Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Simple Coleslaw 4.5 (2) 1 Review Classic creamy coleslaw is the summer side dish that never goes out of style. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 21, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 4 cups Jump to recipe If you’re asked to bring a side dish to the next summer potluck or BBQ, this simple coleslaw recipe is what you need. It takes just a few minutes to make, uses just a few ingredients, and is endlessly versatile. Did we mention it can be made a day in advance? Grab a head of cabbage and a few carrots, and you probably have the rest of the ingredients in your kitchen already. Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar flavor mayonnaise to make a creamy dressing for the vegetables. Once everything is combined, this dish can go straight to the table or hang out in the refrigerator for up to one day—the flavors only get better with time. 32 Cookout Sides for Your Next Summer Gathering The Best Types of Cabbage to Use for Coleslaw Green: A classic for coleslaw, this cabbage is mildly peppery in flavor and has a crisp, crunchy texture.Red: Its flavor is similar to green cabbage, but it adds a fun pop of color to this side dish.Napa: This variety of cabbage has pale yellow frilly leaves and is oblong. The leaves are slightly sweeter and much more tender, but they still make a lovely ingredient for coleslaw. Make Ahead: This coleslaw can be made up to one day ahead. Give it quick toss before serving to make sure each bite is well combined and coated in dressing. 3 Ways to Upgrade Simple Coleslaw This recipe is incredibly versatile, so you can swap out vegetables and seasonings to your heart's content. Crunchy vegetables like kohlrabi or jicama can be sliced into matchsticks and swapped in for some of the cabbage or carrots.Fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or an allium like scallions add a fresh finish.Briney ingredients like pickles, cornichons, and sliced pepperoncini bring acid and brightness to the dish. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 6 cups shredded cabbage (from about ½ head), a mix of red and green, if desired 2 cups julienned carrots (from about 4 medium carrots) ⅔ cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Directions Jason Donnelly Mix coleslaw: In a bowl, toss together cabbage, carrots, mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Jason Donnelly Season and refrigerate: Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day. Jason Donnelly This recipe is super simple, but if you're really pressed for time, a bag of coleslaw mix will cut your prep time in half. How to Store Coleslaw You can store any leftover coleslaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two days. The color of the cabbage will remain vibrant since it is coated in an acidic dressing. Serving Coleslaw Much as we love creamy coleslaw as a basic side dish, it can do so much more than accompany your favorite grilled protein. Try piling it high onto BBQ pork sandwiches, stuffing it into fish tacos, or use it to replace the sauerkraut in classic Reubens. Frequently Asked Questions Should I make coleslaw ahead of time? Yes, you can and should make coleslaw ahead of time. The flavor of the coleslaw will be better if the ingredients have time to mingle. Ideally, you'll make the side dish a few hours ahead of time. How do you shred the cabbage for coleslaw? Shredding the cabbage for coleslaw is simple. Work with one half of a head of cabbage placed flat side down on a cutting board and use a sharp chef's knife to slice crosswise into thin shreds. We generally use this method to shread cabbage but you can shred it using a food processor fitted with a shredding blade if you prefer. What is the dressing on coleslaw made from? The dressing on coleslaw is made from mayonnaise thinned with other ingredients. Generally the dressing uses store-bought mayonnaise mixed with mustard and vinegar. For our simple coleslaw recipe we use Dijon mustard and white-wine vinegar. Why is my coleslaw watery? Coleslaw can become watery because cabbage is about 92 percent water. This means that if the coleslaw sits for more than one day, the cabbage will begin to release moisture and the side dish becomes watery and unappealing. That is one of the reasons that while we advocate making coleslaw ahead of time if you want, we say not to make it more than a day before you intend to use it. More Coleslaw Recipes to Try Classic Coleslaw with Creamy Dressing Traditional Coleslaw Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw Shredded Carrot and Cabbage Coleslaw Shredded Cabbage Slaw With Ginger Vinaigrette Cashew-Chickpea Salad With Cabbage Slaw Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, July/August 2015 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer with over 15 years of experience and holds a Professional Culinary Arts diploma from the International Culinary Center. In addition to MarthaStewart.com, Riley's work can be found in TODAY.com, Delish, Food52, and Marley Spoon.