Creamy Southern Coleslaw is a quick and easy classic that is certain to bring rave reviews. This perfect make-ahead dish is full of tasty goodness, with the perfect blend of sweet and sour. It’s consistently amazing and goes well with so many dishes. Even better, the food processor does most of the work.
I’ve been making this classic Southern coleslaw for as long as I can remember. Honestly, I haven’t tried different coleslaw recipes—this one is so good.
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
If you want an amazing salad, you should definitely make this easy recipe.
- Versatile: This classic coleslaw goes extremely well with hamburgers, hotdogs, pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, fried fish, and barbecued ribs. It’s also perfect when mounded on a plate of lettuce with tuna salad and chicken salad. If you’d like to be creative, use the coleslaw to top your hotdog or pulled pork sandwich or fill your tacos.
- Make Ahead: This recipe takes minutes to make and can be refrigerated until your meal is ready.
- Inexpensive: The handful of ingredients needed to make this awesome recipe are inexpensive and readily available at your supermarket, so your wallet will thank you.
- Leftovers: The taste of this coleslaw improves as the flavors meld together. Therefore, leftovers are just as good, if not better, the next day.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
I used the following ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
- The Coleslaw Dressing: For the coleslaw dressing, you’ll need mayonnaise, granulated sugar, apple cider vinegar, dry mustard powder, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- The Vegetables: For the vegetables, you’ll need cabbage, carrots, celery, and onions.
This Is How To Make the Coleslaw Dressing
The coleslaw dressing is quick and easy to make.
All you need to do is whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, dry mustard powder, salt, and pepper. I usually do this in a measuring cup to make pouring the dressing a bit easier but a small bowl will also work.
This Is How To Make The Coleslaw
Once the coleslaw dressing is made, it’s time to put the coleslaw together with these step-by-step directions
- First, you’ll need to shred the cabbage, carrots, celery and onions. I like to use my food processor to do this. You could also use a box grater if you don’t have a food processor.
- Then, you’ll need to transfer the shredded vegetables to a large bowl.
- Next, pour the coleslaw dressing on the shredded vegetables.
- Stir everything together after you’ve poured the dressing on the shredded vegetables.
After the vegetables are well coated with the dressing, cover and refrigerate the coleslaw for best results.
After a couple of hours in the refrigerator, the flavors will have melded together, and you’ll have an amazing Quick and Easy Coleslaw. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic green cabbage is used in this recipe.
Red cabbage is both delicious and striking in this recipe. You can use only red cabbage or a combination of red and green cabbage.
The coleslaw dressing in this recipe is creamy and a combination of sweet and tart. The sweet is provided by the sugar, and the tart is provided by the apple cider vinegar.
One source suggests that the term coleslaw comes from the Dutch expressing “koosla” which means cabbage salad.
If covered and refrigerated, coleslaw will retain its crunch and be good for 3 to 4 days.
This coleslaw is somewhat similar to KFC coleslaw but is not a copycat. KFC coleslaw doesn’t include celery and includes less onion. Also, KFC coleslaw tends to be more finely grated. Finally, the dressing ingredients, while similar in taste, are not the same.
If you’d prefer a different salad for your barbecue, family gatherings, or summer picnics, try my amazing Classic Southern-style Potato Salad or Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad.
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Creamy Southern Coleslaw – Quick and Easy Classic
Equipment
- Food processor with medium shredding disk
Ingredients
Coleslaw Dressing
- 1 cup (8 ounces) mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons (1.31 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Dash of salt
Quick and Easy Coleslaw
- 1 small head (1 ½ to 2 pounds) green cabbage, shredded (See Tip 1)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
- 2 stalks celery, shredded
- 1 medium onion, peeled and shredded
- Coleslaw dressing from above
Instructions
Coleslaw Dressing
- Combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper in a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk well to blend. Set aside.
Quick and Easy Coleslaw
- Use the medium shredding disk to shred cabbage, carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Pour coleslaw dressing over vegetables; toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate. (See Tip 2)
- Yield: 6 servings. (See Tip 3)
Video
Tips/Notes
- May substitute red cabbage for the green cabbage or use a combination of green and red cabbage.
- The coleslaw is best if refrigerated for several hours before serving.
- This coleslaw will stay crunchy for several days if covered and refrigerated.
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