This classic and easy Coleslaw Recipe is made with crisp cabbage and carrots in a creamy, sweet and tangy homemade dressing! Perfect to make ahead, and great as a side dish or on top of a bbq sandwich!
This is one of my Side Dish recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Here we are in the thick of summer, which is officially cookout-season here in the Midwest!
While I love a great piece of grilled chicken or perfectly cooked burger, the real star of cookouts (in my opinion), are the sides.
I mean, there’s mac and cheese, baked beans, pasta salad, and so much more. Coleslaw is one of those under-appreciated sides.
It’s great on it’s own, it’s also an absolute staple on top of any bbq sandwich (pulled pork, shredded beef, pulled chicken, etc) in the Midwest. Is that a thing in other parts of the United States or world? Let me know, I’m curious!
How to make sweet and tangy coleslaw?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Prep first. I like to get all the ingredients prepped and chopped before starting, since it just makes things go much smoother.
- Make dressing. Make it right in the bowl where the coleslaw will be (rather than whisking the dressing in another smaller bowl and adding it to the cabbage), so you have less dishes to wash.
- Add cabbage/carrots. Give everything a good stir to make sure the dressing coats all the vegetables.
- Chill. The chilling step is super important to not only help all the flavors come together, but for the texture.
- Serve.
Helpful Tip!
I definitely prefer using real, full fat mayonnaise to make coleslaw. Hellman’s (Best Foods) and Duke’s are two brands from the Midwest that I love. I don’t recommend using Miracle Whip for this recipe, as it’s not the same thing as mayo, and will alter the flavors.
Variations of this recipe
- Pre-shredded – choosing to use the pre-shredded bags of green cabbage will certainly save you time, so please feel free to use them if you’d like. I would use about 1 1/2 or 2 16 oz packages.
- Green onions – I love adding some chopped green onions to my coleslaw for added flavor and crunch!
- Sugar substitutes – I’ve not tested using any sugar substitutes in this coleslaw, but I’m almost certain they could be used. I would follow whatever ratio the package suggests to get the amount needed.
- Milk– if you prefer a slightly less thick and creamy coleslaw, reduce the mayonnaise to 3/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of milk (or buttermilk).
- Extra seasoning – after your coleslaw has been refrigerated, give it a toss, then a quick taste. Add more salt and/or pepper if desired.
FAQ’s
Absolutely not; you can use any kind of cabbage that you like for your coleslaw. We just really love the color and crunch the red cabbage adds, but feel free to make this with all green cabbage if you’d like.
Since coleslaw most often contains mayo and/or other dairy, for food safety reasons, once it’s been out for 2 hours, you should toss it. When properly refrigerated and kept in an airtight container, it should last about 3-4 days.
Making coleslaw ahead of time
Coleslaw is an amazing potluck recipe because it’s actually supposed to be made ahead of time!
Once you mix it all together, it’s best to refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, but honestly, if you can make it a day ahead of time, it will have the best flavor and texture.
The dressing will coat the cabbage and take away the strong crunch. Generally, it will get creamier and softer the longer it sits in the refrigerator.
Storage
Leftover coleslaw should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3-4 days.
More Potluck Side Dish Recipes:
My Favorite Mixing Bowls!
I love these mixing bowls for two main reasons: the non-slip bottoms make mixing easier, and the airtight lids mean you don’t have to transfer the contents to another container to refrigerate!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise we prefer to use full fat for the best flavor and texture
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice fresh is best
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground celery seed
- 1/3 cup minced red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 cups thinly shredded carrots
Instructions
Prepare
- Make sure onion, parsley, cabbages and carrots are chopped/sliced/shredded.
- Gather a large mixing bowl (one that has a lid is great, otherwise you'll need some foil or plastic wrap).
Make the dressing
- To the large mixing bowl, add mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Whisk until smooth and combined.
Toss and combine
- To the bowl, add onion, parsley, green cabbage, red cabbage and shredded carrots. Toss until well combined and coated.
Chill
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or longer if you prefer a softer coleslaw.
