Meet my best coleslaw recipe! Made with colorful cabbage and a creamy homemade dressing, it's a perfect side dish for picnics and BBQs.
This easy coleslaw recipe is great for just about any occasion—a weeknight dinner, a summer BBQ, or a fun picnic lunch. Shredded cabbage and carrots create its colorful base, and a homemade coleslaw dressing ties the whole thing together. Crunchy, creamy, tangy, and lightly sweet, it’s one of my favorite quick side dishes. I’ve made it for countless cookouts over the last 6 years, and this creamy coleslaw recipe is always a hit!
Why You’ll Love This Coleslaw Recipe
- It’s easy to make. Just shred the veggies, mix up the dressing, and toss it all together! To make it even simpler, use store-bought coleslaw mix instead of cutting the vegetables yourself.
- You can make it ahead. I actually like this coleslaw best after it sits for an hour (or even a day) in the fridge. The dressing gets even creamier as the vegetables soften.
- The homemade dressing packs it with flavor. Mayo makes it creamy, mustard and apple cider vinegar add tang, and a little sugar gives it just the right amount of sweetness. My favorite ingredient—celery seed—adds savory flavor that takes it over the top!
Coleslaw Recipe Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this homemade coleslaw recipe!
- Green and red cabbage – They create the slaw’s crunchy base. I like to use both kinds for color, but feel free to use just one type of cabbage if you prefer. If you have napa cabbage or savoy cabbage on hand, you can use them in this recipe, but they won’t be quite as crisp as regular green or red cabbage.
- Carrots – They add earthy sweetness and bright pops of orange.
- Red onion – For savory depth of flavor.
Can I use pre-shredded coleslaw mix?
Yes, pre-shredded coleslaw mix works well in place of the carrots, cabbage, and onion in this recipe. I prefer the juicier texture of freshly shredded veggies, but if you’re short on time, a store-bought mix is a great way to simplify.
My Homemade Coleslaw Dressing
In addition to the veggies, you’ll need these ingredients for the creamy, tangy coleslaw dressing:
- Mayonnaise – It creates the dressing’s creamy base.
- Apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard – For tangy flavor.
- Sugar – It balances the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard. For a naturally sweetened option, substitute maple syrup.
- Celery seed – I think celery seed is the secret ingredient that takes this recipe over the top! It adds a unique savory flavor that pairs so well with the light sweetness of the dressing. That said, I’ve also made this recipe without it, and it still tastes great. If you can’t find it, feel free to skip.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Coleslaw
Making this coleslaw recipe couldn’t be easier! Here’s what you need to do:
1. First, make the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
2. Next, prep the veggies. Shred the red and green cabbage using a sharp knife, or thinly slice them with a mandoline slicer. To do this, first cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then cut the halves into wedges. Thinly slice the wedges crosswise so that they come apart into thin shreds.
Thinly slice the onion, and julienne the carrots or shred them on the large holes of a box grater.
3. Toss the slaw together. Place the shredded carrots, onion, and cabbage (or coleslaw mix) in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss well to coat.
4. Season to taste and serve right away, or better yet, chill the slaw for an hour before serving. The cabbage will soften slightly and the flavors will meld. Delicious!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this classic coleslaw recipe as a side dish at summer potlucks and barbecues. It pairs well with these recipes:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- Black Bean Burgers
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches (a plant-based spin on pulled pork!)
I also love to pack this creamy coleslaw for picnics. It’s fantastic with a Caprese sandwich, chickpea salad sandwich, or egg salad sandwich. Don’t forget the brownies for dessert!
How to Store and Make Ahead
You can make this homemade coleslaw up to 2 days ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Give it a good stir and taste before serving. I sometimes find that I need to pep up the flavors with a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of salt.
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The vegetables will gradually lose their crunch as they sit.
