How to Spiralize Cabbage for the Easiest Crowd-Pleasing Coleslaw

Pictured: Cabbage Slaw

Homemade coleslaw is the quintessential summer side to serve at a party or barbecue. Whether you like your slaw creamy or vinegary, more often than not a good slaw comes down to the cabbage slice. Slice it too thick and you risk disrupting the sauce-to-veggie balance. Too uneven and you're left with awkward, hard-to-chew mouthfuls. You can always buy prebagged slaw mix to save on chopping but, if you can, opt for slicing your own. When cabbage is the main event in a dish, you want it to look and taste as fresh as possible.

Plus, I'm going to let you in on a little kitchen-hack secret: Your spiralizer-that beloved veggie-noodle-making machine-is your secret-weapon tool to making super-easy, super-fast slaw in minutes. It can make perfectly even, paper-thin slices of cabbage in a minute flat. It's super-fast, and super-easy. Got onion in your recipe too? Your spiralizer can slice that as well. Here's how to spiralize cabbage and onion for the easiest coleslaw ever.

Related: Our Best Healthy Coleslaw Recipes

Step 1: Choose the Right Blade

If you've used your spiralizer to make veggie noodles or curly fries, you're familiar with the spiral slicer blades on your spiralizer. But for slicing cabbage and onion for slaw, you'll want to use the straight blade for ribbon slices.

Related: The Best Spiralizer for Making Veggie Noodles

Step 2: Spiralize the Cabbage

You can slice an entire cabbage head at once. Trim the stem at the base and attach it to the crank side of your spiralizer, while pointing the top of the head toward the blade. With some pressure toward the blade, slowly start turning the crank to spin the cabbage into the blade. Beautiful ribbons of sliced cabbage will begin to flow out the other side of the blade. You can pick up a little speed with the crank once the cabbage catches on the blade and you get a good rhythm. Spiralize as much of the cabbage as you can, until the crank stops, then compost whatever remaining stalk is left over (or use it for making homemade veggie stock).

Step 3: Spiralize Onion & Other Veggies

If your slaw recipe calls for onion, go ahead and slice that on the spiralizer too. First, remove the outer peel from the onion and trim the top of the onion. Leave the root intact and use that end to attach the onion to the crank handle of the spiralizer, while pointing the top of the onion toward the blade. With a little pressure toward the blade, start slowly turning the crank to slice the onion. If your slaw recipe calls for other veggies, like carrots or broccoli stalks, you can spiralize those too (here's how to spiralize veggies like a pro).

Step 4: Give It a Rough Chop

You will have piles upon piles of long, gorgeous ribbons of cabbage and onions. Give them a quick, rough chop on a cutting board to make bite-size pieces.

Step 5: Make Your Slaw

You're now ready to make your slaw. Mix up your ingredients as you normally would, just be prepared to be amazed at the deliciousness-and ease!-of spiralized slaw. You may never go back to your old ways again.

More Ways to Use Your Spiralizer:

Healthy Recipes for Your Spiralizer

The Salad Trend You Didn't Know You Needed

Photos: Erin Alderson