Pineapple Coleslaw Recipe – Crunchy cabbage, tangy honey vinegar dressing, and sweet pineapple tidbits make a fresh side with the perfect sweet and savory balance. The tropical twist on a beloved classic is perfect for summer cookouts.🏝️
Coleslaw is one of my favorite side dishes for family gatherings. Homemade is insanely easy, balancing heavier meals with that fresh salad crunch. Besides, it ramps up hot dogs, pork and chicken tacos, and hamburgers.
Pineapple coleslaw is delightfully sweet, too, thanks to pineapple and a dash of honey. The mayo dressing with vinegar keeps it from being overly sweet for an amazing flavor combo that your family and friends will rave about.
Pineapple Coleslaw vs. Regular Coleslaw
Which is better? It all depends on your mood and your meal! A coleslaw recipe with pineapple isn’t much different than traditional coleslaw. Just add pineapple tidbits and some pineapple juice to the dressing.
I like to pair regular coleslaw with classic Southern specialties, such as fried chicken and mac and cheese. I find that pineapple coleslaw, on the other hand, goes amazingly well with pork dishes and spicy meals.
Ingredient List
- Pineapple Tidbits – Canned pineapple tidbits are ideal for this recipe. They’re already chopped up and don’t brown like fresh pineapple.
- Base Vegetables – Shredded cabbage (both green and purple) and shredded carrots add vibrant color and crunch to this coleslaw.
- Dressing Ingredients – For the dressing, you’ll need mustard, sugar, honey, pineapple juice, white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), mayo, sour cream, pepper, onion powder, and celery seed.
How to Make Pineapple Coleslaw
- Dressing – In a small bowl, whisk mustard, salt, sugar, honey, pineapple juice, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion powder, and celery seeds. Then refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day ahead). (Photos 1-2)
- Salad – In a salad bowl, mix green and purple cabbage, shredded carrots, and pineapple tidbits. (Photos 3-5)
- Assemble – Pour the coleslaw dressing over the cabbage mixture and mix well. Start with a small amount of dressing at a time until thoroughly combined, and add more to taste. (Photo 6)
- Serve – Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Flavor Variations
- More fruit. You can easily work mangos, peaches, or other fruits you like into this pineapple slaw. Dried fruits, like cranberries, raisins, and apples, also pair well.
- Add toasted coconut for an especially tropical twist.
- Mayo swap. If you want to skip the mayo altogether, trade it out with plain yogurt.
- Add heat. Make it spicy by adding diced jalapeno peppers or yellow scotch bonnets to the mix.
- More veggies. Red onions, green onions, red and orange bell peppers, garlic, celery, and cucumbers all add flavor and color.
Recipe Tips
- Stick with mayo only for the dressing if you use fresh pineapple for this recipe. The enzymes in fresh pineapple can interact with dairy and lead to a bitter taste.
- Fresh chopped veggies always taste a little better. However, bags of pre-shredded coleslaw mix work great if you don’t have time for chopping.
- If you do decide to chop all your veggies, julienne them all. Uniform cuts make salads easier to mix, season, and eat. 👌
Make-Ahead Instructions
For optimal crunchiness, don’t assemble this salad ahead of time. You can always make the dressing and chop the veggies the day before. But be sure to store them separately in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble and serve the salad the next day.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve pineapple coleslaw chilled.
Refrigerate leftover slaw in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Sorry, it’s not a good freezer option. Keep in mind the longer it’s in the refrigerator, the more crunchiness it will lose.
What Goes With Pineapple Coleslaw
Pineapple coleslaw goes beautifully with main courses inspired by the tropics. Try it with Jamaican fried chicken, Caribbean jerk barbecue ribs, or pulled pork sandwiches. Wash it down with a passion fruit margarita. 🍹
More Crazy Good Coleslaw Recipes to Try
Pineapple Coleslaw
Ingredients
Pineapple Coleslaw Dressing
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) mustard
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (36g) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) light vinegar apple cider is good (adjust until you get your desired tang)
- 1 cup (232g) mayonnaise (replace half with yogurt if desired, about 5 ounces)
- ⅓ cup (76g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (2g) black pepper
- 2 teaspoons (4g) onion powder
- 1-2 teaspoons (2-4g) celery seeds
Pineapple Coleslaw
- 4-5 cups (350-420g) green cabbage, thinly sliced (1 small head)
- 1 cup (70g) purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 cups (220g) shredded carrots
- 2-3 cups (420-630g) pineapple tidbits
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk mustard, salt, sugar, honey, pineapple juice, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion powder, and celery seeds. Then refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day ahead).
- In a salad bowl, mix green and purple cabbage, shredded carrots, and pineapple tidbits.
- Pour the coleslaw dressing over the cabbage mixture and mix well, starting with a small amount at a time until thoroughly combined.
- Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Tips & Notes:
- Fresh chopped veggies always taste a little better. However, bags of pre-shredded coleslaw mix work great if you don’t have time for chopping.
- If you do decide to chop all your veggies, julienne them all. Uniform cuts make salads easier to mix, season, and eat.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Glen says
This recipe looks amazing. But what happened to the coconut coleslaw recipe?
Imma says
Here you go! The changes are minor
½ teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 cups cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup red cabbage
½ medium apple
1 tablespoon grated onion
⅓ cup crushed pineapple
¾ cup toasted coconut flakes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Mix the shredded cabbage, apple, and carrots in a large bowl.
Whisk the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, onion, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour it over the cabbage mixture. Add the pineapple and coconut.
Mix well to combine and adjust for seasoning. Finally, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Francine Samuel says
What is the best vinegar to use?
ImmaculateBites says
Apple Cider Vinegar it’s mild compare to white. You do not want the vinegar to over-power the slaw.
Dawn says
Tried this tonight to go with some pulled chicken breast BBQ sandwiches and it was delish! I only had regular mayo so I used that. I don’t even LIKE coleslaw normally, but this was really good. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! I am definitely trying it out with bbq chicken. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Patti says
I have seen other recipes for coleslaw that contain pineapple or coconut, but yours is very unique. I am doing a round up of coleslaw recipes on my site next month and I was wondering if I can include a photo from this post in my round up. I will, of course, link back to your site for the recipe.
Thank you for your consideration.
ImmaculateBites says
That would be Awesome! Thank you so much Patti
Rose says
You are an angel with a heart of gold. Thanks for these wonderful recipes. Not only are u wonderful Cook you are a good and patient blogger.
ImmaculateBites says
Aww, thank you Rose. You just brighten my day.
Africanbites says
Emma, they don’t sell toasted coconut flakes. Place coconut flakes on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes , stirring occasionally .You can also toast ,stove top, in a fry pan stirring occasionally until desired consistency is reached. Be very careful as they tend to burn easily- don’t walk away for too long.
Emma says
Immaculate just a quick question. For the toasted coconut flakes can you buy them already toasted or you need to toast them? thanks for your respond.
turtle66 says
Delicious indeed!
Africanbites says
Thanks. so happy you enjoyed it.
Rachel says
How many does this serve? It looks and sounds wonderful!! Hoping to use this recipe for a party this weekend:)
Africanbites says
Rachel, it serves about 4-5 people- a cup per person. Let me know how it works out for you.
Rachel says
Thank you!!
Alice says
Looks delicious… I will be trying this out.
Karen says
The instructions mention Greek yogurt, but I don’t see that in the ingredients list.
Africanbites says
I have updated the recipe, thanks karen.
Christina says
Looks good!