When it comes to coleslaw, there’s literally thousands of recipes online; from traditional to no mayo coleslaw. I’m telling you, this one is seriously the best coleslaw recipe, and this is coming from someone that grew up eating a classic coleslaw recipe multiple times a week.
What’s even better, is that with this no mayo coleslaw recipe you can keep it more traditional, or go the Nashville hot version that I love. Or split the batch and go half traditional delicious homemade coleslaw and half Nashville hot slaw.
Jump to Recipe
How To Make Coleslaw Without Mayo
The creamy coleslaw I grew up eating was made with mayo and a ton of salt and pepper. And while I love it, there’s definitely issues with it after leaving it out of the fridge for more than an hour.
The mayo starts to look funky after an hour or so, even at room temperature. Take this side dish to a neighborhood cookout outdoors, and the time is even less. This no mayo coleslaw recipe doesn’t have that issue.
The way to make coleslaw without a mayo based dressing is to emulsify oil and vinegar with some dijon mustard. By using an immersion blender or a bullet style blender, this is pretty simple.
Just some neutral oil, vinegar, dijon mustard and a few other ingredients make a perfect coleslaw dressing without mayo.
What’s The Difference Between Slaw and Coleslaw?
Slaw and coleslaw are essentially the same dish, with “coleslaw” being the more commonly used term.
They both refer to a salad made primarily with shredded or thinly sliced veggies, often mixed with a dressing or sauce.
Coleslaw typically features thinly sliced red and green cabbage as a base, often mixed with a creamy homemade coleslaw dressing. Slaw can be any veggie and combination of ingredients. Broccoli slaw for example.
About the Coleslaw Ingredients
Cabbage: You can shred this yourself or just pick up a couple bags of store bought pre shredded cabbage. I don’t prefer the bag of coleslaw mix just because the ratio of cabbage and carrots isn’t great.
Celery Seeds: Don’t confuse these with celery salt, they aren’t the same. Celery seeds are a more intense flavor.
Nashville Hot Seasoning: This is optional but if you like a little heat, you’ll love this.
Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar in this recipe because most people have it on hand. For a nice twist, try using sherry vinegar, it’s really interesting.
Oil: Any neutral oil is fine, I use avocado oil but canola oil works too.
Salt: I use kosher salt, if you’re going to use table salt, use 1 teaspoon, not tablespoon.
How To Make The Best Coleslaw Recipe
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: NA | Serves: 8
Ingredients 4 cups green cabbage, shredded 2 cups red cabbage, shredded 1 cup carrots, shredded 2 tbsp Nashville Hot Seasoning, optional
Dressing 3/4 cup avocado oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp dijon mustard 1 tbsp kosher salt 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp celery seed 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
Step 1: Add all ingredients for the dressing to a deep bowl and blend until creamy with an emulsion blender. Alternatively, add them to a bullet style bender, and blend till creamy.
Step 2: Add the cabbage and carrots to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing, and Nashville hot seasoning.
Step 3: Toss to combine. Add additional dressing as desired.
Tip* If you’re bringing this to a cookout, bring the dressing and cabbage mix separately, and mix just before serving to keep it crisp.
Nashville Hot Coleslaw
3.50 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 0 minutesminutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
4cupsgreen cabbageshredded
2cupsred cabbageshredded
1cup carrotsshredded
2tbspNashville Hot Seasoningoptional
Dressing
¾cupavocado oil
¼cupapple cider vinegar
2tbspdijon mustard
1tbspkosher salt
2tspsugar
1tspmustard powder
1tspcelery seeds
¼cupyellow onionchopped
Instructions
Add all ingredients for the dressing to a deep bowl and blend until creamy with an emulsion blender. Alternatively, add them to a bullet style bender, and blend till creamy.
Add the cabbage and carrots to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing, and Nashville hot seasoning and toss to combine. Add additional dressing as desired.
Tried This Recipe?
Share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #unitedbyflame and let us know how it was!
In a bowl mix together 2 Tbs vinegar, juice of half lemon, 3 Tbs mayonnaise, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and pepper and mix well. Add the dressing into the cabbage and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving as a healthy side dish to your burger!
The Nashville Hot flavor is an irresistible combination of intense heat and robust spices. The chicken is marinated in a fiery blend of cayenne pepper, paprika, and other seasonings, resulting in a deep, mouthwatering heat balanced by a hint of sweetness.
Then you add vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, and poppy seeds. A bit of salt and pepper finishes off a classic, creamy, tangy dressing. When should you dress coleslaw? For the ideal coleslaw, add dressing to coleslaw no more than 30 minutes before serving.
KFC's coleslaw stands out because of its sweet and tangy dressing, but the slaw's texture is what makes it one of a kind. The very finely chopped cabbage and carrots are a stark contrast to the typical stringy shredded veggies found in bagged coleslaw mix.
Or coleslaws — what's the difference? Really nothing. Technically, coleslaw involves cabbage, whether green, red or napa, while the category of slaws can include all kinds of chopped or shredded crunchy vegetables. The two words are used interchangeably for the most part however.
Mary Brown's shreds fresh cabbage and carrots in house, and tops it with a creamy dressing. The freshly shredded veggies give you a light yet satisfying crunch while the dressing gives you the tanginess you're looking for.
The fast food chain was forced to stop selling its coleslaw tubs when a supply issue meant the slaw would have to be served up without the dressing. “We are currently experiencing a supply issue with our KFC coleslaw dressing,” a KFC spokesperson said. The slaw is made up of cabbage and carrots coated in mayonnaise.
Cabbage Core:Issue: The core of the cabbage can be bitter, especially if it's not removed before shredding. Solution: Ensure that you remove the core of the cabbage before shredding it. Cut the cabbage in half, then cut out the triangular core from each half. Old Cabbage:Issue: Older cabbage may develop a bitter taste.
In general, all the chicken joints mix cayenne‚ and sometimes other spices and seasonings, with oil or lard. This is them brushed/rubbed/otherwise applied to freshly fried chicken. Some incorporate cayenne into the breading of the chicken as well.
Both involve cayenne pepper, but they differ significantly. Despite Nashville's hotter reputation, both can involve wildly varying heat levels; you can find Nashville hot chicken that all but the most sensitive palates can accept and Buffalo chicken that will turn your mouth into a firebreak.
KFC debuted Nashville Hot Chicken and Waffles in 2019, but Nashville Hot Chicken in general was eventually discontinued, though the chain continued to sell Nashville Hot Sauce afterward. The latter was discontinued in 2023 along with several other items.
Coleslaw has the best texture and flavor the day it's made, but it still keeps well for several days in the fridge. If you're making this coleslaw more than a day ahead, don't skip the salting step above.
Cabbage contains lots of water. Alton Brown suggests salting the cabbage and letting the water drain for two hours, then rinsing the cabbage and spinning it dry before dressing it. That purges the excess water out of the cabbage before it is dressed, so it doesn't get watery.
Essentially, hot slaw is a combination of shredded cabbage and carrots, cooked quickly in a skillet, with a simple bacon and hot vinegar dressing. The hot dressing wilts the cabbage and infuses it with the most delicious bacon, vinegar dressing ever. It's a simple recipe with delicious flavor.
The “hot” part of hot slaw refers to the peppers added into the dish, rather than the temperature. Its origins can be traced back to the Star Vue Drive-In theatre, where in 1955, Raper said the drive-in became the first to serve the dish.
The best sandwich in all of Tennessee is the Nashville hot chicken sandwich, with the site specifically shouting out the ones served at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack and at Party Fowl.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.