipes. You can use fruits and veggies here to get creative, also it is said to eat the rainbow for the best nutritional value.

What ingredients are needed to make this rainbow salad?

This salad is beautiful as it is versatile and you can use what you have to make it. I have used a combination of purple cabbage, celery, carrots, mixed peppers, scallions, fresh parsley, lettuce and corn (which is not the obvious slaw ingredient but I LOVE CORN so feel free to add what you like to make it yours). I also love adding raw sliced mushrooms, avocado slices and baby radishes. Sometimes I also use sliced apples and pears. To make the dressing we need garlic cloves, tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, yogurt, dried oregano, salt and pepper. You could absolutely top this with sesame seeds, crunchy nuts or any salad topper of your choice but it has enough crunch in my opinion.

What equipment is needed to make this rainbow slaw?

To make this salad we a very sharp knife. If you are not comfortable chopping your veggies you can use a veggie peeler, a mandolin or even a food processor with the shredded attachment. The classic characteristic of a slaw is the finely shredded vegetables which also makes it stay crunchy but not heavy in every bite. I have made the dressing in a glass jar with a lid and a large mixing bowl.

How to make a rainbow slaw?

We start by prepping all the veggies and tossing them in a large serving bowl. Set it aside. In a glass jar add the garlic, tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, yogurt and water. Shake well and pour over the salad. Toss the salad until well coated. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Serving this rainbow slaw?

This dish is best served fridge cold, you could put it in your chicken burgers during the week to amp up the veg in your day. Serve it alongside my shepherds pie, grilled salmon, the tomato galette. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it with my pasta limone with garlic shrimp. The leftovers of this salad can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The longer you store it the less crunchy the salad will get. Alternatively you can store the salad without the dressing and it will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.

Looking for more salad recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this rainbow slaw recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.