This easy jicama slaw is classic picnic coleslaw meets refreshing, crunchy jicama with a splash of lime. So good. 🙂 (Bonus: jicama is a super healthy, prebiotic vegetable.)

Simple jicama slaw in two small white salad bowls with a plaid navy and tan napkin

I'm always dreaming picnics and cookouts, no matter the time of year.

And sometimes, you just need a good coleslaw to go with some fried fish or all-American type fare.

I love coleslaw and all of its crunchy vegetables but I wanted to make it just tiny a bit healthier. And even more refreshing.

Enter jicama.

Sliced green cabbage, jicama and carrots in three glass bowls atop a light grey marble countertop

Wait, what is a jicama?

This root vegetable is native to Mexico but widely available in most large grocery stores. It resembles a beet shape-wise, but it's light in color, almost white with light brown skin.

What does a jicama taste like? Its consistency is crispy - kind of like the texture and crisp of an apple - but it's flavor is mild but refreshing. It's the perfect add to this summer veggie jicama slaw.

Best of all, it's a prebiotic vegetable, meaning it provides food in the form of specialized fibers for the gut microbiota to eat. This is super important because these little guys (or gals) need food…and specifically awesome, real food from fibrous veggies.

More jicama benefits

And speaking of fiber - this root vegetable boasts A LOT. One medium jicama actually has a whopping 32 grams of dietary fiber. Also, it's super high in vitamin C and has a good amount of healthy potassium to boot, a great electrolyte.

So I set out on a mission to get this root vegetable into this jicama coleslaw recipe, and the results were great. Still tastes like classic coleslaw but with a little extra crisp and crunch. With a twist of lime and some sea salt to top things off, it's perfect.

🍳 Recipe