Coleslaw: the creamy American cabbage salad

Coleslaw brings a lot of variety to the table with just a few ingredients.

Coleslaw is one of those uncomplicated salad recipes that we love to make for barbecues. Once the cabbage and carrots are finely shredded, the rest is done in a flash. You'll be rewarded with a crisp and creamy salad that still tastes great even after two or three days in the fridge. Plus, with our American-style coleslaw, you know exactly what's in it: mostly fresh vegetables, mayonnaise, and just one teaspoon of sugar for four generous servings. In comparison, a typical store-bought coleslaw would have three different types of sugar plus artificial sweetener on its ingredient list. So, with our recipe, you have the perfect side dish for homemade hamburgers or sandwiches.

The ingredients for our American coleslaw

For our recipe you only need a few simple ingredients: The classic coleslaw salad is made with white cabbage, carrots, onions and a mayo dressing.

White cabbage (also known as white kraut) is easily recognizable by its round shape and light green color. It is also frequently used for making sauerkraut. It provides 46mg of vitamin C and 3g of fiber per 100g.

The dressing with mayonnaise: An authentic American coleslaw—quite unlike Grandma's cabbage salad—is made with a generous amount of mayonnaise. Homemade mayonnaise is especially delicious, while store-bought is quicker. If you'd like a lower-fat version, you can replace some of the mayonnaise with sour cream or more crème fraîche. The dressing also includes mustard, vinegar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper.

3 tips for preparing our coleslaw recipe

Prepare the cabbage well: To make the cabbage especially tender without cooking, slice it evenly into approximately 2mm thin strips by hand or with a mandoline. Salt the strips and briefly knead them vigorously to distribute the salt. Ideally, let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze out the salty liquid from the cabbage and discard it. If you prefer your salad extra crisp, simply skip the salting and kneading step and add a little more salt to the dressing! And if you like it extra soft, knead the cabbage a little longer; you'll feel it becoming more supple after 1-2 minutes.

Alternatives to white cabbage: Pointed cabbage is a mild alternative if you find white cabbage too intense. We also love it in our Green Goddess salad. Red cabbage, on the other hand, is a real eye-catcher and can be used alongside white cabbage varieties in coleslaw.

Coleslaw tastes just as good the next day, so feel free to prepare it the day before. With store-bought mayonnaise, coleslaw will keep for about three days. If you're using homemade mayo with fresh eggs, you should enjoy your salad within one day.

We especially enjoy the coleslaw with it.

Coleslaw pairs particularly well with savory dishes, providing a crisp and creamy contrast. We love serving it with BBQ, on burgers, or with crispy finger food. It also complements pulled pork, baked potatoes, and sandwiches wonderfully. And there's no better way to enjoy homemade crispy chicken burgers!

Required accessories

1 large bowl (30cm diameter)
1 knife and cutting board
1 vegetable slicer or julienne peeler

preparation

Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, quarter it, remove the core and shred or slice it into fine strips. 800 g white cabbage.
Place in a large bowl, season with 2 teaspoons of salt, and knead vigorously with your hands. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve the onion and slice it thinly. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin sticks using a julienne peeler or a knife. Alternatively, coarsely grate them. 1 onion, 3 medium carrots.
Squeeze the cabbage to remove excess liquid and discard the salty water. Stir in the onions and carrots.

About Us

We are Tina and Alex, the faces behind the food blog SELBSTGEMACHT (Homemade) from Munich and Freiburg. Since 2014, we've been developing our own recipes, photographing them ourselves, and writing every single text. We've amassed over 1,500 recipes so far: bread and sourdough, hearty everyday dishes, desserts, drinks, and homemade gift ideas. We test each recipe until the quantities, times, and techniques work reliably even in a standard kitchen. Only then does it make it onto the blog. We'll tell you how our food blog grew from a small hobby in Munich in our story. We're so glad you're here: take a look around, try things out, and enjoy!

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