Classic American-style coleslaw, ready in 20 minutes: the Thermomix® chops white cabbage and carrots in seconds, then mixes the buttermilk and mayo dressing straight afterwards. What makes this recipe stand out is the topping, caramelised honey bacon that you glaze in a pan just before serving.
The dressing combines real mayonnaise with buttermilk, white balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of creamed horseradish. We strongly recommend the horseradish: it is not a standard ingredient in classic American coleslaw, but it gives the dressing a clean, savoury edge that keeps the creaminess of the mayo in balance. Anyone reading the recipe card for the first time will be tempted to skip it. Don’t.
Thermomix® Coleslaw with Honey Bacon
Ingredients 0 / 16 ✓
- 1 shallot
- 450 grams white cabbage
- 100 g carrots
- 180 g mayonaise
- 50 g rapeseed oil
- 10 g white balsamic vinegar
- 40 g milk
- 100 g buttermilk
- 10 g lime juice
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 TL creamed horse raddish
- 1/2 TL salt
- 1/4 TL black pepper
- oil for the pan
- 150 g diced bacon
- 1 TL honey
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Peel the shallot, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec./speed 5.
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2
Wash and clean white cabbage, remove hard stalk and outer leaves. Cut into pieces (max. 5 x 5 cm pieces). Peel the carrots, cut into pieces and add with the cabbage to the mixing bowl. Shred using the spatula for 18 sec./speed 4 and transfer to a salad bowl.
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3
Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl, blend for 15 sec./speed 4 and mix with the lettuce in the salad bowl. Leave to marinate, covered, in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
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4
Meanwhile, fry bacon cubes in pan until crisp, turn down temperature, drizzle honey on top, stir and spread over salad before serving.
Tip: It is best not to use salad dressing or light mayo for the preparation. Instead use real mayonnaise, such as our homemade mayonnaise from the Thermomix®.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the cabbage must not be chopped too finely in the Thermomix®
Speed 4, 18 seconds, use the spatula: that is the point at which white cabbage still remains as recognisable pieces in the salad rather than turning into a wet mush. Cut the cabbage into rough chunks beforehand, no larger than 5 x 5 cm. Smaller pieces, and the machine will do too much in those same 18 seconds. The result is not coleslaw but a salad with a mushy texture. This is the most common mistake with this recipe, and it comes down to preparation, not the recipe itself.
Three hours is the minimum, overnight is better
Freshly mixed, this coleslaw tastes unremarkable. The dressing of mayo, buttermilk, brown sugar and lime juice needs time to soak into the cabbage and soften it without destroying the texture. At least three hours in the fridge, covered. Overnight delivers the best result: the white cabbage stays crisp and the dressing has settled. If you are serving the salad in the morning, prepare it the evening before.
For the mayonnaise: no salad cream, no light version. The dressing relies on the fat in real mayo to form a stable emulsion with the acidity of the buttermilk. We like to use mayonnaise made directly in the Thermomix® for this dressing, so you have the best possible base to hand. Add the honey bacon to the salad just before serving, not before. Warm bacon on cold coleslaw is the moment that sets this recipe apart from the standard version. If you fancy it, the salad also works well alongside a mixed salad from the Thermomix® as a second bowl.
More salads from the Thermomix®? Thermomix® Salads brings together nine varieties, from raw vegetable salads to layered salads.
Goes well with: Burgers.
What other recipes do differently
Most Thermomix® coleslaw recipes use a mix of white and red cabbage, a dressing based on Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche instead of real mayonnaise, and a resting time of just one hour. Apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic makes the acidity sharper, and yoghurt loses the creamy depth. We deliberately stick to pure white cabbage, real mayo with buttermilk, and at least three hours of chilling. The warm honey bacon topping is something you will not find elsewhere, and neither is the creamed horseradish in the dressing. If you want variations: folding in a few pieces of apple or some cranberries works well here too.
