This is THE best classic, Coleslaw recipe. It’s perfectly flavorful and tangy, with lots of crunch, and easy to throw together thanks to a combination of bagged coleslaw plus some extra fresh ingredients. It’s the perfect side dish for any BBQ as it goes perfectly with smoked and grilled meats, and stuffed onto sandwiches like BBQ Pork or Corned Beef.
1. Start with a bagged coleslaw mix.
This is NOT a mix with a pre-made dressing pack inside. Just the bag of shredded cabbage with carrots. Make sure to not get the extra thin shreds, as those will get soggy in the dressing.
2. Add some freshly chopped green bell pepper and shredded carrots.
Just a little bit of fresh veggies added to the bagged mix elevates everything and adds a lot of extra crunch.
3. Whisk together dressing ingredients
Super simple. Mayo, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, grated onion, coarse grain mustard, and celery seed.
4. Toss Coleslaw together
That’s it! Just toss it all together and for best results, let it chill in the fridge for a bit to let all those flavors sink in before serving.


Memphis-Style Coleslaw
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 2-3 hours
- Total Time: 2-3 hours
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: BBQ
Description
This classic coleslaw is the perfect side dish for a barbecue, alongside fried chicken, or on top of a classic pulled pork sandwich.
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 heaping tsp. Kosher salt (or an even 1/2 tsp. of table salt)
1 tablespoons grated onion
2–2 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 16-ounce bag shredded cabbage with carrots
1/2 minced green bell pepper
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl combine mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seed.
In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrots, and green pepper. Toss with dressing and for best results refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using.
Keywords: BBQ, Coleslaw, cabbage salad
Just made this a few hours ago to go on top of my BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches and OH MY it is delicious. Thanks so much my friend! YUM. I wanna eat it plain (and plan to) and lick the bowl (might do that too).
Looks great! I have a BBQ this week-end. maybe I'll try it
Hey Sara,
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Denissa ♥
Cindy, DING DING DING!!! 🙂 You guessed my other post for the week! 🙂
Denissa- you're awesome! Thanks girl!
I've been needing a good coleslaw recipe…this looks perfect. Thanks!
Looks great! Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing a post on my blog to brag about how AWESOME your blog is!! I have a link, hope you get a lot of new visitors!
Keep up the amazing recipes, and most importantly thanks for sharing!! 🙂
My husband tells me he doesn't like cabbage and doesn't like mayo but he loves coleslaw. Whatever! I've never found a recipe that I've liked but this one looks just perfect.
I know your pain. I have a grand daughter that doesn’t like nuts or chocolate, but eats Nutella everyday for breakfast. What’s up with that!
This looks like a Coleslaw I could live with! Especially on top of a yummy bbque pork sandwich–served on a crusty roll. Can I eat this for breakfast??
Go figure. Im making coleslaw today for the BBQ. I will be trying your recipe. Thanks