14 Ways Celebrity Chefs Elevate Their Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a diverse dish, and one that can be made in a surprising number of different ways. Although it almost always contains shredded cabbage (or some other type of cruciferous vegetable) and other additions coated in a bold dressing, there are dozens of different types of coleslaw, and each one has its own twist. So you can surely forgive us if we're a little bored of the basic slaws served at buffets and barbecues, instead craving something unique and special. This impulse is something that celebrity chefs know well and try to cater to. Our favorite famous chefs aren't happy to make substandard coleslaws, and have a ton of tricks up their sleeves to make this crowd-pleasing salad even better.

The ways that celebrity chefs improve their coleslaw aren't just to do with the ingredients they add. Sure, these chefs frequently add in unexpected flavor elements that turn their salads into something showstopping, but it's their very technique that can take coleslaw from good to great. Experts know all the tricks of the trade, from how long you need to soak your slaw in the dressing to how to slice your vegetables, which can improve things enormously. We decided to put together some of our top tips, and we're laying them all out right here.

1. Rachael Ray mixes sour cream, buttermilk, and herbs for a ranch slaw

Rachael Ray knows a thing or two about how to keep things interesting — after all, you don't achieve a multi-decade career with multiple cookery shows without having a sense of how to spice things up. This is clear in the very way that she makes even the simplest of dishes, like coleslaw. Ray turns a basic coleslaw into a ranch-infused creation by skipping mayo, and instead going for a combination of sour cream and buttermilk in her dressing. She then adds sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, chopped dill, chives, and parsley.

The sour cream and buttermilk duo gives this coleslaw a delightfully sour edge, which is contributed to by the lemon juice and vinegar, with the sugar balancing things out. Together, these ingredients create a huge amount of flavor intensity. This intensity is then made more complex by the addition of gentle, yet pronounced herbs, which add a floral, slightly peppery edge. As for how she puts this dressing together, Ray avoids just dumping them into the cabbage and carrot mixture one by one, which can cause unevenness. Instead, Rachael Ray's trick is to mix the dressing in a separate bowl, which allows her to make it as smooth as possible, before adding it to the vegetables.

2. Mango chutney and garam masala are the stars of Nigella Lawson's coleslaw

The general flavor profile of coleslaw (sharp, sweet, and savory) rarely changes, and there are plenty of examples of chefs trying to do something different and paying the price for it. This isn't the case with Nigella Lawson, famous for putting her own spin on things, who nails an Indian-inspired coleslaw that really hits the spot. Lawson's Christmas coleslaw is sweetened not by white sugar, but with mango chutney. She also adds buttermilk into the mix, and spikes the dressing with a teaspoon of garam masala. A versatile Indian spice mix, garam masala can spice up everything from burgers to popcorn, and it blends in excellently here.

This may sound out there, but trust us when we say that it's delicious. The mango chutney adds the sweetness you expect from coleslaw, but with a spicy edge that provides depth. This spicy edge is, of course, reinforced by the dashes of garam masala, which gives the salad a warmth and nuttiness that goes well with the peppery vegetables. Plus, the buttermilk adds that all-important sourness. Together, it's a killer combo.

The final trick up Lawson's sleeve is to think ahead. Rather than mixing the dressing with the vegetables and serving immediately, as some folks suggest doing, she combines the two roughly half an hour before plating up. This gives the vegetables time to soften slightly and absorb the spicy taste, and allows the garam masala's flavors to infuse throughout the dressing.

3. Ina Garten adds kale to her coleslaw, which is made in a food processor

While cabbage is pretty much always present in a typical coleslaw recipe, adding in other cruciferous vegetables allows you to play with flavor and texture. Ina Garten demonstrates this well in her vegetable coleslaw, which incorporates kale. Adding kale to the salad gives it slightly more chewiness, which improves its overall mouthfeel, and infuses it with an extra nuttiness and earthiness that the white and red cabbage doesn't quite provide. As an added bonus, it also gives the coleslaw additional color, flecking it with pops of deep green.

Garten also knows the importance of uniformity when it comes to coleslaw, which is shown in her preparation. Rather than shred the cabbage and carrots in the coleslaw by hand, she prefers to slice them in a food processor, using slicing and grating blades. Doing this ensures that each piece of vegetable is the same size (and it also makes preparing things much quicker, too). The exception to this is the kale, which is finely sliced by hand. If she fed the kale into the food processor, it would likely turn into pulp.

4. Sunny Anderson's coleslaw takes time for the flavors to meld together

Coleslaw recipes normally don't require any cooking, but you may need more time than you think to make one properly. If you add your coleslaw ingredients together and serve straight away, you might find that your flavors are a little bit flat or one-note, and lacking in complexity. This is something that Sunny Anderson avoids by giving her coleslaw a good amount of time to sit. Her Apple-Raisin Coleslaw chills in its dressing for at least an hour before being served, which gives the celery seeds in the mix time to release their flavor and the vinegar, mayo, and sour cream a chance to meld together.

