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Take your coleslaw to a whole new level with sweet, tangy cranberries and crunchy pecans. Mix in an apple and some savory, green onions then toss them all in a creamy dressing for a dish that will be a favorite at any gathering!
For years I’ve loved this crunchy slaw. I’ve eaten it at church gatherings, covered dish suppers, picnics, and cookouts. I’ve also seen it on many restaurant menus.
I think the reason it’s shown up in so many places for so many years that it’s just so stinking good! It’s fruity, sweet, tart, and crunchy. It’s one dish that has just the right amount of each of those important elements for a burst of flavor in every bite.
Now, I have to share a little “funny” with you. As much as I love and rave about this slaw, I’ve never made it. I think somehow or another, the whole notion of making for myself just escaped me.
What You Need To Make Cranberry Pecan Slaw
- Bagged Slaw Mix
- Dried Cranberries
- Pecans
- Apple
- Green Onions
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Honey
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make This Recipe
To a “bagged” slaw mix, I added dried cranberries, an apple, chopped pecans, and green onions. Now, how easy was that?
Next, all that was needed was to make a creamy dressing with just the right mix of flavors. My inspiration for the dressing came from my Broccoli Apple Salad recipe. I mixed up sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and honey then sprinkled in some salt and pepper. I poured that heavenly dressing over my slaw mixture gave it a good toss then went in for a taste test.
What To Serve With Cranberry Pecan Slaw
This recipe is perfect to serve as a salad or a side dish. Here’s some of my favorite main dishes to serve with it:
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Marinated Pork Tenderloin
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Smoked Pulled Pork
- Easy Marinated London Broil
More Slaw Recipes You’ll Love!
Ingredients
- 2 11 oz bagged cole slaw mix
- 1 large Gala or Honeycrisp apple – chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecan
- 4 green onions – sliced
Dressing
- Ā¾ cup mayonnaise
- Ā¾ cup sour cream (yogurt can be substituted)
- Ā¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Ā½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add slaw mix, apple, cranberries, pecans and onions to a large bowl. Toss to mix all ingredients. Set aside
- In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Pour Ā¾ of dressing over slaw and toss until mixed well. Add remaining dressing if desired. **Additional dressing can be saved in a sealed container to add to slaw at a later time or before serving.
- Serve immediately. Slaw can be stored, covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss slightly and add saved dressing if needed.
Whatās For Dinner?
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Loved this, very tasty. But does anyone have bowl big enough for this whole recipe? Made two one half batches. Will make this again and again, just need a bigger bowl LOL
Awesome and thanks for the terrific rating! You’ve made my day.
~Donya
This makes a great side dish! Love the flavors!
Thanks, Cindy! I appreciate the outstanding rating as well.
~Donya
I made this recipe and it was delicious!!!! I tried it out on my sons family and my mom and dad.They loved it as well. They requested it for Thanksgiving
Thanks so much for sharing!
~Donya
My husband hates coleslaw. I made this salad for a lunch with friends and he tried it and loved it. Am making it again today because guess what? HE ASKED ME TO.
Hey there Jenni!
Wow! What a wonderful compliment, I am so happy to hear that this recipe made your husband a coleslaw fan, that warms my heart to hear! Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words and your fantastic rating, I really appreciate your support! Please let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, Iām always happy to help where I can! Have a Happy Holiday Season!
~Donya
Incredible!
Hey there Christie!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, it’s definitely a Thanksgiving classic for good reason!
~Donya
This is the best cole slaw ever. I will probably never make regular Cole slaw again. And I usually make Cole slaw once or twice a year. Iāve already made this twice and am making it again for a get together Sunday and again for a get together next week. Seriouslyā¦.. so good. Thank u.
Hey there Sandy!
Oh my goodness, you’ve made my day! I am absolutely thrilled to hear that you’ve been enjoying this recipe, this is one of my favorite coleslaw recipes too, you can never go wrong with the cranberry-pecan duo. Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate your support!
~Donya
Hi!! This sounds delicious!!
Any suggestions on what to substitute for the apple? Iām allergic to most tree fruits like apples, pear, apricots etc.
Thank you!!
