A perfect summer side dish for any meal, this tangy and sweet coleslaw is light, flavorful, plus it’s super quick and easy to make.

When you are looking for a healthy, low-carb side dish that comes together in minutes without a lot of fuss, look no further.

This blog post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

Unlike its creamy counterparts, this southern-style coleslaw recipe does not contain mayonnaise. While this version is wonderful alongside your favorite BBQ, it is also delicious with grilled burgers, making it a cookout staple.

Quick and Easy Coleslaw

Coleslaw is an odd word. I looked it up out of curiosity and found it is derived from the American pronunciation of the Dutch word koolsla, which means cabbage salad. Cabbage salad is a pretty good description, don’t you think?

Check out some of my other summer salads:
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Tuna Macaroni Salad

What’s In Coleslaw?

1 head green cabbage
½ red onion
1 white onion
3 carrots
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

This recipe makes 6 servings.

Are you a “prep beforehand” type of person? If so, you can chop up your veggies for this slaw ahead of time. Are you an “I really don’t have time for prep work” type of person? Yes? Well, you can save time by grabbing a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw blend from your local supermarket.

I must say though, that it doesn’t take much more than a few minutes to cut everything up. You’ll want to make sure your cabbage and onions are finely sliced. Don’t chop them, make sure they are thinly sliced instead.

You’ll need to grate your carrots. I use my cheese grater to do this, so the carrots are finely grated. We want a crunch in this coleslaw, but not a “what’s up, Doc” sized crunch, if you know what I mean.

Grab a large bowl, and toss in your sliced cabbage, red onion, white onion, and carrots. Season with salt & pepper, as desired, then set it aside.

Add the apple cider vinegar and sugar to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar thoroughly dissolves, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the oil, celery seeds, and the Dijon mustard. While still warm, pour over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine thoroughly.

I recommend covering the bowl tightly and chilling it in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours before serving. This will allow all the flavors to come together. Short on time? No problem, serve it right away.

Serve this crowd-pleasing coleslaw as a side dish at your next cookout. It’s healthy, tastes great, and is super easy.