Some weeks my fridge looks like a produce aisle after a sale: half a red cabbage, a lonely yellow pepper, carrots starting to bend. I used to turn that pile into a bland chopped salad and call it done. Then one Sunday before a dal-rice dinner, I shredded everything into ribbons, stirred a quick yogurt-lemon dressing, and poured a mustard-cumin tempering with a pinch of hing over the top. My daughter ate the peppers first and left the cabbage. My husband went back for a second bowl. That is when I knew this one was staying.
Rainbow slaw is exactly what it sounds like: green and red cabbage, carrot, and sweet peppers in one crunchy bowl. Most versions online lean picnic-mayo or vinegar-oil, and a lot of them sneak onion into the mix. This one is Jain-friendly on purpose. No onion, no garlic, and flavor from citrus, toasted spices, and hing instead of allium.
If you want a colorful side that holds its crunch next to Indian meals, or you are cooking through days without onion and garlic, make this with me.
Why This Rainbow Slaw Is Jain-Friendly
Classic coleslaw builds savoriness on raw onion or garlic powder. We skip both. The backbone here is lemon, a little yogurt for body, and a short tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing (asafoetida) in oil. That hot pour wakes up cold shredded vegetables the same way a Maharashtrian koshimbir tempering does.
Carrots stay in. For Jain days in our kitchen, that primarily means no onion and no garlic, so colorful roots and peppers are welcome. The cabbage and peppers also bring fiber and crunch without another cooked sabzi. Check your chaat masala label if you use it; some blends hide onion or garlic powder. When in doubt, use black salt (kala namak) and lemon instead.
Kitchen test note: the first batch I made turned watery by dinner because I salted the cabbage early and left it sitting in its own liquid. Now I either dress right before serving, or I salt, rest 10 minutes, and squeeze the cabbage hard in a clean towel before the dressing goes in. The second method keeps the colors bright and the dressing thick.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Serious crunch: cabbage, carrot, and peppers stay snappy for hours when you dress smart
- No onion, no garlic: safe for Jain days and easy to share at mixed tables
- Ready in about 30 minutes: most of the time is shredding, not cooking
- Make-ahead friendly: shred vegetables ahead; finish with dressing and tempering at the table
- Kid-friendly color: the peppers and carrot usually disappear first, which is fine by me
Ingredients and Notes
Cabbage: Use a mix of green and red (purple) cabbage for the rainbow effect. About 4 cups total shredded. Red cabbage stains a little; that is normal and looks pretty once tossed.
Carrot and peppers: One large carrot, shredded. One red and one yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips. The peppers are what make this feel different from plain coleslaw.
Herbs and heat: A handful of cilantro. Optional green chili, finely chopped, if your table likes heat. Skip chili for kids and add a pinch of black pepper instead.
Yogurt dressing: Plain yogurt (not Greek, or thin Greek with a spoon of water) plus lemon juice, salt, and a pinch of chaat masala or black salt. Creamy enough to coat, loose enough to toss.
Tempering: Oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and a pinch of hing. This is the Jain flavor engine. Do not skip the hing if you have it; it is what replaces the missing onion-garlic depth.
Optional crunch: Roasted peanuts or crushed roasted chana, folded in at the end so they stay crisp.
For more allium-free dressing ideas beyond this yogurt-lemon mix, keep our lemon cumin dressing or mint yogurt dressing on hand.
How to Make Rainbow Slaw
Serves 4–6 as a side | Time: about 30 minutes
Step 1: Shred the vegetables
Core and finely shred the green and red cabbage. Shred the carrot. Slice the peppers into thin strips. Chop the cilantro. Put everything in a large mixing bowl. If you are making this more than an hour ahead, keep the vegetables undressed in the fridge.
Step 2: Optional squeeze for extra crunch
If the cabbage seems very wet, or you salted it while prepping, toss with a pinch of salt, rest 10 minutes, then squeeze handfuls in a clean kitchen towel. Return the cabbage to the bowl with the carrot and peppers. This step is worth it on humid days.
Step 3: Mix the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon chaat masala or black salt, a pinch of regular salt, and black pepper. Taste. It should be tangy and a little savory. Add a teaspoon of water if it is too thick to pour.
Step 4: Temper and toss
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. When they pop, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and a pinch of hing. Swirl for 5–10 seconds until fragrant, then pour the hot tempering over the vegetables. Add the yogurt dressing and cilantro. Toss until every ribbon is coated. Fold in optional peanuts. Taste again; you usually want one more squeeze of lemon.
