Learn how to make it at home with this KFC Coleslaw Copycat Recipe! Just like the delicious coleslaw served at your favorite fried chicken restaurant!
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it right to you. Plus you’ll get delicious new recipes from me each week!
Reasons To Make This Coleslaw:
- It tastes JUST like the kind you get at KFC!
- This is a perfect summer side dish, it’s great for potlucks, BBQs and picnics.
- Quick and easy, you can whip this coleslaw up in a matter of minutes… yes, minutes!
- You can easily make this the day before you need it. It’s even better the next day!
KFC Coleslaw
If you’ve been to Kentucky Fried Chicken, chances are good that you’ve tasted their famous coleslaw. As a side dish for a chicken dinner or barbecue, it doesn’t get much better than a creamy crunchy slaw and KFC’s does theirs just right.
With summer weather arriving, I’m already planning ahead for all those picnics and barbecues on the horizon! Nothing goes better with a leg of fried chicken or a big plate of BBQ like a side of homemade coleslaw.
Lots of recipes have circulated over the years claiming to be the authentic KFC coleslaw copycat recipe. The one I’m sharing today, though, is by far the best! It tastes just like the slaw you love with your fried chicken order, all tossed with a creamy tangy dressing.
Best of all? This coleslaw recipe is super easy!
The most effort you’ll put into making KFC Coleslaw is chopping the cabbage. Other than the effort it takes to resist trying a bite before it’s had a chance to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours, of course!
KFC Coleslaw Copycat Recipe
Made entirely from scratch, this easy coleslaw will be the perfect side dish for all your summer barbecues and picnics. Instead of making a trip to a Kentucky Fried Chicken and paying for such an easy slaw, stay home and make it yourself for pennies.
I use green cabbage for this slaw because I wanted to mimic the KFC coleslaw as closely as possible. You also can’t beat the price! If you prefer, I’m sure red cabbage (or a mix or both) would be delicious here as well.
While you can simply chop your cabbage, if you have a food processor, it really helps give that coleslaw texture you get at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I first rough chop my cabbage, then just pulse it in the food processor a few times. Works like a charm. That said, if you don’t have a food processor, no worries, just chop it as finely as you like.
KFC Coleslaw Dressing
What really makes this coleslaw stand out is the creamy dressing. Made with real buttermilk, the dressing gets a tangy kick from a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
For years I thought I disliked coleslaw because I wasn’t a fan of the dressings. They were either too heavy on the mayonnaise or too sweet for my taste. So I always skipped the coleslaw and brought Pasta Salad to outdoor potlucks instead.
This homemade coleslaw recipe is SO much better than the ones I was trying before! It’s full of creamy buttermilk flavor with just the right amount of sweetness to balance things out. While I’ll still bring my share of pasta salads to my summer potlucks, I might have to start mixing things up by showing up with copycat KFC coleslaw instead!
Make this coleslaw for your next picnic or chicken dinner along with other favorites like Macaroni and Cheese and Jiffy Cornbread or Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls, and you’ll have a perfect meal. Don’t forget the Crockpot Baked Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Buttermilk Biscuits, Ambrosia Fruit Salad and Creamed Corn, too! We love to serve this as a side with Air Fryer Cheeseburgers.
KFC Coleslaw Recipe
KFC Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups cabbage finely chopped (about 1 head)
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot (about 1 carrot)
- 2 tbs minced onion
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 1/2 tbs lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbs white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together, the milks, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and vinegar. Add the onion, carrots and cabbage with salt and pepper. Toss to thoroughly coat the vegetables in the dressing.
- Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or as many as 8) before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it right to you. Plus you’ll get delicious new recipes from me each week!
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Now I no better how it’s made
Try white pepper instead of black.
My husband loves this Cole slaw recipe and I have used it several times and we will keep making it.
Have made this for years. I add a little bit of green or red pepper to it. It is a really good recipe
Loved it! We added a bit more sugar, but other than that it was great. I’m assuming I did this correctly since it was so good, but is the measurement of cabbage (8 cups) before or after chopping it up? (I used a food processor for the cabbage and carrots). Also, is it really only good for two days? Thanks!
You want to measure 8 cups, chopped. Isn’t it great with the food processor – it gives it such a great texture! It will last more than a few days, but it starts to look a little wilted, so it’s definitely at it’s best in the first day or two. That said, we’ve eaten leftovers for many days.
The recipe is good instead of lemon juice you can put like I had some pineapple or any type of fruit so it won’t tastes so nasty plus you need to put in refrigerator so it would marinate the cabbage and it will taste better just taste it before you serve it ! If not try experimenting the recipe on your own because I left out the salt and black pepper which it might bring out the taste stronger.
Just made it trying to wait! I think my onion was to strong , but we’ll see in a couple of hours! I love kfc coleslaw but can’t afford their outrageous price in Hawaii for approx 1 cup! Thanks for sharing !
This is perfect. I really love KFC slaw. Next time I think I would cut the onion to 1/2 the amount. Or use a sweeter onion. But, that’s just our preference. Still I think this recipe was good for us. I didn’t have the buttermilk so I just added extra milk and put that lemon juice in the milk and covered 2 things at once maybe that’s why I didn’t really think there was too much lemon juice. Still enjoyed and thanks for posting! Karen
Thank you for sharing your recipe! We do not eat at KFC, a family member has allergy to lemon so I substituted a dollop of Dijon mustard for the tang. Changed nothing else and it was perfect. Whole family loved it including my husband who does not normally like coleslaw. Served with my crispy halibut fish tacos. 😋
Way, way, way too much lemon juice. Was like someone added lemonade mix to the slaw. I can see this potentially tasting like KFC with the omission of the lemon juice. Sorry, this was a fail for us.
Sorry it didn’t suit your tastes. Most people love it, as you can see from the comments, and the lemon juice helps add the important acidity to the dressing. You could always reduce it, though it will lack the bit of tang that one typically expects with coleslaw.