Classic Coleslaw
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Whip up the ultimate tangy, creamy, and crunch-packed coleslaw in just 10 minutes — the perfect sidekick for all your summer cookouts!
With a refreshing crunch and just the right amount of creaminess, this coleslaw recipe is my go-to for summer cookouts and potlucks. It’s the quintessential coleslaw as you know and love it, but tastier and more vibrant. The secret? Cutting some of the mayo in the dressing with sour cream to add tangy flavor and richness. Apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, and celery seed amp up the flavor even more.
The slaw is terrific with BBQ chicken or ribs, burgers, bratwurst, pulled pork, and reuben sandwiches. Best of all, the recipe utilizes pre-shredded coleslaw, one of the most practical items found in the produce section of the supermarket. With all the tedious chopping already taken care of, the slaw only takes 10 minutes to prepare. Plus, it can be made a day in advance, making your meal planning that much easier.
Table of Contents
“Bravo! This is the gold standard for coleslaw. It’s crispy, flavorful, made with readily available ingredients and delicious.”
What You’ll Need To Make Classic Coleslaw
- Mayonnaise : Provides a creamy base and adds richness to the dressing. When cooking with mayonnaise, always use a good-quality brand, like Hellmann’s or Duke’s—it makes a huge difference.
- Sour cream: Adds tanginess and creaminess to the dressing, balancing the flavors.
- Apple cider vinegar: Introduces acidity, brightening the taste of the coleslaw.
- Sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness to balance the vinegar’s acidity.
- Dijon mustard: Contributes a mild spiciness and tangy depth to the dressing.
- Celery seed: Adds a distinctive, slightly bitter flavor that complements the creamy and tangy elements of the dressing.
- Prepared shredded coleslaw (cabbage and carrot mix): The main ingredient of the dish, providing crunch and volume.
- Scallions: Add a mild onion flavor that adds freshness and a slight crunch to the coleslaw.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the coleslaw dressing. In a large bowl, combine: 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Whisk until combined.
Add: 1 pound of pre-shredded coleslaw and the dark green portion of 2 scallions, finely sliced. Toss until well combined.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or until ready to serve.
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Classic Coleslaw
Whip up the ultimate tangy, creamy, and crunch-packed coleslaw in just 10 minutes — the perfect sidekick for all your summer cookouts!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb (about 7 cups) prepared shredded coleslaw
- 2 scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Add the coleslaw and scallions and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 266
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 258 mg
- Cholesterol: 14 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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A wonderful dressing. Thanks Jen.
I find I use about half of the dressing for my coleslaw. How long should the rest keep in the fridge?
Thanks.
Glad you like it! I think the dressing would last for about 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
I’ve been making something similar for years. I don’t use the sour cream, and I substitute the vinegar for a bit of pickle juice from whatever jar I happen to have on hand — both sweet and dill work. I use sugar substitute instead of the real thing, I don’t use the celery seed, but I do use the mustard. Always turns out delicious, but you have to let it sit in the fridge for a while — it cools down, and the cabbage softens up nicely. Like a lot of things, the taste gets better once the flavors have a chance to meld.
My husband loves coleslaw. I never liked it, too watery too mushy. When I found this recipe I fell in love with it. This will be my go to every time. I only used 1 TBSP of sugar kept everything else the same. Thank you so much
My family loves coleslaw & for the longest time they were happy with how I made it. Mine was similar overall but I did not use the Dijon and the sour cream . Did a switcheroo last night with this recipe and what a game changer. Devouring and yumming all the way. Definitely more like restaurant style, another hit from Jenn
I love this recipe!
If I wanted to make the dressing ahead of time, how many days in advance could I do that?
Glad you like it! I’d say you could make it ahead and refrigerate it for about 4 days.
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I cook for my church — usually about 60-80 people per week — and I just want to tell you that they are big fans of your recipes! Also especially grateful for you, because after I lost my sense of smell because of Covid, I could still totally rely on your recipes to feed my church family, even though I couldn’t completely taste them myself. Thanks, again!
💗
Perfect!
I want to make this but am challenged with what to replace the sugar with. I have people on Keto coming and don’t know what would be a good substitute for the sugar or how much. Hope you can help.
Hi Tish, you can use a sugar substitute or omit the sugar. I don’t know if it’s keto-friendly, but another reader commented that she omitted the sugar and added a diced apple to the slaw for a bit of sweetness. Hope that helps!
Oh my gosh! It was wonderful. Easy to make and delicious.
I didn’t have celery seed, so I substituted celery salt for the table salt.
My family loved it. I won’t hesitate to make it for company this summer, it’s that good!
Thank you so much.
