Learn how to make the BEST homemade coleslaw! Filled with red and green cabbage, carrots, and green onions, this easy recipe is healthy and delicious.
This easy coleslaw recipe is great for just about any occasion—a weeknight dinner, a cookout, or a fun picnic lunch. Like all my favorite summer recipes, it’s packed with colorful veggies, and a lightly creamy, tangy dressing ties the whole thing together. It comes together in minutes, and it keeps well if you make it ahead of time. Just add veggie burgers, and you’ve got a perfect summer meal!
Coleslaw Recipe Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this homemade coleslaw recipe! I like to think of it in two parts: the coleslaw mix and the dressing.
To simplify this coleslaw recipe, you can use store-bought coleslaw mix, but I like to make my own. I use these ingredients to give it a variety of colors, textures, and flavors:
- Cabbage – I use a mix of red and green cabbage, but just one will work here too. To shred cabbage, thinly slice it with a sharp knife or mandoline.
- Carrots – They add extra color and a light sweetness. Instead of shredding the carrots on a box grater, use a vegetable peeler to slice them into thin strips.
- Scallions – You won’t find them in packaged coleslaw mix, but I love their fresh, oniony flavor and green hue.
That’s it for the veggies! Now, you need these ingredients to make the coleslaw dressing:
- Mayo – Make this recipe vegan by substituting store-bought or homemade vegan mayo.
- Apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard – They give the dressing tangy depth of flavor.
- Maple syrup – It balances the assertive mustard and vinegar.
- Celery seeds – These little guys give this coleslaw recipe delicious savory flavor. If you don’t have them on hand, they’re worth investing in. I love them in my deviled eggs, egg salad, and potato salad, too!
Just add salt and pepper to make the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Coleslaw
Making this coleslaw recipe couldn’t be easier! Here’s what you need to do:
First, make the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth!
Then, combine the veggies. Add the scallions, red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrot to a large bowl, and toss to combine.
Finally, mix it all together! Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture, and toss to coat. Season to taste, and enjoy!
If you want to get ahead, you can prep this recipe up to a day before you plan to eat it. The flavors meld and the veggies soften slightly as it sits, so it’s extra creamy and flavorful on day 2.
Coleslaw Serving Suggestions
Serve this classic coleslaw recipe as a side dish at summer potlucks and barbecues. It pairs well with these recipes:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- Black Bean Burgers
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches (a plant-based spin on pulled pork!)
If you’re looking for another side dish to round out the meal, I recommend grilled corn, grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini, or these grilled veggies. My watermelon salad, strawberry salad, or a simple fruit salad would be a great choice too.
I also love to pack this creamy coleslaw for picnics. It’s fantastic with a Caprese sandwich, chickpea salad sandwich, or egg salad sandwich. Don’t forget the brownies for dessert!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this easy coleslaw recipe, try one of these summer salads next:
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Easy Macaroni Salad
- Greek Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Creamy Coleslaw
Ingredients
- Scant 3/4 cup mayo or Vegan Mayo
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon celery seeds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into thin peels
- 3 scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Make the coleslaw dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, celery seeds, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper.
- Make the coleslaw. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, and scallions. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, as desired.
Perfect side for summer! Tastes even better day two.
Hi Bailey, so glad you loved it!
For one of my first jobs, I made 50 lbs. of cole slaw at a time; twice a day on Fridays and Saturdays. I didn’t eat cole slaw for YEARS. This recipe is a winner. I do like to salt my cabbage and let it rest for a bit before rinsing and adding to the dressing. I used homemade bang bang sauce for the first batch made this month. It vanished before I could get a photo. I made the second batch as written, and served it with beanies and weenies and mini corn muffins.
Wow! That’s a lot of coleslaw! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I have to confess that although I love salads, coleslaw is not my favorite — usually because it is so sweet. However, reading the sauce recipe for this recipe not only intrigued me but made my mouth water. It did not disappoint! I added crisp and sweet Fuji apple chunks and served it with her black bean burger recipe. Delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it, Shelly!
This is my new favorite coleslaw recipe. It’s tangy, creamy and oh so good! The proportions are perfection. It seems like so many coleslaws swim in mayo but not this one. And it gets better and better over time!
Hi Annika, I’m so glad you loved it!
This was so easy to make and delicious! I paired it with easy black bean burgers and also best veggie burgers.
Hi Heidi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And fun that you made both burger recipes too 🙂
Great BBQ side dish! The dressing had a nice tang/sweet/fat balance and I really liked the addition of grated carrots. I probably made my curls too wide, but it added a nice extra crunch. Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Melinda!
Great recipe ! I initially added kale and skipped the carrots and scallions !Substituted the maple syrup for organic raw honey ! Love the touch of Dijon mustard !
So glad you enjoyed it, Liliya!
Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
If you don’t have apple cider vinegar on hand, or want to add extra flavor depth, substitute the liquid from a jar of pickles. My spouse likes his coleslaw with a handful of dried cranberries for an extra sweet contrast to the tangy dressing.
Love that idea!
I am not a fan of coleslaw but my husband loves it. One complaint he has is that many recipes have too much mayo. He LOVED this one though – I followed the recipe exactly and he said it was the best. Perfect for summer BBQs.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
This was so good! My family loves coleslaw and this was so easy and so delicious. #loveandlemonscookingclub
making this for a large group get together this weekend! This is the recipe I’ve been using for years except the maple syrup. I love the idea!!
The Celery seeds mde this recipe! But I left out the maple syrup and put in a little pomegranate molasses. Yummy
I made this for my daughter’s birthday party, and it was a huge hit! There wasn’t a drop left!
I used to have a favorite recipe and lost it long ago. And haven’t been able to find a coleslaw one that I love until NOW! This is going to be my go to from now on-I also edited a couple fennel instead of celery seeds, which was amazing and honey instead of maple syrup. This was so good that I just wanted to put the sauce in a jar to put on everything I make when I barbecue. It’s a wonderful based sauce that goes with potato salad and macaroni salad too. I’ve made it three times already -mostly it’s the sauce that really attracts me. I have dietary issues. I need to make sure my ingredients are as natural as possible. Love this!!!
I’m 65 years old and have almost never had coleslaw as an adult (my mom was great at cooking Mass quantities for the 10 kids and my Dad but not so great at good flavor 😊) I found this recipe a couple weeks ago and have made it twice already! So yummy!
Hi Monica, I’m so glad you love it!
This coleslaw was amazing! My family loved it. I will make it again!!
So glad it was a hit!
So much better than basic coleslaw at a restaurant. The flavor is vibrant and crunchy and fresh!
Hi Acacia, I’m so glad you loved it!
Simple, solid coleslaw recipe. Fast to make and classic taste.
#loveandlemonscookingclub
Hi Emiley, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for joining the club.
This was wonderful! I think I was a little heavy handed with the mustard and will be using a scant tablespoon next time. But I offset with a dribble more of maple syrup and it was perfect!
So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!