The Crunchy Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Coleslaw

When you're searching for the perfect side for a picnic, barbecue, or a hearty home meal, potato salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw are often at the top of the list. If it's the first side dish you're going with, there are some delicious potato salads from around the world you might want to put on the menu. As for the second option, be sure to remember about the mistakes you should avoid when making pasta salad. And when it comes to slaw, it might be time to go beyond shredded cabbage and carrots and add a crunchy ingredient to your coleslaw. Try making your next coleslaw with nuts.

Adding nuts to your coleslaw will, of course, enhance the flavor with some savory, earthy, possibly toasty undertones, plus a kick of oily umami. But they also offer a nice balance against the sweet and bitter ingredients in a regular coleslaw, and give the dish an even more crunchy, sometimes chewy, texture. Depending on the nuts and how you use them, the addition can be sparse and subtle or flavor-forward and packed with killer crunch. And, not only is it easy to upgrade your coleslaw with a nutty add-on, but there are a lot of nuts to choose from.

When you're thinking of which nuts to add to your coleslaw, you can simply turn to your favorite varieties, or consider the flavor profile and what would work well depending on the style of coleslaw you're making. Peanuts are an obvious choice and can blend well with sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Crush them up and add them to your basic mayo and vinegar, American-style coleslaw, or get into some more advanced flavors. They're great in an Asian-inspired slaw, with rice vinegar and maybe a little sesame oil. And you can up the flavor with sriracha or some cilantro and lime juice mixed in for a hit of herbs and citrus.

Oilier nuts, like walnuts and pecans, pair well with sweeter, milder flavors. They have less crunch but a touch of bitterness that is great in a creamy coleslaw with dried fruits, like raisins or cranberries. If you're looking for a nutty addition that's less snappy crunch and more slow-burn chew, these guys will work great. And, the longer you leave them in the slaw mix, the chewier they'll get.

For some mild, buttery flavor, cashews are your nut — and you can go crunchy (toasted) or soft (untoasted). Slivered almonds can also add a crunch and a sweet aftertaste. And for a nut that ticks off just about all the boxes, think about adding salted, shelled pistachios to your slaw — they have an amazing crunch with deep umami flavor and a nice sweet finish. Adding nuts is just one of the many ways to elevate your coleslaw with a few added ingredients and a little kitchen ingenuity.