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My Mama’s Easy Coleslaw Recipe is the best homemade coleslaw with a perfectly creamy dressing! Not too sweet, finely chopped, perfect for summer!
Just like mama makes.
This might just win the award for the most times I’ve been told someone doesn’t like a food (coleslaw) and then tries my mama’s recipe and changes their opinion entirely.
Seriously.
I’ve been told so many times “I don’t like coleslaw, but I gave it a try and it’s so good!”
The secret? Chopping everything super fine in a food processor so you get creamy, flavor-packed bites instead of those big, crunchy chunks that slide off your fork.
It takes 5 minutes to make and goes with everything from barbecue to fried chicken.
We serve this easy coleslaw recipe as a side dish at summer dinners regularly, but I adore it piled on a pulled pork sandwich.
Another thing people love about this recipe…it’s not overwhelmingly sweet like a lot of coleslaw recipes. It has a bit of sweetness there to balance things out, but it’s not a sweet coleslaw.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s ridiculously quick. Dump everything in a food processor, pulse a few times, and you’re done. No knife work, no tedious chopping.
- The texture is perfect. Finely chopped cabbage means every bite is creamy and flavorful. Perfect for piling on sandwiches or eating with a fork.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser. This is the coleslaw that gets people asking for the recipe. Even picky eaters go back for seconds.
More Coleslaw Recipe:
Ingredient Notes:
Coleslaw Mix – You can use any standard coleslaw mix from the store or prepare your own with shredded cabbage.
Dressing – For the dressing you’ll need some mayonnaise, heavy cream, and yellow mustard. We add a bit of sugar as well.
Seasoning – You don’t need much for seasoning here, we just use some garlic salt and black pepper!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Food Processor
We use our Breville food processor in all kinds of recipes! It makes short work of chopping veggies and many other other tasks. This is our favorite food processor because it is so heavy duty and it will last!
Step by Step Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process in short bursts until finely ground.
Scrape the coleslaw out of the food processor and pop it in your serving dish. Chill for an hour for the best flavor.
Serving Ideas:
This easy coleslaw is perfect alongside pulled pork sandwiches, air fryer fried chicken, or smoked baby back ribs.
It’s also great as a topping for fish tacos or served with sweet cornbread and beans for a simple summer dinner.
For potlucks, this recipe easily doubles or triples.
Helpful Tip!
Storage Instructions:
You can keep this coleslaw recipe stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
The cabbage will release more liquid as it sets, so we do prefer this best the day it’s made. If I know we’ll be keeping it for longer, I’ll cut down on the heavy cream.
I would not recommend trying to freeze this recipe.
More Family Favorite REcipes
- Fried Tacos: My kids will never stop asking for fried tacos!
- Crockpot Potato Soup: We make this weekly in our house!
- Amish Egg Noodles: My daughter’s favorite food!
- Crockpot Pork Chops: So simple and we like to serve them over those Amish egg noodles up there.
- Mississippi Pot Roast: This roast is big on flavor!
Mama’s Classic Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 14 ounces bagged coleslaw mix
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional, to taste
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process in short bursts until finely ground.
- Chill for 1 hour before serving.
Barbara says
Can I use garlic powder instead of garlic salt,can’t wait to make this I love creamy coleslawÂ
Karly says
Sure thing!
gloria pittman says
This is how I always make my recipe, except I do add a little sugar and insted of yellow, I use dijon and taste to get to just the right flavor I want. Pulsing in the food processor makes it so much easier to EAT ! I usually add a splash of ACV, too !
Karin says
I would like to use my own cabbage and carrots , what would the quantity be ?
Karly says
14 ounces of shredded cabbage and carrots, total. I’d probably do about 2 ounces carrots to 12 ounces cabbage.
Adrienne says
I do this and add some celery seeds and finely minced onion..
Becky says
This sounds really good except, I’ll do my coleslaw mix fresh. I don’t care for the bagged stuff. Thanks.
Pattie says
Add some chopped apples soooooooo delicious
Claudine says
What would the carbs be in this coleslaw recipe. Just starting low carb so not sure . 🙂 Sounds low.
Karly says
You can plug this into any online nutrition calculator for that information, but yes, it’d be very in carbs. 🙂
CAROLE says
MIAMM, MIAMMMMM ,,,,
Sarah says
I adore coleslaw! This looks like a classic 🙂
Liz says
My mom would always make a KFC copycat coleslaw! I’m going to have to make yours—it looks amazing!
Karly says
Love KFC slaw!
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
Oooh this looks so yummy!! I love coleslaw 🙂
L.A. says
I rarely keep heavy cream in my fridge; I almost never used it in anything. I do usually have skim milk on hand though. Would it still work if I use 2 Tbsp of skim rather than the 2 Tbsp of heavy cream? Is the cream that important to the consistency or flavor? Thanks!
Karly says
You can try it, but it won’t be as thick or creamy.
Jen L. says
It will also be higher in carbs if you use skim milk.
Liz says
Sounds good, Karly. Thank you.
jude says
hmmm…………where is the recipe??
Jan says
No recipe?
Karly says
Whoops! I forgot to add the recipe card. Haha…it’s there now! 🙂