Coleslaw
This Coleslaw recipe is crisp and refreshing, with just enough creamy dressing to bring it all together. It’s a great side for many different dishes, and both picnic and potluck friendly!
If you need to erase the memory of the typical stale, mayonnaise-drowned coleslaw that so often makes appearances at the grocery store and potlucks, let me introduce you to this wonderfully refreshing and flavorful coleslaw.
Coleslaw is one of those recipes that gets written off as nothing to get excited about, but I think much of the reason is because of how it’s typically encountered.
Many of the pre-made coleslaws you can buy are a couple days old, drowning in mayonnaise, and made of machine-cut confetti pieces of cabbage, instead of crunchy, thin, and long strands of fresh cabbage. These things all make a big difference.
Over the years I’ve experimented with many different versions, and this is where I’ve landed, with a version that you’ll notice is actually pretty simple and minimal.
Here the natural sweetness of the cabbage is the star of the show. Let’s dive in!
How to Make Coleslaw:
One of the most important elements of a fantastic cole slaw is how the vegetables are cut.
I believe the best coleslaw is made using cabbage that’s sliced with a mandolin. It slices the cabbage into even pieces that are long and crunchy.
In my post for How to Cut Cabbage, you can see the difference between the hand cut cabbage on the left, and the mandolin cut cabbage on the right:
It’s the exact same head of cabbage, but the eating experience between those two textures is quite different, all based on how it’s cut. That post will also walk you through how to core and prep the cabbage.
If you want to use purchased pre-cut coleslaw mix, I suppose that will work here too, but I really do think it’s worthwhile to cut your own if you have a few minutes to spare. It will taste so much fresher, and the texture will be better too.
Because the pre-shredded coleslaw mixes are machine cut, you can get a lot of “confetti” pieces.
To make the dressing, combine a great quality mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and an optional whole grain mustard:
I enjoy the little pops of the mustard seeds, and mustard has a flavor affinity with cabbage, so I like adding it. If you don’t like mustard, leave it out.
Whisk that all together, then add salt and pepper:
It will have a very pourable texture, with a consistency between buttermilk and ranch dressing.
Pour the coleslaw dressing all over the vegetables:
You’ll see that I only include three in my mix: green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots.
And actually, I really only use two types of cabbage because I think it looks pretty.
There are a lot of extras that I see people adding to cole slaw, like bell pepper, red onion, and heck, even parsley. If you want to add these things, I won’t stop you, but I really don’t think that adding them makes coleslaw better. I actually find their strong flavors to be a bit distracting.
Toss the vegetables and dressing together for a good minute or so, until combined:
Then I like to let the coleslaw rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, so the flavors can meld.
Admittedly, there are plenty of times when I dive right in, and it’s still delicious.
This coleslaw is a great side dish to bring to summer potlucks, and pairs well with recipes like Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, tacos (especially fish tacos), lunch wraps with deli meat, hot dogs, and more. Enjoy!
Can coleslaw be frozen? I don’t recommend it, as raw cabbage does not freeze well.
How long does it last? About 3 days in the fridge, then it starts to go downhill after day 4. It will still be edible, but the texture starts to break down too much.
Can coleslaw be made in advance? Yes, a few hours before is best, but a day ahead is the most I’d do for optimal texture.
Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cabbage and carrots in a very large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, mustard if using, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing all over the cabbage, and toss well to combine.
- Let the cole slaw rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, then enjoy!
I did not have red cabbage on hand. I had green cabbage and carrots. It taste so yummy and looks fabulous. It is just for me and my husband for lunch.
However, when I make this for a gathering, I will add the red cabbage. Thank you
Delicious
I am so excited to try this recipe! I just met a lady last night who had some slaw, and i asked her what was in it, she gave me almost this exact recipe! We have a local restaurant that must make it like this, cuz it’s fabulous! I have never ever had cole slaw that i like until i tried it made like this! The slaw i had last night, also had red onions (which i love) and dried cranberries… i was totally afraid to try the cranberries…. not bad at all!
I make this all the time, and then add more toppings to turn it into a quick lunch! (like cooked chicken, nuts or seeds, a few olives, some green onions…
Loved your advice on cutting the vegetables with the mandolin. Used my own chipotle aioli for the basis of the dressing, but the texture of the cabbage and the carrots were a huge factor in its success.
This is a wonderful and easy recipe for excellent slaw. Pre-made ones are often very sweet, in fact a lot of recipes have you adding sugar or another sweetener. It’s not needed at all, and who wants extra carbs?
I do have a mandolin, which makes the prep simple. I find it needs more like 2 hours in the fridge (tossing a few times) to really have the flavors come together. The mustard is key. The only slight difference from the recipe that I would recommend is to add a little celery seed, which gives another level of flavor.
Yours truly is the BEST coleslaw recipe. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and huge on taste. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been looking for a good cole slaw dressing. Unfortunately this was not it..My family says it tastes too strong 🙁
Thanks Joanne for the recipe. Store bought coleslaw usually has onions which overpower and spoil the taste, as well as often a whole lot of sugar. This recipe is for a slaw with a fresh and clean taste. Perfect for adding to falafel in pitta bread.
I had yet to find a homemade coleslaw dressing that I liked. This was awesome!
Great recipe. It’s not American cuisine, though, it’s Dutch!
I’m writing this during Quarantine so life is a little bit different than normal right now. Its just the 3 of us so 8 cups of cabbage would be WAY too much. I peeled ~8 leaves off a head and just used my knife to slice as thin as possible. ~3 cups cabbage. I added 1/4 of an onion, also sliced thin. I had no carrot. I used 2 heaping tablespoon blobs of mayo (so accurate!) and 1.5 tbps white vinegar, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard, salt and pepper.
So you see I followed the SPIRIT of your recipe, but scaled the quantity way back. We served with ribs and cornbread. I thought it was very nice.
Wow i like this recipe.keep it up.
The best cole slaw ever. Love it!