Creamy, Crunchy & Perfectly Sweetened Coleslaw!
My grandmother is the best cook in our family. Everyone always calls her when they need a tried and true recipe. Unfortunately, 95% of the time she’s a “add a pinch of this and a shake of that” type cook. If you’re not familiar with playing around with recipes, it’s enough to drive you crazy trying to replicate her cooking.
This is when family calls me. I’ve somehow learned to decode her recipes by playing around with them long enough and watching her cook. This coleslaw is one of those decoded recipes. I was fortunate enough to find several copies of this recipe floating around the web and in southern church potluck cookbooks so figuring out the exact measurements was pretty easy.
This easy, creamy coleslaw recipe seems to please even those picky “I hate coleslaw” people which makes it great for potlucks and cookouts. It’s a great balance of sweetness, creaminess, and vinegary-ness (best word ever).
I love that this recipe doesn’t stray far from the traditional coleslaw ingredients. It’s great the first day you make it but lawd have mercy on the next day. I throw it on hot dogs, hamburgers, fish, you name it.
Watch me make this easy, creamy coleslaw from start to finish!!
Get the Recipe: Creamy, Crunchy & Perfectly Sweetened Coleslaw!
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 1/4 small onion, about 2-3 Tablespoons
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, I used Dukes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, may need a lil more or less
Instructions
- Grate cabbage, carrot and onion.
- Place into a large bowl. Toss and set aside
- In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, buttermilk, white vinegar, and sugar.
- Whisk until creamy.
- Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
- Stir in salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight for flavors to combine.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Please note that you may need to adjust the amount of dressing ingredients depending on how big your cabbage is. Use the salt, black pepper and sugar to season to your liking.
Feel free to through in some red cabbage, radish or green onions.
Be careful not to over season. Flavors will intensify as the coleslaw sits.
This is the closest I’ve been able to find to my mother’s (sadly, long lost) coleslaw recipe. A minor tweak or two and I had it. A little more onion and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne and I was there.
Thanks for the memories!
wow- added a small diced jalepeno and this slaw rocks. My picky husband had 3 helpings! Never used buttermilk in slaw before, but it is amazing. Thanks!
I have been making this slaw for years. My neighbors parents own a sandwich shop in Highlands North Carolina and their slaw was the best I ever tasted. I could not duplicate it. Then I saw and tried this one. It is every bit as good as their’s. I think shredding the cabbage makes all the difference in texture and the yummy dressing is the topping. Perfection!
I must have had bad slaw my entire life to not like it. This recipe made me do a 360!!!! Legit ingredients. Fresh homemade taste. Im not gonna share with my kids…. they dont like coleslaw.
This is the perfect coleslaw recipe. My whole family loved it. Making it again tonight. Thanks for the great recipe.