Just a great, creamy, traditional Coleslaw recipe with a terrific homemade Coleslaw dressing. Everything you want, none of the unnecessary extras. A staple for that’s even better the next day!
For a healthier version with no mayo, make this Cole slaw with a Creamy Yogurt Coleslaw Dressing (it’s so good!).
Coleslaw recipe in a snap
- Type of cabbage for Coleslaw – green cabbage is the classic. Red cabbage is great too (but will bleed colour slightly), savoy and Napa cabbage can also be used.
- How long does Coleslaw last? Up to 5 days in the fridge.
- What’s in Coleslaw Dressing? Mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, vinegar, mustard, celery salt and sugar.
- Why does my Coleslaw get watery? Because you didn’t use enough dressing. The Dressing extracts water from the cabbage which thins the dressing. You need to start with plenty of thick Coleslaw Dressing which is then thinned out when the cabbage wilts and leeches water.
- How much Coleslaw to make per person? 1/2 a head of cabbage will make enough for 10 people as a side for a meal, or 15 people at a large gathering with plenty of other food on the buffet. So for 100 people, you will need 5 heads of cabbage as a side for a meal, or 3 1/2 heads as part of a larger buffet.
A great Coleslaw doesn’t need a ton of ingredients.
All you need is cabbage, carrot and a terrific Coleslaw dressing for this summertime classic. Along with Macaroni Salad and Caprese Salad, this is the salad we take to gatherings, that we lay out on buffets – because we know it’s a sure thing!
It lasts for days in the fridge so we have a great standby side for dinners and quick additions to lunchboxes. A traditional Coleslaw recipe is a classic that will never go out of fashion!
Coleslaw dressing
I’m a firm believer that Coleslaw should be JUICY. Just like it’s served up at KFC and other popular takeout chains. And juicy means plenty of dressing!
I like BUT if you just load up your dressing with tons of mayo, it weighs it down with too much fat, making the Cole slaw excessively rich and soaking the cabbage to the point of being soggy mush.
So I like to make plenty of dressing with a combination of both mayonnaise and sour cream, plus mustard and celery salt for flavour, and vinegar to cut through the richness.
Why does my Coleslaw get watery?
Most likely because you are not using enough dressing. Coleslaw is meant to be set aside to wilt before serving, during which time water is extracted from the cabbage which thins the dressing.
So you need to ensure there’s enough Dressing otherwise your Coleslaw becomes watery!
Key Tip: Give it time
To achieve that perfect Coleslaw texture, it needs time to soften so you don’t have stiff prints of cabbage poking out all over the place. At least 20 minutes, better at 2 hours or overnight.
The salt and sugar in the dressing draws out the moisture from the cabbage, thinning out the rich dressing and making the Coleslaw ultra juicy, as well as giving time for the flavours to meld.
Serve this with BBQ Pulled Pork (make sliders!), BBQ Brisket or these terrific sticky Country-Style Chicken Thighs with a side of steamed corn for a summer cookout indoors! – Nagi x
MORE SUMMER SALADS to take to gatherings
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Potato Salad and Lemon Potato Salad
- Pearl Couscous Salad <– personal fave!
- Macaroni Pasta Salad
- Wild Rice Salad <– reader fave!
- 12 Minute Sun Dried Tomato Couscous Salad
- Browse all Pasta Salads and Rice Salad
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 7 cups green cabbage , finely shredded (Note 1)
- 1 medium carrot , shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Dressing
- 1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise (or other whole egg mayo)
- 1/2 cup sour cream or yoghurt, full fat is best
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or sub with white wine vinegar)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 3/4 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tso black pepper
Instructions
- Mix Dressing ingredients together.
- Place cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Pour over Dressing, toss well. Set aside for at least 20 minutes before serving, preferably 2 hours - this will make the cabbage go limp as it should, and also draw moisture out of the cabbage and carrot to thin out the dressing. Overnight is even better!
- Toss well before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Add chopped or sliced onions
Add shallots/scallions finely sliced on the diagonal
Swap out some of the green cabbage for red cabbage (love the colour)
Granny smith apples cut into batons (YUM that would be fantastic!) 4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings.
Nutrition
LIFE OF DOZER
Flashback: when he was a puppy and couldn’t get down stairs….
I made this with your brisket recipe and it was a huge hit! Wonderful and creamy :).
A perfect combo!!
I plan on trying this in the future. I noticed a typo on the last ingredient: 1/4 “tso” black pepper….I think you mean “tsp”
You don’t need to post this comment as I just wanted to bring this to your attention. Have been enjoying the recipes I’ve tried. Thank you for sharing…and Happy Holidays!
Thanks so much, I’ll have this changed!
Thank you Nagi, This really is a classic delicious coleslaw. Yummy!!!
Thanks so much Claire
Hi Nagi, love most of your recipes and have been cooking up a storm since your newsletters began arriving. Love the newsletters too. It is like being in the kitchen with you. Happy Christmas to youcandvyours and a big hug for Dozer.😊
Hello Nagi,
Thank you for the recipe! I’m just wondering what type of tool you use to shred your cabbage so finely. I have a food processor, but I don’t usually like to take it out and set it up – kind of a hassle. Is there a manual tool that’s easy?
Hi Cynthia! to be honest I just cut it by hand. I find because cabbage is “self stacked” with lots and lots of layers, I find it easy to cut loads with a knife! What I do is cut the cabbage in half lengthwise so the strands will be the length I want, then I finely slice. To make it easier, sometimes I take the middle of the cabbage out so you can flatten a thick wad of the outer layers making it even easier to cut 🙂 N x
Thanks so much!😊
Absolutely delicious cole slaw, and this is before fridge time even! Added a quarter onion mince, since it was on the island, and subbed caraway for celery seed, since that’s what was available. Can’t wait to try this on the pulled pork sliders soon … ugh, slow cooker, so slow …. Oh, and the home made rolls are risen now, just need some oven time. A perfect Sunday, thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Christopher!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
NAGI my hero, YOU are the best, my family and I never ever last coleslaw that super great, planing to put this up next party, no more store bough ever again, easy simple great taste. Go with your slow cook brisket perfect ( I think I have cooked this meal countless).
Thank you so much.
You’re making my head swell Ai!! 😂 Glad you enjoyed it! N x
I am a little confused (very unusual because your recipes are VERY easy to understand) about the timing. I have a friend who believes that coleslaw is better after several days, but I think it just tastes old, watery and flavorless. You say: “Place cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Pour over Dressing, toss well. Set aside for at least 20 minutes before serving – this will make the cabbage go limp as it should, and also draw moisture out of the cabbage and carrot to thin out the dressing. Overnight is even better!” But then you also say: “MAKE AHEAD: For the Coleslaw, place carrot and cabbage in a ziplock bag, squeeze out excess air then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Make the dressing and store in the fridge separately. Coleslaw tends to get watery after a few hours so it’s best made fresh.” Which is it? I have to make a very large amount for a church function, and I want it to be great. I thought I’d have to mix it up the day of the event because I want it to taste fresh, but would it be better if I mixed it the day before? Thank you so much!!!
VERY poorly worded on my part! I’ve tidied it up. It’s great for 2 days, and beyond that keep the components separate 🙂 Thanks for picking that up! N cc
Thank you so much for your quick reply and clarification. I LOVE your site!! I’ve learned so much from you and you’ve made me a hero at home!!! You are the best!!💖💖