More BBQ Side Salads to Try
If you love this easy coleslaw recipe, try one of these classic BBQ side salads next:
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Best Potato Salad
- Easy Macaroni Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Easy Creamy Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, slightly scant
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon celery seeds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or shredded on the large holes of a box grater
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- Make the coleslaw dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery seeds, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Make the coleslaw. In a large bowl, toss together the green and red cabbage, carrots, and onion. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the cabbage to soften and the flavors to meld.
Easy to make and delicious. Perfect picnic or BBQ addition.
Hi Jen, so glad you love the recipe!
Easy, classic and delicious!
Hi Bethany, I’m so glad you love it!
To preface this, I am not a huge coleslaw person. But this coleslaw – this coleslaw may have just converted me! It is the perfect balance of creamy and fresh, and I absolutely loved the seasonings! It was just so quick and easy to throw together, I’ll certainly be using this as a summer side dish more often!
I’m so glad you loved it, Adelaide!
Hi there. I am excited to make your creamy cole slaw recipe. When I increased the recipe to 16 servings all of the ingredients increased in amount except for the mayonnaise. Am I still supposed to just add 3/4 of a cup of mayo to the dressing when I am multiplying servings?
Hi Michelle, sorry about that! The reason the mayo didn’t increase is because we have “scant” in that measurement, which prevents our program from scaling the value. I would multiply the mayo by 4x to serve 16, using a scant 3 cups.
I think this is my favorite coleslaw recipe! It is super creamy and is the perfect balance of sweet, salty and a little tart. I especially like the addition of celery seed. I also added chives and some tarragon from my garden. Perfect summer side!
I wasn’t sure about the maple syrup but it tasted great. We used it in a wrap with barbecue chicken. It was great!!
This recipe came at a perfect time – I just made a seitan chickpea roast and needed a slaw for bbq pulled “pork” sandwiches. I skipped the purple cabbage and used all green cabbage because it’s what I had, and used my homemade vegan cashew mayo. It was perfect, thank you!
I made this recipe yesterday for an impromptu family cookout. I used radicchio instead of red cabbage bc I had it on hand. It turned out great and I will be making it again!
I just made this for a barbecue potluck this afternoon and it’s great! It’s going to be my go-to slaw!
Can chives be used instead of scallions? I have such an abundance in my garden
yep!
Love this recipe! So simple and delicious. Used bagged coleslaw to save time.
So glad you loved it!
I love the simplicity of this recipe. It is straight forward and ingredients are on hand or easily found at the market . Substituting ingredients is also a great option. Thank you.
So glad you love the recipe, Kathy!
So made the creamy coleslaw today and hubby is serving it with chicken kiev tonight..Looking forward to it ..First taste was delicious
So glad you enjoyed the first bite, Angela! I hope you love it with your meal too. 🙂
I love the VERY FINE shredding of red cabbage and carrots . Love vegan Mayo ,. However I will use Balsamic vinegar or seasoned sweet vinegar to add sweetness to this . This can stay with dressing for 2-3 days in fridge .
I don’t usually love coleslaw but I came out pretty well. I added extra mustard, as I love that taste! Thanks for helping try something different!
Glad you enjoyed it, Rosie!
So I have made this recipe 3 times now. I love it. I am the type of cook that does not measure anything but it doesn’t seem to matter, it always works out and it’s always delicious. I will say that I LOVE the taste of celery seed so I probably put 2 tablespoons in a large bowl. In any case, this recipe reminds me of my late Mother’s. Cheers 🙂
Look’s wonderful
I have been using this recipe for a few years now and love it!! I scale back to 1/4 tsp. celery seeds as otherwise I find it brings bitterness ti the coleslaw.
So glad you love the recipe, Phoebe!
You can use celery stalks …sliced thin..
Omg i looooove this coleslaw!!! I usually make my own mayo, but i was lazy today. Used kewpie. Worked really well!
Hi Marcelo, I bet the kewpie was amazing (and that the homemade mayo is too!). So glad you love the recipe!
Great tasting creamy dressing for coleslaw.
Can you substitute Plain Greek yogurt for the mayo?
Hi Vivian, you could! It won’t have quite the same flavor, but it will still make a great creamy dressing.