Easy Cole Slaw (Coleslaw)

8 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

This traditional coleslaw recipe is an easy side dish made with shredded cabbage mix and creamy dressing – ready in 5 minutes!

Cole Slaw is the quintessential Summer Side Dish for your backyard barbecue. Other summer essentials include the best Milk Boiled Corn, Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, and the yummiest BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad ever!  

Cole Slaw in white serving bowl

Easy Cole Slaw, also known as Coleslaw, made in just 5 minutes with the perfect homemade dressing, is the ultimate side dish for summer because it gets even better the next day. Perfect for cookouts and planning ahead!

This classic Cole Slaw recipe is an easy barbecue side dish. Instead of spending a lot of money on grocery store Cole Slaw that could have been sitting there a week, you can make it at home with ingredients you can control!

If you speak to the head of deli department in your local grocery store, they’ll likely tell you that Cole Slaw comes in either pre-made or in two parts, mix and dressing. This is a way to have fresh Cole Slaw without the added preservatives you’ll find in packaged Cole Slaw dressings.

This recipe is loved so much that there are multiple creamy coleslaws on the site! One is KFC Coleslaw (Copycat) and the second is a personal favorite and unique cole slaw, Tony Roma’s Coleslaw made with a teaspoon celery seeds. 

How to Make Easy Cole Slaw

Making your own Coleslaw from scratch can be as easy as pouring and mixing! And all the ingredients are pantry staples which means you’ll likely have the already at home! If not, you can easily find the ingredients in your local grocery store. 

  • Step One – Sauce: First, combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. 
  • Step Two – Slaw: Mix the cabbage mixture into the sauce and voilá, cole slaw!
  • Note: While this is technically ready to eat, we suggest letting it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours to really let the flavors set into the cabbage.

More Delicious Cabbage Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy pre-shredded cabbage mix?

The time required for chopping plus the leftovers of the cabbage make it an easy swap. In addition to that, sometimes buying the vegetables whole can costs almost twice as much as buying the pre-shredded bag. This recipe shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to put together the morning of your bbq, or the night before.

Why do I have to let Cole Slaw sit before serving?

While this recipe takes only five minutes to put together, one of the most important things about Cole Slaw is letting it sit so that the dressing can soften the crunch of the cabbage. We recommend 2-4 hours. Even better if you can do it the night before. It’s a great dish to make ahead of time. 

Where does Cole Slaw come from?

Cole Slaw is a dish that comes from the Netherlands. Its first presentation showed up in a cookbook there in 1770. 

Bowl of Cole Slaw

Key Ingredients in Cole Slaw

Homemade Cole Slaw is made with just a few basic ingredients you probably already have! Check it out!

  • Cabbage: We are using a pre-shredded cabbage mix in our recipe here. You can make your own using green cabbage, purple cabbage, and carrots. See below for the instructions on how to do this. 
  • Mayonnaise: This recipe calls for regular mayo. Some people prefer using Miracle Whip over mayo in this recipe which is fine. 
  • Vinegar: While the tablespoon vinegar used in this recipe is regular white vinegar since it is a bit stronger than others, you can used distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you prefer. 
  • Sugar: You can use white sugar or brown sugar. We are using white sugar in this recipe. Granulated sugar should be used with caution since the larger crunchy sugar crystals will need to dissolve really well before adding in the cabbage. 
  • Lemon Juice: We only use fresh squeezed lemon juice as it has the best flavor. The pre-bottled lemon juice can be used in a pinch, as can lime juice. 

Can Cole Slaw be Made Ahead of Time? 

The beautiful thing with Cole Slaw is that you can make it in advance! While it is still really yummy as soon as it is mixed together, making your Cole Slaw a day or two earlier and keeping it in the fridge will help bring all the flavors together and help them get into the cabbage mixture. Make sure it is sealed in an airtight container. 

How to Make your own Cabbage Mixture for Cole Slaw

If you want to use your own mix for the coleslaw, follow these instructions.

