Best Coleslaw Recipe
Posted May 17, 2020, Updated Jun 14, 2024
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The best coleslaw recipe is easy to make in under 5 minutes! This homemade coleslaw is lightened up and only sweetened with honey, and is a delicious summer BBQ side dish!
Coleslaw is a classic, refreshing summer side dish that is a must-have at every summer BBQ (and you can’t forget the pasta salad with homemade dressing or easy stovetop mac and cheese)!
This easy coleslaw recipe take 5 minutes to prepare, and is the best coleslaw ever! It’s naturally sweetened with honey and is lightly dressed with a delicious homemade coleslaw dressing (instead of being drowned in it)! Nothing beats this homemade coleslaw!
Coleslaw Recipe: Ingredients & Substituions
- Mayonnaise. There really isn’t a substitute for mayonnaise in this coleslaw recipe. You can use light mayo or homemade mayonnaise. You can also use miracle whip but it will make the coleslaw significantly sweeter.
- Honey. granulated white sugar or maple syrup can be used in place of honey.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is a great substitute for apple cider vinegar.
- Lemon Juice. I don’t recommend making a substitution for the lemon juice.
- Celery Seeds. I love the authentic flavor celery seeds impart in the coleslaw recipe. However if you’d prefer you can very finely chop celery and add it to the mix for a similar flavor, and a little more crunch.
- Coleslaw Mix. If you prefer to make your own coleslaw mix instead of buying it bagged, simply use 6 cups green cabbage, 1 cup purple cabbage, and 1 cup shredded carrots.
How to Make Coleslaw
It only takes 5 minutes to prepare this homemade coleslaw recipe! Let’s walk through the steps together, and as always don’t forget to watch the video!
Make the dressing
To make the coleslaw dressing, start by adding all the ingredients (except celery seeds) into a medium bowl.
Whisk the ingredients thoroughly until the dressing is smooth and creamy.
Add celery seeds and whisk until they are evenly distributed. Then set the coleslaw dressing aside for a moment.
Assemble the Coleslaw
Mix this homemade coleslaw recipe in halves to ensure even distribution of the dressing. Start by adding half of the coleslaw mixture in a large mixing bowl. Then, pour half of the dressing over the coleslaw in the bowl.
Next, add the rest of the coleslaw mixture and pour the rest of the dressing over it.
Then, stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Chill
Transfer the coleslaw to a serving dish, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Make your own Coleslaw mix
Finely chop 1 medium head of green cabbage (6 cups), half a head of purple cabbage (1 cup), and use 1 cup shredded carrots.
Serve
When you’re ready to serve, stir the coleslaw. Then garnish with salt, pepper, extra celery seeds, chopped onion, etc. Serve with your favorite BBQ recipes. Here are some suggestions:
- Lemon chicken kebabs and grilled BBQ Chicken.
- Feta watermelon salad, 3 bean salad and broccoli salad.
- The best hamburgers!
- Grilled flank steak
- Italian pasta salad or summer pasta salad
- Summer fruit salad
- Burrata salad
- Homemade mac and cheese
- Best Homemade Coleslaw
Store
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Homemade Coleslaw Recipe FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about this easy coleslaw recipe.
Homemade coleslaw lasts for three days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
No. Do not freeze coleslaw. It will give is a gritty texture, make it soggy and all around inedible.
I prefer to finely chop my vegetables if I don’t use a store-bought bag of coleslaw mix. You can also use a hand held shredder or food processor to shred the cabbage and carrots.
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Best Easy Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces coleslaw mix
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, salt pepper until the mixture is combined and there are no lumps.
- Add celery seeds and whisk to combine.
- Place half of the coleslaw mixture in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour half of the dressing over the coleslaw in the bowl.
- Add the rest of the coleslaw mixture and pour the rest of the dressing over it.
- Stir until combined.
- Transfer to a serving dish, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Stir, then garnish with salt, pepper, extra celery seeds, chopped onion, etc.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Mayonnaise. There really isn’t a substitute for mayonnaise in this coleslaw recipe. You can use light mayo or homemade mayonnaise. You can also use miracle whip but it will make the coleslaw significantly sweeter.
- Honey. granulated white sugar or maple syrup can be used in place of honey.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is a great substitute for apple cider vinegar.
- Lemon Juice. I don’t recommend making a substitution for the lemon juice.
- Celery Seeds. I love the authentic flavor celery seeds impart in the coleslaw recipe. However if you’d prefer you can very finely chop celery and add it to the mix for a similar flavor, and a little more crunch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious
Thank you, Malina!
I LOVE this easy, summer recipe. It really is delicious quick to make!
M husband is a Cole slaw guy and he loves your recipe. It’s definitely number one.
Thank you, Paula!
My husband gives it 5 stars! I agree with him. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you, Dana!
I have bee looking for a coleslaw recipe with the right balance Abe I think I found it Thank you very much.
I am a cole slaw snob, self-professed, and have quite a few recipes gathered and created. I have to ketofy mine, but that takes nothing away from this gorgeous recipe.
What a beautifully balanced recipe this is! Just tasting the sauce, I could tell that it was an absolute winner.
If you don’t know how to make cole slaw, and you want to start with a top-notch basic, you can’t go wrong with this recipe!
I did not use the celery seeds because I did not have them on hand, instead, I replaced the salt with celery salt and that worked out beautifully. (Or people who have Beau Monde from Spice Island could also use that, as it’s main ingredient is celery salt.)
For my first go, I used 4 cups of red cabbage and a bit of green pepper that needed to be used up. Honestly folks, you can use this sauce for any cabbage slaw variation. My sauce went over the top to WOW when I added in 1/2 t of Door Country Cherry Balsamic vinegar, but it was just a spontaneous add in, because I received that as a gift. Not needed at all and I would not ever use that for a green cabbage slaw.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait for my daughter to come home so that I can make this for her. (She gave me the Cherry Balsamic.)
PS. My keto version used a faux honey substitute (Nature’s Hollow…NOT affiliated!) that has xylitol in it. I was shocked at how well that worked. I just share this in case there are other keto people looking for adjustment ideas.)
I love this recipe on it’s own. For a change – tonight I added Sriracha – since the kids aren’t joining us for dinner. It adds perfectly.
My oldest daughter LOVES Sriracha! I will have to try this! Thank you!
Fabulous! The flavor is perfect and makes me want to eat more!
Delicious I just made it for the 2nd time it’s a keeper 👍
This is the first coleslaw dressing that had the right combination of all ingredients!! (I did halve the honey though) This is perfect, and the honey is a game changer. I’m erasing all of my other coleslaw dressing pins!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much Jessie! We take our coleslaw seriously around here! 😉 I”m so glad you love this recipe as much as we do!