Thick, silky, and crunchy. This homemade Easy Coleslaw is more than just a sweet tangy side dish. It’s a bedazzling superstar when we talk about having a full meal as it elevates the flavor and texture of any simple meal. So give your next dish some sweet personality with the best coleslaw recipe in town.
A versatile food, such as coleslaw, never fails to surprise me. You can see it in barbecues, simple dinners, and even in fast-food takeouts. I was so intrigued by why it’s such a sensation, and from then on I’ve always made a couple of homemade versions of this cabbage dish.
I wanted to create a coleslaw that would stay true to how it is really made but with a twist coz that’s how I normally roll while letting you explore the full potential of a dish. Today’s version will surely get a thumbs up from adults and as well as the little ones. You’ll see why. 😉
What is Coleslaw?
Coleslaw is such a peculiar word, maybe for English speakers, but the dish and the word both originated as far back as the 18th century in the Netherlands. The word is an Anglicized version of the original term which was “koolslaw” meaning cabbage salad.
It was originally prepared by mixing thinly cut strips of cabbages with melted butter, vinegar, and oil. The coleslaw recipe then developed into the modern mayonnaise-based dish we know and love today.
Although some versions of the coleslaw dressing have been commercialized and are readily available in grocery stores, I still prefer mine handmade! If you’re like me, you’d want people you feed to feel the effort and love in your dish. The best part about this is that the coleslaw dressing recipe is super easy to make.
Easy Coleslaw Ingredients
Don’t get too intimidated when you look at the finished product. Although it looks like it requires so many ingredients, it’s actually just made of two parts – the thinly sliced veggies and the rich coleslaw dressing.
Sliced Veggies
The key to a great-tasting coleslaw recipe is that it should be enjoyable to eat. That’s why it is essential to have the cabbages and carrots thinly sliced. You can prepare your veggies in two ways.
- Sliced Thinly. One is to use your trusty knife and chop the cabbages thinly by angling the knife and cabbage about 80 degrees from the chopping board. You’ll end up with thinly shredded cabbages.
- Diced Carrots. The carrots can be diced into small brunoise bits.
(If you want to see an easy overview of veggie cuts, you can visit our How to Cut an Onion story. Alternatively, you can use a box grater to shred your veggies.)
Coleslaw Dressing
The second part of our dish is the rich coleslaw dressing recipe. This recipe involves mostly wet ingredients. Mustard, heavy cream, honey, and mayonnaise are thick liquids that will generate the volume of our dressing.
Moreover, white vinegar, onion powder, black pepper, and celery seeds are here to add a kick of flavor that would make our coleslaw stand out!
Pro Tip: Add salt in moderation to adjust the flavor for your preference but be careful not to add too much because salt can draw out water from the veggies through the reverse osmosis process giving you a watery coleslaw.
Recipe Variations
Aside from those mentioned in our recipe box, you can actually throw in any add-ins you like and put your own stamp in this simple coleslaw recipe. Here are just among the things that you can add to this cabbage salad.
- Apples
- Dried Cranberries
- Sliced Almonds or Pecans
- Cheddar or Bleu Cheese
- Pineapple Bits or Diced Ripe Mango
- Poppyseeds
- Fresh Berries
- Diced Celery
Storing Homemade Coleslaw
Coleslaw in general must always be kept cool #CoolAsAColeslaw. If you leave it at room temperature for around 2 hours, it will surely go bad.
To prevent this, use plastic wrap to cover the top of your bowl, make sure it doesn’t get exposed to air, and just pop it in the fridge chiller, don’t put it in the freezer unless you want coleslaw icicles, even if you thaw it out. It wouldn’t be as fresh as properly stored coleslaw.
When stored properly, this slaw recipe will last for about 3 to 5 days.
Different Coleslaw Recipes
Want to see my other Coleslaw variations? Check these ones out below. Go play along with this simple dish and let me know which one you love the most.
What to Serve with Easy Coleslaw?
As we all know, coleslaws are a big-time hit during the summer season. In case you’re wondering which are the top dishes that are usually paired with coleslaw, then read below.
How to Make Coleslaw
Making the Coleslaw Dressing
- Mix the dressing ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together mustard, salt, sugar, honey, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion powder, and celery seeds. (Photos 1-2)
- Then refrigerate until ready to use.
Mix the Veggies & Dressing
- Mix the veggies. In a salad or another bowl, mix together green and purple cabbage, and carrots. This step may be done an hour ahead or even a day ahead. (Photo 3)
- Add the dressing. Pour the coleslaw dressing into the cabbage mixture and mix it together. Start with a small amount at a time until fully combined. (Photo 4)
- Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to be used.
Watch How To Make It
This blog post was first published in July 2020 and has been updated with additional information and a video.
Easy Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups (350-420 g)thinly sliced head of green cabbage
- 1 cup (70 g) thinly sliced purple cabbage
- 2 cups (220 g) shredded carrots
Creamy Coleslaw Dressing
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) mustard
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (36 g) honey
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white vinegar (adjust until you get your desired tang)
- 1 cup (232 g) mayonnaise (cut in half and add more yogurt, if desired, about 5 ounce)
- ⅓ cup (76 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) black pepper
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) onion powder
- 1-2 teaspoons (2-4 g) celery seed
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together mustard, salt, sugar, honey, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion powder, and celery seeds. Then refrigerate until ready to use.
- This step may be done an hour ahead or even a day ahead. In a salad or another bowl, mix together green and purple cabbage, and carrots.
- Pour the coleslaw dressing on the cabbage mixture and mix together. Start with a small amount at a time until fully combined.
- Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to be used.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
dianne jensen says
It was excellent, I did leave out the honey and added a nice shot of horseradish sauce instead. We all loved it!
amandamike says
Mmm
coral robinson says
What sort of mustard do you use? English? French?
Hungry girl says
Imma never fails me never never! I was craving coleslaw yes coleslaw lol and my friend sent me this recipe and wooooow I made a meal of it with baked fillet of salmon. Thanks girl.
ImmaculateBites says
Aww.Thats so sweet of you, girl Thanks so much !!! .
Happy Holidays to you and yours .
Wendy says
Hola Imma; riquísima ensalada y además depurativa. Para nosotros sin cremas, solo con sal aceite limón, ajo y comino. Cuídate. Besitos
Lorraine Dillard says
This sounds so good I am going to try it.
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Let me know how it works out for you.
ayite miriam says
Can’t wait to try and thanks for sharing ❤
Baltisraul says
May I suggest switching out the white vinegar for tarragon vinegar and adjust to your tastes. I really believe it is a game changer.