Malfouf Salad (Lebanese Cabbage Salad)

by Amina Al-Saigh on Feb 4, 2026

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Malfouf salad is a simple crunchy Lebanese slaw, made with simple ingredients but packs so much flavour! The easy dressing compliments the cabbage perfectly, and its made with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and lots of mint. This salad makes an excellent side to any dinner.

malfouf salad served in a green plate with lemons and cutlery

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The Middle Eastern “Slaw”

Arabs have so many varieties of salads beyond the popularized fattoush or tabouli! This one is one I make more often than the others, actually. Consider it the middle east’s version of a slaw. I usually make this salad whenever I have leftover cabbage from making Lebanese cabbage rolls. It’s either this salad, or my quick cabbage roll soup.

Now the *only* annoying part for me was shredding the cabbage, and that’s why I started to rely on ready made pre-shredded cabbage, or using my mandolin (with a glove) to quickly slice it. Either method reduces this salad’s prep time to 10 minutes, and I’m down for that.

If you’re into more delicious hidden gem middle eastern salads, be sure to also try this Turkish beet salad and my zesty freekeh salad.

Ingredients you’ll need

The ingredients for this salad are really simple, but together, they pack a punch. I never skip the dry mint, and if I have some fresh mint on hand, I use that as well. As for the parsley and green onions, they’re also super important for that herby freshness. I sometimes throw in other fresh herbs if I have them, like dill.

Typically, white or green cabbage is used for this salad. But purple cabbage can be used as well, or a mix of the two. The pre-shredded cabbage bags at the store often have a mix.

ingredients for malfouf salad which is cabbage, parsley, onions, lemons, olive oil, garlic, mint and salt

How to make Malfouf Salad

Start by washing and finely slicing the cabbage, if you’re not using the pre-shredded one. A sharp knife is key for shredding cabbage, and make sure you cut the head in half and lay it flat side down to slice it safely. Or, use a mandolin like I do now, which makes the process much quicker.
Next, finely chop the onions, parsley and any other herbs.

malfouf salad ingredients in a mixing bowl

To make the dressing, mince the garlic and mix it with all the other dressing ingredients really well.
Pour it over the salad, mix well, and serve. I typically refrigerate it for 30 minutes or so before serving which really helps the flavours develop.

salad dressing unmixed in a small white bowl

The basic ingredients of the salad are cabbage, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. But throwing in fresh herbs really takes it to another level. Feel free to use whatever fresh or dry herbs you have on hand.

You can also add some thinly sliced cucumbers, or even better, thinly sliced apple (like little matchsticks). Also, if I don’t have green onions, I sometimes use sweet white onions. I’ve tried it with all of these additions and its amazing every way! It all depends on what you have in your fridge, so have fun with it.

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