Vinegar Coleslaw is an easy BBQ side dish staple using a no mayo coleslaw dressing including vinegar, oil and salt and pepper! Tangy vinegar paired with crunchy veggies, can you go wrong?
What You’ll Need
Besides the vegetables, I can almost guarantee you have everything you need to make this vinegar coleslaw! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Coleslaw mix – You can shred your own veggies using a mandolin slicer, but buying a store bought pre shredded cabbage salad is a shortcut I am willing to take. Check the section below for more vegetable options.
- Red wine vinegar
- Vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Sugar
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – I use coarse kosher salt to bring out the other flavors of this vinegar coleslaw. If using a different type of salt, keep in mind that salts all measure differently.
- Seasonings – Try adding things like celery seed, minced bell pepper, red pepper flakes or poppy seeds for a slightly different flavor.
- Sauces – You can use any type of vinegar you prefer. White wine, champagne, rice wine, apple cider, pomegranate or even plain white vinegar.
- Swaps – You can Substitute maple syrup, honey or agave nectar for the sugar. Try any multitude of shredded veggies. Some of my favorites include:
- Red Cabbage
- Green Cabbage
- Cabbage mixture (both red and green)
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Jicama
- Brussels Sprouts
- Carrots
- Celery
- Fennel Bulb
- Zucchini
- White Onion, Sweet Onion or Red Onions
- Radish
- Green onions
- Senses – Vinegar coleslaw is crisp and tangy, with a zesty bite that wakes up your taste buds. Cool, crunchy, and refreshingly sharp—it’s the perfect palate cleanser.
Perfect Pairings
This tangy vinegar coleslaw the perfect side dish to make and take to a bbq or throw together to pair with a weeknight meal. It’s also great for topping sandwiches!
One of our favorite ways to use it is to pile it on a pulled pork sandwich. It also tastes great on fish tacos or alongside something like grilled chicken or burgers. I also like mine as coleslaw on hot dogs!
Vinegar Coleslaw
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 14 ounces coleslaw mix
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper and sugar until 2 tablespoons sugar and salt dissolves. This step is important so that you don't get grainy bits of undissolved sugar or salt in your coleslaw.
- Pour over the 14 ounces coleslaw mix. Toss well. I find that using forks works best for coleslaw.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours. If you remember to toss it every few hours, great, if not, it will be fine.
- Drain excess liquid before serving. The cabbage will lose its water, so you will have more liquid than you started with. This is normal.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!
Nutrition
Storage and Freezing
You can prep and assemble everything up to 24 hours in advance. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Because this is not a mayonnaise based coleslaw, you can actually freeze it. I recommend doing so in smaller portions and using within a few months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typical coleslaw ingredients like red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots and radish, these all contain a lot of water. Adding salt draws out the water and lands in a pool at the bottom of your bowl.
You can either take it for what it is and drain it before serving. After sitting for several hours, the ingredients are pretty pickled and have taken on the correct flavors anyhow.
It is actually only one word, coleslaw. Although you’ll commonly see it referred to as just slaw. 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”.
More Easy Side Dishes
When you put effort into your main dish, easy side dishes are a must. Here are some of our favorites!
This was wonderful … everyone enjoyed it as a side or on top of the pulled pork sandwiches! Very easy to make.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is easy and delicious! Had it as a side dish. Also, I added honey and lime the next day to put on top of fish tacos. Best coleslaw I’ve ever made. Thank you!
Oh! Lovely ideas! Thanks so much for sharing!
I just want to say this slaw was fabulous on our fish sandwich it made it the best we ever had and will always use this from now on
Great recipe! So light and refreshing.
Can I add cooked shrimp to this and how long will it last in the refrigerator afterwards
I don’t see why not! I would say about 24 hours with seafood. Be mindful too that seafood in vinegar based sauces can start to get a little rubbery if left too long. I would add the cooked shrimp right before you serve it instead of letting them sit together. Enjoy!
This is definitely become my number one go to slaw and I have turned all my friends onto it especially with the variations that I have used I now substitute the sugar for honey and when preparing the dressing for the slaw mix I put all my ingredients inside my little mini food processor along with a couple peppers depending on my guest anywhere from jalapenos to habaneros and I blend it till it’s completely emulsified, I also add sliced thin red Onion to the slaw mixture.
Love these variations and thanks for coming back to let us know!
I took your advice in regards to my shrimp question. I sautee my shrimp and then stuffed lobster roll buns and top it with the slaw mixture. I live in Florida where shrimp are plentiful and very reasonably priced so this sandwich has now become our number one sandwich of the day and will be for the entire summer. Thank you so much for the slaw recipe
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
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I made my coleslaw with cabbage and apple, mixed up the dressing, eyeballing the amounts and mixed it all together. Delicious! will make again
Yay! Thanks for coming back to let us know!
My family is addicted to vinegar slaw. I use my great-grandmother’s recipe, which is exactly like yours except for the addition of 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard. You should try it!
Thanks! That is a great add-in! And thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know.
This coleslaw was perfect at our cookout last weekend. Everyone loved it.
I’m a sucker for any type of coleslaw but I especially love this vinegar coleslaw. Great recipe!