Crisp and Creamy Coleslaw

This Homemade Coleslaw is crispy, crunchy and wrapped in a dreamy creamy dressing. Better still, it’s so simple to make!

Creamy Coleslaw

We’ll start with the ‘creamy’ part and get to the crunchy aspect of this coleslaw in just a sec. A homemade coleslaw is an incredibly simple recipe with few ingredients. As such, it’s important to chose the right ingredients to bring out the best in it. For the creamy dressing here’s what you’ll need:

Coleslaw Dressing Ingredients

• Mayo – I recommend a whole egg full fat mayo for the best flavour, no messing around with light or reduced fat!
• Sour Cream – This is what makes this dressing nice and creamy.
• Dijon Mustard – Adds a very gentle background heat.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Cuts through the richness of the dressing.
• Sugar – Balances out the flavours.

Can I make the dressing ahead of time?

Absolutely! It’ll keep tightly covered in the fridge for at least 5-6 days (longer at your discretion). The longer it rests the more the flavours will actually marry together.

Crunchy Coleslaw

Ever made the most glorious coleslaw, popped it in the fridge then a couple hours later it’s swimming in a pond of watery mayo? Yep, we’ve all been there. I do 100% recommend coleslaw ahead of time because it marries the flavours together. But this brings with it the obvious flaw of it turning soggy. The reason the coleslaw turns soggy is because the salt draws out all the moisture from the veg.

How do you stop coleslaw from going soggy?

The key to preventing the veg from leaking out moisture is to salt it before you add the dressing. If you pop the veg in a colander and toss through salt and let it sit for an hour or so, you’ll see a ton of liquid leak out of the colander. From there just give the veg a squeeze then combine with your dressing. You’ll notice you can store the coleslaw A LOT longer without it turning into a soup. The veg will also stay crunchier much longer.

What veg to use in coleslaw?

For me all you need is cabbage, carrot and spring onion. No other veg necessary!

Should coleslaw be served cold?

You serve at room temp, but I mush prefer it straight from the fridge. Just give it a good stir before you serve!

How long does Coleslaw last?

You can store freshly made coleslaw in the fridge for up to a week!

How to serve coleslaw?

It goes great with burgers and hot dogs, awesome with pulled pork and of course great inside or next to a sandwich!

And there we have it! All my top tips for the most glorious coleslaw. Let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

How to make Homemade Coleslaw (Full Recipe & Video)

Crisp & Creamy Coleslaw

This Homemade Coleslaw is crispy, crunchy and wrapped in a dreamy creamy dressing. Better still, it's so simple to make!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Western

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 6

Calories per serving: 138kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £1 / $1

Equipment

• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Small Mixing Bowl (for dressing)
• Large Mixing Bowl & Salad Tossers (or Spatula)
• Box Grater (for carrots)

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1/2 cup / 120g Full Fat Mayo
• 1/2 cup / 120g Sour Cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste

Coleslaw

• 1 small Green Cabbage (approx 1.6lb/750g BEFORE cored/peeled)
• 2-3 medium Carrots (1 medium carrot is approx 75g/2.5oz)
• 2-3 Spring/Green Onions

Instructions

• In a small mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup mayo & sour cream with 1 tbsp dijon mustard & apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp & 1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste).
• Peel outer layer of cabbage if damaged, then slice in to quarters. Use your knife to slice out the firm cores from those quarters, then finely slice the cabbage into long shards. Shred carrots on a box grated and squeeze out as much moisture as you can over the sink. Slice spring onion, then add everything to a large bowl.
• Pour dressing into the veg and toss to coat. Best served after resting in the fridge for an hour to marry the flavours (give it a quick toss before serving). Even better rested overnight, just I recommend removing moisture from the veg first (see notes).

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Make Ahead Coleslaw - Coleslaw is best served after resting, but this often means it ends up overly wet and soggy. This is because the salt draws out all the moisture from the veg. In order to counteract this, I recommend adding the veg to a colander and tossing through a tsp of salt. Leave it to sit for an hour then squeeze all the excess moisture out. Continue recipe, just start off with a pinch of salt in the dressing and adjust after it's all mixed in.

b) Subs - You can sub the apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar. You can switch out the green cabbage for red or use a combo of both. You can use thinly sliced red onion instead of spring onion, I recommend starting off with half a medium onion and working up from there to preference. Or you can cheat and buy store bought dry coleslaw mix!

c) Calories - based on sharing between 6 people:

Nutrition Facts

Crisp & Creamy Coleslaw

Amount Per Serving

Calories 138 Calories from Fat 145

% Daily Value*

Fat 16.07g25%

Saturated Fat 3.449g22%

Trans Fat 0.035g

Polyunsaturated Fat 8.401g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.756g

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 399mg17%

Potassium 382mg11%

Carbohydrates 13.08g4%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 6.64g7%

Protein 2.66g5%

Vitamin A 5441IU109%

Vitamin C 56.7mg69%

Calcium 88mg9%

Iron 1.05mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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