KFC Cole Slaw

By damiles1

If you've ever seen a clone recipe for KFC Cole Slaw floating around on the Internet it probably looks like this. That's because this replica has become one of the most copied and pasted recipes from the first book, Top Secret Recipes. So, to stake claim to a recipe that's rarely sourced as a TSR original, here's the secret formula to clone the world's best slaw.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 8 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1 head)
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
• 2 tablespoons minced onion

Details

Servings 10
Cooking time 15mins
Adapted from topsecretrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

2. Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion, and mix well.

Add ratings and review

I just tried this recipe today, and I make it without the vinegar, i just added a pinch of salt to it ,and it tasted the same as the kfc's..It's very good and super yummy.

This is a very good recipe. I didn't use onions or white vinegar. I used apple cider vinegar instead. I also used prepackaged coleslaw mix and diced it more.

Today, I made coleslaw from this recipe for the first time. I was very impressed on how simple the recipe is and how close to the KFC taste was. I ended up adding more white vinegar and black pepper, seasoning the salad to taste. The only reason that this recipe may not be an exact clone of the KFC slaw may have to do with ingredients such as Mayonnaise. I used Best Foods (Hellmann's back east). I think if something like Miracle Whip was used, the slaw would probably be not as good as it's

I love KFC coleslaw, but I believe this is better! And I'm very particular. I've made it several times over the last few months and everyone always wants more! I replace the minced onion with onion powder though because that's what I already had at home. Still delicious! Love it!

I made this yesterday for the second time this week. That speaks volumes for my non vegtable eating family. I substituted the milk and buttermilk to soy milk and it worked fine. I also added fresh black ground pepper for a little kick.

I made this for the very first time last week. Plan to make it again over the Labor Day Holiday. My family loved it! I have fond memories of my father's coleslaw and I would be proud to serve this to him. Allow your slaw to rest for atleast 2 hours or overnight. It only gets better.

IF you don't like this recipe then you either didn't make it correctly or you don't like the KFC cole slaw. I've made this many times the past few years and have been accused of putting KFC's cole slaw in my own container.

I love this recipe! I am not a big fan of KFC, just because of all the fat and MSG, but I love their cole slaw. Made this today and it is perfect! I replaced the sugar with Xylitol for some all natural lower calories, and some fresh farm egg-made mayo...sooooo good! Got this down to about 100 calories per serving. I also added some radishes from my garden and celery salt like some of the other reviewers. I will be making this for many bbq's to come!

I ate half of it before my hubby got home.... Excellent recipe!!!! I will make this for my mother-in-laws annual july 4th celebration next year! Really great!

I read all of the reviews and made this recipe for my 4th of July party and it was a HUGE hit. I omitted the onions and added 1 teaspoon of celery salt. I also used the Dole brand pre-shredded cabbage w/carrots. This is so good it is hard to stop eating it. Tastes like KFC. Thanks!!!

The absolute closest to the real thing!!!!! I make this for special occasions and it is always the second thing to go, macaroni and cheese being the the first!!! I have tried others to no avail!!! This is by far the best one yet!! Happy 4th!!Gotta go make the slaw! :)

Anyone who makes this recipe and says its not perfect needs to stick to boiling water or making toast. Tastes just like KFC slaw if not better .
Thanks for the recipe. !

Great! But make more dressing than it states, everything depends on the size cabbage you buy. I added more buttermilk, sugar and mayo, it was sensational.

I tried this tonight with pulled pork and it was a hit. At first taste I thought it would be to sweet but after letting it all mingle for about 3 hours it was just perfect. I did substitute the minced onion for onion powder because my sister doesn't like the feel of onion in her mouth. It really turned out really nice and will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!

I have been making this version for years and it is always a hit. Here is a tip, substitute sour cream for the buttermilk and you wont notice a difference! We also don't like our cabbage finely shredded so I just buy the pre-shredded cabbage and carrots blend. This also makes it a lot quicker to put together!

Richard Shewmaker

I tweak this to my own taste. Instead of buying a quart of buttermilk, the smallest quantity that my supermarket carries, I just add a table spoon of dried buttermilk that I always keep on hand. I like the suggestion of adding some radish that a previous reviewer suggested. I also substitute celery salt for the salt in the recipe, and I add a teaspoon of dill seed. The result is the best slaw I've ever had.

I made the recipe exactly as posted. But when I tasted it, I was disappointed. So close but still not KFC coleslaw. Then I thought about adding celery salt. IT WORKED! Now it tasted spot on right. Sorry KFC but I will no longer be paying the big bucks to buy enough of your addictive coleslaw to feed a large party. Score one for the little guy!!!

Awesome recipe. Hits the nail on the head. Well, almost. But! Adding a cup of grated radish i think seals the deal. Gives it that "bite" or hint of heat, that i just luv in KFC slaw. Try it out.

We thought the coleslaw was great. My mother-in-law had worked at mastering this recipe on her own several years ago. My husband loved it. After her recent passing, my husband asked me to make her coleslaw . . . .
So glad I found this website!! I had never ask her for the receipe.

