Coleslaw is the perfect summer side dish that is both crunchy and creamy. I feel like people don’t even realize they’re just eating cabbage and carrots when they eat coleslaw, which is funny to me because cabbage doesn’t seem to be a favorite to most people 🙂 Personally, I love both cabbage and coleslaw but I can’t stomach the super sweet store-bought coleslaw. That is why I am sharing my version of Easy Homemade Coleslaw that is refined sugar free and vegan!

For us, coleslaw is a must at all of our summer BBQs. You can enjoy it by itself, as a side dish, or you can top your sandwiches off with it and it adds great taste and texture.

How To Make Easy Homemade Coleslaw

As the recipe title states, coleslaw is one of the easiest summer sides to make. To make it really easy you can even buy a pre-cut and packaged coleslaw mix from the grocery store that is usually made up of green cabbage and carrots. Sometimes you can get lucky and they will also add purple cabbage.

I usually just slice everything myself because I feel like it has much more color when I get to pick exactly which vegetables go in. The traditional coleslaw vegetables are cabbage and carrots. I use a sharp knife to thinly slice my cabbage and then I have this handy julienne slicer for my carrots. You could also just throw them in the food processor with a shredding blade and it would be super easy!

Vegan Coleslaw Recipe

In my opinion, the most important part of the homemade coleslaw recipe is the dressing. The flavor of the dressing can basically make or break the coleslaw. I am not vegan but I prefer using vegan mayo over regular so that is always what I have on hand and use in my coleslaw. If you’re trying out a new mayo, you will want to taste it before using it because I’ve found that some can taste a little strange and then your entire coleslaw tastes strange.

Refined Sugar Free Coleslaw Recipe

For the other ingredients I use: apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, dijon mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper. I hate coleslaw that is super sweet and I generally don’t like to cook with granted sugar, so I sweetened mine up with maple syrup and it adds the perfect sweetness to the coleslaw. Another ingredient that you might not see in all coleslaw recipes is the celery seed. I just love the pop of flavor it adds, but you could always leave it out if you like.

How much dressing you use is a personal preference decision. My husband likes his with lots of dressing so I always use the entire batch. I find that when making coleslaw, at first it doesn’t look like you have enough dressing but if you let it sit for a while it becomes wetter. It’s always suggest just putting a little bit on at first because it’s much easier to add more dressing later than take it away 🙂 But, if you end up with too much you can always add in more veggies.

How To Use This Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe

Coleslaw is most popularly used as a regular old side dish. I do eat it by itself sometimes but I also love using as a topping for burgers, hotdogs, tacos and sandwiches. It gives a nice crunch while adding some extra veggies. What ways do you like to enjoy coleslaw in the summer?