  • Green Cabbage: Cut up a full head of green cabbage into 4 large quarters using a sharp 8 inch chef’s knife. (There are a couple of branded DTD Knives left in stock – my personal favorites. Get one before they’re gone!) Taking care, thinly slice each of the quartered cabbage pieces. Discard the thick root part. One head of cabbage should make about 8 cups of shredded cabbage.
  • Red Cabbage: Next, shred enough red cabbage to make 1 cup shredded red cabbage, about a 1/4th of a red cabbage head.
  • Carrots: Lastly, using the julienne setting on your kitchen mandolin (or or one of the sharp chef knives mentioned before) slice 4 carrots into short, thin strips.

Variations and Substitutions on Cole Slaw Ingredients

Cabbage mix, mayo, lemon juice, and a touch of sugar are the basis for a good Cole Slaw. You can add or substitute  other ingredients to make it your own! 

  • Fresh Herbs: Adding a few teaspoons of fresh mint chopped and diced green onion or sliced white onion will give this recipe a fun and herby kick! 
  • Mustard: Some people have found that adding a bit of mustard seeds or a tablespoon or two of dijon mustard to the mix really adds a wonderful depth of flavor. 
  • Mayo vs Miracle Whip: Mayo is really creamy while Miracle Whip is a bit sweeter. You can substitute Miracle Whip without issue if you prefer. 
  • Vinegar: You can use dill pickle juice as a really nice substitute for vinegar. If you have absolutely no other options, just use extra lemon juice. 
  • Sugar: Stevia is a good sweetner substitute, as is dark brown sugar. 
  • Salt: Celery salt is an incredible way to give this dish more flavor without overpowering the tastebuds. 

More Great Summer Side Dishes

How to Store Cole Slaw

  • Serve: For best results, make sure to refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving, serve chilled, and don’t leave it out longer than 2 hours.
  • Store: Cole Slaw can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If it starts to break down, add more coleslaw mix to keep it fresh longer.
  • Freeze: Coleslaw doesn’t freeze well, so just throw it out and make a fresh batch when needed.
Cole Slaw

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Easy Cole Slaw Recipe (Coleslaw)

This traditional coleslaw recipe is an easy side dish made with shredded cabbage mix and creamy dressing – ready in 5 minutes!
Yield 8 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 14 ounce coleslaw mix with red cabbage and carrots*
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Add the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, white vinegar, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until fully combined.
  • Add in the coleslaw mix and stir well to combine.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Video

Notes

* If you want to use your own mix for the coleslaw, use 8 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup shredded red cabbage, and 4 julienned carrots.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 19.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.3mg
bowl of cole slaw pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post:

Cole Slaw collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Easy and delicious! Used it on my pulled pork sandwiches on Kings Hawaiian rolls! Was a hit and just made it again. Thank you! I’ll never buy store bought again!

  2. This is by far the BEST coleslaw recipe I’ve tried out of a bunch!!! The dressing is spot on and the perfect ratio of vinegary and sweet!! I do cheat and use a packaged pre-mixed coleslaw but it’s the dressing that makes this soooo good!! I always add in some golden raisins and a mix of sunflower/ pumkin seeds for some extra crunch. My husband would sit and eat the entire batch if I’d let him… but I try to grab my portion first lol!! This will forever be my go-to coleslaw recipe!!!

    1. I love reading comments like yours Dea! Thanks so much for taking time to let us know your thoughts and for the five star review.

  3. Only thing I did different would be that I used fresh green cabbage, onion, green pepper and one carrot. Turned out great!

  4. Easy and delicious. I substitute the lemon juice with another tablespoon of vinegar and it comes out perfect every time.

    1. You like a bit of “zing” to your cole slaw! Good for you. Thank you for the five star review!

    2. Why not look for a vinegar coleslaw recipe? This recipe is great as is. No need to add or subtract anything. I make this all the time. It’s not just a summer Cole slaw. Family always asks for it.

  5. My Mom always added grated onion to her coleslaw so I grated 1/2 red onion and added that along with the juice from the grated onion. It kicked it up a notch! Thanks for a great recipe!

