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Home » Sides and salad recipes » Creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing

Creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing

Author: VJ Published : June 2021 Updated : August 2021 / Be the first to comment!

Recipe
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This creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing is the perfect summer salad to serve with a barbeque. Super simple to make, with an amazing flavour, this salad tastes great made fresh on the day. The flavour improves with standing so you can make a huge bowl and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

A dish of creamy coleslaw garnished with fresh parsley.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Our first social barbeque in over a year
  2. Why I love this coleslaw
  3. Recipe information
  4. Ingredients
  5. Instructions
  6. Variations
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Pin for later
  9. Other recipes you may like
  10. The recipe
  11. Creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing

Our first social barbeque in over a year

With the lockdown restrictions finally being eased here in the UK we were lucky enough to be able to have a barbeque with my daughter, her husband and my good friend, neighbour (and chief recipe taster) Penny. It’s the first time we’ve been able to have a proper barbeque, with guests, in over a year, so we pulled out all the stops.

For the meat, we barbecued some satay chicken skewers and minted lamb chops, and for the salads, we served this delicious coleslaw, mango and avocado salad and my South African tomato and onion pasta. To round it all off we had crusty bread rolls on the side.

Now Penny is not a big eater. But I have to say she surprised me. I had made a huge bowl of coleslaw (which would probably have lasted us all week) but Penny demolished the bowl and took most of the leftovers home for lunch the next day. The only reason she didn’t take all the coleslaw with her was because daughter wanted some with a crusty roll for breakfast the next day!

Why I love this coleslaw

This has to be one of my favourite salads to make. It is similar in taste and texture to the famous KFC coleslaw, but because it is homemade, you can tweak the ingredients to your own taste. If you prefer more sweetness, just add a little extra sugar. On the other hand if you prefer more acidity add an extra splash of vinegar or lemon juice.

  • It stays fresh for days in a covered container in the refrigerator. We eat a lot of salad in summer, so it’s nice to have a salad that actually improves with standing. I tend to make enough to last for a week and it tastes so good I sometimes eat it by the spoonful right out of the dish.
  • It’s really easy to make – you just chop the vegetables in a food processor and then mix in the dressing ingredients – job done!
  • This salad goes really well with barbequed meat, but you can also use it to add flavour to sandwiches – try spreading some on your next ham sandwich! You could even spread some on a crusty breadroll and eat it just like that (ask my daughter – it’s her favourite way of eating it).
Closeup of a bowl of creamy coleslaw.

Recipe information

You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this creamy coleslaw salad on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Prep time – 15 minutes
  • Cooking time – no cooking required
  • Yield – makes 4 cups of salad
  • Calories – 81 per serving (half a cup)
  • Main equipment – Food processor for chopping the vegetables. You could get by with using a cheese grater but it would be a LOT more work!

Ingredients

Ingredients for creamy coleslaw.
You don’t need a lot of ingredients for this salad.

You will probably have most of these ingredients in your cupboard already.

Cabbage – the best cabbage for this salad is a crispy firm white cabbage. You could use savoy cabbage instead (or a mixture of the two for additional texture).

Carrots – you will need half the amount of carrots as cabbage.

Onion – this adds a slight tang to the salad, but don’t overdo it. Too much onion will overpower the flavour of the salad. You will only need a very small onion (approximately 1 tablespoon of finely chopped white onion will be sufficient).

Mayonnaise – use the thickest mayonnaise you can find. This salad will draw water on standing so you don’t want to end up with a runny mess. I’m in the UK and I like to use Hellman’s mayonnise – it’s really thick and creamy and perfect for this salad.

Buttermilk – adds a creamy, tangy taste.

Lemon juice and vinegar – for freshness and acidity. I used white spirit vinegar, but you can substitute this for apple cider vinegar or any other white ‘fruity’ vinegar.

Sugar – for a hint of sweetness. I use granulated white sugar – brown light brown sugar would work just as well.

You will also need salt and plenty of ground black pepper for seasoning. Add this to your own taste.

Instructions

This is SO easy. Just three easy steps….

  • Chop the vegetable finely in a food processor
  • Mix the dressing ingredients
  • Combine

The secret to this salad is chopping all the ingredients to the same size. You should aim to get them chopped to about the same size as a grain of rice.

A dish of grated cabbage, carrots and onions ready for the coleslaw dressing.
Chop the cabbage, carrots and onion in a food processor.

Now mix all the dressing ingredients in a jug until well combined.

