Freezer Coleslaw Recipe: Make-Ahead Southern Slaw That Keeps 6 Months

Growing up in the Midwest, my grandmother always kept mason jars of this freezer coleslaw tucked away in our chest freezer. She’d make enormous batches during peak cabbage season, ensuring we had crisp, tangy slaw ready for every summer barbecue, church potluck, and spontaneous family gathering. The magic of this recipe isn’t just its convenience but how the flavors improve over time, creating a more complex and delicious slaw than fresh versions.

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Why This Recipe Works

The secret lies in the salting process and vinegar-based dressing. Salt draws moisture from cabbage, preventing ice crystals from forming and maintaining crispness when frozen. The acidic vinegar is a natural preservative, while the sugar balances the tartness. This combination creates a slaw that improves in flavor during freezer storage.

What Is Freezer Slaw?

Frozen coleslaw is a vinegar-based coleslaw that can be frozen and used as desired. Freezer slaw originated in the South.

This southern freezer slaw is an easy, delicious, make-ahead side dish, coleslaw with vinegar dressing.

Why This is the Best Freezer Slaw Recipe

If you are looking for a tried-and-true coleslaw recipe that is simple to make and tastes amazing, you’ve found it! This recipe makes a fabulous make-ahead sweet and tangy slaw that stays crisp even after being kept in the freezer!

This coleslaw recipe also adds tons of flavor without piling on unwanted calories. This is a great summertime recipe when cabbage and green peppers are abundant and cheap.

Do yourself a favor, and make several batches for the colder months ahead.

Recipe Ingredients

This freezer coleslaw recipe is straightforward to make with just simple ingredients: 

• Fresh cabbage – Provides the crisp base structure and mild flavor that absorbs the tangy dressing
• Salt – Draws out excess moisture to prevent ice crystals and maintains texture during freezing
• Carrots – Adds natural sweetness, vibrant color, and extra crunch to complement the cabbage
• Green bell pepper – Contributes fresh flavor and additional texture variety to the slaw mix
• White vinegar – Creates acidic base that preserves vegetables and provides signature tangy flavor
• Water – Dilutes vinegar to proper strength and helps dissolve sugar completely
• Granulated sugar – Balances the acidity and creates the classic sweet-and-sour Southern flavor profile
• Celery seed – Adds traditional coleslaw seasoning with subtle earthy and slightly bitter notes

Ingredient Notes

For this southern freezer slaw recipe, any cabbage will work deliciously. Green or purple, savoy or napa, each adds great flavor and texture.

When choosing your cabbage, go for heads that are heavy for their size, with outer leaves that are unblemished and firm.

Read about different types of cabbage – some of which you may have never heard of.

How to Make Freezer Slaw

Here are the simple steps to make coleslaw you can freeze:

1. Shred cabbage with a food processor, or a vegetable shredder.
2. Place cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Toss to coat the cabbage with salt and let it sit for an hour.

2. Drain and squeeze out the cabbage to thoroughly remove any excess liquid. Place the cabbage back in the bowl.
3. Add shredded carrots and chopped bell pepper. Toss to combine.
4. While the salted cabbage is sitting, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and celery seed in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute or until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Cool the dressing until it is lukewarm.

6. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir to combine.
7. Place the coleslaw into freezer-safe containers and freeze the slaw.
8. When you are planning to use the slaw, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
9. If you are storing the coleslaw place into freezer containers or seal with a food vacuum sealer.

Recipe Variations

This frozen coleslaw recipe is very flexible, and you don’t have to stick strictly to it. Here are some ideas for changing it up:

• Use different colored cabbage. Green with red/purple cabbage looks so pretty and colorful in freezer jars. 
• Add some finely diced onion or apple.
• Consider adding other veggies that freeze well – celeriac, kohlrabi, radishes, or turnips. 

How to Use Frozen Coleslaw

Coleslaw has to be one of the most popular accompaniments with a wide variety of uses. You can pile some on top of your piping hot jacket potato, serve it as part of a picnic, pair it with barbequed meat and grill staples such as burgers, ribs, and hot dogs.

Freezer coleslaw is also good in tacos as a substitute for shredded lettuce and as a low-carb topping for steak, grilled chicken, and roast beef or shredded pork. Or, team it up with vegan proteins like tempeh or tofu.

Add cold and crisp coleslaw to a BBQ sandwich to add flavor and nutrition.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Freezing: Store in freezer-safe containers or vacuum-sealed bags for up to 6 months for best quality.
• Refrigerator Storage: Thawed coleslaw can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not refreeze once thawed.
• Thawing Method: Move frozen containers to the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. Drain excess liquid before serving.

When properly stored, cold coleslaw left in the fridge is perfectly safe for consumption for 3 to 5 days

Love coleslaw? Try these recipes!

• Captain D’s Coleslaw
• Homemade Coleslaw with Mayo
• KFC Coleslaw

Popular Side Dish Salad Recipes

• Cranberry Salad
• Cucumber Onion Salad
• Grape Salad
• Orange Fluff Jello Salad
• Pea Salad with Bacon
• Three Bean Salad

More Freezer Recipes

• Freezer Biscuits
• Frozen Key Lime Pie

Check out more of my easy side dish recipes and favorite family recipes here on CopyKat!