With its tangy-sweet flavor and creamy-crunchy texture, this old-fashioned American coleslaw recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next potluck, picnic, or summer cookout! Bagged coleslaw mix saves prep time, and it's even better when prepared in advance.
While I’m a Northern NY girl, I’ve always loved traditional Southern food, such as BBQ pulled pork (Dutch oven), BBQ chicken thighs (slow cooker), baked beans, mac and cheese (Dutch oven), and creamy Southern-style coleslaw.
I have zero interest in creative coleslaw additions like pineapple, apples, and raisins. Give me a simple, easy American coleslaw recipe with mayonnaise, crisp cabbage, and shredded carrots!
Well, this American-style coleslaw recipe checks all the boxes! It’s creamy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, made with simple ingredients, and mixed up in just 15 minutes! I’m sure you’ll love it just as much as I do!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Texture - The creamy coleslaw dressing perfectly complements the crunchy cabbage and carrots.
- Flavor - Red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard give the coleslaw a savory element, while white sugar balances the savory flavors and provides a touch of sweetness.
- Versatile - Serve American coleslaw as a side dish, a topping for sandwiches, pulled pork, and burgers, with Friday night fish fry, or even as a main ingredient in wraps and tacos.
- Easy - Everything mixes up in one bowl in just 15 minutes, and bagged coleslaw mix means there’s hardly any chopping involved!
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise - Provides a creamy base for the coleslaw dressing and helps to blend all the ingredients together.
- Dijon mustard - Adds a subtle tangy, savory flavor. I prefer to use smooth Dijon mustard, not grainy or honey Dijon.
- Red wine vinegar - Provides the majority of the tangy flavor and adds acidity to balance the sweetness. Apple cider vinegar is an okay substitute if you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand.
- White sugar - Adds a touch of sweetness to the coleslaw, balancing out the acid and mellowing the tangy flavor a bit.
- Salt & pepper - Essential for the overall flavor of the American coleslaw recipe. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Coleslaw mix - Most pre-packaged coleslaw mixes contain shredded green cabbage, purple cabbage, and carrots. I like to use them because they’re a huge time saver, incredibly inexpensive, and have a long shelf life.
- Carrots - I find the shredded carrots in bagged coleslaw mix to be sparse and kind of sad-looking, so I like adding a few freshly shredded carrots to the mix. They really brighten up the salad with a pop of color!
How to make American coleslaw
Recipe rundown
- Make the creamy coleslaw dressing.
- Add the coleslaw blend and shredded carrots, and mix to combine.
- Let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Serve cold, and enjoy!
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Combine the mayo, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl (I love these glass bowls) or the serving bowl you plan on using. Whisk until smooth.
Step 2: Add the coleslaw mix and shredded carrots and toss until the vegetables are fully coated in the creamy coleslaw dressing.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Creamy American coleslaw should chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend together.
Step 4: Remove the creamy coleslaw from the fridge, give it another good stir, and serve cold. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- You can use freshly chopped cabbage if you’d like. Most store-bought coleslaw mixes contain about 80% green cabbage and 20% red (purple) cabbage. You’ll need 16 ounces of cabbage, which should be thinly sliced/shredded, either by hand or with a food processor.
- Chilling for at least 1 hour is essential! Letting the salad sit allows the flavors to fully develop and slightly softens the cabbage, making it easier to chew.
- Feel free to include optional add-ins. Like I said, I like to keep this American coleslaw recipe simple and traditional. However, there are some optional flavor boosters that you can include if you’d like. Common additions include pineapple, apples, onions, raisins, celery seeds, sunflower seeds, and fresh herbs.
- Keep coleslaw chilled at all times, especially if serving outdoors on a hot summer day!
What to serve with American-style coleslaw
American-style coleslaw complements just about every summer main dish and side! If you serve it next to BBQ chicken, mac salad, and sliced watermelon, I guarantee it’ll be gone in no time!
How to store leftover coleslaw
- Leftover creamy American coleslaw can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- It eventually becomes soggy, so it’s best to eat it up within a couple of days.
Frequently asked questions
Mayo-based coleslaw, like this American-style coleslaw, absolutely cannot be frozen. Unless you like curdled mayonnaise, then, by all means, give it a try! However, since shredded raw cabbage is freezer-friendly, vinegar-based coleslaw recipes can be frozen for up to one month.
This shredded cabbage salad is known as coleslaw, cold slaw, or simply "slaw" in America. Though its name is derived from the Dutch term koosla, you won't see it listed on diner menus as such.
Typically, coleslaw features cabbage as the main ingredient, while slaw can be any combination of chopped, raw vegetables.
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If you tried this Creamy American Coleslaw Recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
PrintCreamy American Coleslaw
With its tangy-sweet flavor and creamy-crunchy texture, this old-fashioned American coleslaw recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next potluck, picnic, or summer cookout! Bagged coleslaw mix saves prep time, and it's even better when prepared in advance.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 16 ounces store-bought coleslaw mix
- 2 large carrots - shredded
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add the coleslaw mix and shredded carrots and mix until the vegetables are fully coated in the creamy coleslaw dressing.
- Cover the coleslaw mixture and let it chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, give the coleslaw a good stir, serve it cold, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use freshly chopped cabbage if you’d like. Most store-bought coleslaw mixes contain about 80% green cabbage and 20% red (purple) cabbage.
- Chilling for at least 1 hour is essential! Letting the salad sit allows the flavors to fully develop and slightly softens the cabbage, making it easier to chew.
- Leftover creamy American coleslaw can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- It eventually becomes soggy, so it’s best to eat it up within a couple of days.
- The nutrition information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙th of recipe
- Calories: 298
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 535.1 mg
- Fat: 27.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.2 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 1.6 g
- Cholesterol: 15.4 mg
Katie says
It's the perfect creamy coleslaw recipe for summer!