Vinegar-Based Coleslaw Recipe
Published June 14, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Try this amazingly delicious and easy-to-make side dish for a Vinegar Based Coleslaw recipe at your next barbecue or backyard get-together. You will love how delicious and refreshing this coleslaw is.
If you’re looking for a ridiculously easy recipe for slaw, look no further than this one. Vinegar coleslaw has been all the craze in the BBQ world in the last few years. This tangy vegetable slaw is perfect when eaten or served by itself or alongside my Grilled BBQ Chicken.
Vinegar Coleslaw
Vinegar coleslaw is a simple recipe consisting of a sweet and tangy vinegar-based dressing tossed with shredded cabbage and other vegetables served as a side dish or on top of Barbecue-style sandwiches.
This is an excellent option if you want to eliminate any additional fats since this recipe does not use any mayonnaise as a creamy coleslaw recipe would. The pre-made store-bought version is loaded up with sugar and fat. However, this sweet and tangy homemade version is dairy-free and packed with fresh hand-cut vegetables that are low in calories.
What Kind of Vegetables Can I Use?
In a standard slaw, the most common vegetables are green cabbage and onions. Here is what I like to put into my recipe as it will add more flavor:
- Green Cabbage
- Red Cabbage
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
However, you could add these ingredients:
- Sliced red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers
- Sliced spicy peppers, like jalapeños
- Thinly sliced kale or jicama.
Slicing the Vegetables
There are few ingredients in this recipe, along with the sweet and tangy vinegar-based dressing, and it all starts with slicing the vegetables.
If you do not have a mandolin, it’s OK to slice things using a chef’s knife. My rule of thumb for using a mandolin is when you start to get nervous, you might cut yourself; stop.
Slice the green cabbage in half and remove the core. Slice in half again and then thinly slice it on a mandolin, or use a sharp chef knife.
Next, Slice the red cabbage in half and remove the core using a knife. Slice in half again and then thinly slice it on a mandolin, or use a sharp chef knife.
Next, peel the carrots and thinly slice them on a mandolin using the shredded blade attachment.
Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing
Making the coleslaw dressing recipe is very easy. A traditional vinaigrette is three parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Well, to maximize flavor, we have to bring down that oil count to 2 or even equal to 1 to the vinegar, which will make the coleslaw much more flavorful.
- Add the vinegar, mustard, and sugar to a bowl.
- Whisk while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until emulsified, and then finish with celery seed, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Vinegar Coleslaw
- Add the vegetables to a large bowl.
- Season with celery seed, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in the dressing.
- Toss using some tongs and serve.
Making-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: If you make this vinegar coleslaw ahead of time and slice the vegetables super thin, it may not be perfect when you go to serve it several hours later or the next day. If you plan on making it ahead of time, I recommend combining the vegetables and keeping the dressing separate until you are ready to serve.
How to Store: It is best to store this vinegar coleslaw recipe undressed and unseasoned, covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It can stay in the refrigerator undressed and unseasoned for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, pour the vinaigrette over top, season with salt and pepper, toss and serve.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Also, if you want to make it ahead of time, don’t plan on seasoning it to the end because if you salt the vegetable, it will wilt super quickly.
- Now know that when you shave vegetables super thin like I did in this recipe and apply an acid to them, like vinegar, it’s going to break down faster and become wilted or, to put it simply, soggy.
- You can substitute honey or agave for sugar in this recipe.
- To save some time, If you don’t want to slice the cabbages and carrots yourself, I suggest buying the pre-made coleslaw mix. It will work just as well.
Serve It with These BBQ Recipes
- Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder
- Smoked Chicken BBQ
- Vinegar BBQ Sauce
- Potato Salad
- Salmon Burgers
- Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs
Video
Vinegar Based Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 thinly sliced head of green cabbage
- 1 cup of thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 whole shredded carrots
- 3 thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon of honey or 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of celery seed
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together cabbages, carrots, green onions, and celery seeds.
- Next, pour a small amount of the dressing onto the cabbage mixture and mix until combined and until the desired amount of dressing is achieved.
- Season with salt and pepper, and chill before serving.
Loved this slaw recipe. I was looking for an alternative to mayo and/or dairy in coleslaw. I pretty much made as written except I made it with only red cabbage since I tend to have that in the house more. It is my go to recipe.
So awesome to hear Cathy, and so glad it is working for you!
I love this delicious slaw! Just what I needed to lighten up on calories! Thank you for sharing Chef!
My pleasure, glad it is working out for you 🙂
Love this recipe and use it all the time – thank you! 🙂
so glad you are digging it!!!
Hey super recipe! My brother is such a good chef and has a similar slaw that my whole family enjoyed. I adjusted the recipe as suggested and boiled the ingredients as others had suggested before applying to slaw. All that can be said is that I now have the families attention on slaw. Thanks for the recipe man!!
My pleasure brotha, glad it worked out so well for you!
How many servings is this recipe for?
Depends on what you are trying to do with it. Serve as a side or put on top of BBQ Pork?
Can you use stevia instead of sugar? Mother-in-law on very restrictive diet. No sugar or honey.
sure you could, would just have to adjust the amount for flavor.
If you bought the pre-made coleslaw how much would you need to equal a half head of cabbage and a cup of red cabbage?
I’d say it’s pretty close to 1 bag.
Great recipe! I added thin strips of red onions, Italian parsley, and used brown and white sugar instead of honey. Mmmmmmm-mmmmm good. Thank you for the recipe.
Really good salad and good for the body too, I sometimes like to use red sikori/endivie salad instead of the red cabbage – because of the slightly bitter taste – as Ray commented; – also in scandinavia we heat all ingredients in the dressing and pour over the coleslaw, and the salad can be keept in refrigirator for weeks (called 3-weeks salad) – heat/boil the vinegar/oil/sugar or honey/mustard seeds or grainy mustard/minced garlic/salt-pepper and adding herbs after taste. It’s almost a “pickling salad”- refrigirator-salad? Mustard Seeds are really tasty in a coleslaw, I like to dry-roast them before adding rest of ingredients, better texture and more taste..
Your salad is a keeper and thanks!
Wonderful recipe. Very similar to one my southern grandmother used to make. I always heat the vinegar mixture and use dry mustard powder as she did. Pouring the hot vinegar over the cabbage really intensifies the flavors. I leave in the refrigerator for two or three hours before serving and toss several times while in the refrigerator.