This really is the BEST Cole Slaw recipe you will ever have! My mom makes it, grandma makes it and I’ve been making it for 25 years!
EVERYONE just raves about how much they love this homemade cole slaw! If you are comparing this to the nasty stuff the grocery store sells, you need to give this a try before writing off cole slaw for good!
This recipe is in our Dining On A Dime Cookbook on page 156.

The BEST Cole Slaw Recipe Ever!
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup sugar
3 carrots, shredded
1 small head cabbage, shredded
Mix the mayonnaise in a bowl with the sugar. Mix the cabbage and carrots together. Add sauce to the cabbage and carrots just before serving. The dressing can be made in advance and stored in a separate container in the refrigerator.
Serves 8.
I confess – I do buy the ready made coleslaw at the grocery store. Even though I’ve made coleslaw several times, now that I’m single store bought works for me. Even when I use part of a cabbage, its going to go bad before I finish eating it. But I do like the idea of adding sugar to the mayonnaise.
Cabbage takes a long time to go bad. You can fry it up and add bacon and noodle or spetzels and have a wonderful, inexpensive meal. Or, you can freeze the rest of the cabbage and make mock cabbage rolls. With the leftover, you will not have to worry about feeding 4 so there will be more than enough.
I watched your YouTube video on this coleslaw and decided to go ahead and make it. It really is yummy. My husband enjoyed it too. Thanks for keeping us entertained.
Thank you Linda and for taking the time to let us know. So glad it passed the hubby test. :)
Wow, I am amazed at how simple, and delicious this recipe is. I was hesitant at first – it seemed too simple compared to the other recipes I’d tried making. This was really good!! I love cole slaw – and since I didn’t previously find a recipe that I liked, I usually opt for the grocery store deli offerings. My older son has bought me a variety, and they ranged from ‘okay’ to ‘persistent puckering of the mouth’ LOL I’ve definitely found a keeper in this recipe though :) It holds up well in the refrigerator too, from what I’d noticed. Very happy :) I like to get the cabbage/carrots prebagged — while stuff like that is typically more expensive, Wegmans had their store brand on a fantastic sale, so it was well worth it.
I made a batch for a fraction of what the deli version would have cost. Very happy with the savings and taste.
So glad you like it Nancy. It is different from most cole slaw I think. I don’t like “puckery” slaw either. I love this cole slaw on hamburgers and hot dogs.
I make my cole slaw the same way,except I use Splenda instead of sugar, and I put about 1/2 teaspoon of super finely grated onion. You wouldn’t think that little amount would do anything, but when you grate onion with a really fine grater, it liquifies and bursts all the cell walls of the onion, releasing a huge amount of flavor!
The recipe I use is similar but adds a bit of acidity or liquid to the dressing. One friend adds about a teaspoon of lemon juice, another adds a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. My husband cannot tolerate either of these so I use apple juice or a splash of Mountain Dew which he usually has on hand. You can get coleslaw mix in the produce aisle that has cabbage and carrots already in it. Kroger also has Southern styly mix that is chopped finer. I like mine fine so I put it thru the food processor. blessings
Yes I think the reason so many like this recipe is because we don’t add the acidity to it and it does “zap” people when they eat it.
I have not made this as it is winter over here but from i have read i will definately make it
Elaine
I was tinkering around one day and came up with a similar recipe. Mine has 3 ingredients though. I added a but of home brewed apple cider vinegar. It added just enough zip to counter balance the sweet of the sugar. Great on a broccoli slaw as well. Yum.
My wife uses the same recipe but just has a little milk to and it is good grinded up fine too
We love slaw on burgers and hot dogs. Adds so much!?
Coleslaw on hotdogs? Never heard of it! This recipe is like my Mom’s , she uses Miracle Whip. Yum!
Yes Barb and I especially love cole slaw on hamburgers.
this is an awesome basic recipe…I like to add a little onion and some celery seed to it oh and a little ACV (apple cider vinegar). I don’t use the full amount of sugar but I do taste test it and if it needs a little bit more, I add it.