I Tried Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw Recipe, and It’s the Only Side Dish I Want to Have for Grilling Season (2024)

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Recipe Review

Lena Abraham

Lena Abraham

Lena Abraham is a recipe developer living and working in New York City. Her upbringing on an organic farm inspired a love of veggie-forward cooking, but she also has a soft spot for deep-fried seafood.

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published Apr 27, 2023

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I Tried Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw Recipe, and It’s the Only Side Dish I Want to Have for Grilling Season (1)

With barbecue season around the corner, keeping a solid coleslaw recipe in your back pocket is crucial. Cool, creamy, and crunchy, it’s the perfect foil for smoky grilled meats, rich sides, and swelteringly hot days. We know it, we love it.

But what you might not know, is that country music icon Dolly Parton has a recipe for the stuff that’s got the internet buzzing. Pulled from her 1989 cookbook Dollywood Presents: Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking, this recipe looks a lot like a classic coleslaw, but she throws in some curveballs (sweet pickle juice and chopped dill pickles!) for a salad that has chefs swearing it’s the best they’ve tasted. Something told me that Dolly probably does know her way around a mayo-based dressing, so I had to try the recipe out for myself.

Get the cookbook: Dollywood Presents: Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking

How to Make Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw

Dolly’s slaw starts the way most do, with a head of green cabbage. I grabbed a medium head that weighed around 2 pounds, which I later found to be a good size for the amount of dressing and seasonings. Mince or shred the cabbage into small pieces (more on that later) and transfer to a bowl large enough to accommodate a potluck-sized amount of slaw. To the same bowl, add one finely minced onion, one grated carrot, half a diced bell pepper, and a tablespoon of minced dill pickle (or relish, if you prefer).

The ingredients for the dressing can be added directly to the bowl with the veggies, but I chose to whisk it together in a separate bowl so they could start dissolving and melding into each other before the big toss. It contains: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt (I used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt), and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss well with a pair of tongs until the dressing completely coats the slaw. Cover and chill 15 minutes before serving.

My Honest Review of Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw

I gotta hand it to Dolly, this recipe results in what I would consider the platonic ideal of a classic, mayo-based coleslaw. The dressing is expertly balanced; it’s both sweet and savory, creamy and acidic, rich and bright — quite literally the perfect adornment for shredded raw cabbage. There are hints of pickle-y flavors like celery seed that add a certain je nes sais quoi to the final dish, and the briny pops of chopped dill pickle are a welcome addition. Next time, I’d add even more of them.

This slaw would of course be right at home on a potluck table beside pulled pork and potato salad, but it would also be the perfect topper for a fried chicken sandwich, or beside some beer-battered fish and french fries. It’s flavorful enough to hold its own, but not so overpowering that it would overshadow the dishes it accompanies.

It’s also ripe for customization: next time, I might add some caraway or celery seeds, a handful of chopped herbs, or maybe some minced jalapeño. It’s a great recipe to use as a jumping-off point. But the dressing? I wouldn’t change a thing.

3 Tips for Making Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw

  1. Use a mandoline if you’ve got it. You can’t beat the texture of cabbage that’s been shredded on a mandoline. Light, fluffy, and primed to be coated in dressing, I much prefer this method to hand-chopped or food processor-minced cabbage. It’s also a major time saver, as breaking down a head of cabbage requires some elbow grease.
  2. Salt the cabbage to avoid watery slaw. Though the recipe calls for resting your slaw for 15 minutes before serving, I found that in that time, the cabbage and other vegetables had already lost a good amount of moisture, making the dressing a little more watery than I’d like. Salting your cabbage (for at least 15 minutes) to remove moisture is a great way to combat this. And if you don’t feel like prepping your cabbage beforehand, I’d recommend serving this salad as soon as you’ve tossed it together, for optimum crunch and the creamiest dressing.
  3. Add that other half of the bell pepper (and anything else you like). Using partial portions of whole fresh ingredients is always a little annoying. Like, what am I supposed to do with this extra half of bell pepper? In this case, I’d recommend using the whole thing. This slaw has enough dressing to accommodate at least another cup of fresh ingredients, so feel free to shred another carrot, finely dice a couple sticks of celery, or mandoline that lonely head of the fennel at the bottom of your crisper drawer and add it to the party. The more the merrier!

Get the cookbook: Dollywood Presents: Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking

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I Tried Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw Recipe, and It’s the Only Side Dish I Want to Have for Grilling Season (2024)

FAQs

What to add to store bought cole slaw? ›

It's the dressing that makes it so bad. Buy the bags without dressing and add, walnuts or pecans, grated cheese, pineapple, apple, sultanas, asian fried noodles.

