This tangy, easy coleslaw recipe is just begging to be your next picnic side dish or barbecue topper.
This Easy Coleslaw Recipe Belongs in Your Recipe Box
Updated on May 17, 2024
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
Creamy ColeslawThis creamy coleslaw recipe is rich, tangy and sweet. It’s the perfect partner for barbecue, but it tastes just as good as a topping for tacos or a meaty sandwich.
The 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.
Nutty Broccoli SlawThis super-easy, veggie-packed ramen coleslaw is a special side dish for barbecues, potlucks or any quick meal.
The 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 SlawGive ordinary coleslaw a "berry" tangy twist. It's sure to get raves at your next picnic or potluck. —Deborah Biggs, Omaha, Nebraska
Sometimes 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.
Farmhouse Apple ColeslawCreamy, crunchy, crispy and refreshing—this apple slaw may just be the perfect coleslaw!
Crisp apple offers a nice contrast to shredded cabbage in this coleslaw. Raisins add sweetness, but you can also leave them out.
Copycat KFC ColeslawWho needs the drive-thru? This KFC coleslaw recipe is the perfect copycat recipe when you’re craving that signature sweet-and-tangy flavor and creamy dressing.
Thanks 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.
Spectacular Overnight SlawTo come up with this dish, I used a number of different recipes, plus some ideas of my own. It's great for a potluck because it's made the night before and the flavor keeps getting better. Whenever I serve it, I'm inundated with recipe requests. —Ruth Lovett, Bay City, Texas
Like 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.
Island Mango SlawThe cooling effect of tropical fruit and Greek yogurt meets jalapeno spice in this snappy mango slaw. To ensure ripeness, you may want to buy your mango a day or two ahead. —Jenn Hall, Collingswood, New Jersey
Savoy 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.
Campers’ ColeslawCrispy and crunchy, this old family slaw recipe makes a refreshing side dish for picnics and parties. —Kimberly Wallace, Dennison, Ohio
A 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.
Coleslaw with Poppy Seed DressingThis is the kind of salad you can keep in the fridge for a couple days and it just gets better. I just add the sunflower seeds before serving to keep the crunch. —Trisha Kruse, Eagle, Idaho
If 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.
Macaroni ColeslawMy friend Peggy brought this coleslaw to one of our picnics, and everyone liked it so much, we all had to have the recipe. —Sandra Matteson, Westhope, North Dakota
A 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.
Fiesta ColeslawMexican coleslaw captures everything you love about classic coleslaw, with a sweet and spicy twist. It’s perfect as a side dish or a topping for tacos and burrito bowls.
When 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.
Kale Slaw Spring SaladMy parents and in-laws are retired and like to spend winters in Florida. This tangy spring salad welcomes the snowbirds back for our Easter celebration! —Jennifer Gilbert, Brighton, Michigan
Move 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.
Jicama SlawThis jicama slaw is a nice change of pace from traditional cabbage coleslaw. The jicama adds a sweet, nutty flavor and lots of extra crunch.
Instead 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.
Summertime SlawAs a change from mayonnaise-laden slaw, I created this refreshing alternative. It uses many of the garden vegetables I grow, so it's also economical. I serve it at our family reunion each Fourth of July, and it's always a big hit at get-togethers. —Sharon Payne, Mayfield, Kentucky
A 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!
Caraway Coleslaw with Citrus MayonnaiseThe combination of caraway and orange keeps this slaw from being anything but run-of-the-mill. I always get requests to bring a big batch to potlucks; proof positive that it's a keeper! I also like to make it a day ahead so the flavors can truly blend. —Lily Julow, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Caraway 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.
Zesty ColeslawThis simple slaw tastes best when it's refrigerated for at least one hour. The mixture seems to get creamier as it sits. —Michelle Gauer, Spicer, Minnesota
Bell 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.
