Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe
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This easy homemade coleslaw is crunchy, creamy and really simple to make. It’s a great side dish for burgers, chicken, chips, BBQ food or a homemade fakeaway.
I particularly like using red cabbage in coleslaw. It gives it a lovely crunch and colour, and it’s an inexpensive way to bulk out a meal with vegetables.
Homemade coleslaw is also one of those recipes that’s handy when you have odds and ends of vegetables sitting in the fridge. You don’t need a whole cabbage or a whole bag of carrots, so it’s a good recipe for using things up before they go to waste.
What You’ll Need
For this version I use:
- Red cabbage
- Iceberg lettuce
- Carrot
- White onion
- Radish
- Mayonnaise
- A little double cream
- Salt and black pepper
The double cream makes the dressing particularly creamy, but you can leave it out or replace it with a little milk if you prefer.
How to Make Homemade Coleslaw
The main trick is to slice the vegetables quite finely.
A mandoline makes quick work of it, but a food processor, grater or sharp knife will do the job perfectly well too.
Once the vegetables are prepared, rinse and dry them well before adding the dressing. Mix everything together, season to taste and give the coleslaw a little time to sit before serving. This gives the flavours a chance to come together.
I keep mine refrigerated until we’re ready to eat it.
A Cheap Side Dish for Family Meals
One of the reasons I like recipes like this is that you can make a generous bowl from fairly ordinary, inexpensive ingredients.
When I originally costed this recipe, the ingredients used came to around 79p. Food prices have changed considerably since then, so I wouldn’t use that as a current price, but the principle still stands: you only need small amounts of each vegetable, particularly the cabbage, carrot and onion.
It’s also a useful recipe for reducing food waste. Half a carrot, part of a cabbage or the last bit of lettuce can very easily become tomorrow’s coleslaw rather than ending up forgotten at the back of the fridge.
What to Serve With Coleslaw
We originally served this with homemade peri-peri chicken and chips, and it’s still one of my favourite combinations.
It would also be lovely with burgers, baked potatoes, grilled chicken, sandwiches or alongside a simple summer dinner.
If you’ve got a few vegetables hanging around in the fridge and aren’t quite sure what to do with them, this is a very good place to start.
Homemade Coleslaw
Ingredients
Method
- Finely chop and grate all the vegetables
- Add the seasonings about an hour before serving
- Mix well and allow to rest for an hour before serving