Finally, the coleslaw recipe I have been looking for! I have tried others and they were pretty good, but it always felt like something was missing. But this recipe is perfect and very simple. I however did modify it a bit by omitting the buttermilk, and adding a little pickle relish. Thanks so much Todd! Thumbs Up!

This is an excellent recipe....I will make no other recipes after finding and making this one!

I've been making this recipe since 2007. It's the only thing KFC makes that I like and now I make it any time I want. It's better than the real deal.

Perfect as is in my mind! I love it even better than the real thing because I can make it organic and preservative free!

Good stuff. I would go easy on the sugar, found it a bit too sweet. Try adding a few spoons of horseradish for extra tang. I used a cheese grater to slice up the cabbage and carrots.

This recipe tastes EXACTLY like KFC and is super simple. I "shred" my cabbage now by filling my blender half way with water, then adding some chunks of cabbage. Just a couple pulses will blend it enough to get the right side pieces. Drain, and do another batch until the whole cabbage is done.

Finally, I won't have to drive 20 miles for KFC coleslaw..........can make at home. It was wonderful. Thank you.

I have made this recipe for years and have one comment and absolutely love it! There's no need to buy buttermilk. Just add the lemon juice and/or vinegar to 1/4 cup milk and let sit for 5 minutes which will turn the mixture into buttermilk.

This recipe is AWESOME at first i halfed the recipe we realized how good it was so next time i made the whole recipe.Make sure you let it sit at least 2 hrs. or more.

This recipe is FANTASTIC!!!! I love it but if you don't really like the mayonnaise so much don't add as much as it tells you to. But other then that it taste as good as KFC

This is very good, but make sure you let it set over night to get the real taste.

I made this recipe today because my daughter and I decided to make a homemade version of KFC, and it turned out to be a big hit! I made a couple adjustments to the recipe (used lite mayo, plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, and fat free milk) because we are watching our calorie intake, but it still turned out to be a favorite part of the meal. It was the first thing to go! My husband said it was very close to the KFC version, but better and he was glad to have more of it available! Highly recommended!

Yesterday I went to a KFC near me and asked them what ingredients were in the cole slaw. The girl stated that each store makes the actual slaw in house but the dressing is pre-made and comes in a yellow container, for the stores to add. My family decided to do a taste test. Yesterday we made the online recipe and let it sit overnight and also used a container of slaw from KFC.
Nobody picked the KFC but seemed to like the flavor of the online recipe a bit better. Congrats! Thank goodness I found your recipe because I couldn't afford to buy KFC cole slaw due to the amount of it I eat. (I assume it is pretty healthy... better than a cheeseburger!)

Came out delicious. However, I don't like my cole slaw so sweet, so the next time I make this, I'll use a little less sugar. Also, a problem I have w/ KFC coleslaw is that I find it's too runny, so I'll also cut down on the milk. I made this recipe lowfat by using light mayo & 2% milk instead of whole milk. Still came out delicious & I'd definitely make it again.

KFC slaw uses Tarragon vinegar. It must be prepared one day ahead of time for maximum flavor. The tarragon vinegar will make the difference.

The recipe is wrong. You use Spring onion not just any onions. Lemon Juice makes it too bitter. It's Cabbage, spring onion, carrot (carrot finely grated). Sauce in a processor: 1 part Mayo, 2 parts White vinegar, 1tsp Sugar, pinch salt and pepper. Mix the spring onion in the sauce not the salad.

This is the True KFC Coleslaw Recipe.
TRUST ME this WORKS

Absolutely the best! I get raves on it every time I serve it. The quality of KFC cole slaw has gone way down in recent years, but this tastes just the way it did "back in the day"! I leave out the onion, though, as it gets a bit overpowering the longer it sits, and I add a bit of celery seed. Great stuff!!

I found this recipe in one of your books years ago. this recipe is just as great, if not better than KFC. I make only this version. My whole family and friends love it!

Everyone in my family loves this recipe and I always make it for family gatherings.

I love this recipe and to save time I bought a bag of prepared slaw in the grocery store and then used the rest of the ingredients for the recipe. It turned out well but you do have to adjust unless you have enough slaw to make the required batch.

The KFC restaurants don't even make the salads instore. Everything is outsourced to foodservice production companies. Can you imagine the liablity they would have if they had some teenagers making everything. In Canada all of the salads for KFC are produced by a company named Keybrand. I know this because I work for a company that once distributed the salads. FYI - the green KFC coleslaw is not mayo based either - in fact none of the salads are, they are made with a whipped oil base like Miracle Whip but not even that nice. Why would you tell people to 'chop' the cabbage and carrots? They should be shredded with the shredder attatchment on a food processor or use a hand cheese grater. lol - this is probably a tasty salad recipe though.

Oh my god the best slaw!!! I doubled the 'sauce' part of the recipe though. With that much cabbage there isn't enough sauce to make it really saucy.

A clerk at KFC told me that their instructions are to let it sit overnight, stir, and then they can serve it after an additional 8 hours. Makes sense to me to let it sit and have the flavors blend.

