This Fruity Addition Gives Your Coleslaw A Juicy Twist

There are few sides as delightfully refreshing and flavorful as coleslaw. It's healthy, versatile, and, best of all, remarkably simple to make. While store-bought varieties will get the job done, nothing beats the freshness of homemade coleslaw. The other perk of making your own slaw is that there are plenty of unique ingredients you can use to put a delicious twist on the classic recipe.

One of the best ways to make your coleslaw juicier is by adding fresh fruit, as the sweetness can help cut through the creamy mayonnaise and counter the acidity of the apple cider vinegar. However, to get the perfect balance of flavors, you need to pick a fruit that's up to the task. Mandarin oranges are an excellent choice that will pair beautifully with the majority of dishes.

Mandarin oranges are slightly sweeter and typically less tart than their common counterpart. This makes them the ideal choice for coleslaw, as they can stand up to the more intense ingredients, letting their sweetness shine through. They're also incredibly simple to include in your recipe. Simply peel the orange and separate the wedges, making sure to remove as much of the bitter pith as possible. Once you've made your coleslaw, dice each orange wedge into thirds, then fold them through the finished mixture. You can also use canned mandarin orange wedges to save time, just make sure you drain them thoroughly before chopping them.

If you're a fan of coleslaw with a juicy twist, there are dozens of other fruits that can be used to upgrade the dish. Some can be stirred into your coleslaw before serving, while others you can shred or slice and combine with your cabbage and carrot pieces.

One effective addition is an apple, which you can grate and stir into your vegetable base. This is the go-to recipe of celebrity chef Sunny Anderson, who also throws in a healthy handful of raisins. Anderson opts for Granny Smith apples which are known for their sharp acidity, a flavor that's deftly balanced by the raisins' sweetness. Pomegranate seeds can add crunchy texture to your slaw. They're simultaneously sweet and tart, meaning they're unlikely to unbalance the flavors of the dish. If you're making a slaw to pair with a spicy or sour dish, you may opt for an extra sweet fruit like mango or diced pineapple.

One of the common pitfalls of adding fruit to coleslaw is making the dish too sweet. Fortunately, there's an extremely simple solution — lemon juice. Adding a few splashes of acidic lemon juice will counter excess sweetness, and the citrus character will naturally complement the fruit. If you want extra fruity coleslaw, you can even substitute the vinegar entirely with lemon juice, as the two ingredients essentially fulfill the same role in the recipe.