I don’t know about you guys, but when it’s hot and sticky outside, I’m all about light and fresh foods that can be thrown together fast! This Tropical Slaw with Papaya Chia Dressing fits the bill on so many levels!
This tropical slaw also wins at all the things for being gorgeously colorful! In fact, the ingredients are so vibrant and beautiful that I don’t even mind the few minutes it takes to chop them.
Just looking at this tropical slaw makes me happy! And of course, where there is color, there are lots of vitamins and antioxidants as well!
Don’t you feel healthier already? ? ?? ?
If you’re on keto and restricting your carbs to less than 20g net per day, then this recipe may not be for you since it has mango, pineapple, and papaya in it. Even so, in small amounts you can fit some in (5g net carbs for half a cup,) and it’s so delicious and refreshing that I recommend making room for some of this delicious slaw in your carb budget if you can!
Otherwise, try my delicious and sooper dooper easy keto broccoli slaw recipe – it’s just as refreshing and satisfying, but with a lot less carbs (only 2g net per serving!)
This delicious Tropical Slaw is dairy free, egg free, and nut free, not to mention Vegan, Paleo and even Whole 30 approved! With less than 100 calories per serving, it just gets better and better amiright?!?!? ? ? ✨
The dressing is creamy and thick from the addition of the chia seeds, which are also extremely good for you! Low in carbs and high in Omega 3’s, vitamins and antioxidants, chia seeds can also help regulate insulin levels – and they work great as a thickener!
That being said, if you have an allergy to chia seeds or just don’t like them, they aren’t essential to the recipe so you can definitely leave them out.
As if you needed more reasons to make this delicious slaw recipe, you should also know that because it doesn’t contain eggs or dairy, it keeps really well and can even be transported and held safely for a few hours at room temperature for parties and picnics!
Bonus points for not poisoning all of your friends with Salmonella. ?
The bottom line is – this is a healthy, delicious and easy slaw recipe that works great all summer long as a side dish to all of your grilled meat, poultry, fish or even vegetarian main dishes.
I’ll be posting a yummy BBQ Chicken Meatball recipe next week that I served with this slaw, and Mr. Hungry swears it was one of my best combos yet – so stay tuned for that!
Tropical Slaw w/ Papaya Chia Dressing – Paleo & Whole 30
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This delicious and healthy tropical slaw is perfect for all of your summer picnics & parties! Paleo, Whole 30, egg free, nut free, dairy free and low calorie too!
Ingredients
For the Slaw:
- 4 cups white cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups red cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups mango, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup pineapple, cut into strips
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
For the dressing:
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup papaya, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or light olive oil
- pinch of salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender or magic bullet and blend until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss well to coat.
- Serve chilled.
- Category: Paleo Salad Recipe
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 90
- Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 10g net
- Protein: 2g
Doing the Whole 30 and need more delicious Whole 30 recipes to get you through the month?
Here are some of my recent favorites!!!
Whole 30 Curried Chicken and Potatoes – serious comfort food!
Whole 30 Jamaican Jerk Pot Roast – so versatile you can serve it taco salad style, or in a lettuce wrap, or on some tostones!
Whole 30 Pesto – super healthy for you, this stuff is delicious on ERRY-THANG!!!! You’ll never miss the cheese, promise!
Bacon and Egg Zucchini Nests – BEST. BREAKFAST. EVER.
Find more of my favorite Whole 30 friendly recipes here!
Susan D says
Delicious! The ginger really makes it sing! I also tried half the recipe using my standard dressing of a mix of mostly plain yogurt with about 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo, plus cider vinegar, and also added in the ginger. This was also very yummy. The slaw also makes the perfect complement to your buffalo wings, and the tropical sweetness balances the hot sauce nicely – you should put links back and forth between them :-).
★★★★★
Heather says
Dear Melissa,
This sounds delicious! I live in Germany though and don’t really have access to fresh papaya. Do you think I could replace it in the dressing with pineapple? Thanks so much!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I think pineapple might be too acidic, maybe mango instead if you have access to that!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
This sounds so good! I love finding ways to incorporate tropical fruit into dishes that are still relatively low carb. This is a wonderful salad, Mellissa!