Southern Creamy Coleslaw

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Homemade Southern Creamy Coleslaw is the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, fresh, and tangy. It is quick and easy to make, and has a secret ingredient in the dressing that will make it the best you’ve ever had!

Southern Creamy Coleslaw

It turns out that the trick to coleslaw is that it’s southern. 

I’ve tried making coleslaw in the past, but it just came out blah.  Then, as I was flipping through the hubby’s southern grandma’s cookbook, I found her recipe for coleslaw.

Given my success rate for her other recipes, like this oven fried chicken which would also go amazingly with this creamy southern coleslaw recipe, I decided to try her coleslaw recipe too. And OMG. Perfection.

This Creamy Southern Coleslaw is the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, fresh, and tangy. It is just indescribably good. You have to try it yourself. 

It’s super easy to make too.  After you prep the cabbage and carrots, you just mix everything in the bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat!

What is the Best Coleslaw Dressing?

Home dressing is the best coleslaw dressing. Absolutely. Definitely. Hands down.

Making a dressing might sound intimidating, but it’s actually super easy.

It uses just a few ingredients that you probably already have around the pantry, such as mayo, sour cream, vinegar, and onion powder.

The secret ingredient in this dressing (and the reason that this recipe is SO MUCH better than every recipe I’ve tried!) is fresh squeezed lemon juice. It brings the perfect amount of freshness to the dressing to make it perfect.

What Kind of Cabbage Do You Use to Make Coleslaw?

For this southern creamy coleslaw recipe, I almost always use classic green cabbage.

If you’re feeling fancy, you can cut up a little bit of red cabbage as well to give it some color. However, I usually just skip it because I know I’ll have a lot leftover, and I hate waste.

If you want to make this recipe fast, you can skip the prep work and just use a bag mix. No judging here. But you may need to use 2 bags for the amount of dressing in this recipe.

How to Make Southern Creamy Coleslaw

In a medium mixing bowl, add mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and onion powder to make the dressing. Stir together until smooth and creamy. (Photo 1)

In a separate large bowl, add shredded cabbage and carrots. Toss to combine. (Photo 2)

Pour dressing mixture over cabbage and carrots Fold in until dressing is incorporated. (Photo 3 and 4)

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Serve cool.

Pro Tips

• This coleslaw is naturally gluten free. You can also make it dairy free by subbing the sour cream with more mayo or by using coconut cream or plain unsweetened almond or coconut yogurt.
• Low carb or keto? Just take out the sugar and use 1-2 drops stevia instead. If you’d rather not use sour cream as well, just replace it with extra mayo or heavy cream (the lemon juice and vinegar will turn the cream the consistency of sour cream which will work perfectly!)
• Be sure to chill your coleslaw for at least 1-2 hours before serving to let the flavors marry. This is important! It’s so much better this way!
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The closer you make it to when you want to serve it, the crisper the cabbage will be. It may be more soft as you approach the 3 day mark.
• To make ahead: (without the cabbage getting soft!) Prepare cabbage with carrots and store in a freezer bag in the refrigerator. Prepare dressing separately and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Two hours before serving, add cabbage mixture and dressing to a large bowl and mix together. Cover and chill before serving.

Try Your Southern Creamy Coleslaw with These Recipes

• Deviled Egg Potato Salad – perfect to complement your coleslaw at a cookout!
• Pizza Pasta Salad – another family favorite!
• Beer Battered Fish – can’t eat fried fish without coleslaw!
• Southern Cornmeal Catfish – or tried this southern fried catfish!
• Baked Cajun Catfish – or the baked version, if you prefer!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Southern Creamy Coleslaw

Creamy Southern Coleslaw

This quick and easy homemade Creamy Southern Coleslaw is the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, fresh, and tangy. It makes a delicious side and it’s my favorite for pulled pork, too! It is just indescribably good. You have to try it for yourself!

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamy Coleslaw, Southern Coleslaw, Southern Creamy Coleslaw

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

• 5 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch of onion powder

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add shredded cabbage and carrots. Toss to combine. Set aside
• In a second bowl, add remaining ingredients to make dressing. Whisk together until smooth.
• Pour dressing mixture over cabbage and carrots. Fold in until dressing is incorporated.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
• Serve cool.

Notes

• This coleslaw is naturally gluten free. You can also make it dairy free by subbing the sour cream with more mayo or by using coconut cream or plain unsweetened almond or coconut yogurt.
• Low carb or keto? Just take out the sugar and use 1-2 drops stevia instead. If you’d rather not use sour cream as well, just replace it with extra mayo or heavy cream (the lemon juice and vinegar will turn the cream the consistency of sour cream which will work perfectly!)
• Be sure to chill your coleslaw for at least 1-2 hours before serving to let the flavors marry. This is important! It’s so much better this way!
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The closer you make it to when you want to serve it, the crisper the cabbage will be. It may be more soft as you approach the 3 day mark.
• To make ahead: (without the cabbage getting soft!) Prepare cabbage with carrots and store in a freezer bag in the refrigerator. Prepare dressing separately and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Two hours before serving, add cabbage mixture and dressing to a large bowl and mix together. Cover and chill before serving.

 

Nutrition Facts are for 1/2 cup coleslaw.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 19% | Vitamin C: 13.3% | Calcium: 1.9% | Iron: 0.9%

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UPDATES: This recipe was originally published in April 2018, but was republished in May 2019 with updated photos, step-by-step directions, and a how-to video.

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