This tangy, easy coleslaw recipe is just begging to be your next picnic side dish or barbecue topper.
You’ll never see an authentic barbecue restaurant or bustling church fish fry without it. Coleslaw is a staple side dish and for good reason. It’s fast and easy to prepare and adds a light crispness to many of your favorite hearty dishes. Once you master this easy coleslaw recipe, it’s easy to customize it with your favorite add-ins like spicy jalapenos, tart berries or crispy bacon bits for starters.
Styles of Coleslaw Recipes
There are so many ways to spice up this backyard barbecue favorite; here are a few of our favorites.
Vinegar coleslaw: This classic coleslaw recipe keeps things simple with ingredients like cabbage, carrots and vinegar, plus sugar for the dressing. The sweet, tangy slaw is the perfect complement to a heavier dish like tangy pulled pork sandwiches or Texas-style beef brisket.
Creamy coleslaw: To make creamy slaw, start with vinegar slaw as a base and mix in mayonnaise. Try pairing your creamy slaw with crispy fish tacos for a crisp bite with out-of-this-world flavor. Keep scrolling for our easiest creamy slaw recipe ever.
Red coleslaw: Red slaw gets its creaminess not from mayo but from ketchup. Red slaw is a Louisiana favorite so try serving it as a side dish with Creole jambalaya.
Tips on Selecting Ingredients
When choosing ingredients, save yourself a step by buying chopped cabbage and shredded carrots; this will cut your prep time in half. Look for a mix of green and red cabbage for a vibrant, colorful dish.
Once you remove your chopped cabbage from its bag (or chop your own), pat it dry with a paper towel. The less moisture in the cabbage before you start, the crunchier your slaw will be. To really get a serious crunch, toss the cabbage with salt and allow it to sit for about an hour. Then use a paper towel to wring out the excess moisture.
Essential Tools You’ll Need
Prevent your coleslaw from becoming overly soggy by serving it with a quality slotted spoon ($6). The longer your cabbage and carrot sit in the dressing, the soggier they’ll become. That’s why it’s important to remove excess liquid when serving.
Keep your coleslaw prep easy peasy when you choose a beautiful mixing bowl ($17) that can double as a serving bowl. Look for a large bowl with interesting colors and patterns that will pop on the picnic table.
If you have leftover coleslaw, keep it as fresh as possible with a salad saver container ($15). It comes with a built-in strainer to remove excess water, keeping your coleslaw crunchy and party-ready.
How to Make Easy Coleslaw
Taste of Home
Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded cabbage
- 3 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Finely chop the cabbage and shred the carrots. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and carrots.
Step 2: Make the dressing
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Whisk until combined.
Step 3: Combine ingredients
Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon.
Pro tip:Let this recipe sit for a few hours, or overnight to help the flavors meld together.
Tips for Storage
Let’s be honest; coleslaw is not exactly an all-star leftover. The crisp vegetables become limp and soggy over time, robbing you of that tangy bite you crave. Keep coleslaw in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days and drain the excess water before serving. Soggy coleslaw also makes a great sandwich topper.
To preserve your coleslaw in advance, salt the cabbage before preparing to keep it fresh. Be sure to refrigerate your slaw once it’s been sitting out for two hours.
How to Make a Healthy Coleslaw
To boost the health factor of your coleslaw, stick with a simple vinegar slaw to avoid extra fat and calories from mayo. Add extra nutrients with more veggies like broccoli slaw, chopped Brussels sprouts and spiralized zucchini.
For sweetness, mix in dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries. Fresh herbs like cilantro or basil can add big flavor and health benefits. To get an extra crunch, add nuts, seeds or toasted quinoa.
Nutrition Facts
Our creamy coleslaw recipe has 177 calories, 8 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein per serving.
Get Creative with This Crunch Side Dish
1 / 24
Creamy ColeslawThe best place to start is with a classic creamy coleslaw. Make the dressing with both mayo and sour cream, plus dried mustard, sugar and salt. It’s super easy, whether you use bagged coleslaw mix or shred cabbage yourself.
Go to Recipe
Nutty Broccoli SlawThe beauty of a slaw is its versatility and ability to take on any number of ingredients. This one starts out as a broccoli slaw, but gets added flavor and crunch from onions, almonds, sunflower kernels and crushed ramen noodles. The dressing is a simple olive oil and cider vinegar blend.
Ruby Raspberry SlawSometimes all it takes is one extra ingredient to give ordinary coleslaw some pizzazz. In this case, it’s a tangy raspberry vinaigrette and fresh berries.
Go to Recipe
Farmhouse Apple ColeslawCrisp apple offers a nice contrast to shredded cabbage in this coleslaw. Raisins add sweetness, but you can also leave them out.
