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    Home » Salads

    Homemade Coleslaw - 4 Ingredients

    Modified: Feb 2, 2023 · Published: May 22, 2019 by Sula · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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    You need this for summer meals!

    I think there's a rule that you can't serve pulled pork without coleslaw. (Maybe it's just a guideline). And of course, with fish or pretty much any seafood. I love coleslaw and tend to make and eat it all summer long!

    Ingredients needed for homemade coleslaw

    Contrary to popular opinion, coleslaw does NOT have to come from a deli. It is, in fact, one of the easiest salads to make and you probably have all the dressing ingredients on hand already! Buy yourself a package of pre-shredded Coleslaw mix and you are good to go!

    serving bowl of coleslaw

    The ingredient list is:

    • Coleslaw mix
    • Mayo
    • Sugar
    • White vinegar
    • (optional) paprika - for garnish

    If you are determined to make this COMPLETELY from scratch, you can shred your own cabbage.

    coleslaw mix on a cutting board

    You could also simply leave a knife out so it looks like you slaved all day over the cutting board.

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    I'll email this post to you, so you can easily come back to it later!

    Easy homemade coleslaw dressing

    The dressing takes just 3 ingredients and mixes in minutes. I sprinkle with paprika because…well… that's what my Mom always did.  I don't think it is strictly necessary so I am listing that as an optional ingredient. I also use light mayo because that is what I routinely have, but feel free to use full fat mayo (guilty pleasure: it's the "bacon" of dressings) if that is your preference.

    pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on a small white plate

    This is one of my favorite summer sides. With pulled pork of course but also all the other grilled favorites. Burgers, hot dogs, brats. All love to share a plate with this coleslaw.

    Need some more summer sides? How about a Caprese Pasta Salad or Classic Potato Salad? Want something different? Grape Tomato Mozzarella Salad or Corn Tomato Avocado Salad will provide a fresh change. You can mix these up all summer for a change of pace!

    pin for homemade coleslaw

    📖 Recipe

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    fork holding coleslaw with the bowl of it in the background
    5 from 4 votes
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    Coleslaw

    only 4 ingredients needed for this coleslaw
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time0 minutes mins
    Rest time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 88kcal
    Author: Sula

    Ingredients

    • 1 14 oz package coleslaw mix or about 3-4 cups of shredded cabbage
    • ½ cup light mayonnaise
    • 3 TB sugar
    • 3 TB white vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon paprika optional

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the sugar and vinegar until mostly smooth.
    • Place the coleslaw mix in a bowl and mix with the dressing.
    • Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
    • Sprinkle with paprika to serve. (optional)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 25.9mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.4mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.


    Interesting tidbit: Do you know that coleslaw is the original cool (or kool) food? According to Wikipedia the term "coleslaw" arose in the 18th century as an anglicisation of the Dutch term "koolsla" ("kool" in Dutch sounds like "cole") meaning "cabbage salad".[4][5] The "cole" part of the word comes from the Latin colis, meaning "cabbage".

    If you're looking for a low carb coleslaw, I tried and loved this recipe in a sugar free version: Keto Coleslaw. Delicious!

    « Instant Pot Pulled Pork (with Country Style Ribs)
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    Comments

    1. Sherrie M

      March 11, 2025 at 3:02 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious! The only thing I did was add pepper. Being from OK, we add pepper to everything, LOL

      Reply
      • Sula

        March 11, 2025 at 8:42 pm

        Sounds awesome 🙂

        Reply
    2. Big Trouble

      July 28, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      5 stars
      Okay, so I ventured out of my comfort zone and made this recipe using vegan mayo. It was actually really good! I imagine it tastes just as good as the original recipe, too. The sugar kicks it up a notch, too, which is fun. 🙂

      Reply
      • Sula

        July 28, 2020 at 2:50 pm

        Very cool that it works with vegan mayo -thank you for that information!!

        Reply
    5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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