Classic and easy Coleslaw Recipe, made with crisp cabbage and carrots in a creamy, tangy and sweet homemade dressing! Just like Chick-Fil-A’s version!
This Copycat Coleslaw is one of those recipes I’m so happy to have. We love making our own versions of restaurant favorites at home… like this Copycat Wendy’s Frosty, and HoneyBaked Ham. This is one of my Copycat Recipes you’ll definitely want to keep on around!
COLESLAW RECIPE
Chick-Fil-A coleslaw was a cult classic… beloved among almost everyone who ate there. Back in 2016, they made the controversial decision to discontinue the recipe and no longer serve it. Insert sad face here!
This coleslaw and the Chicken Salad sandwich, were my ultimate go-to when we’d hit up the drive-thru, and they both were discontinued over the course of a year.
Thankfully, Chick-Fil-A released their recipe for the famous coleslaw around the time they stopped serving it. Of course, I immediately had to try it. And it was good… spot on.
I always try restaurant-released recipes with a bit of skepticism, as I tend to be a bit cynical and think they’d leave out a secret ingredient, so you’d have to go to their restaurant for the real deal. But with Chick-Fil-A, there was no reason to hold anything back, since you couldn’t get the coleslaw from the restaurant anyway.
Plus, Chick-Fil-A is notorious for their kindness, it’s always their pleasure to serve you well.
HOW TO MAKE THIS COPYCAT COLESLAW RECIPE
- Mix part of the dressing. I find whisking the vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper together first really ensures that the sugar is dissolved so you don’t end up with a potentially grainy coleslaw.
- Add the mayo. Add in the mayonnaise and whisk again.
- Stir in cabbage and carrots. Stir well to make sure everything is coated.
- Cover and chill. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but longer is better. Making coleslaw a day ahead, or in the morning of your bbq will give it extra flavor and it’ll be even creamier.
Pro-Tip: Instead of making your dressing in a smaller bowl then adding it to a big mixing bowl with the cabbage/carrots, make the dressing in the big bowl, then you only have 1 bowl to wash at the end of the day!
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
- PRESHREDDED – choosing to use the pre-shredded bags of green cabbage will certainly save you time, which is why I prefer to use them. You can also use the bags of coleslaw mix that have the cabbage and carrots together and just omit the carrots from the recipe. If you’d rather chop your own, I would use approximately 9-10 cups of green cabbage.
- MAYONNAISE – I definitely prefer using real, full fat mayonnaise. Hellman’s (Best Foods) and Duke’s are two brands from the Midwest that I love. I don’t recommend using Miracle Whip for this recipe, as it’s not the same thing as mayo, and will alter the flavors.
- EXTRA SEASONING – after your coleslaw has been refrigerated, give it a toss, then a quick taste. Add more salt and/or pepper if desired.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- SWEETER – if you prefer a sweeter coleslaw, feel free to add a bit more sugar.
- SUGAR SUBSTITUTE – I’ve not tested using any sugar substitutes in this coleslaw, but I’m almost certain they could be used. I would follow whatever ratio the package suggests to get the amount.
- GREEN ONIONS – not traditional to Chick-Fil-A, but I love adding some chopped green onions to my coleslaw for added flavor and crunch!
- MILK – if you prefer a slightly less thick and creamy coleslaw, reduce the mayonnaise to 2/3 cup and add 1/3 cup of milk (or buttermilk).
- CELERY SEED – I love the flavor of celery seed in coleslaws, so adding a 1/4 tsp here gives it a nice subtle flavor.
MAKING COLESLAW AHEAD OF TIME
Coleslaw is an amazing potluck recipe because it’s actually supposed to be made ahead of time!
Once you mix it all together, it’s best to refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, but honestly, if you can make it a day ahead of time, it will have the best flavor and texture.
The dressing will coat the cabbage and take away the strong crunch. Generally, it will get creamier and softer the longer it sits in the refrigerator.