It also allows the apples and raisins in the coleslaw to release their sweetness into the dressing, tinging it with sugary notes. Anderson opts for these fruit-based sugars instead of granulated white sugar or other sweeteners, which gives the coleslaw a slightly more subtle taste. Finally, she opts for one major change by using savoy cabbage instead of the standard white variety. As well as giving the coleslaw a pop of greenery, this also makes it slightly more tender.

5. Spices and seeds give Guy Fieri's coleslaw a kick

There's something about coleslaw that really lends itself to spicy notes. However, "spice" doesn't necessarily mean "heat," and the clever addition of a few warmer spices can give coleslaw a huge amount of fragrance and extra dimensions. Guy Fieri was clearly thinking about this when he rustled up his caraway coleslaw. As well as the standard additions of cabbage, carrots, onions, mayo, and sour cream, he tips in caraway and mustard seeds, and a dollop of Dijon mustard to finish things off.

These seeds give the coleslaw a layered effect, with the anise-like flavor of caraway and the briny warmth of the mustard seeds rounding things out hugely. Fieri awakens their flavors by toasting the seeds in a pan for a few minutes, which also amps up their welcoming scent. Once they're added to the slaw, he lets things sit for about 15 minutes, which gives the seeds time to spread their flavor through the dressing. On a textural level, these seeds amp up the crunchiness of the coleslaw, and do so without being distracting.

6. Carla Hall's coleslaw is sliced wafer-thin and infused with heat

One thing that can let a coleslaw down very quickly is the size of your cabbage slices. If they're too thick, you end up with an unwieldy salad that doesn't balance properly on your fork. Ideally, you want your coleslaw to turn into a glorious tangle of all of the vegetables — which is something that Carla Hall aims for with her tangy hot cabbage slaw. Hall specifies that the cabbage and red onion in the recipe should be sliced very thinly, while the carrot should be shredded. Doing this makes it more pliable, and stops the vegetables from being overly chunky and crunchy (although it is worth pointing out that super-thin vegetables will soften more quickly in the dressing, which is why Hall recommends serving it fresh).

Hall also makes a few tweaks to coleslaw's standard flavors, and in doing so really wakes the salad up. She skips any creamy element entirely, preferring instead to douse the veggies lightly in vinegar, sugar, and salt. Then, she throws in minced jalapeño and dried oregano. The jalapeño adds a satisfying kick of heat, while the oregano keeps things bright and floral.

7. Giada De Laurentiis plays with textures in her coleslaw

When you think of coleslaw's texture, you likely think of crunchiness. Of course, coleslaw is nothing without that crispy consistency, but if you're not careful, it can get very samey incredibly quickly. So that's why Giada De Laurentiis opts to mix things up in her coleslaw, which incorporates various different textural components that also give it extra flavor. De Laurentiis throws dried cranberries and toasted pine or pistachio nuts into the mix, with the cranberries giving the slaw a delightfully chewy edge. At the same time, using toasted nuts in your salad gives a slightly different type of crunch to the vegetables. It's all tied together by De Laurentiis' creamy dressing, which gives the coleslaw a sense of smoothness. 

These ingredients also add in additional flavors, with the cranberries providing tartness and sweetness and the nuts giving the coleslaw woody warmth. Di Laurentiis doesn't stop there with flavor either. She also adds in sliced fennel and, somewhat unexpectedly, garlic. The fennel gives the coleslaw a delightful licorice note, while the garlic adds an impressive sharpness to the dish. When everything's mixed together, this coleslaw is a flavor-texture explosion.

8. Cat Cora skips traditional vegetables, and goes with broccoli

Coleslaw that doesn't place cabbage at its very center is rare, but we just love it when chefs take a risk by championing a different vegetable. Cat Cora does just this with her broccoli slaw. Rather than starting with sliced white and red cabbage, she uses a package of pre-sliced broccoli slaw (some of these packs also have sliced cabbage in them, but if you want to leave it out entirely, you can just thinly slice a head of broccoli at home). Broccoli has a nutty, slightly peppery taste when raw, and its firmness allows it to hold its own when covered in dressing. The result is a delightfully crunchy coleslaw that you can keep in the fridge for several days.

Cora also skips the standard coleslaw dressing ingredients, and instead goes for something a little more fiery. The start of the dressing is closer to a standard vinaigrette, with Cora combining olive oil, sugar, and Dijon mustard. Then, she throws in a bunch of hot pepper sauce, which gives it acidity and heat. The sharpness of the pepper sauce plays excellently with the broccoli, which gives this slaw a massive amount of flavor.

9. Aaron Sanchez cooks his coleslaw's dressing

One of the beauties of coleslaw is that you can throw it together in mere minutes, without having to cook anything. However, you'd be amazed by how much a little heat can change things up. Aaron Sanchez shows this to incredible effect with his mezcal-lime coleslaw, which takes the dish in an entirely new direction. To make it, he starts by cooking the alcohol out of the mezcal in a pan, before adding sugar, lime, and orange juice. Then, he cooks the mixture down until it's reduced by around half. He finishes off by adding apple cider vinegar and cilantro, before incorporating the whole thing into a cabbage mix.

