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If you’ve ever craved that famous KFC coleslaw—sweet, tangy, and oh-so-creamy—you’re going to love this homemade version. This copycat KFC coleslaw recipe tastes just like the real thing (maybe even better!) and comes together with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
With finely chopped cabbage, a touch of onion, and a perfectly balanced creamy dressing, it’s the ultimate side dish for fried chicken, BBQ, or just about any comfort food meal. Trust me—once you try it, this will be your go-to coleslaw recipe for every potluck, picnic, and family dinner.
This homemade coleslaw is perfect for potlucks, picnics, BBQs, or even a simple weeknight dinner—everyone always goes back for seconds! 🥗 Looking for more fresh, crave-worthy sides? Try my pineapple coleslaw, Asian coleslaw, and carrot salad! And if you’re a KFC fan like me, don’t miss my cozy KFC Famous Bowl Casserole—it’s pure comfort in a dish. ♥ Let’s make this slaw!
Let’s make this slaw!
Why This Recipe Works
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Spot-On Copycat Flavor: This KFC coleslaw copycat recipe nails the balance of sweet, tangy, and creamy that makes the original so famous.
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Simple & Accessible: Everyday pantry staples—mayonnaise, sugar, buttermilk, and fresh lemon juice—come together in minutes.
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Authentic Texture & Taste: Finely chopped cabbage gives it that classic consistency, while finely grated onion adds subtle savory depth.
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Better the Next Day: Just like the restaurant version, the flavors meld beautifully as it chills, making it even tastier after resting overnight.
Before You Start
✨ Chill Time Matters: This coleslaw tastes best after at least 4 hours in the fridge—overnight is even better.
✅ Finely Chop the Cabbage: For authentic texture, chop cabbage into rice-sized pieces. Skip long shreds!
🥕 Bagged Mix Option: Save time with pre-shredded coleslaw mix—just omit the carrot if it’s already included.
🥛 Buttermilk is Key: Don’t skip it! Buttermilk gives the dressing its signature tangy creaminess.
🍋 Fresh Lemon Juice: Always squeeze fresh—it makes a big difference.
✨ Food Safety: For more information on food safety, please visit this link.
KFC COLESLAW RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Cabbage: Finely diced (about rice-sized). Use a food processor + knife, or save time with a bag of coleslaw mix.
- Carrot: Just a little for color—skip if you’re using a mix that already includes it.
- Onion: Grated finely for subtle flavor without harsh chunks.
- Sugar: A small amount for that classic sweetness.
- Mayonnaise: I love Best Foods for the richest flavor.
- Buttermilk & Whole Milk: Give creaminess and authentic tang.
- White Vinegar: Brings the sharpness that balances the sweet.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Brighter and fresher than bottled.
- Salt & Pepper: Simple seasoning that ties everything together.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
Storing
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Make-Ahead
- Perfect for prepping the night before! In fact, the flavor improves as it chills.
Freezing
- Not recommended—the mayo dressing separates and the cabbage loses its crunch when thawed.
What to Serve With KFC Coleslaw
KFC Coleslaw is the ultimate side dish that pairs with just about everything! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
Classic Comfort Food Pairings
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Fried chicken or smothered chicken is the obvious match—crispy, juicy, and perfect with a creamy slaw. Try my Air Fryer Chicken for a lighter twist. We love it with our Swiss steak, American goulash, or American chop suey!
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Pile it next to Pulled Pork Sandwiches, crockpot BBQ pulled chicken, steak sandwiches, French dip, , or barbecue smoked ribs for a backyard-style feast.
Fresh + Crisp Combos
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Balance out rich mains like Sloppy Joes, Salisbury steak, steak chili, or million dollar spaghetti with this cool, tangy side.
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Add it to Steak Tacos for that crunchy, creamy bite.
Crowd-Pleasing Favorites
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Serve with Southern cornbread, Cracker Barrel cornbread, Southern style green beans, BBQ baked beans, crockpot baked beans, grape salad, three bean salad, best way to cook corn on the cob, smoked gouda mac and cheese, or baked macaroni and cheese for the ultimate picnic spread.