Hey there Kristen!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that is a great question! There are a couple different options for substituting the apples in this recipe, you could either leave them out all together, or you could replace them with something like fresh cranberries or tangerine slices. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out if you give the recipe a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
Iāve made this coleslaw twice now. Itās amazing! My BIL devoured it the first time I made it. The second time I made it I accompanied it with fish tacos! Again, it was amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hey there Susie!
Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying this recipe! Pairing this slaw with fish tacos was a great idea, I’ve never done that but it sounds totally delicious. If you liked this slaw recipe, you should check out my Brussels Sprouts Slaw recipe, it’s just as easy to make and it has some fantastic bright, fresh flavors. Thank you so much for your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to reach out!
~Donya
This looks like a fun spin on coleslaw.
Hey there Mary!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, it’s a great twist on a classic coleslaw! I really hope you’ll give the recipe a try, let me know how it turns out!
~Donya
This looks amazing! Just sent the link to my mother ā¤ļø
Hey there Christy!
Thank you so much for this phenomenal rating, and for sharing my recipe, I really appreciate your support! If you or your mother have any questions please feel free to reach out! I hope you enjoy this recipe, Happy Holidays!
Best,
~Donya
Thanks Donya. Canadian Thanksgiving has passed, but I’m thinking this would be great for Christmas – quick and easy to put together. I will be making this and your ambrosia – but only if I can find little white marshmallows. The only way to eat the coloured ones is in peanut butter slice – where the peanut butter hides their flavour. LOL
Thanks for the work you do , to provide easy, tasty recipes. My favourite recipe site! I hate scrambling for exotic ingredients!
Hey there Donna!
Wow! Thank you so much for this fantastic rating and your sweet words, you’re too kind! I think that these dishes would be fantastic additions to a Christmas dinner, if you liked these you should try my Scalloped Potato recipe, the creamy, rich potatoes compliment the Cranberry Pecan Slaw very well. Thank you for all your support, it truly warms my heart reading comments like this, I appreciate your kindness. If you ever have any questions about a recipe don’t hesitate to ask!
~Donya
I made this but did not have the apple so I did add one of the smallest cans of drained pineapple tidbits, and 1/2 tsp. of poppy seed. It turned out wonderful! Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe!
Hey Kathie!
Thank you so much for your rating! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, it sounds like you really made this recipe your own in the best way. Thank you for your support!
~Donya
I am going to be honest I was prepared to not like this.. but all these tastes in my mouth together won me over.. super yummy.. Makes alot too.
Hey DeeDee!
My goodness this cracked me up, I am thrilled to hear you liked it! It is definitely an interesting flavor combination but there is just something about it that really works. Thank you so much for your rating, very glad to hear the recipe was a hit!
~Donya
Where can I find the nutritional info on the slaw?
Hey Rita,
Thank you for your interest in the recipe, it sure is a favorite in my house so I hope you like it! I don’t provide nutritional information for my recipes but if you click the link below, you can just copy and paste the recipe and it will give you all the nutritional facts. I hope this helps!
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
~Donya
Wow! This was so good! My neighbor brought over a huge head of cabbage from their garden so I decided to give this recipe a try and Iām so glad I did! I will definitely be making this again! And yes, I shared with my neighbors.
Haven’t made the recipe yet – but from the reviews, and recipe ingredients, it seems like an awesome addition to my GF Thanksgiving menu this year. š
You are so kind, Jyll! Thank you and I hope you like the recipe. Let me know.
Have a wonderful day,
~Donya
Donya, I can’t wait to try this recipe. It may make it to my Thanksgiving table this year! I found you via Pinterest, btw. I would like to make a suggestion. At the end of your recipes, it would be nice if you would put your blog name/address there so that when folks copy the recipe to their own file (that’s me!), they will always know the source of the recipe. I’m going to explore your blog now – looks very interesting!
Thanks for the idea! When a recipe is printed out, it has the website name on it but I’ll see what I can do about someone saving it.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
~Dpnya
Best Coleslaw Recipe ever!!
WOW! Thank you Nancy. You have made my day.
Have a wonderful weekend,
~Donya
We have made this three times in the last week since I found this recipe! It’s amazing! Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome, Amanda.
Thank you for your kind words.
Have a great weekend.
~Donya