My husband and I love cole slaw. He said it was the best cole slaw he’s had. Even wanted to throw some crab or shrimp in. I thought it was very good. Thanks for sharing!
This is fantastic! Everyone enjoys it and expects it when every we get together!
Can I substitute 7 C of shredded cabbage instead of using store bought coleslaw mix
Yep 🙂
Delicious and easy! I normally have light mayo and sour cream (not fat-free) on hand, and they work fine in this recipe. I shredded my own cabbage and carrots, and did not need all the dressing. Now I need to make some pulled pork ☺️
When I saw your coleslaw recipe I had to make it. It’s almost the same as my potato salad recipe. I use mayo, Greek yogurt,Dijon mustard, oil & vinegar, chopped red onion, dill and S&P. I always get requests for it.
Your coleslaw was great! It will be my new recipe.
Totally delicious, even more so when I left out the sugar and added some chopped apple instead. I’ve made it twice in the last 5 days! Thanks Jen 🙂
Bravo! This is the gold standard for coleslaw. It’s crispy, flavorful, made with readily available ingredients and delicious. I now have a go-to coleslaw recipe!
Our entire family is at war because of this coleslaw. It’s that good.
🤣
Jenn! You have done it again! My household loves coleslaw, I don’t care for it. Your recipe made me a believer. We used it on top of your pork loin for next day sandwiches. Yummy!
Delicious, easy, fast. It was a little too sweet for our taste, so I’ll cut back a bit on sugar next time. I love the addition of sour cream to cut the richness and the zip from the Dijon. Another winner! Thanks, Jenn.
If you see this now on 3/6/23=@2:45PM, Please let me know.
Made the dressing as listed. Had purchased 12oz broccoli slaw. How much dressing would yiu recommend?
I guess I could put a portion of it in the bowl and then add the bag of slaw. If not enough dressing, would be able to use more.
Looking forward to trying this.
Thanks.
Sunny Drohan
Hi Sunny, I’m just seeing this now – sorry! How did the coleslaw come out?
Excellent. Thank you. Your recipes are always so good.
Sunny
Fantastic. Perfect blend of different items. I like the addition of a little mustard.
I have been trying to find a good coleslaw dressing. Finally found yours and it is perfect. Not too sweet or sour. Thickness is perfect. I will check out more of your recipes. Thanks
I’d give this 10 stars, if possible! In fact, I keep extra dressing in the fridge which makes it easy when company comes (or I’m craving it). I buy the bagged coleslaw mix and chop it up extra-fine in a mini-chopper…..Perfect!
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe and it is awesome. My family all raved about it.
Love your site for the best recipes!
Thank you! Finally a really good classic coleslaw without any “special” ingredients. Great with ribs, pulled pork or a burger.
Another hit at our house! Made as directed and will definitely make again.
Thanks Jen.
Meant to be 5 stars!
Hi! I REALLY enjoy your recipes 😍 I recently made the pumpkin bread and my family said it was the best bread they ever tasted. I like good coleslaw, but it’s rare, so I’m super excited to try this one as a topping to shredded barbecue tofu sandwiches. We don’t do much dairy here, so my question is this: Can you add more mayonnaise (Veganaise) in place of the sour cream? Or would you recommend a vegan sour cream? Thank you!
Hi Cyndi, It will be a bit richer with more mayo, but it will work. And so glad you like the recipes! 🙂
Excellent coleslaw recipe! I do use light mayo and sour cream to cut the fat and calories. You probably wouldn’t even guess that it is a “light” version. Thank you Jenn!
I am excited about preparing a “Once Upon a Chef” lunch for neighbors tomorrow! While prepping today for the Classic Coleslaw, I found my celery seed jar is empty. Is there a substitute or is it better to just omit it? I have your cookbook, but still learn so much from your online comments section! Thank you for your easy-to-follow and delicious recipes that you so graciously share with us!
Hi Barbara, I would just omit the celery seed; it will still be delicious. 🙂
Exactly as you said….omitting the celery seed worked fine! Everyone
raved about the delicious lunch!!!!
Made the dressing as written and its just right! Not too sweet or tart.
This is so delicious! And it took almost no time at all to make, which is a bonus. I didn’t have celery seed so I left it out but otherwise made exactly as written and it is the best cole slaw I’ve ever had!
My brother who says he doesn’t even like Cole slaw, said this is the best he’s ever eaten and even requested I bring it to a party he had on the 3rd of July.
I love everything I’ve made from your recipes, Jenn and have even done some test baking prior to your last cookbook, but I have to vent my frustration with the way your emails simply refuse to let me view the recipes you offer on my apple phone. no matter where I hit, an unwanted video totally unrelated to the recipe I am trying to see automatically starts playing and there seems to be no way to circumvent it. Make me so frustrated. Luckily it doesn’t happen on my laptop.
