Easy Pineapple Coleslaw (No Mayo)
Pineapple coleslaw is the perfect side dish or even topping for tacos! This simple pineapple slaw is made without mayo and is slightly sweet, tangy, smoky and just a little spicy. This slaw with pineapple comes together in just minutes and goes perfectly with tacos but could also serve as a super simple side dish for any meal.
This pineapple slaw is a budget friendly side dish, made with simple ingredients like canned pineapple and cabbage, no mayo required. It comes together easily (the hardest part is shredding the cabbage!), and the recipe makes a large batch, so you’ll likely have leftovers for lunch. With just nine ingredients, it’s great for cookouts, potlucks, or summer dinners, and it holds up well in the heat.

Ingredient spotlight
- Cabbage – finely slice the cabbage or buy coleslaw mix from the grocery store to save prep time.
- Cilantro – the cilantro balances out the flavors of this slaw, don’t skip unless you don’t like cilantro.
- Canned or fresh pineapple chunks – If using canned pineapple, be sure to drain it well. Be sure to cut down big chunks of pineapple so it can easily distribute into the slaw.
Pineapple Slaw (No Mayo)
$3.90 Recipe/$0.65 ServingIngredients
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 oz. container pineapple (drained)
- 1/4 cup red onion. sliced
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cabbage and add it to a large bowl.1/2 head cabbage
- Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, cumin and red pepper flakes to the cabbage and stir well.2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- Drain the liquid from the pineapples. Roughly chop the pineapple so they are in small chunks. Add to the bowl with the cabbage and onions.8 oz. container pineapple (drained)
- Thinly slice the onions and finely chop the cilantro (stems and leaves). Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.3 tablespoons cilantro, 1/4 cup red onion. sliced
- Stir everything together well, the cabbage will start to wilt.
Notes
-
- Toss the slaw before serving: No matter when you make this, the dressing tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl pretty quickly. Because of this, I recommend that you stir the slaw well (I use tongs) to make sure all the veggies are well coated before serving.
-
- Great for meal prep! This recipe holds up well in the fridge for 2-3 days, making it perfect for meal prep! You can easily double or triple this recipe and use is as salad for lunch and serve with your favorite protein!
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika for a bold smoky flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sliced almonds for crunch
- Sliced jalapenos or pickled jalapenos
Nutrition Information
How to serve coleslaw with pineapple
- With Shrimp tacos or fish tacos
- Along side of a plate of Shrimp fajitas
- Inside of or along side of tacos with walnut filling
- As a simple side dish for healthy black bean burgers or sandwiches
- Serve as a side dish for any meal. This would go great with air fryer salmon or juicy baked chicken.
- Make a fun weeknight meal for the kids with chicken drumsticks and fries.
FAQs
How to prep this slaw ahead of time
- If you need to prep more than 24 hours in advance:
- Shred the cabbage, slice the onion and chop the cilantro ahead of time. Roughly chop the pineapple and add it to the top of the cabbage mixture. Store this in the serving bowl (covered).
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, salt and cumin.
- Right before serving (up to an hour before) pour the dressing over the slaw and stir well (1-2 minutes to really incorporate the dressing over the slaw).
- If you need to prep within 24 hours of serving, you can simply make this pineapple cabbage slaw as written, making sure to stir the slaw well before serving.
Used fresh pineapple. Was very good!
Kathy, so happy to hear you enjoyed this!
Pinned & sharing. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for joining in the party!
Thank you Theresa for sharing! Thanks for hosting!
I love the addition of pineapple to the ingredients. I can’t wait to try this sometime. Pinned & shared. Thanks for joining in the party. Hope to see you again soon.
I love a great Cole slaw! I’ve never had one with pineapple though. I’ve bought a lot of pineapple on sale lately. I’ll have to try this. Thanks for she on smallvictorysundaylinkup!
Oh it’s so yummy!! Great use for leftover pineapple :)
Thank you for linking your recipe to Creative K Kid’s Tasty Tuesdays’ party. I have pinned your post to the Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest board
now I know what to make with my fish tacos!
Yes this would be perfect with fish tacos!!
I love the idea of using pineapple in this! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
This dish looks so delish! I’ve got a few pineapples in my garden, and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. I hope you can make it again this week.
That looks delicious!