Cooking the dressing like this gets rid of any of the harsh, acrid notes that alcohol can provide, but it also intensifies the flavors enormously. By reducing the orange and lime juice, Sanchez creates a slightly thick dressing that pops with sharp, bold, sweet flavor. At the same time, the mezcal gives the dressing a deep smokiness, and the apple cider vinegar boosts the acidity. The result is a coleslaw that's incredibly vibrant, and which is perfect for throwing onto tacos.

10. For Wolfgang Puck, the mixing doesn't just happen once

Few things are more disappointing than a poorly-mixed coleslaw, and this is a tragedy that Wolfgang Puck tries hard to avoid. It may sound obvious, but mixing your coleslaw well doesn't just help its texture and avoid any clumps of mayonnaise or sour cream. It also ensures that the coleslaw is evenly flavored and spread throughout the cabbage mixture. As such, Puck specifies that you should mix your coleslaw first when you prepare it, and then at least one more time while it's chilling in your fridge. By giving your coleslaw at least an hour to sit and mixing it during this, you ensure that its flavor develops and distributes properly.

Puck also jazzes his coleslaw up with a few flavor additions. Instead of using granulated white sugar to sweeten it, he opts for honey, which gives the coleslaw a slightly flowery scent. He amps up the sweetness with sliced apples, and balances everything with some minced parsley leaves. Finally, he adds a hint of nuttiness with some poppy seeds, to further accentuate the floral notes of the honey.

11. Marcela Valladolid grills her coleslaw ingredients to impart extra flavor

Coleslaw is a salad that's generally composed of raw vegetables. However, taking these vegetables and cooking them can turn it into something so much more special, and unlock flavor dynamics that you didn't even know existed. Marcela Valladolid opts to do this with her grilled cabbage, zucchini, and radicchio coleslaw. She cuts her vegetables into thick slices or chunks, before grilling them on a high heat, developing a deep caramelization on their exteriors. She then slices the vegetables into the thin strips you expect of coleslaw, before tossing them in a sprightly dressing sweetened with agave nectar.

Grilling the vegetables like this helps them soften slightly, making the coleslaw more pliable and easy to eat. It also creates intense, smoky flavors in the slaw, turning it into much more of an event and deepening the tastes of these normally peppery vegetables. This smokiness plays well with the sweet dressing, and introduces a surprisingly savory note into the fray. Try this trick at summer barbecues and watch your guests go wild.

12. Pickles and spicy mustard give Michael Symon's coleslaw a lot of tang

Tanginess is a must when it comes to coleslaw, but even the best chefs out there know that it can be hard to nail this flavor note. All too often, people think they can create more tang by pouring in extra vinegar, but this often gives coleslaw an acidic quality with no depth. So how does Michael Symon get around this? By incorporating naturally tangy ingredients that have a robust flavor profile in their own right, which create plenty of complexity.

Symon uses pickles and spicy mustard in his aptly-named pickle coleslaw. These pickles add acidity, sure, but they can also have a spiciness, a herbal note, or a savoriness, depending on the brand you buy. They also give your coleslaw a touch of interesting sweetness that isn't quite as basic as just adding sugar. The spicy mustard, meanwhile, adds a whole lot of tang, but it also gives the coleslaw a pop of saltiness and fiery heat which keeps it lively. If you want to amp things up even more, Symon suggests adding a dash of pickle juice to the dressing.

13. Gordon Ramsay grates his ingredients — including his lemons

Anyone who's ever tried to julienne carrots by hand for a coleslaw will know how frustrating it can be — and how much it can affect your eating experience. Instead, Gordon Ramsay recommends employing one key kitchen tool: The grater. Ramsay grates his carrots instead of slicing them with a knife for his coleslaw. Doing this breaks them down way more effectively, leaving you with hundreds of soft, pliable, craggy pieces that soak up your coleslaw dressing very effectively while still retaining a hint of crunch.

Ramsay doesn't stop there with the grater, though. He also opts to freshen up his coleslaw by grating some lemon zest into the mix. The zest gives his coleslaw a huge amount of freshness and lemony intensity, which is reinforced further by the lemon juice squeezed in just afterward. Ramsay uses a microplane grater to zest his lemons, instead of the standard grater he uses for his carrots. This allows the small pieces of zest to incorporate fully into the dressing, and not stand out in bitter, heavy chunks.

14. Jacques Pépin uses simple ingredients, but his technique is impeccable

If there's anything Jacques Pépin can do well, it's classic dishes. The chef's esteemed career has seen him teaching people how to cook seemingly easy dishes impeccably, without any fussy ingredients to try and improve things unnecessarily. His coleslaw is a clear example of this. For his slaw, Pépin keeps his ingredients simple, but treats them well and focuses on uniformity. For example, he recommends using a mandoline if you have one to hand to slice your cabbage, and also advises that you should grate your carrots instead of cutting them by hand.

These methods may sound basic, but they all come together to make a consistent coleslaw that absorbs its dressing easily. Speaking of this dressing, Pépin likes to add a touch of luxury into the mix. He avoids opting for just mayo, and instead uses a mixture of mayonnaise and crème fraîche. The latter ingredient gives the coleslaw an added smoothness and richness, without weighing down the vegetables the way other dairy products like heavy cream might.