My easy cabbage salad recipe with garlic and lemon is SUCH a winner! It comes together in a snap and packs incredible fresh flavor. So healthy too!

This salad is a winner in every way: the salad comes together in a snap, packs incredible fresh flavor in just a few ingredients, and is at home with most every grilled meat, vegetable, and wrap you can think of.

How to make Cabbage Salad

Number ONE: Cabbage salad with garlic and lemon tastes SO GOOD. It’s exciting to find a salad that’s this fast and easy to make with so much flavor without resorting to a creamy dressing.

Also, this cabbage salad is really versatile. I eat it on its own often, because it’s so satisfying and especially because the recipe makes a lot. But you’ll find the flavors and texture make it a natural next to grilled and roasted meats, roasted vegetables, fried (air fried!) anything, casseroles. You name it, and cabbage salad with the bright taste of lemon is going to be a match. The lemon really shines here, similar to the way apple cider vinegar brightens the salads it touches.

Ingredients to make Cabbage Salad

Just a handful, and you probably have most of them on hand except the cabbage, which is easy to pick up at any grocery store.

The salad itself is made solely of thinly sliced raw cabbage. I prefer green cabbage for this. Can you add to it? Absolutely. As in: green onion, red bell pepper or any bell peppers,

Then, for the vinaigrette, you need:

1. Lemon
2. Garlic
3. Salt
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5. Favorite fresh herbs: Cilantro or Mint are my favorites for this salad.

How to make this salad

Step 1: Trim the cabbage and cut half of it into thin shreds. Save the other half for later unless you need a super giant salad. Half the cabbage makes about 12 cups of salad! Be sure to cut the core out of the cabbage, which can be done before cutting the cabbage in half, or after. Get tips on how to core and cut cabbage here.

Step 2: Make the vinaigrette. I like to grate the garlic on a microplane grater (used for zest)—this makes such quick work of mincing garlic! You can adjust the garlic level here, but that garlicky flavor is much of what this salad is all about.

Step 3: Finely chop the cilantro or mint. Use dry herbs for the easiest chop that won’t clump as you chop.

Step 4: Get your big salad bowl out and toss the cabbage with the vinaigrette and chopped herbs.

That’s it! Eat it up!

How to store Cabbage Salad

The fresh-cut cabbage has a longer stability once its dressed than does bagged shredded cabbage. The salad will still be delicious on day two, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The crunch may not be quite as crunchy as on day one but the upside is that the flavors have melded even more into the cabbage on day two!

Serving Suggestions

Oh the possibilities! I eat this salad on its own several times whenever I make a batch. That’s no problem because the recipe makes a lot, and there’s still plenty for everyone even with all of my own bowls.

The intense flavor and refreshing cool crunch of this cabbage salad are right at home on the plate with any and all grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. Make the salad for a potluck and any buffet. This is the perfect salad for a party because it makes so much and so easily. You want at least one salad at any get-together, and this recipe as well as my fattoush salad or Lebanese salad recipe would be excellent choices!

Serve this salad with:

Chicken Shish Tawook

Chicken Shawarma

Cauliflower Shawarma

Lamb chops

Pomegranate Glazed Flank Steak

Simple 7 Spice Chicken

Oven Fried Za’atar Chicken Wings

More Cabbage recipes to enjoy:

Malfouf, Lebanese Cabbage Slaw

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Garlicky Cabbage Rolls