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Infused with lemon, vanilla bean, and poppy seeds, this beautiful coleslaw is anything but boring. It is great for entertaining since it can be made the day before. And creamy vanilla bean coleslaw is the perfect side dish for a summer BBQ.
Start by cutting your cabbage and carrot into fine strips. I used my Japanese mandolin to do this super quickly. If you’re just using a knife watch out for those fingers! I was just at the salon the other day removing the last knife wound from my had-been-pretty French tip. Mix the cabbage and carrot together in a large bowl and set aside.

If you haven’t tried cooking with real vanilla beans before, I highly recommend trying it. There is such a delicate richness to them. I love using them in my matcha vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. To remove the seeds – cut down the side of the vanilla bean lengthwise, then spread it open. Use a small utensil to scrape out these amazing seeds.
In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, white vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar, poppy seeds, vanilla bean seeds, salt and pepper. Whisk until it becomes nice and smoothly blended.

Pour the sauce into the bowl with the cabbage and carrots. I used my finger to scoop up and eat the sauce remnants left in the bowl – this is, of course, optional 😉

Mix the creamy vanilla bean coleslaw together really well. You can eat it right away if you’d like, but I recommend covering it and setting it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours (or overnight) for the cabbage to soften a bit and the flavours to fully blend. Enjoy!



Creamy Vanilla Bean Coleslaw
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 side servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Description
Infused with lemon, vanilla bean, and poppy seeds, this beautiful coleslaw is anything but boring.
Ingredients
1/2 medium cabbage
1 large carrot
1 cup (115 g) mayonnaise (I used low-fat)
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 vanilla bean
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
Cut cabbage and carrot into thin strips. Mix together in a large bowl and set aside.
Cut into vanilla bean lengthwise to open it, then scrape out the seeds.
In a smaller bowl, combine mayonnaise, white vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, poppy seeds, vanilla bean seeds, salt and pepper. Whisk them together until the sauce becomes nice and smooth.
Pour the sauce into the bowl with the cabbage and carrot. Toss together until well combined. You may eat right away, however, I recommend covering and storing it in the fridge for at least a couple hours for the cabbage to soften and flavours to fully merge together.
Notes
This dish can be made the day before and chilled overnight.
Keywords: coleslaw, vanilla bean cole slaw
This is a must try!!
★★★★★
Glad you like it! 🙂
I’ve never had coleslaw with vanilla bean in it before. It was surprisingly so good! I’m going to make this again.
★★★★★
Aren’t they great together? So glad you enjoyed.
This was a hit at my 4th of July BBQ
★★★★★
Awesome!
Amazing dressing. I’m going to try it on salad next time
★★★★★
You won’t regret it 😉
Outstanding!! A keeper.
★★★★★
Thanks so much
This coleslaw complemented my grilled wild salmon perfectly.
★★★★★
Thank you, sounds amazing
Unique and lovely. Thank you.
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind review 🙂
Great combo with my grilled rainbow trout. We all loved it.
★★★★★
Sounds like a great combo. Thanks for the review!
This coleslaw is the best.
★★★★★
Thank you!