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Pair with Grilled Burgers, air fryer turkey burgers, or air fryer hot dogs—coleslaw is always welcome at the cookout!
HOW TO MAKE KFC COLESLAW
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients until smooth.
- In a large bowl, toss dressing with cabbage and carrot.
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Cover bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours minimum or overnight. Stir well before serving.
***See the full instructions below.
MORE GREAT SALAD RECIPES
- Creamy Cucumber Salad: Cool, creamy, and refreshing with that same tangy-sweet balance.
- 1905 Salad: Crisp, bold, and packed with flavor—this one’s a restaurant favorite for a reason.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad: Sweet, fresh, and perfect for balancing richer meals.
- Mediterranean Salad: Bright, crisp, and loaded with fresh flavors and texture.
- Taco Pasta Salad: Hearty, flavorful, and perfect for potlucks and gatherings.
Tried This Recipe?
I’d love to hear what you think! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you tried this KFC coleslaw recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below—it means so much and it helps our community of readers.
Love easy, classic side dishes like this? Subscribe to my FREE newsletter and get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
KFC Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion finely grated
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk well shaken
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups or 1-16 ounce bag coleslaw cabbage finely diced
- 1/4 cup carrot shredded (omit if you're using bagged coleslaw mix)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients until smooth and well combined. Add cabbage (8 cups) and carrot (1/4 cup) and mix until evenly coated.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate 4 hours minimum or overnight. Stir well before serving.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Secret Ingredient - The secret ingredient that gives this is authentic taste is the grated onion! Not chopped or minced it needs to be grated!
- Chill Time - Don't skip this step! It's super important to give the KFC slaw recipe time in the refrigerator for the flavors to mingle and marry.
- Keep It Cold - The flavor is best when this is served cold, rather than at room temperature.
- How To Serve - This recipe makes a very wet coleslaw. Just serve it with a slotted spoon and discard the extra liquid after all the slaw is gone. It needs to be tossed each time before you serve it so it’s nice and creamy each time.
- Serving Size - The recipe I adapted this from said it served 10 people. What? I guess it could serve 10 if they wanted 1/8 to maybe 1/4 of a cup. This recipe is so delicious that a small quantity really won’t be enough! In my family, one recipe serves 4 generously. If I try to serve 5 people with just one recipe, someone always feels cheated and ends up a little unhappy.
- Maybe in your family, it will serve 5-6, but 4 is definitely safe. It’s easy enough to double the recipe. Honestly, that’s what I always do!
Shocked! Perfect 9/10 would not taste any difference from the KFC blend! Shocked.
* Note: You absolutely MUST refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. I was worried at first. Looked a little yellow, too creamy, and the initial taste was of mayonnaise. But after sitting, it was the perfect color, wetness, smell, and…. TASTE! No hint of the mayonnaise taste was left.
Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed, Troy!!
My family has announced my slaw and baked beans are a must for parties!
We LOVE this coleslaw recipe! I’ve tried LOTS of them until I finally found this one that we’re super happy with it.
It’s delicious as-is, and it’s also a great base recipe if you’re like us and want your slaw spicy. In case anyone else is interested, this is roughly the ingredient combo I add to give it some kick. I don’t actually measure as much as I eyeball and taste, but I tried to measure today and this is pretty close.
1 heaping tsp prepared horseradish
2 heaping tsp horseradish mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 – 1 tsp Penzy’s California Pepper Blend
1/4 – 1/2 tsp Penzy’s ground chipotle pepper
I keep adding spicy things until it’s got enough zing without destroying the flavor. 😉
Hi, Lori! I’m glad you like this recipe! And thank you for sharing your tweak!
Perfect PERFECT coleslaw. The sauce is enough that we easily add 2-bags of shredded coleslaw mix. I get compliments on this every time I make it.
Hi, Rebecca! Yay, I’m glad it turns out well! It’s the best right? Hehe.
