Creamy Coleslaw with almonds and raisins is an easy coleslaw recipe that is mix and serve. Coleslaw dressing, almonds, raisins and crisp cabbage mix are the perfect BBQ dish.
Homemade coleslaw is easy to prepare, requires no cooking and can be made ahead of time. With a few simple mix-ins, you’ll have the best coleslaw recipe on the block!
Why You’ll Love This Coleslaw Recipe
The perfect side dish with the perfect balance of sweet and savory that’s ready in 10 minutes- what’s not to love?
- Simple ingredients – Taking a short cut by using a bag of coleslaw mix, you really only need a handful of ingredients to make this crunchy slaw.
- Perfect for any occasion – Whether served as a potluck recipe, a side dish for a barbecue or a topping on a sandwich, this coleslaw is perfect for anything.
- Customizable – You can mix of these coleslaw ingredients any way you’d like! Change it up to your liking. It’s sure to be a family favorite.
Creamy Coleslaw Ingredients
With just a few basic ingredients, you can have this easy recipe with the perfect balance of flavors ready in no time. A delicious coleslaw that serves as a delicious side dish.
- Plain Greek yogurt – This probably goes without saying, but make sure you’re using plain yogurt here. It will serve as the base to the best coleslaw dressing. If you are opposed to yogurt, swap this with traditional mayo.
- White sugar – Just plain white granulated sugar is what we need here. Not a ton, just enough to add some sweetness to the creamy dressing.
- Lemon juice – If you’ve been around awhile, I always recommend using fresh squeezed juice rather than the bottled version. This gives some acidity and brightness to our coleslaw.
- Apple cider vinegar – And to add just a touch more acidity, apple cider vinegar. I also love the flavor it gives to this delicious homemade coleslaw.
- Salt and pepper – I like to use a blend of coarse Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. We don’t need a ton of seasoning for this creamy coleslaw dressing to have flavor.
- Packaged coleslaw mix – I like to have a colorful coleslaw, so I try to find a cabbage mixture that has green cabbage, purple cabbage and carrots. If you can’t find a bag of pre-cut cabbage with both green and red and carrots, visit your grocer store salad bar. They commonly had shredded red cabbage and carrots that you can buy and toss with your bagged cabbage.
- Raisins – To add an element of sweet to this great side dish, I like to throw in a bunch of raisins. They add both flavor and texture, as well as color.
- Sliced almonds – Almonds have the perfect texture and add to the crunchiness of this southern coleslaw. I like mine to be thinly slices.
How to Make Creamy Coleslaw
One of my favorite things about this coleslaw is how easy it is to make. You’ll love it!
- Make dressing. The homemade coleslaw dressing really takes this recipe up a notch. Combine the yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and peppers in a medium mixing bowl.
- Combine with slaw mixture. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, raisins, almonds and coleslaw dressing. Cover until ready to serve. Serve chilled.
What to Serve with Creamy Coleslaw
The options for serving this classic coleslaw recipe are really endless. Of course it makes the perfect side dish for just about anything, especially at backyard barbecues.
It tastes great alongside things like burgers and hot dogs. When paired with other classic side dish recipes like potato salad, broccoli salad and macaroni salad it’s perfect.Add it to a burger or chicken sandwich. Top BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, veggie burgers or even add it to nachos after you’ve melted the cheese. Leftover coleslaw can even be mixed into a leafy green salad.
Variations
We like this creamy coleslaw recipe exactly as written, but there are plenty of ways for you to make it your own.
- Cabbage – If you prefer to cut your own cabbage, you certainly can. Using a head of cabbage and a box grater, food processor or sharp knife, you can cut the cabbage as thin or thick as you’d like.
- Dressing – If you prefer, you can make a mayo-based dressing like traditional coleslaws instead of using yogurt. I recommend using a good quality mayonnaise, but you could also use Miracle Whip.
- Seasonings – In addition to the salt and pepper, you could throw in some celery seeds, celery salt, mustard seed, onion powder or even some fresh herb.
- Additional add ins – Other additions can include green onions, dried cranberries or cherries, thinly sliced bell pepper, corn or even spices like cayenne, cardamom or tarragon. Poppy seeds are also a popular favorite.
- Vinegar – Instead of apple cider, you could use white wine vinegar or plain distilled white vinegar. This isn’t a vinegar coleslaw, so be sure not to use too much.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: You can store any leftover coleslaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allowing the flavors to marinate actually makes it taste even better the next day.
Freezing: We do not recommend freezing this creamy coleslaw. Fresh cabbage does not freeze very well, and the dressing tends to separate after being frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
The term, “cole slaw”, arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch term “koolsla”, a shortening of “koolsalade”, which means “cabbage salad”. It was commonly called cold slaw in England until the 1860s when “cole” (meaning cabbage) was revived. … In addition to calling it “coleslaw”.
The first rings true- one word, coleslaw. Although you’ll commonly see it referred to as just slaw.
This coleslaw dressing can be made southern style (finely chopped cabbage), angel hair (thinly sliced cabbage) or regular (shredded julienne style). Broccoli slaw or brussels sprout slaw are also great options.
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Creamy Coleslaw with Almonds and Raisins
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 ounces packaged coleslaw mix*
- 2/3 cup raisins
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Combine the yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and peppers in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, raisins, almonds and coleslaw dressing. Cover until ready to serve. Serve chilled.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
How much ahead if time do you recommend making? You think 4 hrs is too long?
Oh, you can make this up to a day in advance! Just give it a good stir before serving.
Are almonds raw or toasted?
You can use either! Mine were just raw.
Something is not right with the recipe. Mayonnaise is not listed in the ingredients, but it is included in the directions. Yogurt is in the ingredients, but not in the directions.
My fault! I often sub yogurt for mayo. I’ll get it fixed and thank you for letting me know.
Ok…my traditional coleslaw is now super boring! Definitely trying this version NEXT time – i love the addition of the almonds and raisins!
LItehouse dressing is my go-to when I don’t feel like making my own dressing.
This has always been my favorite coleslaw dressing and I always by it premade. This is the perfect dish for a holiday cookout!
I always make my coleslaw with just the slaw but love the idea of adding almonds and raisins to sweeten it up and to add crunch.
Oh, gosh I love coleslaw! This one looks fantastic, love the addition of crunchy almonds!
I love homemade coleslaw! I usually just eat it as a side dish, but I’d love to try it on a sandwich or over nachos, as you suggested. the almonds and raisins are great add-ins!