  6. Great recipe! Just added a little more sugar because we like ours a little sweeter but definitely a keeper.

    1. Love it…sometimes my readers give me a little “push back” because my recipes are too sweet! Love that you added a bit more and thanks for the 5 star review!

      1. Our nutrition values are created by a nutrition calculator. Feel free to use your own nutrition calculators with the recipe ingredients. Serving sizes become an issue because people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.

  7. So yum! Very simple and delicious recipe! I would say the only thing I changed is add sugar to taste. I added couple more spoons but other than that it’s my go to recipe

  8. Great easy recipe. I tweaked it a bit by using Granny Smith white balsamic vinegar, green onions, Dijon mustard, celery salt and some fresh cilantro. I never follow a recipe completely. I always like to put my spin on it. Really tasty! Thank you for the recipe!

  9. This is delicious. I add red onion and a lot more cabbage so it’s not “too” wet. However, it’s yummy! I add a few dollops to a shredded chicken salad for sandwich’s and it’s soo good!

  10. Your recipe is our family favorite!
    With common staple ingredients this recipe comes together in minutes and is simply DELICIOUS! We especially enjoy this cole slaw with bbq and as a crunchy treat year round.
    No revisions, GREAT recipe as written.
    Thank you for this easy fresh favorite salad!

  11. OMG! I have been searching for the perfect homemade coleslaw recipe and I have finally found it! Thank you so much! I almost ate the whole thing before I was able to serve it to my guests LOL I can’t wait to make this again! Loved it!

    1. You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you Loriann for the 5 star vote of confidence 🙂

  12. Thanks for a terrific recipe! It’s my whole family’s favorite and I HAVE to bring this cole slaw to all get togethers (along with my sweet potato casserole). ?

  13. LOVE this recipe! I was looking for an easy coleslaw recipe my teen son could make for a potluck. Turned out not only easy but delicious! We’ve made this twice since then and it’s now my go-to for burger night! Thanks.

      1. This is THE only coleslaw recipe I need! Fast & Easy to make, consistent results and always tons of compliments!! We love to top our pulled pork sliders with this slaw. Thank you!

  14. Oh so scrumptious! Just finished making and grabbed a small spoonful before placing remainder in fridge to marinate flavors. Oh, this is so so delicious! I doubled the batch for my purposes and only had green angel hair coleslaw mix on hand – 2 bags. I did add a few carrots I finely shredded to equal to about 5.4 ounces since I didn’t have the beautiful color of the tricolor coleslaw mixture. It was still pretty with the colorful carrots! All else was added as recipe directs but I only had the apple cider vinegar on hand. I was pleasantly surprised and gobbled my small portion quickly. So easy to make and most things are staples we tend to keep on hand. This coleslaw has a smidgeon of a kick behind each bite and the “sweetness” is not overwhelming. It is a perfect balance of all ingredients. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    1. Loved your feedback and so glad you enjoyed the coleslaw. Thank you Sheri and thanks for the 5 star rating!

  15. Worked out great! Very simple, everyone liked it. I used local honey as my sugar and supplemented white vinegar with apple cider vinegar. I also put a little Dijon mustered recommended under the tips. Will definitely use this receipt again, thank you so much!

  16. Made this for a Labor Day cookout. It’s marinating in the fridge as I type – but in tasting while mixing – it’s going to be a winner! Thanks for sharing this easy recipe. I did use apple cider vinegar since that was what I had – and also added a few shakes of celery seed.

    1. Well that’s high praise from someone who isn’t a cole slaw fan! Glad your hubby enjoyed it to and most of all thank you for the 5 stars Amy!

  17. Made this homemade coleslaw dressing for the first time – tasted good – made it this evening so the flavors will be even better tomorrow when we have it with spare ribs – yum.

  18. This was a really delicious cole slaw recipe. I only did 1 tbsp of sugar and it was quite perfect actually. I also used a 16 oz bag of slaw. I will be keeping this in my recipe card box and only my go-to recipes make it in there.

  19. Deliciously balanced. I subbed greek yogurt for mayo and still came out perfectly. My first time trying coleslaw.