My favorite classic coleslaw recipe stays crunchy, never soupy, as it sits in the mayo-based dressing. This sweet and creamy coleslaw takes just 15 minutes to assemble and tastes like Mom’s old recipe!
Potato salad. Baked beans. My favorite baked mac and cheese. Those recipes have always made up my barbecue buffet table daydreams.
But coleslaw? It was always on the bottom rung of my side dish desires … until now.
This creamy coleslaw recipe is a game-changer and has officially made me a coleslaw lover, and it’s just begging to sidle up to your summer burgers or bbq chicken.
It’s a traditional coleslaw recipe made with mayonnaise and cider vinegar that’s then seasoned with a little celery salt for the puckery punch I love. Don’t worry, the dressing is perfectly creamy and tastes light and tangy, never heavy or gloopy.
Pack this coleslaw on your next cookout or summer potluck, because it is the best one I’ve tried.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Do you hate limp, watery coleslaw as much as I do? I finally figured out how to fix this problem when making mayo-based coleslaw, thanks to the folks at The Kitchn. To keep your coleslaw creamy and never watery, draw out the water from the cabbage with a sugar and salt brine for a mere 5 minutes, then rinse well with cold water and put it through the spin dry of a salad spinner.
- For an even tangier coleslaw dressing, substitute 2 tablespoons of the mayo with sour cream.
- If you’re sensitive to salt, whisk the coleslaw dressing ingredients together, except for the two kinds of salt. Taste, then add more salt a little bit at a time. All palates are different, and the key to any good recipe is to taste and season as you go!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Coleslaw mix — Rather than buying a whole head of cabbage and carrots in need of peeling, I took the shortcut and bought a bag of pre-packaged coleslaw mix. You might find it in your veggie aisle bagged with a combination of red and green cabbage, or green only. Either or all will work.
- Granulated sugar — For just a little sweetness.
- Kosher salt — For a cabbage salt bath to help preserve that crunchy texture. Don’t use table salt, which will make the cabbage taste too salty.
- Celery salt — Not to be confused with celery seeds!
- Mayonnaise — To add some creaminess (I love Hellman’s brand).
- Apple cider vinegar — For a little bit of acidity. You could also use white vinegar.
- Green onions — Provide a milder, more enjoyable onion flavor compared to red or yellow onions.
- Parsley — I mostly use this for color here, but I also love the freshness parsley brings to the dish.
How to Make Coleslaw
- Salt the cabbage. Add the pre-packaged coleslaw mix into a strainer and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and salt. Let that sit for 5 minutes to draw out the excess moisture, then rinse well with cold water. Give the coleslaw mix a spin in a salad spinner to dry (or pat dry with paper towels).
- Make the dressing. Do this in a separate bowl to make sure the dressing is fully combined before tossing with the coleslaw.
- Give it a rest. Let the coleslaw chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving it. This gives the flavors time to come together (don’t worry, the cabbage won’t wilt before you’re able to serve it).
FAQs
A quick brine using salt and sugar! Don’t worry, this extra step won’t change your coleslaw into a bread and butter pickle. The result is a firmer cabbage crunch where the flavor, and color, are deepened.
I swear by Miracle Whip in my potato salad recipe, but for a classic coleslaw you want to use a quality mayonnaise. The creamy coleslaw is made sweet and tangy by adding vinegar and sugar to the dressing; if you use Miracle Whip, you’d then have to adjust the other ingredients to accommodate its sweeter flavor.
Although coleslaw will keep up to 4 days in the fridge, it’s best within 24 hours of making it. If serving this to guests, toss the coleslaw with the dressing the night before and no earlier.
Storage Tips
This coleslaw will keep stored in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. I do not recommend freezing coleslaw.
What to Serve with Coleslaw
- Mains: BBQ Chicken, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Grilled Ribeye Steak, One-Pot Sloppy Joes, Grilled Pork Chops
- Potluck Faves: Egg Salad, Creamy Cucumber Salad, Three Bean Salad, Greek Potato Salad, Broccoli Salad, Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
- Drinks: Lemonade
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
THE BEST Creamy Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
To prepare the coleslaw
- 1 pound package coleslaw mix
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup kosher salt
For the dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 green onions chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
Instructions
- Pour the coleslaw mix into a strainer and place in the sink. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the sugar and ¼ cup of the kosher salt and lightly toss. Let sit for 5 minutes to draw out the moisture from the cabbage and then rinse well with cold water. Spin the coleslaw mix in a salad spinner and place in a large bowl.*
- For the dressing, in a medium bowl mix the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sugar, cinder vinegar, celery salt, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped onions and chopped parsley. Whisk well and pour ⅔ of the dressing over the cabbage mixture, and toss to combine. Add more of the dressing as desired and season with more salt, pepper or parsley to taste.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes up to overnight and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Coleslaw Recipes You’ll Adore
- Vinegar-Based Coleslaw
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Kale and Cabbage Coleslaw
- Celery Slaw With Apple and Blue Cheese
- Asian Slaw
- Spicy Korean Slaw
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Lucy
OMG! I cant stop drooling over that coleslaw and the pulled pork sandwich looks to die for. I have just finished my mundane lunch so that makes it even worse :-)
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Anna Wright
I just made these for my family and they were a HIT! We devoured every last one of them .YUM. Thank you!
