How to Can Coleslaw? Coleslaw is a classic summertime side dish with grilled meats and fish. It’s also great for using extra cabbage from your garden or farmer’s market. This traditional salad with shredded cabbage, carrots, and dressing is often served alongside sandwiches or burgers. Coleslaw makes an excellent partner for almost any meal—even as an easy appetizer! Coleslaw is simple to make, but you might not have time in the busy summer season. Fortunately, it’s also easy to use your coleslaw to enjoy this tasty treat all year. Below is how to make coleslaw.

What is coleslaw sauce made of?

So, what exactly does the dressing for cole slaw consist of? A traditional coleslaw dressing includes mayonnaise, a sweetener (such as honey), apple cider vinegar, celery seeds, salt, and pepper. It’s unnecessary to use buttermilk, an ingredient in certain coleslaw dressings, so I always go for the dairy-free variety.

What you’ll need:

• A large bowl or pot to hold all the cabbage. Click here.
• A sharp knife to make shredding the cabbage easier. Click here.
• A large chef’s knife or cleaver to make chopping the carrots easier. Click here.
• A masher (or potato masher) to mix up the ingredients. Click here.
• A canning pot and canning jars. You can also use special jars designed for making coleslaw in the refrigerator. Click here.
• A canning funnel to make filling jars easier. Click here.
• A canning rack is required so that the jars do not make contact with the bottom of the pot while they are being processed. Click here.

How to Can Coleslaw – Can Your Own Coleslaw in 3 Easy Steps

Step 1: Shred the cabbage

This traditional salad is often served with sandwiches or burgers. It has shredded cabbage, carrots, and a dressing. However, coleslaw makes an excellent partner for almost any meal—even as an easy appetizer! Cabbage is a healthy vegetable; you can make it even healthier by canning your coleslaw. The cabbage can be shredded in a food processor or finely sliced with a knife. 

• First, wash the cabbage in cool water to remove dirt and insects. A clean cabbage will make for a much better coleslaw and help keep the salad from getting too soggy. 
• Then, core the cabbage and cut it into thin slices with a sharp knife or food processor.

Step 2: Shred the carrots

• Then, shred the carrots with a sharp knife or use a food processor to do the job quickly. 
• Make sure you slice the carrots thin enough to mix well with the cabbage, but not so thin that they lose their flavor.

Step 3: Combine everything and can it!

• Then, combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. 
• Make sure you mix up the vegetables thoroughly to ensure they combine well. You may blend everything by hand or use a potato masher to accomplish it much more rapidly. 
• Finally, add your dressing to taste. Good homemade dressing recipes include buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard. 
• Remix everything to distribute the spices and dressing evenly.

How to Can Your Own Coleslaw

Below is how to make your own coleslaw:

• Use clean jars and lids that have been sterilized in boiling water. You can also use special jars designed for making coleslaw, like the coleslaw canning jar on Amazon. 
• Mix up your coleslaw recipe as described in step 3. 
• Using a canning funnel, carefully fill the jars with coleslaw until about 2/3 full. Keep about a centimeter of room available at the very top of the jar.
• If you’re using jars designed for refrigerator storage, fill them to about 1/2 full. 
• After thoroughly cleaning the rims of the jars, set the lids on top of the jars. Check to see that they are fastened on securely (finger tight). 
• Place jars in a canning pot (or a large pot) and cover with water until water is about 2 inches above the jars. 
• Turn off the heat once the water has come to a boil, and then let the jars steep in the water for around ten minutes. 
• Remove jars from the water and let cool. Coleslaw should be ready to eat in a few hours, or you can wait a few days for flavors to blend even more.

Tips for Successful Canning

If you want to make a good canning coleslaw, follow these simple tips:

• Prepare your jars, lids, and ingredients to ensure a healthy and safe product. 
• You should sterilize jars and their lids in boiling water for 10 minutes before use.
• Be sure to measure your ingredients correctly. 
• Be sure to use clean jars and lids. 
• Use the right headspace when filling jars to avoid food spoilage. 
• Finally, use a pressure canner if you’re canning at high altitudes.

Can you eat homemade coleslaw?

Yes. Coleslaw can easily be incorporated into a diet emphasizing healthy food if you select your dressing with care.

Can you freeze homemade coleslaw?

You can keep the coleslaw in the freezer for up to six months if it is made using vinegar. However, coleslaw made with mayonnaise does not freeze very well since the dressing tends to separate when the coleslaw thaws. 

The following is the recommended procedure for properly freezing your vinegar-based coleslaw:

• Put the coleslaw mix you have in a bag that can be frozen.
• Get as much air out of the bag as possible, seal it up, and pop it in the freezer.
• Begin at the bottom of the bag and work your way up to the opening at the top.

How long can you keep homemade coleslaw in the fridge?

In the refrigerator, a resealable container can keep coleslaw fresh for up to 4 days. Food removed from the fridge for longer than two hours should be thrown away. How should coleslaw be stored? Put the salad in a container that you can seal, then place it in the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Coleslaw is a classic summertime side dish with grilled meats and fish. As a bonus, it’s a fantastic method for clearing out the fridge of surplus cabbage from the garden or the market. This traditional salad with shredded cabbage, carrots, and dressing is often served alongside sandwiches or burgers. Coleslaw makes an excellent partner for almost any meal—even as an easy appetizer! Now that you know how to can your coleslaw, you can enjoy this tasty treat all year long.