OH MY GOODNESS!! This is the best cole slaw ever. I had a friend call me for my recipe, but instead I told her about this one, which I had been meaning to try. She took some for me to work the next day. Let's just say that after work I went to my local market and bought the ingredients I didn't already have and made it. The only thing I changed was decreasing the sugar in half. Also (a tip), if you don't have buttermilk (which I couldn't find at the market) all you have to do is mix 1/4 cup milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice, stir and let sit for 5 min. Voila! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.

This is the BEST recipe EVER!! For my diabetic Mother, I replaced the sugar with the same amount of Splenda...it turned out FANTASTIC!! Thank you for such a GREAT recipe!!

WOW! It really tastes just like what you get from KFC. This is was fast and easy. I did not put the onion in and I used the prepared slaw mix you can get from produce. I had friends try it and they couldn't believe it. Actually they ate all of it.

This is Great, easy to make. I add 1 teaspoon of horseradish, adds a little kick to it. I make it with the prepackaged cole slaw to cut time, just as good.

I love to cook, but I can't make a decent coleslaw. This recipe is fabulous. Tastes exactly like KFC.

I have never been able to make decent coleslaw, not even if I used the bottled coleslaw dressings! I found this recipe, gave it a try and have been making it since. I've made it with the pre-packaged mix as well as from all fresh ingredients. All I can say is...I can't seem to make it often enough especially in the summer. Thank you!!!

I thought this was great. My family loved it and thought it tasted just like the real thing. I did use the buttermilk and used the pre-chopped cabbage and carrot mixture. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!

I used the tarragon vinegar and it added a nice kick. You might want to think about omitting the onions - the flavor of the onions intensifies the longer the mixture sets. Overall a pretty good recipe.

I have been using this recipe for probably about 6 or 7 yrs and I love it. I make it all the time and my family even requests it for parties.

I used pre-shredded slaw mix that I chopped fine. Easy to make and tastes great. I didn't used buttermilk instead I used regular milk.

This recipe is fantastic...Taste like the real thing...Instead of using buttermilk I used 2%, and it still came out great....I will make it often...Thank You.

Great recipe - kfc all the way. Sweet, creamy and the perfect consistency. I guess poor Becky didn't make it right.

I don't really think this tasted like KFC - It looks like it, but doesn't taste like it. I thought the flavor was really dull. I had to add some more of the lemon juice and vinegar, and also added some horseradish for it to have some flavor. This recipe might be ok after you add the other stuff, but it doesn't taste like KFC.

This is a wonderful recipe. It's even better on the 2nd or 3rd day. I usually make it 2 days ahead before I take it somewhere. The first time I made it no one believed me it was home made, so the next time I used the pre-shredded coleslaw mix in a bag (which cut out almost all the time). Everyone loved it. When I use shredded cabbage I use half & half instead of milk so it won't wilt as fast. I also add a tiny bit of celery seed, and about 2 teaspoons of prepared horseradish which gives it a little bit of zip.

I used a lot less sugar in my first batch tonight. I added 1/2 a vidalia sweet onion and I used 50% reduced fat Helmans mayo. This is a killer recipe. It went great with my own home made version of spicy pulled pork sandwiches. Hey home made slow cooked BBQ over wood charcoal and coleslaw goes together. Thanks for the recipe! John C.

I really do not like Cole Slaw at all. I never get it as a side dish, and I never get it on my sandwhich if I get at a BBQ place. Though I don't like slaw, I had to give this one its rating because it does taste just like Cole Slaw at KFC.

I added celery seed and left the onion out. I thought this made it taste more like KFC cole slaw.

Absolutely the Best! We have to have it everyday. We have added some crushed pineaple too. Is great on a BBQ beef or ham sandwich.

Fantastic Recipe! Here are a few things we have added for more zing.

1. Add 1 Tablespoon horseradish gives it a stronger kick.

2. Add a fresh ground mix of pepper (black, white, green, red + sea salt). This gives the slaw a subtle more complex flavour. You can also add a dash of season salt/garlic salt, but VERY lightly so you don't overpower the flavor.

3. Use 3-4 shredded carrots to balance the cabbage

4. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (or Splenda) to the mayo mixture.

5. You can either use 1/2 cup buttermilk and no milk or 1/2 milk and no buttermilk if you want. Still turns out great.

RIGHT ON THE MARK! My husband didn't believe me that it was home made until I showed him the recipe... and even then he though it was from KFC! Great flavor and it was easy to make too!

OMG!! Holy %#*!, I want to be a chef when I'm older, and I'm always trying new things. Holy cow man, this was the first one I tried, and now people beg me to make it every day!! Im so happy!!! I love this recipe!!!!!!!

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST! My family loves it. I use the shredding disk on my food processor to shred everything including the carrot. I also add some finely minced chives (use scissors for that). Finally, I use Splenda in place of the sugar and buttermilk powder for the liquid stuff--which always goes bad before it's used. Even my mother-in-law said it's great. Now that's something!

This stuff is on the money. The BEST and so easy to make!