Step 5: Rest briefly, then serve
Let the slaw sit 5–10 minutes so the cabbage softens just enough at the edges. Serve cool. I like it next to dal-rice, with cucumber peanut koshimbir when I want two crunchy sides on the table, or beside sprouted moong salad when lunch needs more protein.
Easy Rainbow Slaw (Jain, No Onion No Garlic)
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
For the slaw
- 2 cups green cabbage finely shredded
- 2 cups red cabbage finely shredded
- 1 cup carrot shredded, about 1 large
- 1 red bell pepper thin strips
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper thin strips
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped, optional
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts roughly crushed, optional
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt not Greek, or thin Greek with a spoon of water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala or black salt kala namak
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For the tempering
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch hing asafoetida
Instructions
Shred the vegetables
- Core and finely shred the green and red cabbage. Shred the carrot. Slice the peppers into thin strips. Chop the cilantro.
- Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. If making more than an hour ahead, keep the vegetables undressed in the fridge.
Optional squeeze for extra crunch
- If the cabbage seems wet, or you salted it while prepping, toss with a pinch of salt and rest 10 minutes.
- Squeeze handfuls in a clean kitchen towel, then return the cabbage to the bowl with the carrot and peppers.
Mix the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, chaat masala or black salt, salt, and black pepper.
- Taste; it should be tangy and a little savory. Add a teaspoon of water if it is too thick to pour.
Temper and toss
- Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds and hing.
- Swirl 5 to 10 seconds until fragrant, then pour the hot tempering over the vegetables.
- Add the yogurt dressing and cilantro. Toss until every ribbon is coated. Fold in optional peanuts. Taste and add more lemon if needed.
Rest and serve
- Let the slaw sit 5 to 10 minutes so the cabbage softens just enough at the edges.
- Serve cool beside dal-rice or other Indian meals.
Notes
Variations
- Fully vegan: Swap yogurt for a lemon-oil dressing (3 tablespoons oil + 2 tablespoons lemon + salt + chaat masala) and keep the hing tempering.
- Extra protein: Toss in sprouted moong or serve beside the sprouted moong salad linked above.
- Milder kid bowl: Skip chili and chaat masala; use lemon, a little black pepper, and the tempering only.
- Peanut-forward: Double the roasted peanuts and add a pinch of sugar or jaggery to the dressing for a sweet-savory finish.
- Cooked broccoli crunch: For almonds and roasted broccoli instead of raw cabbage, try our broccoli almond crunch salad.
FAQs
Q1. Can I make coleslaw without onion and garlic and still get enough flavor?
Yes. The tempering does most of the work. Mustard seeds, cumin, hing, and lemon replace the savoriness people expect from raw onion. Do not skip the hing if you have it in the pantry.
Q2. How do I keep rainbow slaw from getting watery?
Two options: dress right before serving, or salt and squeeze the cabbage before dressing. Also pat peppers dry after washing. Watery slaw is almost always leftover cabbage liquid, not the yogurt itself.
Q3. Can I make this ahead of time?
Shred all the vegetables up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Mix the dressing and tempering just before you eat. If leftovers are already dressed, they still taste good the next day; drain any pooled liquid and add a fresh squeeze of lemon.
Q4. Do I need hing?
Hing is the easiest Jain stand-in for onion-garlic depth here. If you do not have it, toast the cumin well and lean harder on lemon and black salt. The salad will still work; it will just taste lighter.
Q5. Can I use mayo instead of yogurt?
You can, but that pushes the bowl toward classic picnic slaw. For the Indian-home-cook version I make, yogurt plus tempering tastes brighter next to dal and roti. If you use mayo, still skip onion and garlic, and keep the spice tempering.
Q6. Is rainbow slaw gluten-free?
Yes, as written, as long as your hing and chaat masala are certified gluten-free (some hing powders are cut with wheat flour). Check the label if that matters for your kitchen.
Closing
This rainbow slaw is the side I reach for when dinner needs color and crunch without another cooked sabzi. It is perfect for Jain weeks, summer lunches, meal-prep shredding on Sunday, and those fridge-cleanout evenings when cabbage and peppers need a plan.
If you try it, tell me: did you keep the yogurt dressing, or go fully lemon-oil? And which color disappeared from the bowl first at your table?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
