The Mayo Swap You Need For Delicious Vegan Coleslaw

Stuck on what side you should serve along with your grilled burgers and swordfish in the cookout planned for this weekend? You won't ever go wrong with some coleslaw. Despite being simply shredded cabbage and carrots, you can find it wherever a grill is burning and people are merrymaking — picnics, barbecues, potlucks, you name it. The cool and crunchy texture of the shredded veggies plus the rich and tangy dressing makes it a natural fit alongside savory grilled dishes.

Coleslaw is traditionally dressed with mayonnaise. As great as it is, if you or anyone at your party is following a vegan diet (mayo has raw eggs), that can be a problem. No need to cross it out and think of another side. You can still make everyone happy by swapping the mayo with an alternative that can be just as tasty, while being dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan: tahini.

If you have a fondness for hummus, then odds are good that you've heard of tahini, one of its key ingredients, before. Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini can be used as a salad dressing or a dip, not unlike mayo. Your guests might be surprised at first by the earthy taste of tahini instead of the usual citrusy mayo, but we bet they'll love this new take on a classic.

Most tahinis, also called tahina, are made with hulled sesame seeds (the outer coating of the seeds removed), but there are some tahini types that use unhulled seeds. The taste is slightly more bitter, but unhulled is said to be more nutritious. Next, the seeds can be toasted to amplify their nutty flavor, but they can also be left raw. In any case, the sesame seeds are broken down in a blender or food processor into a powder. The final transformation step involves a bit of neutral cooking oil, like canola. It'll help smoothen out the dry sesame "powder" into a creamy paste.

When used in coleslaw, tahini brings an earthy, nutty flavor that's very different from traditional mayo-based dressings. But don't worry — if you like your coleslaw dressing extra creamy, tahini's got you covered. Its rich, nut butter-like texture allows it to coat shredded vegetables beautifully, adding both flavor and a pleasant mouthfeel to your coleslaw. And if the tahini ever gets too thick, you can stir in a few tablespoons of water to thin it out.

Homemade tahini is awesome if you have the time. It doesn't take too long to make, and needs just two cheap ingredients (sesame seeds and some cooking oil). But if you're in a hurry, tahini paste can be found at most grocery stores and supermarkets these days, all thanks to the popularity of hummus.

There aren't any fancy tricks that you have to do to mix tahini with your coleslaw. After you've shredded your choice of cabbages and carrots, toss the veggies together with the tahini until they're nice and incorporated. Just adding tahini is alright if you don't have the time, but if you do, adding a few extra ingredients will bring your tahini coleslaw from great to mind-blowing.

Since most people are familiar with the citrusy zing in a mayo-dressed coleslaw, you'll want to add it back. Mix the tahini with a quarter cup of lemon juice and a teaspoon of mustard for a nice, spicy kick. Stir until incorporated, and dilute with a bit of water until it gains a semi-liquid consistency. Pour it over the coleslaw and work it into the veggies with your hands. The flavor combo of nuttiness, acidity, and spice from the mustard will make the coleslaw come alive.

And voilà! A vegan coleslaw that anyone can tuck into with nary a worry. And since it's possible your fellow diners have never tasted a tahini coleslaw before, you better write the recipe down now, just in case someone asks!