The Best Coleslaw
This is truly the best coleslaw recipe out there. Heaven in a bowl and blue ribbon level, this creamy and flavorful side dish and sandwich topping will dazzle at the next cookout.
First, I gotta say… all coleslaw recipes are not created equal. Some are just okay, some are pretty good, and some are magical. Of course, whichever descriptive the coleslaw merits is purely in the eye of the beholder but in my mind, Miss Millie’s best coleslaw recipe definitely fits into the “magical” category.
So, who is Miss Millie? She was my grandmother’s best friend for most of her life. They were neighbors when Grandmama passed away and Miss Millie who makes the best coleslaw ever now lives just two doors down from my mother. What’s more, her son married my aunt so some of my cousins have both my grandmama and Miss Millie as their grandmothers! I figured that was grounds enough to adopt her myself!
Miss Millie’s creamy coleslaw is loaded with fresh vegetables, like shredded cabbage and carrot (of course), as well as bell pepper and onion. But it’s the flavorful dressing that makes this the best coleslaw. The veggies are coated in a dressing that includes mayonnaise, sugar, cider vinegar, celery seeds, and dijon mustard. All of these ingredients combine to make a delicious homemade coleslaw that’s simultaneously sweet, tangy, and creamy.
Miss Millie’s best coleslaw makes the perfect Southern side dish to any main meal or a scrumptious sandwich topping. I’ve included more serving suggestions below, so let’s make some homemade coleslaw, hey?
Recipe Ingredients
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Bell pepper
- Onion
- Mayo
- Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Celery seeds
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dijon mustard
I know that seems like a lot of ingredients but trust me, it’s worth it. It’s also incredibly simple to make.
How to Make Miss Millie’s Best Coleslaw
Chop up your cabbage and bell peppers, grate the carrots and onions, and put it all in a large bowl.
The grated onion thing is a little different but it works so well in this. If you’d rather, you can just chop it really fine.
Place all remaining ingredients into a separate bowl and stir really well until fully combined and sugar is dissolved.
Pour over veggies.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Try not to eat the entire bowl yourself. If you do, just wash the bowl, put it away, and claim you didn’t have time to make any!
Not that I’ve ever done that….. 😆.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because of the mayonnaise dressing, coleslaw doesn’t freeze well.
Recipe Notes
- To save time, you can definitely use a bagged coleslaw mix or pre-shredded cabbage (I won’t tell anyone). Then add the coleslaw dressing, marinate, and serve!
- You can substitute the sugar for honey if you like. Start with a tablespoon and add more according to taste.
- Don’t skip the celery seed! It truly adds to the coleslaw dressing flavor.
- Add some fun mix-ins, like sliced apples, dried cranberries or raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or sliced almonds.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with classic coleslaw?
There are so many ways to serve this coleslaw. Firstly, it’s the perfect side dish to serve with barbecue meat, like beef brisket, pulled chicken, beef ribs, and pulled pork. Second, do as KFC does and serve it alongside some fried chicken. You can also serve it as a sandwich or burger topping (try it with my meatloaf burgers).
What’s the best cabbage to use in this easy coleslaw recipe?
I love to simply use green cabbage, but you can definitely use a combination of green and red cabbage (or ) if you like. Other cabbage varieties that work in a classic coleslaw include savoy cabbage and Napa cabbage. For something different, try broccoli!
Can I make coleslaw in advance?
I’d prepare the vegetables and sauce a couple of days in advance and store them separately in the fridge. Then mix them together and let the dish marinate for at least four hours (up to a day) before serving. The longer the coleslaw marinates in the dressing, the less crunchy it becomes.
You might also enjoy these cabbage and slaw recipes:
Mustard Slaw (from the SouthernPlate Mag)
Sheet Pan Cabbage and Beef Tips
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage cored and shredded
- 2 medium carrots peeled and grated
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded, and diced
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Place shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, bell pepper, and onion in large bowl.1 medium head green cabbage, 2 medium carrots, 1 green bell pepper, 2 tablespoons grated onion
- In a separate bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Pour over vegetables and stir well to combine.2 cups mayonnaise, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons celery seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving to allow the flavor to marinate and blend.
Nutrition
This is my grandmother’s recipe or what she threw together minus the celery seeds and dijon mustard. Now I will add those two and see how much it changes her taste. My daughter does the same cole slaw so I’ll share this with her. Love cole slaw.
I hope you will check back in and let me know what you think, I can’t wait to hear what you think with the additions!!
sounds like a lot of mayo and sugar but I will try it and then decide, I do love cole slaw!
It does sound like a lot, but I do hope you will give it a try!!
Can’t wait to make this slaw. What kind of Dijon mustard did you use? It looks different than mine.
Thank you for – Miss Millie’s Best Coleslaw recipe. It is delicious, we will be making this
coleslaw recipe for the holidays.
Thank you – Ree
I am so glad you like it!!! Hope you have a great Memorial Day!!
It sounds delightful as I consider a good cole slaw as a chef’s basic. It is great for summer picnics and BBQ’s as well as a winter time treat when fresh produce is scarce. My preference, and this is not a criticism, but just my opinion is that I like my cole slaw grated and I still use a box grater to get that desired texture.
I still use my box grater, too! And, I like the texture of the cole slaw with the grater.
Why use a grater? Your food processor can grate it the same way! Faster and less chance of getting cut!
Some of us old folks don’t have food processors.
This old person loves things that save me work.
No offense taken, whatever technique you choose is what is best for you!!
Yummy! I`m using celery instead of celery seeds, but this a keeper!
I hope you enjoy!!
I made this for m bunko group this week and loved it! This is my new, go to, coleslaw. It was great on bbq sandwiches.
So glad to hear it was a hit!!
I would prefer using celery then celery seeds because people complain about them getting in their dentures. I like the ingredients Mrs. Millie uses because I like seasoned food it doesn’t mean food have to be salty you have a lot of spices that are available to use. You just have to know what spices to use with certain foods to have them taste good or appetizing.
These recipes remind me of my grandmother and her cooking I also have a southern background.
Personally, I think I would reverse the order on those instructions and mix all the dressing ingredients first in the bowl I plan on storing the slaw in, then add the veggies to that. One less bowl to wash and since it’s heating up around here–that really works for me! Yes, yes, I admit I’m a lazy chef, especially in the summertime. 🙂
I appreciate any thoughts that further enable my own laziness :). Thank you!
I cook for large family gatherings, neighborhood watch, and our local meals to elderly, how much does this recipe serve? If I multiply it, is there some thing(s) I shoud watch out for?
what a great idea!! better to get everything coated also.
My kind of girl. I am always looking for ways to cut down dishes.
me to