Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe

Name: Best Coleslaw Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 small cabbage (shredded and chopped); 1 large carrot (shredded); 1 cup mayonnaise; ⅓ cup granulated sugar; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 ½ tsp lemon juice (fresh lemon juice); 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste); ⅛ tsp pepper (more or less to taste)

Published: Feb 17, 2023 · Modified: May 6, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

5 from 135 votes

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I love this homemade coleslaw recipe, the crunchy texture of the creamy coleslaw makes it my favorite anytime salad. I promise after tasting this American Classic this will be your go-to coleslaw.

My Easy Coleslaw Recipe, can be made in 10- 15 minutes, and It’s the perfect side dish for all of your barbecue dishes.

I always serve it with BBQ Baby Back Ribs and my world-famous Buffalo Style Chicken Wings.

chunks of barbecue brisket topped with coleslaw and onion rings on a brioche bun

My homemade coleslaw goes great on sandwiches (or with sandwiches), and my BBQ Beef Brisket is a delicious example! It’s great with pulled pork and a topping for tacos.

Looking for a dish to bring to a summer potluck? You can’t go wrong with my cole slaw, it goes with everything!

Table of Contents:

Ingredients for my Coleslaw Recipe

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Coleslaw Recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Basic Ingredients

green cabbage
carrot
mayonnaise
apple cider vinegar
sugar (I use raw cane sugar)
fresh lemon juice
salt and black pepper

You’ll find some recipes include celery seed or celery salt, but I’ve never enjoyed the flavor of that seasoning. If you want a more colorful coleslaw, add some shredded purple cabbage to the mixture.

How do I prepare the cabbage?

The first step is using a sharp knife carefully cut the head of the cabbage in half. Then remove the core and any of the thicker white parts of the cabbage

You can use a food processor with a shred attachment or slicing blade to cut make short work of the cabbage. If you slice the cabbage by hand or with the food processor it will still need to be chopped. How much is your decision. I like to chop it fairly small, but you can leave the pieces of cabbage up to about an inch if you like.

My favorite way to prepare the cabbage is with a box grater, making the pieces very small and tender.

How to make the dressing

See this post for more information on making my coleslaw dressing.

Add one cup of mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl.
Combine the ingredients mixing until smooth and creamy. *Refrigerate until needed.

This mayonnaise dressing can be made with light mayonnaise, and I have seen some recipes add sour cream to the dressing, but it’s not necessary.

How to make my Coleslaw Recipe

shredded carrots added to bowl of chopped cabbage.

Add the shredded carrots to a large bowl with the chopped cabbage.

*You can use precut cabbage or coleslaw mix at your grocery store, but fresh shredded cabbage is so much better.

Mix the carrots into the chopped cabbage.

Add the coleslaw dressing to the cabbage mixture.

Mix the slaw dressing into the cabbage mixture. Make sure that all of the cabbage mixture has been thoroughly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

The cabbage can be a little tough, so letting it marinate in the slaw dressing overnight will help soften the cabbage and improve its overall flavor. The cole slaw can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.

After one bite, I’m sure you’ll agree this is the best coleslaw recipe, and you won’t be buying store-bought coleslaw anymore.

Recipe FAQ’s

Should I buy precut cabbage or coleslaw mix?

This is a personal decision. It takes all the work out of making cole slaw, but you will sacrifice a little flavor with any precut lettuce or cabbage. There are preservatives added and I can always notice the lingering flavor. But they do work well when you’re pressed for time and still a much better option than buying grocery store salads.

Do I have to let cole slaw sit before using?

The short answer is no, but it really needs time to marinate in the flavors and soften the cabbage. Letting cole slaw sit for 2-4 hours will help the flavor and texture. If you can make it the day before it will be even better.

How do I keep the dressing from getting watery?

Place the shredded cabbage in a colander, sprinkle the cabbage with a tablespoon of salt, mixing to distribute the salt. Let the salted cabbage sit for an hour or two, then rinse it with cold water to remove the salt and pat dry with paper towels. You may want to cut back on the salt in the recipe, as the cabbage will absorb some of the salt.

More Recipes You’ll Love!

shredded cabbage mixed with coleslaw dressing in a glass bowl.

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5 from 135 votes

Best Coleslaw Recipe

My homemade coleslaw is the perfect side dish for grilled and barbecued dishes. The crunchy texture of the creamy cole slaw makes it my favorite anytime salad.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 246kcal

Ingredients

1 small cabbage shredded and chopped
1 large carrot shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
⅛ teaspoon pepper more or less to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core from each side.
Using a sharp knife cut the cabbage in very thin slices, then chop the slices into small pieces. Place the prepared cabbage in a large mixing bowl.
You can use a food processor to slice or shred the cabbage, or you can also use a box grater to shred the cabbage and carrot.
Personally, I prefer the box grater method but my wife doesn't like it that fine.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth and creamy.
Pour the slaw dressing over the cabbage and carrots. Thoroughly mix to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cole slaw is always better after sitting for a day, make sure to mix the slaw a few times as it sits in the fridge.

Notes

you can buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage, but I’m not fond of the taste that the preservative gives the cabbage.
you can also buy cole slaw dressing, but none will taste as good as my homemade slaw dressing.

Nutrition

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Comments

5 from 135 votes (85 ratings without comment)

Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe