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!!
The Recipe
Creamy, Crunchy & Perfectly Sweetened Coleslaw!
By Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
- ½ head cabbage
- 1 carrot, peeled
- ¼ small onion (about 2-3 Tablespoons)
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I used Dukes)
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2½ tablespoons buttermilk
- 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ 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 a great recipe. My husband won’t eat cole slaw drowning in mayonnaise and loves things on the tangy side, so this is perfect. If you want it sweeter, you could add more sugar and lessen the vinegar, but why mess with perfection!
Girl! Is there anything you can’t do?!?! I just made this to go with shrimp po’boy’s. It was so delicious and fresh. Now I did alternate the recipe a little I used almond milk instead of buttermilk I also purchased the chopped up coleslaw from Publix and poured the dressing over it. However, It was creamy and not to heavy like some others. Thank you!
made this Cole Slaw tonight to rave reviews.! will be my #1 from now on.
used 1/2 & 1/2 instead of buttermilk (didn’t have it). delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Albe
Going to try this recipe for the coleslaw this weekend. We usually make the red vinegar slaw. Will let you know how we liked it!
use the buttermilk for cornbread and whatever is left over, have a great tasting glass full with the cornbread crumbled up in it . It don’tget no better than that.
This will be our 2nd Thanksgiving featuring your grandmother’s recipe. It is wonderful! The best cole slaw I’ve ever made! Not full of mayo, just right!
Best slaw recipe I’ve tried! My family and myself love it…especially when it’s cold!
This will be my second time making this cole slaw, omg!!! Oh so good!!!! I have a new site and I can get excited about and I love it… The bestest, a real keeper, thank you for sharing Monique!
Diva, coleslaw looks awesome and great reviews….I love coleslaw but hate it swimming in mayo, but I LOVE tasty and all of your recipes…at least ones I’ve tried. Simple and so good! My question, what can I substitute for the buttermilk? I mean a whole quart for 2 Tbl?! But, I’m reasonable, if it’s completely necessary, I will buy it and soak chix!
You could make buttermilk biscuits or buttermilk pancakes. Also, you can use buttermilk instead of regular milk when making batter fried vegetables, or fried chicken fingers. I’ve even saw someone post a buttermilk pie, hehe, that one was a first for me.
The qty. of buttermilk is very small. A dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt would probably do fine for adding the tanginess. Often buttermilk is used in baked goods, to provide leavening in conjunction with baking SODA. This can be substituted for by adding vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk, but I don’t know that the flavor would be as good in this recipe.