Y’all, I just love pickles. By themselves, fried, in a delicious dip, on just about anything. I just love them. Kosher, dill, half sour, all of them.
One of my mom’s favorite stories to tell about when I was little is about the time she caught me standing in the kitchen with the fridge door open drinking all of the juice out of a jar of pickles. So yeah, I like pickles.
A few years back, I did a bbq chicken slider that had a dill pickle slaw and the truth of the matter is, the pickle slaw was way more popular than the sliders themselves. So I decided that Dill Pickle Coleslaw deserved a little more recognition than just being tossed on a slider.
I got in the kitchen last weekend to work on this one a little more and I think I stumbled onto something amazing. I tweaked my original recipe a little and have come up with what I think is the perfect slaw. It’s a balance of tangy and tart, with TONS of pickle flavor.
Now, you’ve got to be a pickle lover to appreciate this, but even my wife, who isn’t a huge pickle lover, absolutely loved this. She came in the kitchen as I was working on it and took one bite and said, “Ok, stop right there. Don’t do anything else. That stuff is amazing!” She knows I have a tendency to constantly tweak and change – sometimes doing more harm than good. She saved me from myself. 🙂
Cause, y’all… this stuff is GOOD!
This recipe is quick, easy, and amazingly delicious. It’s the perfect opportunity to take advantage of one of those bags of shredded coleslaw mix in the produce section of the grocery store. I really like to use the tri-color one for the additional color and texture, but the plain will work just as well. And yes, if you’re feeling super ambitious, you can shred your own cabbage if you’re so inclined. You’ll need between 7 and 8 cups of shredded cabbage – or about 1 pound.
As with many things, this dish gets better after it has a little time to let those flavors get happy together. An hour or two will do. I just always suggest, especially with coleslaw, that you taste it after it has rested and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Many times the salt in the dressing will pull a little water out of the cabbage and dilute the flavors down a touch, so just grab a taste before you serve it. Y’all enjoy!
Recipe Card
Dill Pickle Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package coleslaw mix
- 1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
- 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, make the dressing by combining the onion, pickles, mayo, pickle juice, dill, garlic powder, and salt. Add the coleslaw mix and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to combine. When ready to serve, taste and add additional salt if necessary, then serve.
