Homemade Creamy Coleslaw

A Trip to the Beach and a Coleslaw Worth Recreating

If you caught our live when we were about to hit 100,000 subscribers, you already know we just took a little trip to the beach. And down at the beach, Darren has one favorite restaurant — Doc’s Seafood Shack. Their claim to fame is the best fried shrimp in the whole civilized world. But the thing is, that shrimp comes with a side of coleslaw, and that coleslaw is so good. Creamy, a little tangy, just a little sweet — every time we go, we end up talking about how they make it.

So this trip, when we tasted it again, I told Darren we were going to try to recreate it at home. I already make a pretty good coleslaw — I got the recipe years ago from a sweet lady named Melissa at church, and she makes a good one too. But Doc’s is just a little different. There’s an extra creaminess to it. So I tweaked things, added one ingredient I’d never used in coleslaw before, and we sat down together and gave it the taste test.

I’m not going to tell you it’s exactly like Doc’s. But honestly? I’m not even mad about it. This is a really good coleslaw on its own. Darren says it’s got everything he likes in slaw — the sweetness, the saltiness, just a touch of apple cider vinegar tang, a hint of celery seed. And the trick we use to keep it from getting watery in the fridge has changed how I make slaw forever.

If you love coleslaw, give this one a try. I think your family will too.

Creamy Coleslaw Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes Chill time: 2 hours (minimum — overnight is even better) Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

For the cabbage:

• 1 bag (14 oz) tri-color coleslaw mix
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the dressing:

• 2 heaping tablespoons cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or bottled — both work)

To finish:

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup small-diced sweet or yellow onion (not white)

Instructions

1. Chop the coleslaw mix finer. The bagged tri-color slaw comes in pretty big pieces. Run your knife through it on a cutting board until everything is in nice small bites — it’s much easier to eat that way.
2. Pre-treat the cabbage. Pour the chopped mix into a large bowl. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the top and stir well. Set it aside while you make the dressing. This step is the whole secret — it pulls the water out of the cabbage so your slaw doesn’t go soupy in the fridge later.
3. Start the dressing. In a separate bowl, add the softened cream cheese. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it out so there are no lumps. This little bit of cream cheese is what gives the dressing that extra creaminess and tang.
4. Build the dressing. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, pepper, celery seed, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk it all together until smooth. Give it a quick taste — it should be creamy with a nice tang. (Don’t worry that it tastes strong on its own. It mellows once it hits the cabbage.)
5. Dry the cabbage. Come back to your bowl of cabbage and give it a stir. You’ll see it’s glistening — that’s all the water the salt and sugar pulled out. Grab a few paper towels and squeeze handfuls of the cabbage gently to wring out the moisture. Work your way around the bowl. You’ll be surprised how much water comes out.
6. Add the onion. Stir the diced sweet or yellow onion into the cabbage. A note here: don’t use white onion. It’s too sharp and it overpowers everything. Sweet or yellow gives you the flavor without the bite.
7. Dress and chill. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and onion and stir until everything is coated. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Overnight is even better — those flavors really come together.
8. Taste and serve. Give it one final stir and a taste before serving. Adjust salt if you’d like. Serve it as a side for burgers, hot dogs, BBQ, fried chicken, or piled on top of a slaw dog. It’s also wonderful next to a slice of cornbread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to salt and squeeze the cabbage first? Cabbage holds a lot of water. If you just toss it with dressing, that water slowly seeps out in the fridge and the dressing slides to the bottom of the bowl — you end up with watery slaw and naked cabbage on top. Salting and sugaring the cabbage draws that water out before it can dilute your dressing, so the slaw stays creamy.

Can I use a whole head of cabbage instead of bagged coleslaw mix? Absolutely. Use about half a head of green cabbage, a small wedge of red cabbage, and one large shredded carrot. The bagged mix is just a shortcut — when you do it from scratch, the texture is even better. You’ll just have a little more chopping to do.

Why not white onion? White onion has too much bite for coleslaw. It overpowers the creamy dressing and lingers on your palate. Sweet onion (Vidalia or similar) or a yellow onion has plenty of flavor but stays milder and lets the other ingredients come through.

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes — in fact, it tastes better the next day. The flavors come together as it chills. Make it the night before your cookout and it’ll be at its best when you serve it.

How long does it keep in the fridge? About 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. Give it a good stir each time you serve it.

Do I have to use cream cheese? The cream cheese is what gives this slaw its signature creaminess, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can leave it out and bump the sour cream up to 1/3 cup. It won’t be quite the same, but it’ll still be a good coleslaw.

Can I use light mayo or low-fat sour cream? You can. The dressing will be slightly thinner and a touch less rich, but the recipe still works. Don’t substitute Miracle Whip for the mayonnaise — the sweetness profile is too different.

My slaw tastes a little bitter. What happened? That’s just the cabbage being cabbage. The 1/4 cup of sugar in the dressing is what balances that out, so don’t skip it. If it still tastes bitter after chilling, add another teaspoon of sugar and stir.

What goes with this coleslaw? Burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, fried shrimp, fish tacos, cornbread, baked beans — pretty much anything off a Memorial Day or summer cookout table. It also makes a great topping for a slaw dog or a pulled pork sandwich.

Can I freeze coleslaw? No — I wouldn’t recommend it. The mayo-based dressing breaks when it thaws and the cabbage goes mushy. This one’s best made fresh and eaten within a few days.

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Thanks so much for joining me today at Mary Katherine’s Table. I’m so glad you were here. Remember to go out today and find somebody who needs a little bit of kindness and give them some of yours.