I forgot to buy coleslaw dressing at the store for a big family dinner…. needed to be able to put something together with what I had on hand. I am so glad! I will not buy remade coleslaw dressing again! This was sweet and tangy, and went really well with the pulled pork sandwiches that we were having for dinner. This will be a staple at our house!
*premade dressing, not REMADE dressing! 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Kathleen,
Thank you so much for putting up this recipe, It absolutely taste like KFC I followed your instructions to the T. I am 60 years old and only liked coleslaw from KFC I could never fine the same taste when I bought from supermarkets. I took a chance and googled it and came up your recipe and I was AMAZED on the exact taste. After making it I wanted to try a sample needless to say you must refrigerate at least 4 hours like Kathleen said I left mine over night that is when the magic takes place. So now when I am craving that KFC slaw I will make it myself.
Thank you again for sharing,
Don
Don, I so happy you enjoyed 🙂
Would using 2% milk instead of whole milk make too big of a difference?
I think the whole milk makes the dressing a bit richer. For me, 2% doesn’t have enough fat in it <3
Kathleen,
I have now made your recipe THREE TIMES and shared it with my adult son who also loves coleslaw! This is definitely five stars–actually, it’s a 10!! Thanks for sharing.
Yay, thank you, Nancy! So happy you and your son like it! 🙂
The Original KFC coleslaw recipe I had as a child had horseradish in it. KFC changed the recipe and took it out. It’s never been the same.
Hey Karen. That’s really interesting! I don’t remember that <3
Made this for Christmas Eve, wasn’t expecting it to be as good as KFC it WAS.
I did double up to make sure I had enough for everyone and of course leftovers. It was easy to make and taste great
Hi, Barbara! Yay, thank you so much! So happy you made this on your Christmas Eve! I love that you made a lot for leftovers! LOL <3 Thanks!
I am diabetic and loved KFC coleslaw. Thank you for posting this! I had to substitute swerve in place of sugar. We all loved this recipe and it was so easy and quick to whip up¡
Hi Belinda! That makes my day! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed! <3
Thank you by the way.
Kathleen, you must have fixed the 1 page printing glitch because i was able to print it on 1 page the first time i tried (within seconds) and im pretty much computer illiterate. It is totally awesome how you can change your serving size to change how many cups of cabbage you use which automatically adjust the proper amount of ingredients. Great recipe. Taste perfect!!
Thanks so much Jeff <3 Yes, I think everything is finally fixed!
Can I be your roommate please? Because I want to live as close as possible to your kitchen. You’re amazing!!
LOL!! Thank you, Lindsey!
I did Cricket’s recipe last night and it was great! I think I just found my favorite coleslaw recipe. I loved the fresh taste of the 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and 3/4 cup of mayonnaise to a package of coleslaw.
Thanks Betty
Hello, I made this recipe for a camping trip and it is beautiful, creamy and delicious. Though I amended a couple things cause some of our people can’t do dairy. It was really simple thank you.
Hey Bev I’m so happy you liked it! I LOVE this coleslaw recipe too. It’s always a family favorite! <3
I LOVE your recipe, Betty, closest ever to the KFC slaw I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a few)!
Just made this using purple cabbage and it is amazing. Can not wait until it sits in the fridge for a couple of hours for the juices to blend… Yum!
Sounds delicious and beautiful!
Thank you for posting this recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to show us this recipie. Looks delicious!
🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe!!
It’s amazing!
You’re so welcome Natasha 🙂
I worked for KFC as a shift manager while in college. Unless the recipe has changed since then, mayo was not an ingredient on the jar of dressing used by the company. At least not the one I read. It was another well known ingredient. And since I don’t like mayo, I’m going to use that instead when I make mine.
Hi Adrienne. Honestly, I don’t know what is in the actual KFC recipe. DARN!!! But this recipe tastes so close I hardly can tell the difference. And I can make it at home!!! YAY 😉
The ingredient is Miracle Whip not mayonaise
Thanks Alvin! I love it made with either <3
I have my doubts about miracle whip, because I can tell that a mile away, and I hate the taste.