Serve
- Before serving, toss/stir coleslaw once more to redistribute dressing that may have settled at the bottom of the bowl. Then serve chilled, with a sprinkle of extra pepper if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- This recipe makes a large amount of coleslaw, which I estimate to be about 12 roughly 1 cup servings. Of course, feel free to make your servings any size you’d like.
- Please feel free to adjust the sugar amount to your tastes.
- White wine or red wine vinegar can be used in place of the apple cider vinegar if you prefer.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Joyce says
This is an excellent cole slaw ! My husband told me to be sure to save this recipe!
Barbie says
Hi Amanda, AKA The Chunky Chef. There was an old saying of bygone years, “Never trust a skinny cook”. So your, “Chunky Chef” handle definitely caught my eye. This coleslaw is the absolute BOMB! I could literally eat the dressing with a spoon!! It is that good! Made as directed and doubled everything for a crowd. I chopped the cabbages in batches using my Ninja which made that process much easier and used matchstick carrots which were the perfect size. As I only had celery salt, I just substituted that and used less salt. This is my new coleslaw recipe to rely on!!! Thank you for sharing.
Jacqueline says
Can ibuse regular vinegar????
The Chunky Chef says
By regular vinegar do you mean white vinegar? If so, yes.
Motolani Afolabi says
Saying hello from Lagos, Nigeria
Thanks for the recipe 😄
Terri M. says
This is really good. It is soooo close to my family’s tangy coleslaw.
Larry Peariso says
I used 5 packets of Stevia artificial sweetener. Lowered calories and tasted great.
Susan says
This is the very best coleslaw dressing I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for sharing your brilliant recipe.
Amber says
SO GOOD!!!! Best ever!
Joyce Wiles says
I made this today and it’s so, so delicious! I will definitely use this recipe again 😀 Thanks 👍🙏😍
Colleen says
I made this tonight but I didn’t have lemon or lemon juice so I added an extra tablespoon of vinegar, delicious!
Jeff d says
Looks like all your friends ganged up on 8/2 and 8/3 to give you phony ratings.Shouldn’t do that.I used to follow your recipes but won’t after those bogus reviews.You think us readers don’t see same dates and comments like “can’t wait to try?Tell your so called friends to stay home from fake comments.
The Chunky Chef says
You really thought you did something there, huh Jeff? I can’t control when or what people choose to comment, just like I can’t control your nastiness. Please have the day you deserve.
Barbie says
WOW Jeff. Pretty nasty comments here. Have you actually tried this recipe? Maybe it would help shut your comments. Don’t know how yours got through the screening process. I’m sure Amanda doesn’t need your support. This is not the place for personal attacks!
The Chunky Chef says
For transparency and helpfulness, I don’t shut down my comments, since usually people use them to ask questions or leave valuable feedback. Jeff, on the other hand, let his big feelings get to him, and chose to lash out. I certainly don’t need “support” like his, but I purposefully published his comment to make sure no one else was thinking that I curate my comments 🙂
Teri says
My favorite coleslaw recipe, I only use 1/2 of the sugar and add a dash more vinegar. It’s still sweet and tangy!
Emma says
Thank you so much for this! I have already made this same recipe countless times and it’s always a hit! I want to make this for the 4th tomorrow but won’t have time int the morning. Is this a recipe that can be made a day in advance? Thanks so much!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Yes, you can absolutely make it a day in advance 🙂
Christine Vander Ploeg says
Absolutely beautiful flavor in this! So mellow, light hint of sweetness to it and mildly tangy!!! It’s the most wonderful combination of flavors, and hands down like none other! This is all on a whole other level of Coleslaw!! This one, …. I m keeping!! There’s nothing else I want to try!
Anna says
Wonderful with yellow fin tuna
Jo says
My kind of recipe, delicious and easy to make.
Amanda says
This is the perfect cole slaw recipe! I’ve made it several times this summer and every one loves it.
Erin says
Adding on my favorite side dish! Can’t wait to make this!
Sandra says
This coleslaw is amazing! So good and easy to make!
Erik says
Now I’m ready for a picnic! Such a great classic flavor.
Beth says
I love this take on coleslaw! These flavors make it perfect as the classic side, but I can also see putting this on my pulled pork sandwiches.