Coleslaw Dressing

This homemade coleslaw dressing recipe will take any coleslaw to a whole new level! Made with just 5 ingredients, it's creamy, tangy, and delicious.

Coleslaw Dressing Recipe

Once you learn how to make coleslaw dressing at home, you’ll never buy it at the store again! Here’s why:

  1. It’s super easy. This creamy coleslaw dressing recipe calls for 5 basic ingredients, and it only takes a few minutes to whisk together.
  2. It’s made with good-quality whole foods ingredients. When you make homemade coleslaw dressing, you know exactly what’s in it. There aren’t any additives or stabilizers here, and it’s sweetened naturally with maple syrup instead of processed sugar.
  3. And last but not least, it’s delicious! This creamy, tangy dressing makes fantastic coleslaw, but it’s darn good on other salads too. Toss it with lettuce, baby greens, or kale, or use it to make broccoli salad. Once you have it on hand, you’ll find all sorts of ways to use it.

If you like coleslaw, you’ll love this easy dressing recipe. Let’s cook!

Carrots and cabbage in a mixing bowl

Coleslaw Dressing Recipe Ingredients

You only need 5 simple ingredients to make this homemade coleslaw dressing:

  • Mayo – For the best flavor, use really good mayonnaise in this recipe. If I’m using store bought mayo, my first pick is Sir Kensington’s. My homemade vegan mayo is great here too!
  • Apple cider vinegar – It makes the dressing nice and tangy.
  • Dijon mustard – It adds extra tang and a mild peppery flavor.
  • Maple syrup – It balances the assertive vinegar and mustard.
  • Celery seed – If you’ve made my egg salad, deviled eggs, or creamy potato salad, you know that celery seed, mayo, and mustard taste fantastic together. These little guys add a delicious savory flavor that takes this dressing over the top.

Whisk these ingredients together, and season to taste with salt and pepper!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Homemade slaw with coleslaw dressing

How to Use Homemade Coleslaw Dressing

I most often use this coleslaw dressing in my homemade coleslaw recipe, but it works well with pre-shredded coleslaw mix too. Whether you shred the veggies yourself or use a mix, aim to have about 8 cups of shredded cabbage and carrot. That way, you’ll have enough dressing to lightly coat all the vegetables.

Once you toss the the dressing with the slaw mix, it’s time to eat! I love to serve my homemade coleslaw as a side dish with these classic cookout recipes:

Round out the meal with fruit salad, grilled vegetables, or corn on the cob, and don’t forget the brownies for dessert!

If you have leftover dressing, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It tastes great with any type of greens, but I especially love it in my kale salad recipe!

Homemade Coleslaw

More Favorite Sauces and Dressings

If you love this coleslaw dressing recipe, try one of these delicious dressings next:

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Coleslaw Dressing

rate this recipe:
5 from 321 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This homemade coleslaw dressing is creamy, tangy, and so darn easy to make. Use it in my creamy coleslaw recipe, or toss it with 8 cups of pre-shredded slaw mix.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, celery seeds, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper.
  • Serve with about 8 cups cabbage coleslaw mix.

188 comments

5 from 321 votes (234 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. R Arroyo
    10.20.2024

    4 stars
    I used one tsp less of Dijon mustard & used celery salt ‘cuz I don’t use celery seeds and it was great

  2. Momofboys
    10.08.2024

    I don’t have maple syrup on hand. Can I substitute with honey or a sugar?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.08.2024

      yep! Either would work, my first choice would be honey.

  3. Diana
    09.30.2024

    5 stars
    This dressing sounded a bit unusual but it wasn’t for company. And I was interested in the combination. Just DO. It. Best dressing I’ve had maybe ever.

  4. A W
    09.30.2024

    Why does it say on the broccoli slaw recipe, to omit the celery seed from the coleslaw dressing?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.30.2024

      Hi, we just didn’t feel like the celery seed flavor complements the ingredients in the broccoli slaw. But we love it in a classic coleslaw.

  5. Elissa Levine
    09.26.2024

    5 stars
    So good. I made it with Primal kitchen mayo. And then I made it again within 10 minutes it was soooo good.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2024

      I’m glad you loved it!

  6. Stephanie
    09.03.2024

    Excited to make this! Do you have a suggestion for a substituiton for the celery seed as I do not have any on hand,

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.06.2024

      Hi Stephanie, you can omit it if needed! The dressing is still tasty without it.

  7. Julie Kauffman
    08.31.2024

    5 stars
    I really liked this coleslaw dressing. A little more tangy and complex than others

  8. Kathleen
    08.14.2024

    4 stars
    The original recipe was not quite to my liking however I added a bit of sugar, some lime juice (I didn’t have lemon) and some more mayo snd it was than perfect to my liking. I’m not a big fan of mustard and found that was over powering to my taste, therefore why I had to cut it with additional ingredients

  9. Katheryn
    08.13.2024

    5 stars
    I made the Coleslaw Dressing. It was a bit different from my usual. Maybe a bit tart…I like it that way.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.15.2024

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  10. Carrie
    08.06.2024

    Excellent! so darn tasty??? i could drink it??

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.08.2024

      Ha, I’m so glad you loved it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.