Southern Louisiana Coleslaw Buttermilk Recipe

This Southern Louisiana Coleslaw features a buttermilk dressing that tastes like Southern cuisine. It also features unique Louisiana ingredients that set this crunchy salad apart.

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My Maw-maw had a way of feeding a crowd using simple ingredients. She would add buttermilk to a package of Ranch dressing mix and toss it in with some thinly sliced cabbage for a unique and delicious salad. It was not your traditional coleslaw, but her signature two-ingredient salad she'd serve at Sunday dinners. I still enjoy her salad today, but it has to be made with real buttermilk to give it that perfect zing.

This Southern Louisianan Coleslaw is also tossed in a buttermilk dressing. Steen's 100% Cane Syrup, Cajun Seasoning, and pecans add sweetness and more crunch. It's a delicious side for meat dishes but is also irresistible layered in a bar-be-cue sandwich or stuffed in a fish taco. 

Speaking of fish tacos, we like adding another layer of flavor to them with my Louisiana Comeback Sauce drizzled on top of the coleslaw. The taste of horseradish takes the taco to another level! 

Another cabbage recipe is the healthy Cabbage Soup With Andouille Sausage. It's easy and delicious! Classic cabbage rolls are a Southerner's favorite cabbage dish, and they can be made easily in an instant pot, oven, or stovetop.

Now, back to the coleslaw.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• TOP TIP
• FAQ
• RELATED
• PAIRING
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

Aren't the combination of these purple and green cabbage colors striking?

Green and red cabbage  - freshly sliced or a bag of mixed coleslaw from the grocery store.

Geen onion - gives a mild onion flavor and adds a bright color to the mix. 

Pecans - their roughly chopped crunch and flavor make this a signature Louisiana dish.

Mayonnaise - for a creamy dressing base.

Sour cream - adds tanginess to the dressing.

Plain Greek yogurt - brings a thick creaminess and a mild sour taste to the dressing.

Buttermilk - there is nothing like that unique buttermilk taste in a dressing.

Creole mustard - a very southern spicy, horseradish-flavored mustard.

Cane syrup - adds a rich molasses sweetness.

Cajun seasoning - the flavor adds salt, zip, and heat to the coleslaw.

Instructions

Let's begin this Southern coleslaw recipe by slicing red and green cabbages. You can use a sharp knife, mandoline slicer, or a food processor. The mandoline is my choice for slicing the cabbage thinly and evenly. It is a serious kitchen tool, and I highly recommend using the guard. 

You can also chop the cabbage into small pieces, which is how my husband prefers to eat coleslaw. Or, for easier prep, use a 10 oz bag of cabbage mixture from the grocery store.

Next, combine the green onions, pecans, and cabbage into a large bowl. 

HINT: This makes more dressing than you need. Add a little dressing at a time to the slaw mixture, tossing until the cabbage is evenly coated and as much dressing as you like.

If you aren't familiar with Steen's syrup, it's made in Abbeville, Louisiana, my birthplace, and is an essential pantry item in our home. (It makes the best peanut butter and syrup sandwiches!)

Substitutions

• Are you out of buttermilk? You can substitute it with ⅔ cup of milk and ⅔ teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice stirred into it. Let it set for 10 minutes, and watch it clabber. 
• Substitute creole mustard with regular mustard with or without a bit of prepared horseradish. 
• You can use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt, but Greek yogurt has more protein and half the carbs and sugar of regular yogurt.
• Season the dressing with salt, pepper, and garlic, or make this House Seasoning Blend and use it instead of the Cajun seasoning to flavor the dressing.

Variations

Prepare this buttermilk dressing and store it in a glass jar with a tight screw-on lid in the refrigerator. You can use it on any combination of mixed salad greens or anything you eat with a prepared buttermilk dressing.

Storage

It's best to store mixed cabbages and the dressing separately in air-tight containers in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

TOP TIP

It's best to serve the salad soon after the dressing is mixed with the cabbage for it to remain crispy. I do not let the mixed coleslaw sit in the refrigerator overnight or too long after I mix the dressing and cabbage together or it will wilt and lose its crispiness.

FAQ

RELATED

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these salad dishes:

PAIRING

These are my favorite main dishes to serve with this Southern Louisiana Coleslaw Buttermilk Recipe:

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"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."                                            

George Washington Carver