Seriously Good Homemade Coleslaw

My favorite homemade coleslaw recipe with the most delicious creamy dressing. This coleslaw is quick and easy to make. It is even easy to make in advance. Jump to the Easy Coleslaw Recipe or watch our quick recipe video showing you how we make it.

Watch how we the recipe

How to make the best coleslaw

This coleslaw recipe is packed with fresh, lively flavors that wake up anything you serve it with. Try this as a topping to sandwiches, served next to ultra-savory meats, like braised beef or pulled pork. Or mound some on top of your next hot dog or hamburger.

You won’t believe how easy coleslaw is to make at home. Here are my best tips for making it.

What is the best cabbage to use?

I love using a combination of red and green cabbage when I make coleslaw. It makes the dish really pretty. You can use just one variety, though. Try green cabbage, red cabbage, savoy cabbage or Napa cabbage.

How to cut cabbage for coleslaw

Whatever type of cabbage you choose, the way to prepare them are generally the same. Here’s how to do it:

1. Remove any tattered or bruised outer leaves.
2. Cut the cabbage into quarters, and then cut out the core.
3. Slice the cabbage quarters into thin shreds. You can hand shred with a knife (like in the photos below), use a mandoline or use your food processor shredding attachment.

Recipe shortcut: use bagged coleslaw mix

As an alternative, you can buy bags of pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix. They usually range between 10 and 16 ounces, so you may need a couple of bags for our recipe.

Replace the cabbage and carrot called for in our recipe with your favorite store-bought bag. We have even seen bagged coleslaw mixes that include shredded broccoli stems (delicious) and other vegetables if you’re in the mood to try something a little bit different.

My favorite coleslaw dressing

Our favorite coleslaw dressing is quick to make and calls for simple ingredients. It’s creamy, flavorful, and fresh.

Mayonnaise is the base and makes the dressing creamy. When we have a batch in our fridge, we love to use homemade mayonnaise.

Apple cider vinegar adds a fresh and zesty note to the dressing. You can substitute other kinds of vinegar like red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.

Dijon mustard adds extra flavor and a bit of spice.

Celery seeds taste like mild celery and really do add that “something-something” to the dressing. Their flavor is mild, so if you aren’t a celery fan, I’d still recommend using at least some of the celery seeds called for in the recipe.

Salt and pepper are a must and bring the flavors in the dressing together.

We don’t add any sugar. Some coleslaw recipes call for sugar. For our tastes, the cabbage and carrots are sweet enough. If you disagree, add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the dressing before mixing with the cabbage and carrot.

Adding the dressing

When you’re ready to mix up your coleslaw, don’t just dump in the whole bowl of dressing. Instead, start with about two-thirds, give everything a stir and then see just how much more dressing you feel your coleslaw needs.

If you decide it’s perfect the way it is, don’t throw away that leftover coleslaw dressing! Keep it in the fridge (it will last for days, if not weeks). Use it as a spread for sandwiches, a dip for vegetables or sauce for meats and roasted or grilled vegetables.

Make ahead tips

Coleslaw is easy to make in advance. The vegetables can be shredded a day or two in advance and kept in a resealable bag in the refrigerator.

As for the dressing, mix it up and store covered in the refrigerator for weeks. Combine the cabbage, carrots and dressing the night before or day of serving — we like the crunch of the vegetables to still be present. The longer the cabbage sits in the coleslaw dressing, the softer and less crunchy it will become.

What our readers are saying

If you don’t believe that our recipe helps you achieve the best coleslaw from scratch, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.

“This is seriously the best coleslaw I have ever made or tasted.” – Judy

“Wow, fantastic slaw!” – Bryant

“Amazing! I wanted to eat the whole bowl!” – Caitlin

More cabbage recipes

• For a mayonnaise-free coleslaw, try our Mayo-Free Cilantro Lime Coleslaw Salad.
• This Warm Cabbage and Apple Salad has red cabbage, apples, pecans, and a simple apple cider dressing.
• For an easy side dish, try our Sauteed Lemon Garlic Cabbage or our Bacon Fried Cabbage.
• If you have leftover cabbage, use it to make this Ham and Cabbage Soup or add it to Homemade Vegetable Soup (I love cabbage in soups).

Recipe updated, originally posted January 2015. Since posting this in 2015, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne