Creamy Dill Pickle Coleslaw

If you love dill, this Creamy Dill Pickle Coleslaw is for you! Slightly sweet and tangy, it is packed with lots of dill pickle flavour. In this recipe, there are three layers of dill flavour. There’s lots of fresh dill, dill pickle juice, and finely chopped dill pickles. Is your mouth watering yet?

CREAMY DILL PICKLE COLESLAW

One can never have too many variations on a coleslaw recipe. Unlike most people, I don’t associate coleslaw with summertime. We have coleslaw regularly throughout the year. But, not any coleslaw will do, as you can see from my Creamy Dill Pickle Coleslaw! I have my standard Home Style Cream Coleslaw, which is the one I grew up with. My mom made this one quite often.

During the warmer months, I prefer to have either this Dill Pickle Coleslaw or my Jalapeno Buttermilk Ranch Coleslaw. And, in the cooler months, it’s got to be my Toasted Cashews and Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw or this Healthy Winter Coleslaw. They’re all very delicious, but sometimes, food just fits a certain season.

The thing about coleslaw is that it’s hard to make one that tastes terrible. And, even if you do, it’s easy to correct it. You can always add more dressing, veggies, seasonings, etc. The most important thing about any coleslaw is to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before eating it. It will always taste better a few hours later.

There are some steadfast rules about making a really great-tasting coleslaw. And, there are rules that are meant to be broken. The only rules I abide by are the following. First, pineapple does not belong in coleslaw. Period. It doesn’t belong on a pizza either, but that’s a topic for another time and place.

Secondly, raisins in coleslaw? Who is responsible for that!? I love raisins, but not in a salad of any kind. Snack on them, and bake them into bread, cake, or cookies, but keep them away from coleslaw. Like raisins and pineapple, my third rule is no apples. Anytime you add apples to a salad, you will only taste apples. The only exception to this rule is my Apple and Corn Salad. Set them aside for now.

SHREDDED, GRATED, OR CHOPPED?

Now, some people prefer to shred or grate the cabbage, but I prefer the cabbage to be chopped or sliced.  I find that the coleslaw maintains a crunchiness rather than becoming soft and soupy.  Most often, shredding and grating are done with the help of a processor. I prefer to finely slice the cabbage.

And, because coleslaw is all about ease, you can most certainly use Dole coleslaw mix.  It’s pre-chopped green cabbage, red or purple cabbage, and bright orange shredded carrots. Two bags of pre-chopped veggies is close to the equivalent to what I’m using in this recipe. Keep the dressing the same as in the recipe provided and you’re all set!

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR VEGGIES

When it comes to preparing vegetables, I’m a masochist. I actually find so much pleasure in chopping vegetables. It’s my version of therapy! If you don’t care to spend the time to chop, you can shred, grate, and dice to your heart’s content using your food processor as I mentioned above. Here’s the thing though. A food processor will most likely over-process. I like the inconsistency of hand-cut or chopped. More importantly, I’d rather wash up one knife and a cutting board rather than a 6-piece food processor!

Shredding, chopping, and dicing is easy. If you’re unclear on any of these, you can refer to my Kitchen Terminology section. I think the only veggies in this recipe that need special attention are the cabbage and the carrots. I’ll explain both.

HOW TO JULIENNE A VEGETABLE

Please note that I julienned the carrots. To julienne is the process of slicing vegetables into what some refer to as matchsticks. It’s very thin, very sleek, sticks of vegetables – in this case, carrots.

Start by peeling the carrot and washing it. I like to pat the carrot dry with a paper towel. This helps to keep it from slipping on the cutting board. Lay the carrot with the fat end closest to you. The carrot should be on an extreme diagonal. Slice the carrot into very thin slices – about 1/8th of an inch.

Once done, pile about six or so of the carrot slices on top of each other. Next, slice down through the pile to create matchstick pieces. This is referred to as julienning. If this isn’t clear, you can watch a video here.

HOW TO CUT CABBAGE

Preparing the cabbage can be daunting though. Let’s face it – cabbages are big and can be rather tough to cut through. I have watched home cooks butcher a cabbage simply because they did not cut it properly. The first thing you want to do is to cut the cabbage into manageable pieces.

Turn the cabbage upside down so that the core is facing up. Using a very large knife, cut through the center of the core, halving the whole cabbage into two even sections. Repeat with each half so that you have quartered the entire cabbage.

The key to easy chopping for this coleslaw is to keep the core intact. Do not remove it. It will hold all of those leaves in place. Working with one-quarter at a time, start at the top and cut across the leaves in 1/4-inch slices. Once you reach the core, stop and discard the core section.

Use your hands to toss the cut cabbage to loosen it. Add it to a bowl and move on to the other sections. If you do not need to use all it of, wrap the quarters in plastic wrap and keep them in the crisper section of your fridge.

WHAT DILL PICKLE IS BEST?

Well, Dear Reader, the best type of dill pickle for this Creamy Dill Pickle Coleslaw recipe is quite simply the dill pickle that you personally buy each time you buy pickles. I find some dills too salty, but if that’s the type you like, buy those.

Some dills are too dilly, but if that floats your boat, get that kind! For us, there’s only one brand of dills that we buy and have never bought any other brand for the past 7 years. They’re the Bick’s Polskie Ogorki. They have just the right amount of dill-salt-garlic ratio and they’re always crunchy.

MAKE THE DRESSING FIRST

Once the cabbage, carrots, dill pickles, and fresh dill has been chopped, set them all aside in a large bowl. Next, make the dressing. Could you toss everything in the bowl and just mix it? Yes. But, I prefer to make the dressing separately and pour it over the prepped veggies. That way, I can be sure that the sauce ingredients are well mixed and dispersed throughout the salad.

Add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sugar, dill pickle juice, celery seed, salt, and ground black pepper to a bowl. Whisk well to combine. Pour over the veggies and use tongs to toss and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!