Hi Kathleen, so glad you (and your brother!) like the coleslaw. 🙂 And I’m sorry about the issues you’re encountering when you try to view a recipe on your phone! I will talk to my ad network so they can address it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I had a recipe where I loved the taste of the dressing but it was too thin. I just tried this recipe today and it is perfect. Not too thin and I love the tang ACV gives this. I would love to share that a local restaurant puts dried cranberries in their coleslaw and it is delicious. I am going to try that addition next time. So glad I found your website.
The only coleslaw I have ever liked – perfect topper for my BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches!
Absolutely loved the coleslaw. Made as written.
Another winner! My first time making this and not the last. It was so easy and so tasty. I omitted the celery seed and scallions as I didn’t have any. And used white wine vinegar instead of ACV (again as I didn’t have the latter). It was delicious! I do like when recipes are resilient to changes, though next time I’ll plan ahead and try it as written — if this was already 5 stars, maybe that’ll be 6 🙂
Oh my gosh! I finally have a recipe that’s just like my Mom’s! Thanks Jenn!!
Best ever coleslaw recipe! I’ve tried a lot of coleslaw recipes. I’ve rearranged the ingredients in all of them. This recipe needs no changes. Yummy as written!
Wonderful creaminess. Only suggestion is I would cut celery seed to 1/4 tsp. A little too overpowering at 1/2.
I will be camping (without any refrigeration). Do you think the coleslaw can remain at room temperature for three days?
Unfortunately not — sorry!
Simple and perfect
Here’s a chef-y tip: Throw the store bought coleslaw into a blender and pulse until somewhat fine. It will make it even better than it already is!
I made this for a Memorial Day gathering at a neighbor’s house. I dropped it off a day ahead because I was working the night before and knew I would arrive late. I needed to make something ahead, plus quick and easy. As soon as I got to the gathering the next afternoon, everyone had moved on to bowls of ice cream- a neighbor came up and said ” that coleslaw was fantastic!” My husband devoured the leftovers at home! I am not a fan of regular coleslaw, but this was tangy and really good! Don’t buy the gloppy stuff at the store- this is way too easy and delicious!
I made this recipe yesterday and threw it in the fridge for an overnight. Today, I cut up three large boneless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds) and followed your Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders recipe. Oh my! I’m the queen of great food today! To top things off, corn on the cob at hubby’s request. Picnic food for an absolutely glorious day in eastern Pennsylvania. Thank you!
Can red wine vinegar be used in place of the apple cider vinegar?
Yep that’s fine 🙂
Well I have to say that it’s the best I have ever made a tangy not sweet and very tasty my sisters and husband loved it.
Merci its a keeper
This is a near perfect coleslaw. Too often coleslaws are either overly sweet or bland. This is nice and tart, and the flavors become even a little more so overnight in the fridge. The celery seed adds a nice little pop of bitterness. I typically use tarragon vinegar for coleslaw, and add some very finely chopped raw kale. This is a great base to start with, and add your own favorites to. All of that said, I think I will likely halve the sugar the next time I make it. Thanks, as usual, Jen!
So good! Reminds me of the coleslaw I had growing up. I followed the recipe as written, no changes needed. Thanks Jenn for sharing another great recipe:)
I’ve been looking a long time for a coleslaw recipe I like and have had no luck so far. This sounded like it might be a winner so I gave it a try. As I was about to make it I decided it seemed like it would be creamier than I’d like so cut the mayo down to 1/2 cup and added another tablespoon of vinegar and another teaspoon of sugar. Flavors are still melding in the fridge but I like the first taste a lot. I also used light sour cream and light mayo – we just prefer lighter, less rich tasting foods.
WOW – this dressing is amazing and definitely a keeper!
I have been looking for a good cole slaw for a while. Made this tonight and it is now my go to recipe for coleslaw. I alway shred my own vegetables and never got the premade vegetables. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you for giving us such a great recipe. You never disappoint!
This is the identical coleslaw to mine …every ingredient. The only addition now and again has been celery for even more taste and crunch. It is really really good and ironically, I plan to make it tonight to go with cold ham.
You cant go wrong with this .
PS. You are my favourite chef . I use your recipes all the time . Thank you for your generous sharing .
I like adding a clove of minced garlic to the mix too.
Hey Jenn,
I noticed you put white wine vinegar in the instructions and apple cider vinegar in the recipe. Looking forward to trying your version! It’s similar to what I do, but I’ve never tried adding sour cream.
Thanks for catching that, Kerrie! It’s fixed 🙂