A jug of buttermilk dressing ready to be poured over the grated vegetables.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together.

Note – you may not need all the dressing for the salad. The amount you will need depends on various factors:

  • the quantity of chopped vegetables
  • the water content of the cabbage

You need the dressing to just coat the salad – the salad should not be swimming in dressing.

Start off by adding 3/4 of the dressing and mix well. Add more dressing a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

If you put too much dressing in the salad by mistake, just grate up some additional cabbage and carrots in the ratio of 2 : 1 (ie two parts cabbage to one part carrot) and mix that through to absorb some of the extra dressing.

Coleslaw being mixed with dressing.
Add the dressing to the chopped vegetables.

Stir well to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt to your own taste, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley and leave in the refrigerator until required. This salad is best served chilled.

Overhead shot of a dish of coleslaw.
Garnish with parsley.

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Variations

If you want to add more flavour and texture to the salad try these suggestions:

  • Add 2 tablespoons of raisin or sultanas to the food processor with the cabbage, carrots and onions.
  • Mince 1 clove of garlic with the vegetables in the food processor.
  • Add half a peeled green apple to the food processor with the vegetables.
  • Stir through 1 to 2 tablespoons of pinenuts with the dressing.

Frequently asked questions

Is this salad suitable for freezing?

No – unfortunately this salad does not freeze well. The vegetables will draw too much water and the defrosted salad will be very watery and unappealing.

Can I make the salad in advance

Yes – you can make this salad up to 5 days in advance and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Stir the salad before serving to distribute the dressing.

Where did coleslaw originate?

Coleslaw originated in the Netherlands, the Dutch name koolsla meaning “cabbage salad”.

Pin for later

If you would like to save this recipe for creamy coleslaw so that you can find it easily later, why not pin it to your Pinterest board. Just click on the image below.

Other recipes you may like

If you are looking for other salad recipes, why not try some of these:

  • Copper penny salad (sweet and sour carrot salad)
  • Salmon and red pepper pasta salad with corn
  • Orzo pasta summer salad
  • Spicy mushroom fried rice (delicious served cold as a salad)
  • Smoked salmon pasta with homemade ranch dressing

The recipe

A dish of creamy coleslaw garnished with fresh parsley.

Creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing

This creamy coleslaw with a tangy buttermilk dressing is the perfect summer salad to serve with a barbeque. Super simple to make, with an amazing flavour, this salad tastes great made fresh on the day. The flavour improves with standing so you can make a huge bowl and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe by: Veronica
Side Dish
British, South African
Calories 81
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 0 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 cups of salad
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5 from 1 vote

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring jug

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white cabbage
  • 1 large carrot
  • ½ small onion (about 1 Tablespoon grated)
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt optional
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cut the cabbage and carrots into large chunks and place in a food processor fitted with a metal cutting blade. Add the onion.
  • Pulse until the vegetables are approximately the size of rice grains.
  • Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl.
  • Measure the rest of the ingredients into a jug and stir well to combine.
  • Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix through.
  • Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Transfer the coleslaw to a serving dish, garnish with chopped parsley and leave in the refrigerator until required.
  • Serve chilled.

Notes

Coating the salad with dressing
You may not need all the dressing for the salad. The amount you will need depends on various factors:
  • the quantity of chopped vegetables
  • the water content of the cabbage
You need the dressing to just coat the salad – the salad should not be swimming in dressing.
Start off by adding 3/4 of the dressing and mix well. Add more dressing a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
If you put too much dressing in the salad by mistake, just grate up some additional cabbage and carrots in the ratio of 2 : 1 (ie two parts cabbage to one part carrot) and mix that through to absorb some of the extra dressing.
Variations
Why not try some of these variations
  • Add 2 tablespoons of raisin or sultanas to the food processor with the cabbage, carrots and onions.
  • Mince 1 clove of garlic with the vegetables in the food processor.
  • Add half a peeled green apple to the food processor with the vegetables.
  • Stir through 1 to 2 tablespoons of pinenuts with the dressing.
Nutrition has been calculated on the assumption that this salad will provide 8 servings (1/2 a cup each) and does not include any extra ingredients that may be added as variations.
 

Nutrition

Calories – 81kcal | Carbohydrates – 9.1g | Protein – 0.7g | Fat – 5g | Saturated Fat – 0.8g | Cholesterol – 4mg | Sodium – 270mg | Potassium – 0.7mg | Fiber – 0.7g | Sugar – 5.4g | Calcium – 22mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Sides and salad recipes

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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