Sweet and Tart Coleslaw Dressing – Only 5 Ingredients!

Name: Sweet and Tart Coleslaw Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons salt (kosher or sea salt); 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 chili pepper (optional, seeded or not, sliced thinly)

LAST UPDATED: June 9, 2019 PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 By Pam Greer 30 Comments

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The sweet and tart coleslaw dressing hits all the right notes! It’s a homemade coleslaw vinaigrette that’s a bit sweet, a bit tart, and has just a little bit of heat. Only five ingredients and mixed in a jar, so easy!

Creamy Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw?

Have you ever stopped to contemplate coleslaw? Coleslaw is kind of weird. I mean, no one ever goes around saying, “Boy, I wish I had some coleslaw today.” Yet, it’s always there, just kind of plugging along. For me, it’s usually an afterthought, that little Styrofoam container tossed in at the last minute in the Kentucky Fried Chicken bag.

And since you are stopping to contemplate slaw, think about all the coleslaw ramifications. Do you like yours creamy or vinegary? Sweet or sour? With or without onions? Purely cabbage, or some carrots, what about broccoli? See. Slaw is a complex thing. A wonder. (You’re looking at it in a whole new light, now aren’t you?)

I definitely fall on the vinegar side. Once you find a good coleslaw vinaigrette, you can whip up some slaw for an easy side dish any time you want!

Ingredients in this Homemade Coleslaw Dressing

Let’s talk about the ingredients in this vinegar coleslaw dressing. First of all, there are only five ingredients and one of them is optional!

Sugar – I used raw sugar, white will also work.

Vinegar – I used white. Apple cider vinegar would also be good.

Salt and pepper.

Chili Pepper – this is optional, but we like a little heat in our coleslaw. Leave seeds in if you like it hot, remove the seeds or don’t use the pepper at all if you don’t want any spice.

Variations – this dressing is very basic, you could add some fresh herbs like cilantro or mint. I’ve also used lovage in coleslaw – so good!

How to Make a Coleslaw Vinaigrette

Gather your ingredients: sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper, and chili pepper if using. If you are adding a pepper, slice it thinly, seeding it or not. Put all the ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake until sugar dissolves.

That’s it! That’s how easy it is to make this coleslaw dressing!

Vinegar Based Coleslaw

My whole slaw contemplation came about because my CSA gave me 5 heads of cabbage. So, I’ve been eating lots of slaw lately, you might even say I’ve become a slaw connoisseur. I’ve learned a few things: One – I prefer a vinegar based slaw, two – I like mine sweetish, and three – it’s so easy to change up a slaw.

I found this formula for the dressing in an old Sarah Foster’s cookbook. It’s basically equal parts sugar and vinegar. If it’s too sweet, use less sugar, too tart use less vinegar. It’s that easy!

I don’t have any other coleslaw recipes by themselves, but I do have recipes that have slaw as a component. All of them could be used as a stand alone slaw – and since cabbage is so good for you, we all need to eat more slaw!

More Slaw Recipes

Pork Chops with Apple Cabbage Slaw

Harissa Beef with Tahini Slaw

Zucchini, Green Bean and Chili Slaw

Spicy Fish Tacos with Fennel Slaw

Five Spice Chicken with Carrot Radish Slaw

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5 from 3 votes