STORAGE
Leftover coleslaw should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3-5 days.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Mixing Bowl – no fancy tools here, just a lightweight and economical mixing bowl.
- Rubber Spatula – I like to use spatulas like these that are all one piece, as they seem to hold up better.
Coleslaw is great on the side of so many great bbq recipes. Here are a few of my favorites!
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Beef Barbecue
- Pulled BBQ Chicken
- Bourbon BBQ Smoked Wings
- Smoked Ribs
- Coffee Rubbed Burgers
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise (I recommend Hellman's or Duke's)
- 20 oz finely shredded green cabbage, chopped to 1/4" pieces (I usually get 2 (10 oz each) bags of preshredded cabbage and chop it)
- 1/4 cup shredded and chopped carrots chopped to the same size as the cabbage)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper and whisk together until sugar has dissolved.
- Add mayo and whisk until combined.
- Add cabbage and carrots and toss to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours (more is better) and serve cold.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Donna says
I just harvested cabbage from my garden and was looking for something to do with it. I was very excited to find this recipe! I have never made cole slaw from scratch that I actually liked. I did love Chick-fil-a’s cole slaw, so I wanted to give it a try. It’s pretty darn good! I did add an additional 3 tablespoons to the recipe, and it came out perfect for me! Thank you for this recipe! I’ll be making it again!
Sherry says
Great. Afraid I wouldn’t have this great coleslaw again.
Susan says
This is a delicious coleslaw. I messed up, though. I overlooked that the recipe calls for 20 oz of chopped cabbage plus 1/4 cup of shredded carrots. I bought a 14 oz bag of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots thinking that would be fine. Oops! Too much dressing and not enough veg. Next time, I will buy 2 bags. Live and learn! Thanks, Amanda, for posting such great recipes.
Dave says
I’ve made this twice…in my opinion, it’s a dead-ringer for Chick-fil-A’s Cole slaw that they used to have on their menu.
The recipe calls for a 20 oz bag of shredded cabbage and a quarter cup of chopped carrots. I found a 14 oz. bag of already shredded and chopped cabbage and carrots at Aldi. It has a lot of carrots in the bag. All I do is spread the cabbage/carrot mixture out on a cutting board and chop it into smaller pieces with a large knife.
Even though it’s not the same 20 oz plus the quarter cup of carrots, I find that the slaw mixture is just right for the smaller bag from Aldi.
Sandie says
this was really good!!!
Erica says
Delicious!!! My new go-to coleslaw recipe. What a hit.
Bekah says
Love this recipe! So simple but yummy. Works great with bagged mix too if I don’t feel like cutting all the cabbage and such. I use it with your IP pulled pork recipe, and put it on a toasted brioche bun with jalapenos and fried onions… Delicious! Thanks for all you do and put up with! (I mean, Arthur… Wow. It’s coleslaw, man… Who hurt you?)
Arthur Karatzou says
Reader Beware! Negative or neutral remarks are censored from publishing in this forum. I find this practice disdainful. I also disdain the vast number of websites found that are seemingly only written for the author’s miniscule growth of their own net worth – through links to inadequate and/or inferior goods being hawked by a third party, said links generating incomprehensibly small amounts of income. Jeff Bezos, however, became the first person ever to accumulate $200 billion dollars net worth. And he is none smarter than your or I. He earned income from his own endeavors – and earns much more, per-link, from each of these links. Still, the plethora of these links persist, unabated by any source, whether natural or governmental. And most of these links, while giving an impression to the contrary, lead to unresearched, inferior products that only share their name with like products of better value. For example, this website links to a mixing bowl way to shallow and with no real features such as the gauge of or type of material used, or perhaps a non-slip base, or nesting ability. For the cost it is a terrible mixing bowl. Nonetheless these sites continue and grow more and more numerous, promoting the ‘dumbing-down’ of others just by their existence. To wade through the types of webpages like this to find the ones that may contain actual, factual information is increasingly difficult. These pages are averse to the notion of the advancement of mankind attributed to our species’ unique ability to individually learn and subsequently pass that knowledge on to others for their collective use. The problem, in part lies in an author’s failing to research adequate products perhaps. An author’s ability to declare information presented as new, useful, or factual is certainly important; Other information, such as found in this recipe, like, if you find the coleslaw is not sweet enough, one can add more sugar is a notion useful only to those of us who may, from time to time, forget about that property of sugar. Last, I realize my thoughts will again fall victim to the judgement of the one who identified Chick-fil-A as being known for their kindness, when in reality they are better known for their lack of the same. Don’t get me started as to why the site is ‘chunky’ to begin with.
