Jicama Slaw
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This simple jicama slaw recipe is delicious as a side dish, or perfect for topping tacos or pulled pork sliders! It’s vegan, gluten free & easy to make in just 15 minutes. Made with a vinegar slaw dressing, it’s light, healthy and perfect for summer!
Back in the summer of 2012, I wanted to put a new spin on coleslaw for a family BBQ. I had recently been introduced to using jicama “chips” for dipping up guacamole and hummus.
And let me tell you, it was a game changer! I loved the crunch of the jicama so much that I added it to my new go-to slaw recipe!
I kept the dressing light and flavorful, by making a vinegar slaw dressing, instead of a creamy slaw dressing. That’s right, no mayo or dairy in this slaw! Just lots of fresh veggies and spices that make it a delightfully flavorful, yet light side dish!
So what exactly is jicama? It’s a root vegetable, native to Mexico, with a slightly sweet and starchy flavor. It’s delicious tossed with a little chili lime seasoning or added to salads for that serious crunch factor!
If this is your first time cooking with jicama, don’t worry. It’s easy to work with and so delicious!
Table of contents
Step by step instructions
- Prepare the vinegar slaw dressing.
- In a small bowl or mixing jar, combine lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard and orange juice.
- Add brown sugar, ground coriander, black pepper, celery salt and ground cumin.
- Whisk to combine all of the ingredients.
- Chop all of the vegetables.
- Shred the red and green cabbage, either using a salad shooter, or chopping it by hand.
- Peel the jicama, then slice it julienne. To do this, thinly slice the jicama lengthwise into 1/8 inch-thick slabs. Stack a few slabs at a time and cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch-thick strips.
- Thinly slice, or julienne, a red bell pepper.
- Shred the carrots, either using a salad shooter, or using a box grater to shred them by hand.
- Chop the green onions and cilantro.
- Add the vinegar slaw dressing to the vegetables.
- Place all of the chopped vegetables and herbs into a large bowl.
- Pour the vinegar slaw dressing into the bowl with the vegetables.
- Toss all of the ingredients together and serve immediately, or place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
What else could I add to this slaw?
- Jalapenos – for a spicy kick, toss in some thinly sliced jalapenos!
- Red onion – add a little bite to the slaw by tossing in some thinly sliced red onions.
- Avocado – add 1 whole diced avocado to the slaw right before serving it for a nice creamy addition.
- Mango – add a sweet Caribbean twist to this jicama slaw by adding 1 cup of thinly sliced mango to the slaw. This would be delicious on top of these Chipotle Honey Glazed Salmon Tacos!
- Pineapple – for another sweet, fruity addition, try adding 1 cup of diced pineapple to the slaw. This would pair perfectly with these Pineapple Sriracha Shredded Beef Tacos!
Tips and tricks
- This recipe makes approximately 14 cups of slaw. If you’re serving more than 2 side dishes at a BBQ, I recommend 1/2 cup slaw per person. If you’re serving 2 side dishes or less, I recommend 1 cup of slaw per person.
- You can easily cut this recipe in half, or double it! This recipe makes a lot of slaw. If you’re looking to make less of the slaw, or more for a big gathering, simply hover over the “servings” in the recipe card below. Change the servings from 14 cups, down to 7, or up to 28, to halve or double the recipe. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to make your desired amount of slaw.
- I do not recommend making this slaw more than 24 hours in advance. The beauty of this slaw is the crunch of the jicama. After it’s soaked in the dressing for more than a day, it starts to loose it’s crunch. You can however, prep the vegetables and slaw dressing separately up to 3 days in advance, then mix them together before serving the slaw. And no need to worry, jicama does not brown after slicing it up, like some other fruits and vegetables.
- Once the slaw sits in the dressing for a little while, the jicama might start to turn pink. That’s okay, it’s just the red cabbage sharing it’s beautiful color with the jicama! 😉
What to serve it with
Jicama slaw is a wonderful side dish for everything from summer BBQ’s, to picnics, to weeknight meals. It’s also a great addition to tacos and pulled pork sandwiches. Try it with any of these recipes!
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
- Blackened Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Slow Cooker Peach BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Lobster Tacos
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
- Chipotle Lime Carne Asada Tacos
- Smoked Brisket
More delicious side dishes to try
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Grilled Brussels Sprouts
- Cherry Coke Jello Salad
- Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
- 10 Minute Broccoli Salad
- Crock Pot Creamed Corn
Jicama Slaw
Ingredients
- 4 cups red cabbage, shredded
- 4 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 1 large jicama, approximately 1 ½ lbs – peeled and julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Vinegar Slaw Dressing
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded red and green cabbage, julienned jicama and bell pepper, shredded carrots and chopped green onions and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, orange juice, brown sugar, ground coriander, black pepper, celery salt and ground cumin.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss the ingredients together.
- Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 14 cups of slaw. If you’re serving more than 2 side dishes at a BBQ, I recommend 1/2 cup slaw per person. If you’re serving 2 side dishes or less, I recommend 1 cup of slaw per person.
- You can easily cut this recipe in half, or double it! This recipe makes a lot of slaw. If you’re looking to make less of the slaw, or more for a big gathering, simply hover over the “servings” in the recipe card above. Change the servings from 14 cups, down to 7, or up to 28, to halve or double the recipe. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to make your desired amount of slaw.
- I do not recommend making this slaw more than 24 hours in advance. The beauty of this slaw is the crunch of the jicama. After it’s soaked in the dressing for more than a day, it starts to loose it’s crunch. You can however, prep the vegetables and slaw dressing separately up to 3 days in advance, then mix them together before serving the slaw. And no need to worry, jicama does not brown after slicing it up, like some other fruits and vegetables.
Nutrition Facts
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3 Comments on “Jicama Slaw”
Love this recipe! Jicama slaw is such a refreshing and crunchy addition to any meal. The vinegar slaw dressing brings everything together perfectly. I’ll definitely be making this again!
so colourful and pretty!
Thanks Audrey! That is one of the things I love about this slaw, so many bright and vibrant colors!!