Level Up Homemade Coleslaw With One Underrated Seasoning

The fresh texture and color of a creamy homemade coleslaw are miles ahead of any store-bought option. Plus, there's plenty of bandwidth to whip up personalized dressings and toss in vibrant add-ins, such as carrots, raisins, or apples, or give your dish a pop of color with fresh herbs. However, there's one underrated seasoning that will level up your homemade coleslaw even further: Celery seeds.

If you love a Bloody Mary or like to make your own pickles with cukes from your garden, you'll likely have a bottle of celery seeds in your pantry. Known for their grassy flavor and slightly bitter quality, they are awesome for lending beverages and brines an earthy pepperiness. This distinctive character also makes celery seeds perfect for elevating a classic batch of coleslaw — they punch up the mild flavor of a mayo-based dressing with a touch of concentrated, savory attitude.

While you could incorporate fresh celery into your coleslaw to add some crunch, the stalks can be stringy and unpleasant, which can adversely affect the overall mouthfeel of your finished dish. The juiciness of fresh celery can also disrupt the amount of moisture in coleslaw and make it sloppy if left to sit in the fridge overnight. Using celery seeds means you get all that complex, citrusy flavor without having to buy a full head of celery that would otherwise spoil in the fridge. Plus, celery seeds last for years in the pantry!

To add celery seeds to any of the best coleslaw recipes, start small. As they have a strong flavor, you won't need much to make an impact. A scant teaspoon sprinkled into the dressing will be enough to imbue your creamy shredded cabbage with a unique grassy vibe.

Many spices, like mustard or cumin seeds, benefit from being bloomed in hot oil or roasted in a hot skillet to release their flavors. You can do the same for celery seeds to intensify their earthy character if you have some extra time. After dry roasting, crush them down into a textured powder and stir it into your coleslaw if you don't want the seeds to be visible among the shreds of cabbage and carrot in your mixture. However, seeing as the seeds have such a powerful flavor and you will only need to use a few, you might want to skip this step and add them straight into the dressing. Celery seeds happen to be one of those unassuming ingredients that will take store-bought coleslaw to the next level, too. If you've been tasked with bringing a side to a potluck, just add some celery seeds and a grated apple into a deli coleslaw to give it a sweet and savory quality in seconds.