The Chunky Chef says
Actually Arthur, all comments have to be approved by me, unless the commenter has had an approved comment on my website previously. This cuts down on the enormous amount of spam comments. So, no… negative or neutral remarks aren’t censored. I resent that implication. I also do NOT appreciate your thinly veiled patronizing previous comment (which I chose to not publish as it didn’t add any actual value to the recipe or other readers) about the state of my kitchen and the amount of time I may or may not have. Furthermore, this ridiculous tirade about the state of our species is laughable. If you don’t like the mixing bowl I recommended (and use, btw), then buy your own that you have painstakingly researched. If you don’t like my information, don’t read it. If you don’t like Chick-Fil-A, or think they’re kind when you go through their drive through, then don’t go there or look for copycat recipes of theirs. If you don’t like me or my recipes, go buy a cookbook. I provide these recipes free of charge to everyone in the world, and I enjoy my work. You sir, seem to not enjoy things in your life and for that, I feel sorry for you. Have a fantastic day Arthur.
Debbie D says
I just discovered your awesome recipe website after clicking your copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Salad recipe in Pinterest and pinned that recipe as well as this one. Both sound so simple to make and delicious! I, too, was so disappointed when Chick-Fil-A discontinued and pulled these items from their menu so thank you for sharing. 🙂
Katie says
Dear Chef, You go, girl! I love your reply to that guy. And, the coleslaw recipe is yummy!
jerry copeland says
perfect response to another one filled with a higher than thou attitude thanks for your timeand advice great work that you do thanks
Danielle says
Arthur, you sound fun!
However, when you decide to disparage someone for their choices in bakery equipment and websites that they link to, please remember to check your grammar.
Amanda, I have found several fabulous recipes from your site! I have a dinky little site on Instagram that doesn’t do yours any justice.
Keep on doing you, girl. Glass ceilings are getting broken every day. Ignore the Arthur’s of the world.
Much love.
Sandi says
I think that you should get a life. Those of us who read, watch and try out these online recipes really do not want to waste out time with a reply from someone who is negative about ridiculous subjects such as a bowl that you find inferior. Go work in a soup kitchen or do yardwork for poor old ladies. Goodness find a way to occupy your time in a positive manner.
Jen says
As a CFA operator’s wife in the old days, we made the sauce and refrigerated it 24 hours before we used it. And we always chopped the cabbage and carrots.
Al broccolo says
Somebody needs a hobby
Stacy says
I made this for my husband using fresh cabbage from our garden and he loved it! Thank you!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this with some barbecued chicken last night for dinner and it was spot on delicious! My new favorite recipe for coleslaw, indeed!
Sandra says
This is such a great recipe!! I would love to give it a try!
Kevin says
Love this sauce! So glad I can make it at home now!
Toni says
This is such an amazing copycat recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Suzy says
One of the best side dishes to make especially in the summer! No cooking required! We love it!
katerina @ diethood.com says
I LOVE this coleslaw! It’s fantastic!
Catalina says
Coleslaw is my favorite summe dish for barbecue! This looks so creamy!
Kimberly says
Awesome copycat, great balance of flavors, love it!