Deli-Style Red Cabbage Salad is a simple, one-bowl recipe for the iconic creamy and tangy-sweet purple cabbage salad like the one sold in New York delicatessens.
It’s also a favorite at Jewish bagel shops.
Delicious, dairy-free, and vegetarian, it takes only minutes to make!
And it’s a perfect sandwich stuffer for anything from burgers to BBQ!
Or have it as a side or topper for deli-meat sandwiches!
My family loves red cabbage salad! We use it for a side for pretty much anything and everything.
While it’s best to let the salad sit and chill before eating it, when I make red cabbage salad, it’s often eaten straight away, right out of the mixing bowl!
Deli salads overall are terrific for sides for picnics, BBQs, guests, and parties.
And NY delis have some of the BEST deli salads there are, and red cabbage salad is no exception!
But why stand in line and pay New York deli prices when you can make it at home?
Especially when it’s SO easy—just one bowl!
And refrigerates really well! So, you can make ahead and use later.
You can bring it to work as a side salad and save $$!
Also, red cabbage has nutritional benefits!
A little about red cabbage:
Red cabbage is heartier than green cabbage and will keep it’s crunch for longer.
It’s color comes from antioxidants called anthocyanins, which are also found in blueberries.
Red cabbage is low in calories, but high in important vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin K.
I’m not great at meal planning and like to keep a lot of standard seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen at all times.
FAQs
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What is needed for this recipe?
I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.
But these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!
shredded red (purple) cabbage
mayo
onion
white granulated sugar
vinegar
vegetable oil
salt
white or black pepper
If you love New York style-deli salads, here are some more recipes to use as sandwich stuffers or sides!
Easy Deli-Style Coleslaw
Easy Deli-Style Cucumber Salad
Easy Deli-Style Potato Salad
Easy Deli-Style Macaroni Salad
Or just put “deli-style” in the search bar!
Easy Deli-Style Red Cabbage Salad
Simple and delicious red (purple) cabbage salad just like in New York delicatessens!
Ingredients
- 28-32 ounces shredded red (purple) cabbage
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise*
- 1/2 cup onion, grated very small or pureed**
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, white or black
Instructions
- Pour the shredded cabbage into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, onion, sugar, vinegar, water, oil, salt, and pepper and mix very well (you can add these one at a time and mix in between if you like).
- Chill (it tastes better after it has sat for a while and gotten cold).
- Pour out excess liquid if you don't want it (as the cabbage sits, it will seep liquid). Add a bit more mayonnaise if desired for creaminess.
Notes
* You can use any mayonnaise you like, but I like using Best Foods or Hellmann's (it's the same mayonnaise—it's just called by one name or the other, depending on where in the US you buy it).
** If you grate it, you will most likely see the pieces of shredded onion in the salad.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 512Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 40gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 978mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 1g