Why is coleslaw a thing? ›

The dish was initially created in the Netherlands. In fact, the term coleslaw originates from the Dutch expression koosla, which means “cabbage salad.” Recipes similar to coleslaw have been found and used in American homes from as early as 1770.

What to add to coleslaw reddit? ›

I combine the cabbage/carrot mixture with some finely chopped onion. My dressing is a mixture of mayo and sour cream, to which I add some Dijon mustard and garlic salt. I usually splash a bit of red wine vinegar in there. If I'm in the mood, I add celery seed, as well.

How do you make Gordon Ramsay homemade coleslaw? ›

In a bowl mix together 2 Tbs vinegar, juice of half lemon, 3 Tbs mayonnaise, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and pepper and mix well. Add the dressing into the cabbage and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving as a healthy side dish to your burger!

What is the tangy ingredient that will make your coleslaw stand out from the rest? ›

One tangy ingredient that works brilliantly in slaw is apples, especially green apples. The tartness and crunch of the fruit, sliced thin just like the shredded cabbage, works in perfect harmony to create a dish that's equal parts light and flavorful.

What is the best store bought coleslaw mix? ›

With its nice, thick dressing, Walmart's deli coleslaw is the best creamy coleslaw of the bunch. The dressing is heavy on the mayo, which makes it the best coleslaw to slather on a burger or pulled pork sandwich, and the copious amounts of shredded carrot will contribute some crunch, too.

How do you make store bought cole slaw taste better? ›

It's sweet and sour, so thin the mayo with vinegar, white, apple cider or rice wine are the best choices. Sugar or agave nectar are good choices of sweeteners. Flavor wise, chopped pickle relish, celery seeds, a touch of Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and sour cream are all common. Just mix everything together and go!

What is the difference Cole slaw and slaw? ›

The real difference is that the raw, chopped vegetables in coleslaw are primarily cabbage: Napa, red, savoy, or bok choy. Slaw without the cole can feature any crunchy veggie in place of cabbage, including chopped or shredded broccoli, carrots, snow peas, jicama, and more.

Why did KFC stop selling coleslaw? ›

The fast food chain was forced to stop selling its coleslaw tubs when a supply issue meant the slaw would have to be served up without the dressing. “We are currently experiencing a supply issue with our KFC coleslaw dressing,” a KFC spokesperson said. The slaw is made up of cabbage and carrots coated in mayonnaise.

Why did Chick Fil A stop selling coleslaw? ›

"But as our sales volumes grew, it just wasn't feasible to keep adding to the menu without taking anything away." Chick-fil-A cut cole slaw from the menu in January to make room for a new "superfood" side of kale and broccolini in a maple vinaigrette dressing.

What race invented coleslaw? ›

Coleslaw (from the Dutch term koolsla meaning 'cabbage salad'), also known as cole slaw, or simply as slaw, is a side dish consisting primarily of finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing or condiment, commonly either vinaigrette or mayonnaise. This dish originated in the Netherlands in the 18th century.

How do you doctor up store bought coleslaw? ›

Minced red bell pepper, minced dill pickle or cornichon, minced parsley, some sour cream, white balsamic and a little lemon juice to cut through the often way-too-sweet storebought stuff.

Why does my homemade coleslaw taste bitter? ›

Cabbage Core:Issue: The core of the cabbage can be bitter, especially if it's not removed before shredding. Solution: Ensure that you remove the core of the cabbage before shredding it. Cut the cabbage in half, then cut out the triangular core from each half. Old Cabbage:Issue: Older cabbage may develop a bitter taste.

Why does my homemade coleslaw go watery? ›

Cabbage contains lots of water. Alton Brown suggests salting the cabbage and letting the water drain for two hours, then rinsing the cabbage and spinning it dry before dressing it. That purges the excess water out of the cabbage before it is dressed, so it doesn't get watery.

What are the ingredients in the Dolly Parton diet? ›

The Dolly Parton diet is a low-carb diet that focuses on lean proteins, fresh vegetables, and healthy fats. Some of the recommended foods on this diet include grilled chicken, fish, leafy greens, broccoli, avocados, nuts, and berries.

What is traditional coleslaw made of? ›

What is traditional coleslaw made of? Traditional coleslaw is little more than shredded cabbage and a creamy dressing. This recipe adds a bit more flavor with shredded carrots and onion. The creamy dressing is made with mayonnaise, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper, for a just right tangy-sweet flavor.

What is the coleslaw sauce made of? ›

What Is Coleslaw Dressing Made Of? This creamy, mayo-based dressing uses ingredients you likely have on hand: sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and of course, mayonnaise. The resulting dressing is just the right balance of sweet, tangy, creamy, and peppery!

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