Healthy Apple Cranberry Coleslaw Recipe

This vibrant and nutritious apple cranberry coleslaw recipe is a great addition to any meal. Packed with crunchy vegetables and a tangy yogurt dressing, it's the perfect side dish for any occasion. Plus, it's quick, delicious and easy to make!

Having a homemade coleslaw recipe that I can make in the cooler months is so important because I love this stuff. I spent years convincing my husband that coleslaw is actually very delicious but his only experience was with the watered down store bought versions so he never ate it.

When I convinced him to give my summertime coleslaw a try, he immediately loved it and was on board with eating coleslaw, with the one caveat, only if I made it!

Since then, I decided to make a cold weather version of coleslaw with apples and cranberries that goes well with roasts (like my baked pork tenderloin) that we eat more of in the Winter. Now he eats two versions of coleslaw 🙂

This healthier version of coleslaw skips the mayo and uses Greek yogurt and is so easy to make.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This healthy cranberry apple coleslaw comes together quickly. Here is what is in it and some ideas for substitutions:

Apple cranberry coleslaw

• Pre-shredded coleslaw: This is the time saver for this recipe, buying already shredded coleslaw. You can also shred your own cabbage if you prefer.
• Apples: I like using a nice crisp apple variety like honey crisp or ever crisp. Any variety you love, (red or green) will work. This adds sweetness and crunch. If you like even more crunch in your coleslaw, add in some nuts like walnuts or almonds.
• Dried cranberries: These add a wonderful sweetness to the coleslaw. Since the dressing does not have sugar, these add wonderful sweet and tart notes.

Creamy coleslaw dressing

• Greek yogurt: I love cooking with Greek yogurt. It adds a tangy flavor to recipes and it is healthier.
• Sour cream: You only need a very little bit. It adds more tangy flavor to the coleslaw.
• Cumin: Cumin is such a wonderful flavor addition to coleslaw. I add it to my roasted vegetables too. If you do not like cumin, try using paprika or even garlic powder as a substitute to add a little depth of flavor to the dish.
• Kosher salt: To taste.
• Lemon: The lemon is going to keep the apples from browning and lighten up the creamy yogurt coleslaw dressing. If you do not have lemon, you can also use apple cider vinegar.

Making this ahead of time

Making coleslaw ahead of time is the best way to make it. It allows the flavors to come together and marry with one another. The better question is, how far ahead of time can you make coleslaw.

From years of making coleslaw, the best coleslaw in my opinion will be slightly softened but still have a little crunch. This type of coleslaw is made only an hour to a few hours ahead of time.

If you make coleslaw further ahead of time than this, you run the risk of it getting watery and mushy.

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