There’s a special place in my heart for this root veggie salad that brightens up my menu with a blast of color and an epic crunch! My winter slaw is low calorie, packed with vitamins, minerals, and lots of fiber.

If you’re craving color and crunch in your meals lately, I’ve got just the thing for you. It’s bright and cheerful, easy to put together, and gives you an opportunity to try some of those winter veggies you might pass up at the supermarket . There’s no cooking involved, just peel and shred. Oh, and my healthy winter slaw easily fits into just about any special diet so whatever you’re working on, this will work for you.
Serve winter slaw alongside meatloaf, roasted pork or chicken, or any type of fish. Pack up the leftovers for lunch. Your body will thank you!
vegetable slaw keeps its crunch for days!
Slaws generally keep their texture and crispness longer than regular salads because they’re made with sturdy cabbage, and in this case, kale, too. Those greens aren’t as delicate as lettuce, they have tougher cell walls, more fiber, and a lower water content, so they won’t wilt as readily.
You can safely dress this slaw and leave it overnight, it will even hold up ok for a couple more days, as long as you don’t shred your veggies too finely.
the veggies for winter slaw
When I lived in Los Angeles the farmers markets were just as vibrant in winter as in summer and these veggies would all be fresh from the fields in January. They make a colorful (but heavy!) market haul, whether you’re lucky enough to live in an area of the U.S. temperate enough to support year-round farmers markets or not. Most grocery stores will stock most if not all of these winter veggies…
- red, golden, and Chioggia beets
- fennel
- kolrabi
- carrots
- kale
- red cabbage
- Savoy or Napa cabbage
Winter veggies can be just as colorful and vibrant as summer produce, it just takes a little more imagination…peel and slice Chioggia beets to reveal their gorgeousness.
best way to shred winter vegetables for slaw
There are a few ways you can shred your slaw…when it comes to cabbage and kale you can slice it very thinly with a large sharp knife and then cut it into shreds. But for really dense vegetables like beets you’ll need to use either a food processor with a shredding disk, or a mandoline slicer that has a shredding setting. Just be sure to use the protective guard, especially with hard veggies like beets.
I don’t recommend using a box grater because the shreds will be too fine and will not hold up in your slaw.
tips for shredding winter veggies for slaw
- Make sure your veggies are completely dry before you shred. Excess water will make your slaw soggy.
- When I use red beets I find it helpful to toss the shreds lightly in olive oil first, and add them at the last minute to the slaw. This helps keep them from turning everything pink.
a fresh citrus vinaigrette wakes up my winter slaw
Fresh citrus is in season in winter and makes a bright vinaigrette. Use any citrus fruit you like, I happened to have juicy tangerines.
I also added a few spices to my slaw ~ a tiny bit of fennel, caraway, mustard, and celery seeds. They add a nice complexity to the salad and give it a subtle Eastern European vibe.
more delicious slaw recipes to try
- Asian Slaw with peanut dressing
- Caesar Kale Slaw
- Fall Apple Slaw
- Green Goddess Coleslaw
- Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw
- Broccoli Honeycrisp Slaw
- Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw
Winter Slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette
Equipment
- mandoline slicer or food processor
Ingredients
slaw
- 1 cup shredded red beets
- 1 cup shredded golden beets
- 1 cup shredded Chioggia pink beets
- 1 cup shredded fennel
- 1/2 cup shredded kohlrabi
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded kale
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage, Savoy or Napa
- 1/4 tsp mustard seed
- 1/4 tsp fennel seed
- 1/4 tsp caraway seed
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange or tangerine juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp mild white vinegar like Champagne or white wine
- 1 tsp creamy Dijon mustard
- pinch of salt
- pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
the dressing
- I like to put all the ingredients in a mason jar, screw the lid on tight, and shake shake SHAKE! The shaking will emulsify the dressing, making it creamy. Once emulsified, it shouldn't separate into oil and vinegar. Taste to adjust any of the ingredients to your liking. Note: you can also do this in a small food processor, or with an immersion blender.
the slaw
- Toss the shredded veggies and seeds together in a large bowl and add enough dressing to moisten. You can refrigerate the slaw several hours before serving if you’d like. Season with salt and pepper and add more dressing to taste just before serving.
Notes
- You don’t have to use such a wide variety of veggies like I did, sometimes less is more, and I love the combo of beet and fennel, for instance.
- A classic creamy slaw dressing would work too: whisk together 1/2 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp sour cream, a little grated onion, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, sugar to taste (start with 1 tsp) 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp celery seed, salt and pepper to taste. ย Thin down with a little milk if necessary. ย Taste and adjust anything to your liking.
So vibrant and I love the citrus vinaigrette!
I was hoping for some insight about amounts and handling of the suggested 4 seeds to season….Do you crush them in a coffee bean blender or smash them in a mortar, or….And for the amount of liquid in this dressing recipe, would you start with 1/2 teaspoon each?
Does the Dijon work with these seeds?
I realized I didn’t put the seeds in the recipe, they’re there now. I just did 1/4 tsp each, I didn’t want an overpowering flavor, but you could add more. And I just add them whole, I love crunching down on the occasional seed and getting that burst of flavor.
Thanks, Sue! I made your salad and dressing with just a few changes….I used only gold beet (no chioggia in sight), and instead of kohlrabi I used jicama – which rocked! I also added endive, which is so sweet this time of year!
I let the kale “marinate” for an hour tossed in some of the dressing, too. (doubled the amount…It got so tender!)
My vinegar was raspberry champagne and it was so good with the tangerine juice-based dressing! I coarsely pounded 1/2 tsp of each of the seeds – I didn’t see your suggested amounts until today…it is so delicious and complex in flavor.
I got rave reviews for the Winter Salad and fed 7 hungry adults, who love salad…. so *applause* to you!
So smart to use jicama, that’s such an underrated veggie. I’m so happy your crowd loved it :))
this recipe looks so wonderful and so gooooooooooooooooood. I wish I could make it. I live in Lawton, Oklahoma. Unfortunately no stores here carry any of these vegetables. I am lucky if I can get fresh bread once in a while.
Sharyn I’m shocked that you can’t get these vegetables, what a shame. Somebody needs to fix that. I just read all about your beautiful town (on Wikipedia lol) and stumbled across the Oklahoma Farm and Food Alliance that seems to be a great resource for local fresh produce, and I found another great resource that lists farmers markets, farms, and stores that sell local produce, here, don’t know if there is anything useful there for you.
This couldn’t be more perfect Sue! I’m all about the epic crunch and loads of color and flavor. What a great addition to my winter line-up. We love comfort food for sure, but a little crunchy, healthy lift to the menu is a great thing! Thanks – PINNED!
The crunch is pretty epic, Tricia ~ I especially love the beets, I’m discovering how great they are raw ๐
Beautiful, healthy and delicious…a perfect winter salad, Sue.
Thanks Angie ~ gotta keep those salads going through the yucky weather!
Oh This looks lovely! Very beautiful pictures too (as always!). I adore salads like that and makes them often, especially in winter where I crave all the crunch and vitamins.
Have a great weekend