Easy Homemade Coleslaw
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This easy homemade coleslaw recipe is a summer classic. It’s an easy salad to serve all summer, crispy, crunchy, and perfectly flavored—exactly what a coleslaw should be.
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It’s also a perfect accompaniment for fried fish, pulled pork, ribs, fried chicken — well… actually, anything!
Coleslaw Origins
Originally inherited from Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam, their word, “koolsla,” quickly became an American favorite any time of the year, especially in summer. A perfect pairing for anything with barbecue sauce.
Homemade Coleslaw Ingredients
Keeping coleslaw traditional, I always combine green, purple, or red cabbage with carrots for a rainbow of color and hearty nutrition.
Here are the ingredients I use to make this simple homemade coleslaw.
- Cabbage: Use a combination of green and purple shredded cabbage. If it’s easier, you can buy pre-shredded mixes. If you want to experiment with flavors and textures, try shredding Napa, red, savoy, or bok choy.
- Carrots: Julienned or shredded
- Coleslaw Dressing: Mayonnaise, cider vinegar, granulated sugar, celery seed, and salt and pepper.
How to Prepare Cabbage for Coleslaw
Easy recipes start with the right equipment. Here are some of my favorites!
It’s quick to shred together in a food processor, but I often find myself quickly shredding the cabbage thinly with a sharp knife and using a box shredder for the carrots.
To shred the cabbage with a knife, cut the head into quarters. This makes it easy to remove the core. Then, slice each quarter into thin slices.
Storing Homemade Coleslaw
Coleslaw will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. However, for the best texture, serve within the day it’s made.
If you want to make it ahead, shred the cabbage and carrots a day or two ahead and refrigerate in a resealable bag. The dressing will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator when stored in a lidded jar in an airtight container.
More Summer Salad Recipes
- 10 Minute Greek Salad
- Simple German Potato Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Pasta Salad with Shredded Carrots
- Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad
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Easy Homemade Coleslaw
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 head of cabbage or 1/4 green and 1/4 purple for about 6 cups, shredded
- 4 medium carrots julienned or shredded
- 2/3 cup light mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl toss together the cabbage and carrots. In a separate bowl combine the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt and pepper until well incorporated and creamy. Pour dressing over cabbage and carrots and toss lightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve and up to 1 day.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.