Creamy Coleslaw Recipe with Homemade Dressing

This traditional creamy coleslaw recipe with homemade dressing is a family favorite. It’s crisp, and crunchy, with a hint of sweetness and tang. Filled with a mix of fresh shredded green and purple cabbage, grated sweet carrots, and tossed in a sweet and tangy homemade dressing, this is a fresh side dish that everyone will love. 

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It’s perfect topped on brisket sandwiches, hamburgers, or as a simple side dish. This easy coleslaw recipe is fresh and full of tangy and delicious flavors. It comes together in just a few minutes and is perfect to make ahead, so it’s easy to serve at any time. 

Summer salads are some of my favorite meals to make. All the fresh in-season ingredients are the perfect thing to enjoy during these warmer and hotter days. My farro salad with feta cheese, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, and Summer Kale Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette is on constant rotation. And now this easy homemade coleslaw will get added to the mix!

For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like coleslaw. It was overly sweet and soggy with no flavor. I always stayed far from it, but my parents love it so I decided to try to make it from scratch. Turns out, it’s delicious and the store-bought kind was not doing it justice. 

That’s the thing with making food from scratch, you can try out new things and make it just the way you want it. I love how in this recipe the cabbage is crispy and crunchy and not at all soggy and the dressing is tangy, slightly spicy with just a hint of sweetness. It’s literally perfect for summer on top of burgers, served as a simple side salad or side dish. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week to easily serve throughout the week. 

Key Ingredients In Homemade Coleslaw

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Cabbage - I love to use a mix of green and purple cabbage. It looks beautiful and each cabbage has its own unique flavor that works perfectly together. Feel free to use a mix of the two or just green cabbage. 

I prefer to shred the cabbage at home using the Shredder attachment on my Kitchen Aid Mixer. It makes the process so much easier than cutting it with a knife or a mandolin and I’m done in just a few minutes. It was truly made for this recipe!

Carrots - The shredded carrots add nice pops of color and sweetness to the coleslaw. 

They can be easily grated with a box grater or the smallest grater in the shredder pack.

Mayonnaise - The base of this easy and creamy homemade dressing. I use cage-free organic mayo. 

Apple juice - Adds a hint of sweetness and balances out the other flavors. Feel free to use more apple juice if you prefer a sweeter dressing. 

Apple cider vinegar - Adds acidity to the dressing that works well with the sweetness of the apple juice and the earthiness of the cabbage.

Yellow mustard - Adds a nice tang and slightly spicy flavor to the dressing. 

Ground celery seed - This is a unique spice that really brings everything together. It has an earthy and subtle celery taste. 

How to Make This Traditional Coleslaw Recipe

Step 1. Shred the cabbage. Start by cutting the cabbage into long pieces so it can fit into a food processor.

I like to use the flat blade of the Kitchen Aid Shredder attachment for this. But you could also cut the cabbage very thinly with a sharp knife or on a mandolin. 

Step 2. Next, grate the carrots with the small grater attachment or a box grater. Mix the cabbage and carrots together in a large mixing bowl using a fork. 

Step 3. In a medium-sized bowl, add all the ingredients for the dressing- mayo, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, yellow mustard, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground celery seed. Whisk until combined. 

Step 4. Toss the dressing with the shredded cabbage and carrots when you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recommended Tools

Large and medium mixing bowls

Sharp knife

Box grater

Cutting mat

Mandolin or Kitchen aid shredder attachment

Pepper grinder

What do you serve Southern Coleslaw with?

• Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich

• Crispy Chicken Fried Chicken

• Homemade Chicken Tenders

• Fried Chicken without Buttermilk

• Mashed potatoes

• Lamb Burgers

• Mixed with this Kale Chicken Salad

Recipe Notes

• It’s best to toss the cabbage with the dressing right before serving, otherwise, the cabbage can get soggy and the dressing can turn watery. 

• Shredded purple cabbage can start to taste a little bitter after a few days. So it’s best to eat the coleslaw within 5 days. 
• How long does coleslaw dressing last? The dressing can last up to a week in the fridge.

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