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!) OR try the RecipeTin No Mayo Coleslaw.
Coleslaw recipe in a snap
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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.
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How long does Coleslaw last? Up to 5 days in the fridge.
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What’s in Coleslaw Dressing? Mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, vinegar, mustard, celery salt and sugar.
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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 leaches water.
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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!
- Wild Rice Salad <– reader fave!
- 12 Minute Sun Dried Tomato Couscous Salad
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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 Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Flashback: when he was a puppy and couldn’t get down stairs….
Why no metric in this recipe? Or am I going mad!!
Your cole slaw recipe is perfect! Very tasty and still crunchy. I loved your video. This is possibly the 100th recipe I’ve made from your website. I love all your cooking and so do my sisters!
one of the best cole slaw recipes ever. I used sugar substitute due to diabetes and it was still fantastic.
Seemed like a lot of dressing but it turned out great. Used 1/4cup sour cream 1/4cup greek yoghurt 1/2cup mayo as that’s what was in the fridge.
Great results 1hr later but even better next day as promised.
Nagi ~ Your coleslaw is great. I did add two different ingredients, well actually one. Honey was used in place of sugar and red cabbage, made the appearance delightful.
PLEASE JUST PUT KYM FOR MY NAME!!! MISTAKE! THANKKS!
Had Yuzu mayo and needed to use it so it came out a bit citrus based and I also added a teaspoon of lemon juice. I used it with Korean BBQ sauce brisket sandwich. Interesting and good!
Super good…Nagi I had to add pineapple…..Ohhhh….my!!! Yum…. 🙂
Hi Nagi and Team. I’ve never been satisfied with store bought coleslaw dressing so, am looking forward to making this one.
Just wondering how you shred the cabbage and carrots so finely?
Have a wonderful day!!
I have just made this with red cabbage, an apple, red onion and sultanas. Your dressing is so tasty. It all makes a lovely side salad to go with your recipes for pork ribs with bar b q sauce!
Ran out of dressing and decided to check if you had a recipe. Didn’t disappoint. So tasty and easy to put together. I don’t think I will buy coleslaw dressing again. Thank you!
This coleslaw recipe is da bomb!! It’s winter here in Germany so this salad is high on my rotation right now. My only criticism is please Nagi, can you write recipes with dry measurements first followed by wet so I can reuse my measuring spoons. (I’ve actually rewritten the dressing from this recipe and I’ve stuck it on my kitchen wall where I prep, that’s how often I make this!! 😁😁)
This rating is for the dressing.
Neither my partner nor I have historically liked coleslaw, but we needed a quick and easy dressing for some precut broccoli slaw.
So good!! Nagi, you’ve changed both of our minds on coleslaw, and we’re excited for the leftovers!
Ooh, never thought to repurpose this dressing!!! Such a great idea. 😁😁
The best!
Personally, I’m not a fan of vinegar flavour but this recipe is so good that you can’t taste the vinegar much. We prefer a tiny less mayo than the recipe.
It was so good that I took it to work and made my team try a bit. Everyone loved it. One came back for more and wanted the recipe.
Delicious!
Also, the Aldi coleslaw mix is really good. We tried fresh and it didn’t taste as good as the Aldi mix. Highly recommend.
I rate this the best coleslaw dressing ever. It’s truly great.
This coleslaw recipe is bomb! It’s so gooood. I used a different brand of mustard and also a plain vinegar since I don’t have apple cider vinegar. Still worked well. This will surely be in my go-to side dishes! 🙂 Thank you, Nagi!!!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! I added a squeeze of lemon juice for a nice fresh tanginess too. Yum! Thank you, Nagi!
I’ve been making this coleslaw for a while now and it is amazing!!!! Just made a batch using a newly opened jar of Masterfoods Celery Salt Blend and it is so salty it’s made the whole thing inedible 😖. Just thought I’d let this community know to either steer clear of the brand or add to taste as 3/4 tsp of that one is way too much!
OMG Nagi! This the best coldslaw I have ever made! Not only is it really pretty with the red bell pepper, the dressing is absolutely perfect! I used spring onion and a jalapeno for a tiny kick! You have always been my hero when it comes to the kitchen and you shall away be!
Seriously good, Nagi. You NEVER disappoint. Delicious – and no sugar! Just a little honey – less than a teaspoon. A keeper – as are ALL your recipes. x