Hi Roxie, it’s funny how people are generally in one camp or the other. Love it or Hate it. I haven’t met many people that are in the middle. Good news, there’s no Miracle Whip in our Coleslaw <3
Due to allergies, you don’t see mayo because they have to tell you the individual ingredients in the mayo. It’s often the fat part of the dish. So it’ll be listed as soy bean oil or another neutral oil, eggs, sugar etc in the order of largest amount to smallest ingredients. I hope that makes sense. And I makeThis all the time & it’s excellent!! I totally agree about the grated onion as well!! One item that you can’t leave out is the lemon juice!! It doesn’t have the full taste of it’s left out as well as the buttermilk!! If iI’m out of the buttermilm then I just make my own w/1tsp of white vinegar to 1/2c of milk.
ilk,
This sounds delicious, but very time-consuming. Growing up, some good friends (who owned a KFC franchise) promised me a KFC meal for my birthday. The lady who came over and cooked the meal, showed us how to make coleslaw the easy way, and all my friends always thought it was KFC coleslaw — only better. It only has 3 main ingredients, but you add S & P to taste. it’s 3/4 cup mayo, 1/4 – 1/3 cup honey and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 bag of coleslaw mix – sometimes I add a little garlic powder or even chopped parsley, but I like it with just salt. If you’re short on prep time, this is quick, easy & delicious! As with all coleslaw, it’s better if it has a little time to sit for a while in the refrigerator. I usually make this in a Tupperware bowl that barely hold all the cabbage (which shrinks down a lot) and just shake to mix.
Hey Cricket! Yours sounds great. I love letting my coleslaw sit for a bit as well.
I had read Crikets comment a few years back and I had a long search through the comments to find it again. I didn’t have all the ingredients to make yours so I used Crickets this time. I think it is really nice of you to let everyone post their variations. You are a good cook in more ways than one. Thank you. Glenna in Arizona
Thank you Glenna! That is so kind of you to say. So happy you’re part of our little community 🙂
Dear Kathleen and Cricket, I wanted to try Kathleen’s recipe but I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so thank you, Cricket for sharing your 3 ingredient KFC franchise friend’s coleslaw recipe because I had all those ingredients, put it together and Presto! Even my 8 year old gobbled it down!! Yipee! Vegetables she’ll eat willingly!
I plan on making Kathleen’s gonna- want- second’s for Easter to go with pulled pork sliders so thank you for hosting this forum because it really makes cooking even more fun!
Hi Anne-Marie! So happy that Crickets recipe saved the day. Thank you Cricket. I love our little community! Your Easter menu sounds Delish <3
Haven’t yet made Kathleen’s bas I didn’t have all the ingredients, but I DID make Cricket’s 3 ingredient slaw and it was AWESOME, thanks…now tomorrow I’ll be making Kathleen’s to bring to Easter family supper with my Pulled pork sliders! Thanks ladies!
I hope you and your family enjoy! <3
If I just want the 1 page with the recipe instead of 12 pages, how can I do this? Thanks , Sheri
Hey Sheri! OMG I’m having trouble with Plug-Ins!!! If you press no picture/photo on the options before you press print you should get 2 pages. Sorry!!! Trying to fix this so you only get 1 page!
Yes! I got eleven pages. Stopped it, copied an pasted what I needed into a one page Word file.
Also – when making fresh slaw it’s really important to wring the excess liquid out of the cabbage. Put the grated cabbage in a hand towel and wring all the liquid out. If there’s a lot you may have to do it in sections. The dry slaw absorbs the dressing.
Hi Helen. I’m so sorry about that. It’s a glitch in the program that gets fixed, then somehow pops up every once in a while. It’s maddening and we continue to try to fix it! Again,sorry about the inconvenience!
ME TOO….. and it is not printing….
Hi Maria. This problem has been fixed to the best of my knowledge. I just printed it out no problem-only the recipe not any extra pages. Is is possible you have a glitch with your printer?