Ruth
I love creamy coleslaw but I don’t like it soggy and sloppy. Your coleslaw sounds crispy for a longer period of time. I am going to try making it sometime. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Cathy
Wanted to try something different. Was interested in the “crunchy”. I was not a fan of this recipie. But that’s my taste. I would skip the salt brine prep as I think the outcome was way to salty. Yes, I did rinse. I prefer my creamy coleslaw. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your opinion Cathy, I use kosher salt for the brine, perhaps you used table salt and that made in more intense?
Adeola
Just made this and it was wonderful! I did not do the brine bath and I since I did not have up to a pound of coleslaw, I added shredded carrots and radishes to make up the difference.
To the dressing I reduced the black pepper, added diced raw jalapeño peppers and fresh cilantro instead of parsley. It was tangy, slightly sweet with a little kick to it. Plan to pair with sweet and spicy pulled chicken! Thanks Heidi!
So glad you enjoyed it Adeola! Thanks for coming back and letting me know.
Geoffrey G Klein
The Salt and Sugar first step is totally unnecessary. I have never had a problem with my cole slaw having too much moisture. The salt and sugar bath just made it mushy. Save yourself a bunch of salt and sugar and skip.
Luis
Tried recipe today, store bought pre shredded bag, skipped brining , reduced salt , used 1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt,
no celery salt, but did use celery seeds…Results we awesome, probably best col slaw I have ever had, just wet enough without running, the parsley chopped really fine and the green onions sets it apart, will make again for sure, thank you for the great recipe…
Rockyrd
We tasted this at a friends place and it was very good, so i decided to try it myself. I have been cooking professionally for over 30 years and still want to learn. I think the main reason people should try this recipe is because of the “method” of brining it to remove excess water. The recipe itself is not that different than what my mother made for years except for the brining and spin drying step. But that is important.
For those of you that said they made the recipe but skipped this procedure you should try something as written before you skip steps. It takes very little extra time.
That being said my cole slaw was extremely salty and we love salt at our house. I shredded the cabbage and a few carrots myself using the fine slicing disc of the food processor. That was a mistake. It should be thicker, like the type that is sold preshredded in the bag. Because mine was thinner it absorbed more salt and even after rinsing it very well -it remained too seasoned.
The dressing also has more salt which is not needed and especially celery salt- so after I mixed the whole thing it was horrid. Unedible. Since we live in a very rural area and the stores are closed for the holiday AND I had company walking in the door, I dumped the whole mess into a strainer and rinsed the hell out of it. Then I put it n the salad spinner again and spun it as dry as possible. Then squeezed the whole thing in a tea towel.
I made another batch of the dressing, leaving out the salt and replaced the celery salt with celery seed and it was fine. We ate it with pulled pork and it was great.
I will try it again using a thicker slicing blade and leave out the additional salt.
Thanks for the recipe.
Frederic E Kahler
You have far too many ads on your page, and it took forever to open up. I could have brined the cabbage waiting for it to open. But the recipe is a lovely and simple one.
Janet Ashkenazy
I noticed that you did not reply to the question about the teaspoon of pepper. I threw the black dressing away and remade it with a bit of pepper. Isn’t that a mistake in the recipe?
Claude
Just tried this recipe for the first time with high hopes. We did not do the brine first but followed the rest of the instructions exactly. Way too salty! Next time we will try using celery seed instead of celery salt, and I think it will turn out fine.
Deanna MC
I was so excited to try this recipe. I was looking for a crispy, creamy Cole slaw for my daughter’s upcoming grad party. As a former restaurant owner, I know my way around a kitchen pretty well, but coleslaw has always eluded me. Unfortunately, this recipe was not the one. The cabbage became limp and soggy and the dressing was way too salty. I followed to a “T”, but I am sorry to say I threw the wilted, salty mess away.
Gayatri Mantra
Looks delish!!
Sue
This is a great recipe! The brine step was interesting – turned out fine, not too salty at all.
The only thing I would change would be I’d slice the cabbage a little thicker next time – I used my super-fine slicing disc, and it really is too thin! But hey, that’s a minor niggle! The slaw tastes fantastic. Thanks!
Dan
Follow the recipe exactly as says. The salt and sugar brine did not work. Cabbage was just extra soggy after the salad spinner. As for the rest of it, like other people said, super salty and non-edible
Susanne
Hello Heidi,
Thanks for sharing an absolutely delish creamy coleslaw with a crunch. My husband and I, respectfully, totally disagree on the two world’s of coleslaw. He loves the Georgia, vinegar based, slaws with little mayo and a tangy bite like his Grandmother made. I am hooked on yours, and you have made him a fan of the real coleslaw style!
I think some people who said they hated this recipe, too salty, may have not followed your clear directions. No one who follows the recipe could hate this dish, if you like coleslaw. I suspect that some may not realize the differences between Kosher and table salt, or failed to give the slaw a good rinse-if any. Thanks for my future and forever creamy coleslaw, still have to make the Georgia slaw for Hubby!
Michael
I have been making coleslaw for the last 20 years, but this has to be the best I have ever tasted. I have made this recipe at least a dozen times, and my friends and family think I finally perfected my own. Perfect balance between sweet and tangy, and the salt brine adds incredible crunch to the cabbage. Thanks so much for sharing.
Bob
Your photos show carrots in the coleslaw but they were not listed the recipe?
Ann
Absolutely a susaster. I’m a coleslaw connoisseur as well. Followed the recipe to the T. A big thumbs down. Had to throw it all away, a disgrace to serve to neighbours
Sheena
Wow really is wayyy too salty! Rinsed it well and followed the recipe but I still had to throw it all out. Don’t recommand this recipe at all ! I’ll stick to my usual one.
Wayne
So salty we could not eat it. I wish I would have read the comments first and adjusted.