Southern Coleslaw Dressing
Our Southern Coleslaw Dressing is simple yet flavorful with only 5 minutes of prep time and the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Enjoy its creamy texture and balanced flavor for a classic coleslaw recipe that everyone can enjoy.
Southern Coleslaw Dressing Recipe
There’s something so fresh and so simple about a serving of homemade slaw. Crunchy cabbage mixed with creamy mayo dressing hits the spot every time.
Our coleslaw dressing is one that we make over and over again! It’s fantastic on classic slaw, perfect on broccoli bacon salad, and great on macaroni salad.
This dressing only takes about 5 minutes to make and uses 3 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper. It doesn’t get easier than that!
How to Make Southern Coleslaw Dressing:
This coleslaw dressing is so easy to make, and it has so many uses! That’s a win-win in our book.
Scroll to the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions.
- Place the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Tips for Success:
- Adjust the dressing’s consistency by adding 1 tablespoon of mayo at a time to make it thicker. For a thinner dressing, add 1 teaspoon of milk or vinegar at a time. Adding extra vinegar may change the flavor, so use it sparingly.
- Try mixing just the mayo, vinegar, and sugar then tasting it before adding salt and pepper.
- Double or triple the recipe for large batches of coleslaw.
- Add a spritz of lemon juice, celery salt, or celery seeds for a flavor variation.
How to Store Homemade Coleslaw Dressing:
Refrigerator: Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Does Miracle Whip work in this recipe?
Nope, Miracle Whip doesn’t work well for this coleslaw dressing. You’ll want to use your favorite brand of mayonnaise.
Miracle Whip contains excess sugar plus a few other ingredients that don’t mix well with the other flavors.
When should you add the dressing to the cabbage?
We recommend adding the dressing to the cabbage about 15 minutes before serving. Start with a little then add more only if needed.
Make sure to stir before adding extra dressing since some of it usually sinks to the bottom of the bowl.
What can you use in place of white wine vinegar?
If you’re out of white wine vinegar, try champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead. Each variety of vinegar gives the dressing a slightly different flavor, but they all work well.
Can you make this into spicy coleslaw dressing?
Sure! Add a bit of cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, hot sauce, adobo sauce, or a little bit of taco seasoning (to taste). Any of those options will add some heat; it just depends on how hot you’d like the dressing and what type of spice you want to add.
Ideas for Using leftover coleslaw dressing:
Southern coleslaw dressing isn’t just for coleslaw. The uses are endless, especially if you love the taste of a sweet and tangy sauce!
- Use it as a dipping sauce for fried okra.
- Drizzle it over a ramen noodle salad instead of using peanut butter dressing.
- Use it on a crunchy Asian salad.
- Serve it as a vegetable dip.
- Toss it with chicken salad.
- Try it on tuna pasta salad.
Other Condiments to Try:
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into a bowl and whisk to combine.1 cup mayonnaise¼ cup granulated sugar¼ cup white wine vinegar½ teaspoon kosher salt¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Scroll up and see the post for tips, storage information, and FAQs.
