Easy Coleslaw Recipe and Dressing

Green cabbage is the star in this easy coleslaw recipe. With just three fresh ingredients and a light, creamy dressing, this homemade slaw is crisp, crunchy, and clean-tasting. If you've written off coleslaw as heavy or gloppy, this fresh version will change your mind. It's a perfect make-ahead side dish, too. Bonus: I've included 7 tasty variations so you'll never get bored with coleslaw.

This easy coleslaw recipe is the classic warm-weather salad for everything on your summer menu, from grilled chicken and seafood to pulled pork, tacos, and burgers. Cabbage is budget-friendly, crisp, and packed with nutrients, and making coleslaw from scratch lets you control the ingredients. No refined sugar, questionable oils, preservatives, or heavy-handed dressing-just fresh, crunchy slaw with clean flavor.

↓ Recipe

• Easy Coleslaw Recipe Highlights
• Recipe Ingredients
• Substitutions and Variations
• How to Make Coleslaw
• Serving Suggestions
• Make Ahead & Storage
• Creative Coleslaw Add-Ins and Variations
• More Terrific Salad Recipes
• ⭐️Did You Make This Coleslaw?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Easy Coleslaw Recipe Highlights

• Simple ingredients - Just three fresh ingredients plus a light, creamy dressing.
• Perfect summer side - Serve it with grilled chicken, seafood, pulled pork, tacos, burgers, and more.
• Make-ahead friendly - Prep the cabbage and carrots ahead, then dress the slaw closer to serving for the best crunch.

For another terrific summer salad, try this lemony Mediterranean pasta salad with so many good flavors.

Recipe Ingredients

Just 3 simple ingredients make the best, easy coleslaw recipe dressed with a creamy coleslaw dressing.

Coleslaw

• Cabbage: Green cabbage is classi and always available at the store. Skip the bags of coleslaw mix as it's usually not as fresh as homemade, plus bagged stuff carries it's own issues.
• Carrots: Standard orange carrots add color, crunch, and sweetness.
• Herbs: Parsley keeps it fresh and simple. Use the Italian parsley for best flavor, or cilantro.

Coleslaw Dressing

• Mayonnaise: Use your favorite light tasting mayo. Remember to look in the refrigerated dairy area as well as on the shelf.
• Sour cream: Either dairy or dairy-free for vegan.
• Sweetener: Honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or keto honey with monk fruit all work.
• Mustard: Whole grain Dijon mustard for flavor and texture but the creamy Dijon works too (or use both).
• Prepared horseradish: Adds a little kick and flavor complexity.
• Vinegar: Use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar for a little tang in the coleslaw dressing.
• Celery seed: A little celery seed adds a great savory flavor undertone.

Please see the recipe card for measurements and quantities.

For another classic creamy dressing, try my homemade Caesar salad dressing.

Substitutions and Variations

• Add shallot - A little finely chopped shallot adds gentle onion flavor and extra texture.
• Use more cabbage varieties - Add thinly sliced purple cabbage for color, or Napa cabbage for a softer, lighter texture.
• Choose your pepper - White pepper blends into the dressing more quietly, while black pepper gives a little speckled look and sharper bite.
• Add fresh herbs - Tarragon is lovely, mint is refreshing, and dill is terrific with cabbage.

For another fun and colorful Asian inspired coleslaw salad with a cream almond butter dressing.

How to Make Coleslaw

There are two options on cutting cabbage for coleslaw: slice the cabbage by hand with a large chef's knife, or using the slicing blade in a food processor. Let me show you how to make this big green round head more manageable.

Slicing Cabbage by Hand

Trim a thin slice from the core end of the cabbage so it sits flat. Stand the cabbage on the flat end and cut it in half from top to bottom. Cut each half in half again to make quarters, then trim out the core. Lay each quarter flat on a cutting board and slice crosswise into very thin ribbons with a sharp chef's knife.

Slicing Cabbage With a Food Processor

Depending on the size of the food processor feed tube, cut the cabbage quarters in half again so they fit into the feed tube. Insert the thin slicing blade, put the cabbage chunks into the feed tube, sliced side down, and process through. If there are any bigger pieces of core, remove them.

To finish the coleslaw, grate the carrots by hand or in the food processor with the grating blade. Chop the parsley by hand. Add everything to a large bowl and toss together.

Serving Suggestions

This easy coleslaw recipe is a crisp, refreshing side for anything barbecued or grilled, from chicken and ribs to seafood. It's terrific with burgers, tucked into tacos, or piled onto a pulled pork sandwich.

Make it a bowl: Fill a shallow bowl with coleslaw as the base, then top with sliced grilled lemon chicken for an easy low-carb meal. It's versatile, customizable, and easy to change up with the flavor variations below.

To keep coleslaw healthy, don't over do the dressing. Start by adding less than you think it needs as you can always add more versus over-dressing it.

Make Ahead & Storage

Coleslaw is a terrific make-ahead recipe. Slice the cabbage, grate the carrots, and chop the fresh herbs up to 1 day ahead, then refrigerate them in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the best crunch, toss the vegetables with the dressing just before serving, or up to a few hours ahead.

Store leftover coleslaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within a few days. The lighter it is dressed, the less likely it is to get soggy.

Creative Coleslaw Add-Ins and Variations

Try these fun and tasty variations.

• Mexican-style coleslaw - Swap cilantro for parsley, add a squeeze of lime juice, and toss in sliced jalapeños. Thinly sliced red or orange bell peppers, radishes, and a pinch of cumin in the dressing are great too.
• Colorful coleslaw - Add thinly sliced red cabbage plus red and yellow bell peppers for extra crunch and color.
• Pineapple coleslaw - Add finely chopped pineapple, drained if juicy, plus sliced green onions. Stir a little ginger purée into the dressing, and finish with a sprinkle of shredded coconut for crunch.
• Middle Eastern-style coleslaw - Skip the Dijon and add rose harissa, ground cumin, and smoked paprika to the dressing.
• Vegan coleslaw - Use vegan sour cream, egg-free mayonnaise, and maple syrup, agave, or keto syrup.
• Apple slaw - Add julienned Granny Smith apple for tart crunch.
• Napa cabbage slaw - Substitute Napa cabbage for half of the green cabbage for a lighter, softer texture.

More Terrific Salad Recipes

Looking for more salad recipe ideas? Check out the salad recipe index for lots of tasty options.

⭐️Did You Make This Coleslaw?

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