The Colonel’s Coleslaw

Growing up we would always stop by the Colonel’s and pick up Coleslaw for all of our coleslaw needs.  Even when we didn’t need a special recipe drumstick we still picked up the coleslaw.  Mainly because it was tasty and finely diced.  The smaller dice allowed for a creamier coleslaw.  So ever since that day I have been trying to make it.  I searched online and there are hundreds of recipes claiming to be it.  I have tried most of them, and this one seems to be the best.  This is a popular recipe on the internet and nobody seems to know where it came from.  Some suggest an employee stole it, but in the end, it was probably an ingenious food blogger with a severe case of munchies.

I have tried this with sliced cabbage and it did not taste the same.  Something about the small dice changes this coleslaw into something magic.

The key to this coleslaw is the dice of the cabbage and carrot.  The solution, the shredding die for your food processor.  You could do this by hand, but the food processor does it in 10 seconds.  Cut the cabbage into wedges and then feed the wedges vertically into the food processor.  This will give you the perfect dice.

For the carrots, peel them, and then slice them lengthwise into quarters.  Then feed the quarters into the food processor.  If you don’t quarter the carrot, you will get long shreds.  I have a few in my pictures as I didn’t realize that I needed to quarter the carrots until the second carrot.  As for the onion, I sent it through the food processor too.

Place the shredded and diced vegetables into a large bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients.  Whisk the dressing until all of the lumps are gone.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables.  Fold the dressing in.  Watch out, you need a really big bowl or else you will get cabbage all over your kitchen. My kitchen looked like a mess, but the end product is totally worth it.

Cover the bowl and place into the fridge to let sit for at least four hours.  I like it to sit overnight for the best flavor.

You have to try this out for your next barbecue.

The Colonel’s Coleslaw

Recreate the Colonel's famous KFC coleslaw at home with this copycat recipe. Finely diced cabbage and carrots in a creamy mayo dressing — the secret is in the dice. Perfect for barbecues and summer cookouts.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 head of cabbage finely diced
• 2 medium carrots 8-10 inch, finely diced
• 1/2 medium onion finely minced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Method

 

1. Cut cabbage into wedges. Feed wedges vertically into food processor to create fine dice. Transfer to large bowl.
2. Peel carrots and slice lengthwise into quarters. Feed quarters through food processor to create fine dice. Add to bowl with cabbage.
3. Mince onion using food processor and add to bowl with vegetables.
4. In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, mayonnaise, milk, buttermilk, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk until all lumps are gone.
5. Pour dressing over vegetables in large bowl. Fold dressing in gently, making sure all vegetables are coated. Use a large bowl to avoid overflow.
6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, for best flavor.
7. Serve cold as a side dish at barbecues or summer cookouts.

Notes

The key to authentic Colonel’s coleslaw is the fine dice of the cabbage and carrots. A food processor makes this quick (about 10 seconds). Don’t quarter the carrots lengthwise or you’ll get long shreds instead of small dice. Allow to sit overnight for the best flavor development.