
Do you know the story behind Swedish Pizza Salad? If you’re familiar with Swedish pizzerias, you’ll know the shredded cabbage side dish thats served with your pizza.
It’s such an understated side dish but is so popular that every pizza place serves it, even when the pizza is to go! Yet no one really knows where this traditional salad originated or why it tastes so good with pizza, but it’s a cultural food experience not to miss!
It’s a simple recipe that combines white cabbage, black pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar to make a simple and fresh salad.


When I moved to Sweden, I mistook this salad for a traditional Swedish coleslaw, similar to the Croatian salad Kupus Salata. But as it turns out, it's a unique salad exclusively and simply known as Pizza Salad. It's almost solely served at Swedish Pizzerias and seldom homemade. I've shared quite a few Swedish recipes on my site including Swedish Beetroot And Apple Salad, Swedish Lingonberry Jam, Swedish Meatballs Recipe - Gluten Free and many more, check them out!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the origins of this salad and its connection to pizza in the comments below!
Many countries influence modern Swedish food culture; the first pizzerias were brought to Sweden by Italian immigrants in 1947 and have become so popular that even the smallest of towns can have several pizzerias serving really thin-crusted pizzas with a side of pizza salad.

This recipe requires just a half head of cabbage, but you might consider making a bigger batch.
Cabbage is rich in vitamin C, and I’m going to break all the unspoken Swedish rules and say that this salad tastes great with burgers and french fries, tossed through a green salad, and served as a kind of coleslaw for any occasion!
Swedish Pizza Salad Recipe
Ingredients
500g / 1lb White cabbage – roughly half a head
3.5 tbsp Olive Oil – you can use any mild flavored oil for this recipe
2 tbsp White wine vinegar – pizza restaurants use cheaper white vinegar, but when making this dish at home, I prefer to use a sweeter vinegar.
1tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper – coarsely ground
optional ingredients: red pepper, maple syrup, dried oregano
Method
you will need: A food processor, Swedish cheese slicer, or a mandolin to shred the cabbage finely. You can also use a sharp knife and a steady hand.
1. Remove the outside leaves and core of the cabbage and finely shred the cabbage into a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together with a fork before adding to the cabbage and mixing thoroughly. Massage the salad with clean hands to soften the cabbage or allow it to rest for a few hours or overnight before serving. It’s that simple!

Serving suggestions
This complimentary salad is served at pizza restaurants but is also often packaged in small, disposable plastic containers and handed out with takeaway pizzas. Many Swedes even put their side salad right on top of their pizza slice, so no cutlery is needed!
When you make this salad at home, you’ll find it’s actually really versatile and a great side salad to many dishes.
For those of you who are curious, popular pizza toppings include the usual Hawai and Caprisiosa, but also the more unusual but equally popular Africano (pineapple, curry, peanuts, and banana!) and Pincessa ( ham, pawns and pineapple!), not to mention the most popular pizza, the famous ( kebab meat and garlic sauce). Most pizzerias even sell pizza dough if you order ahead of time, so you can create your own pizza masterpiece!
Storage
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Variations
I haven’t seen it so often, but a Swedish pizza salad will occasionally contain a small amount of red pepper, either pickled bell pepper or fresh and finely sliced. Some restaurants add dried oregano and occasionally dill.
Depending on the kind of vinegar used, you may prefer to add a teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup.
Homemade Swedish Pizza Salad

A simple and fresh side salad to serve with pizza! This recipe requires just a half head of cabbage, but you might consider making a bigger batch. Cabbage is rich in vitamin C, and this salad tastes great with burgers and french fries, tossed through a green salad, and served as a kind of coleslaw for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 500 g / 1lb White cabbage – roughly half a head
- 3.5 tbsp Olive Oil – you can use any mild flavored oil for this recipe
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar – pizza restaurants use cheaper white vinegar but when making this dish at home, I prefer to use a sweeter vinegar.
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 Black pepper – coarsely ground
Instructions
You will need: Food processor, Mandolin, or Swedish cheese slicer You can also use a sharp knife and a steady hand to shred the cabbage.
1. Remove the outside leaves and core of the cabbage and finely shred the cabbage into a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together with a fork before adding to the cabbage and mixing thoroughly. Massage the salad with clean hands to soften the cabbage or allow it to rest for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
This is a complimentary salad that is served at pizza restaurants but is also often packaged in small, disposable plastic containers and handed out with takeaway pizzas. Many Swedes even put their side salad right on top of their pizza slice, so no cutlery is needed!

Hi, I’m Holly. Welcome to my site!
I love sharing my knowledge of foraging and simple, back-to-basics cooking so you’ll find some great recipes here, many inspired by my life in Sweden and my Irish roots.
I’m also a potter, passionate about connecting with other artists so you’ll also find inspiring interviews with fellow potters from around the world!
Whether you love pottery or simply looking for a new recipe, I hope you’ll find inspiration here!
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