This homemade dressing recipe is full of flavor, creamy, refreshing, and so easy to make. This recipe only requires a few ingredients, all of which are basic items you probably already have.

With only a few ingredients and some cabbage or coleslaw mix, you will have a delicious go-to salad. Once you make your own coleslaw at home, you will not want to buy the coleslaw you can buy in a grocery store. Here is why:

Easy This coleslaw recipe calls for only five simple ingredients, and all you need to do is whisk them all together, and you have a creamy classic coleslaw.
Good quality ingredients The nice thing about making your own coleslaw and creamy dressing is that you know exactly what has gone into it. There are no additives or stabilizers here, and instead of processed sugar, it’s sweetened with maple syrup.
The coleslaw dress is versatile This creamy, tangy dressing makes a great dressing for coleslaw, but it’s excellent on other salads as well. Toss it with lettuce, spinach, or baby greens. It also works great in broccoli salad, and you will soon realize you have many ways to use it.

Ingredients for Coleslaw with creamy dressing

Mayonnaise for the best flavor you want to use mayonnaise, don’t use salad dressing or miracle whip here. Also as an alternative, you can use a dairy-free mayonnaise.
Sour Cream I like to add the addition of whipping cream for the additional creaminess, but as an alternative, you can either omit it or use a full-fat Greek yogurt.
White vinegar This will give the recipe its tanginess. I like to use white vinegar, but you can also use apple cider vinegar.
Maple Syrup If you only want to use a touch of sugar, I like to use maple syrup to balance out the flavor of the vinegar. As an alternative, you can use a small amount of granulated sugar.
Dijon mustard I like to use some form of mustard to amp up the flavor in the dressing, anything from Dijon mustard to yellow mustard or dry mustard to add the peppery flavor.
Celery Seeds When you make coleslaw, you want to add celery seeds as an additional flavor; it’s just the perfect combination of flavors.
Yellow onion Adding onions to your coleslaw is optional, but it does give you additional flavor and texture. A little bit of sweet onion goes a long way.
Shredded cabbage The cabbage is the star of the show; you can use pre-shredded cabbage or shred and slice your own cabbage. I like the pre-shredded as a quick option because there is usually green and purple cabbage and shredded carrots all in one bag.

How to make Coleslaw

Make the dressing create the creamy dressing by combining everything but the cabbage and onion.
Cabbage and onion Shred the cabbage and chop the onion finely.
Add the dressing Combine the dressing with the shredded cabbage and onion and fold until incorporated.

Variations and add in’s

Apples
Dried cranberries
Sliced almonds
Pineapple
Poppyseeds
Grated carrot
Fresh strawberries

Additional seasonings ideas

Onion powder
Garlic powder
Pepper
Green onions

Tips for the best coleslaw

Don’t skip the celery seed, it adds flavor to this classic coleslaw recipe.
When you make the dressing, Whisk the dressing in a large bowl (instead of a small bowl) and add the cabbage to toss it all together. (This will save on clean-up.)
Coleslaw is best if it can be chilled in the fridge for a few hours to allow all the flavors to marry together.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does Coleslaw Keep?

The vinegar in the coleslaw dressing will start to break down the cabbage and start to draw out the moisture. Once the dressing is added, I recommend that you serve it within a couple of hours.

How to Make It Healthy?

To make this healthier replace half of the mayo with a thick plain Greek yogurt.