Say goodbye to bland coleslaw thanks to this sweet and sour coleslaw recipe.
In the South, there are two kinds of slaw and the rivalry is as savage as Clemson vs. South Carolina: Sweet-sour vs. creamy. Sweet-sour is vinegar and sugar based. Creamy is mayo or sour cream or buttermilk based (or a blend of them). This sweet-sour slaw is so simple and quick that it is sure to become your go-to side dish for your next BBQ and grilling adventure.
Recipe Overview: Sweet and Sour Coleslaw Recipe Success Formula
- Assemble: a pound of green cabbage, a carrot, onion and bell pepper.
- Shred, chop, grate, or hash: the veggies according to your texture preference.
- Whisk: together brown sugar, white sugar, mustard powder, salt, black pepper, celery seeds, vegetable oil and white vinegar for the dressing in a large bowl.
- Add: the cabbage, carrots, and onion to the dressing and toss to combine.
- Taste: and adjust the seasonings.
- Cover: and chill for at least one hour before serving, if you can.
Summarize & Save this Content on:
The science behind our sweet and sour coleslaw recipe
This coleslaw leands on the combination between vinegar and and mayo, with a little bit of a sugar, for a sweet and sour balance. IMHO coleslaw in general is the world’s best salad. It’s crunchy, it’s bright, sweet, and sour. A good coleslaw has a bit of a punch. It has to, in order to cut through fat and protein from the likes of pulled pork and BBQ beef. And it’s a key side dish along side baked beans and mac and cheese. All the dishes have a role.
The classic American approaches are either creamy and sweet, like my best creamy Southern coleslaw or vinegary and more on the sweet-sour side, like this one. Make the slaw in the morning so that it has time to chill before serving later in the day. Some folks recommend salting the cabbage first to let a bit of water drain, but I don’t think it’s necessary. My dressing is always a bit stronger, so that when the slaw gives off water, the dilution doesn’t affect the taste. In other words, it doesn’t end up tasting watery at all.
For more about the many ways coleslaw is awesome, read my article, Science of Slawsome Slaw.
Ingredients and substitutions for sweet and sour coleslaw recipe
- Brown sugar can be used here, light or dark. It’s the molasses that counts.
- White sugar adds sweetness without making it too sweet. You need both.
- Mustard powder will give this some kick and some sharpness. Prepared mustard won’t work. It’ll add too much vinegar. The powder brings the flavor of mustard seed without the bite.
- Morton’s Coarse Kosher Salt is the favorite around here. If you use regular table salt just remember to use half as much as the recipe calls for because it’s much more concentrated.
- Finely ground black pepper will distribute well in the dressing and it gives the dressing some kick.
- Whole celery seeds (not celery salt) are the tiny seeds harvested from wild celery. They add some earthy, slightly bitter flavor, similar to fresh celery, to the dressing.
- Vegetable oil such as corn oil or salad oil. Even though this is technically a salad, this isn’t the place for extra virgin olive oil.
- Distilled white vinegar is made from distilled spirits. Don’t substitute cider vinegar. The taste will be off. Check out my Science of Vinegars for a deep dive on this ingredient.
- Green cabbage. Weigh it before you do anything else, before you leave the grocery store, to make sure it weighs a pound. Don’t substitute for red cabbage unless you want your coleslaw to look like a crime scene.
- Carrots are always needed in coleslaw for sweetness, earthiness, and crunch.
- White onions are necessary but they’ll develop a bigger bite the longer the slaw sits. Don’t use red onion. It’ll behave like red cabbage will: turn things pinkish red and potentially stain plastic bowls and utensils.
- Bell peppers adds a sweetness and bitterness. You can use any color you want. Green ones will be the least sweet.
Optional sweet and sour coleslaw recipe ingredients
- Radishes add some heat and crunch. Add 3 red radishes for a pinch of heat. Add white radishes if you like a jab of favor.
- Small jalapeño if you like a punch of heat. There are some jalapeño flecks in the picture above, because that’s the way I roll.
Sweet and sour coleslaw, step by step
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl until all the lumps are gone.
- Decide how you want to cut the cabbage, carrots, pepper and onions, and then prep them that way (hash, grate, shred, or chop).
- Add the cabbage, carrot, onion and pepper to the bowl with the dressing.
- Cover and chill for at least an hour so the flavors have a chance to meld.
- Mix the slaw periodically so the dressing doesn’t pool at the bottom. Adjust seasonings if needed.
- When it’s time to serve, use a big spoon to scoop up the veggies from the bottom everything has dressing on it.
Sweet and sour coleslaw recipe FAQs
You can, but I can’t guarantee that the slaw will taste right. It won’t be as crispy or crunchy. Plus, my recipe is written so the dressing is strong enough to deal with some of the water that releases from the veggies. I don’t recommend.
Vinegar helps keep things crisp for 3 to 5 days but we don’t think it’ll last longer than that. Make as much as you need, when you need it.
I don’t think this is a good idea. The texture will suffer once it’s thawed and the mayo will get weird.
If you like this sweet and sour coleslaw recipe, you’ll love . . .
- This Easy Coleslaw Recipe is the Perfect Summer Side Dish
- Slaw Dogs, a West Virginia Original
- Classic Waldorf Salad Reimagined As a Flavorful Slaw
- A Perfect BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe
- You’re Gonna Love Bacon Ribs: Tastes Like Bacon, Chews Like Smoked Ribs!
Like what you’re reading? Click here to get Smoke Signals, our free monthly email that tells you about new articles, recipes, product reviews, science, myth-busting, and more. Be Amazing!
Sweet and sour coleslaw recipe
Sweet And Sour Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Don’t skip the mustard. It’s the secret ingredient that gives it life. And make sure all the lumps are whisked out.
- Read my article on The Science of Slawsome Slaw. Decide how you want to cut the cabbage, carrots, pepper, and onions: Chopped, grated, or hashed and have at it. I like this recipe best when chopped or grated. Now that you've decided, do it. Add the cabbage, carrots, pepper, and onions to the bowl with the dressing.
- Chill. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour if possible to extract the flavors from the celery seeds and the vegetables. They will give up some water, so don't worry if the mix seems a bit dry and strong at first. Mix it up occasionally so the dressing doesn't pool at the bottom. Taste the slaw and add more of the seasonings to your preference.
- Serve. When you serve it, mix thoroughly and scoop from the bottom so the veggies have dressing on them.
Before you can post a comment or question you must sign into our commenting partner, Disqus. This helps make sure everyone hanging around the grill is civil. We do not tolerate nastiness, racism, porn, inappropriate language, or attacks on others. All comments are the property of AmazingRibs.com and we reserve the right to quote them, edit them, delete them, and block people from making future comments.
Please leave comments and questions on the same page that is devoted to that subject so others can see questions and our answers when they are reading about the subject. You must enable JavaScript to use the comments section, and you must accept cookies to post comments. Note: the software that runs Disqus is different from the Pitmaster Club, so members need to sign into the Pitmaster Club separately.