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 easy 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 sandwiches, and reuben sandwiches. Or pair it with classic side dishes like potato salad, broccoli salad, and macaroni salad for the ultimate summer picnic spread. Best of all, the recipe utilizes a store-bought coleslaw mix, 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 : Forms the base of the creamy coleslaw 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: This cabbage mixture typically contains a blend of shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Some mixes may also include a small amount of other vegetables like kale or broccoli, depending on the brand. Not having to shred cabbage yourself with a mandoline or box grater is a huge time saver.
- 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 the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, celery seed, salt, and fresh black pepper.
Whisk until combined.
Add the pre-shredded coleslaw and the dark green portion of the scallions. 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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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!