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Copycat KFC ColeslawThanks to its buttermilk and mayo dressing, this sweet and tangy coleslaw is a perfect side dish for fried chicken and biscuits. Grate the cabbage by hand for best and freshest consistency, but you can certainly use bagged coleslaw mix in a pinch.
Go to Recipe
Red Cabbage SlawRed cabbage can sometimes turn creamy coleslaws pink, but when used on its own with a vinegar-based dressing, it stays crips and vibrant. Pile this sweet slaw high on slow-cooker pulled pork sandwiches.
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Spectacular Overnight SlawLike a lot of great salads, the flavors in this coleslaw get even better when you let them meld overnight. There’s a lot of savoriness in this one: shredded cabbage, thinly sliced onion, sweet bell peppers, pimento-stuffed olives and a mustardy dressing.
Go to Recipe
Mom’s Chopped ColeslawButtermilk is a classic addition to coleslaw dressing, favored for its tanginess and zest. Serve this chopped slaw with a good old-fashioned Friday fish fry, at your summer potluck parties or any time.
Go to Recipe
Island Mango SlawSavoy cabbage is a type of cabbage with softer, frilly leaves that lends well to a coleslaw like this one. There’s fresh mango in both the slaw and the dressing, which gets a kick of heat from jalapeno. Before you get started, learn how to peel a mango with out any special equipment.
Go to Recipe
Campers’ ColeslawA good basic crunchy coleslaw should be in everyone’s repertoire. You can shred the cabbage or run it over a box grater for a choppier consistency. Because it isn’t creamy, this is a great recipe for picnics and outdoor potlucks.
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Coleslaw with Poppy Seed DressingIf you prepare poppy seed coleslaw ahead of time, make sure to leave the sunflower seeds off until you’re ready to serve. Add those just before it hits the table so they stay crunchy and add texture.
Go to Recipe
Macaroni ColeslawA coleslaw that doubles as a macaroni salad is a great accompaniment to any barbecued rib recipes. Use traditional macaroni or other small shapes like ditalini for easier eating.
Go to Recipe
Pennsylvania Dutch ColeslawThis coleslaw may turn a bit pink since it uses both green and red cabbage, but it doesn’t change the flavor. Made with a traditional mayo-cider vinegar-sugar dressing, this one works great as a sandwich topper or as a side dish.
Go to Recipe
Pineapple ColeslawPineapple chunks add just enough sweetness to this creamy coleslaw, especially with its tangy dressing. You can easily add more cabbage or less pineapple to fit your own taste.
Go to Recipe
Fiesta ColeslawWhen you add crisp vegetables like jicama and radishes to cabbage, you get a cool and crunchy slaw that pairs with everything from smoked pork to barbecued chicken. Thanks to jalapeno and cilantro, it’s also a perfect topper for fried fish tacos.
Go to Recipe
Christmas ColeslawWith apple, cherries, almonds and mandarin oranges, it’s like a holiday in a bowl. Reserve the oranges for folding in right before serving so they don’t get too mushy.
Go to Recipe
Kale Slaw Spring SaladMove over kale salads! This slaw-salad hybrid using bagged cabbage along with the leafy greens is a welcome change of pace from everyday slaws. Toss in salty feta cheese and crunchy sunflower seeds at the table.
Go to Recipe
Blue Cheese SlawCombine carrots and green and red cabbage in a bowl, then add a tangy mustard-vinegar dressing and lots of blue cheese chunks. Let it all sit in the fridge for at least two hours before serving so the flavors meld.
Go to Recipe
Jicama SlawInstead of cabbage, let jicama add a sweet, nutty flavor to coleslaw. When buying jicama, choose one that is firm with a dry skin. It shouldn’t look too wrinkled or shriveled, and should be free of large blemishes.
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Summertime SlawA refreshing change from creamier slaws, this one uses garden vegetables like tomatoes and onions along with shredded cabbage. Sweet pickle relish is the secret ingredient to the dressing!
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Basil Dill ColeslawWhen cooking with fresh herbs, make sure they’re at peak freshness. Take the stems off of basil leaves, roll them up like a cigar and slice into thin ribbons. For fresh dill, pluck the fronds off the stems and chop. Add both right before tossing the slaw together.
Go to Recipe
Honey Mustard ColeslawSpicy brown mustard is the preferred choice for this tangy, creamy dressing, but any variety will do the trick. Bagged coleslaw mix takes a lot of the prep work out of this slaw, but you can shred your own if you have the time.
Go to Recipe
Caraway Coleslaw with Citrus MayonnaiseCaraway seeds and a citrusy, orange dressing make this coleslaw super unique. Make it a day in advance to let the flavors come together. This would taste great with grilled bratwursts or other sausages.
Go to Recipe
Taste of Home
Zesty ColeslawBell peppers add some extra zing to this creamy coleslaw. Everyone has their favorite way of cutting a bell pepper, but we like to slice off the top, pull out the seeds, cut it in half and commence slicing.
Go to Recipe
