For creamy, never-soggy coleslaw, I never skip this easy step

Five minutes of hands-off prep keeps cabbage crisp, flavorful, and prevents watery dressing.

In a Nutshell

The secret to crisp coleslaw is salting the cabbage first. Learn how this simple 5-minute step keeps the dressing from turning watery.

I’ve lost count of how many bowls of homemade coleslaw I’ve watched slowly transform into coleslaw soup. It starts perfectly crisp, with just enough creamy dressing to coat every shred of cabbage. Then, 20 minutes later, there’s a puddle collecting at the bottom of the bowl. For years, I assumed this was just the price of making coleslaw ahead of time, but it doesn’t need to be.

It wasn’t until I went to culinary school—and later worked in professional kitchens—that I learned it didn’t have to be that way. Whenever I’m making coleslaw now, I always take five extra minutes to salt the cabbage before dressing it. This tiny step makes a huge difference, keeping the cabbage crisp while preventing excess moisture from watering down the dressing.

Why Salting Cabbage Makes Better Coleslaw

The moment you toss freshly shredded cabbage with a seasoned dressing, you’ve started a race against the clock. Cabbage is packed with water, and the salty ingredients in most coleslaw dressings—whether it’s the salt itself, mayonnaise, or other seasonings—immediately begin drawing moisture out of the cabbage through osmosis. As the dressed cabbage sits, that liquid seeps into the bowl, thinning the dressing and leaving you with soggy slaw.

By salting the cabbage before you dress it, you control where that moisture ends up. Just as we recommend salting cucumbers before adding them to salads or dips, pre-salting cabbage draws out water before it’s combined with the dressing. Once the cabbage has released the liquid, you rinse away the excess salt and dry it well so there’s less moisture left to leak out later, keeping the dressing creamy instead of watery.

There’s another benefit, too. As the water leaves the cabbage, some salt diffuses back into the vegetable, seasoning it more while slightly softening its raw bite. 

Kenji’s testing for our classic coleslaw recipe found that just a five-minute salt treatment removed enough moisture to dramatically improve the cabbage’s texture while keeping it crunchy. Longer salting times, on the other hand, began softening the cabbage more than most tasters preferred in his testing.

How to Salt Cabbage for Coleslaw and Salads

It’s one of the easiest prep steps you’ll do all day.

1. Shred the cabbage. Thin shreds expose more of the cabbage’s cells, helping moisture escape more efficiently.
2. Add salt (and, optionally, sugar) for just 5 minutes. In our classic coleslaw recipe, Kenji tosses the shredded cabbage with a generous 1/2 cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 1 cup of sugar, then rinses it after a 5-minute rest. It looks like a startling amount, but most of it goes right down the drain with the purged liquid. If you’re simply borrowing the technique for another slaw recipe, you can absolutely use just a few tablespoons each of kosher salt and sugar instead—you’ll still draw out plenty of excess moisture. Whatever amount you use, stick to about five minutes; our testing found that longer salting softened the cabbage more than most tasters preferred.
3. Rinse away the excess salt. A quick rinse stops the process and prevents the finished slaw from tasting overly salty.
4. Dry thoroughly. Spin the vegetables dry or blot them well with clean kitchen towels before adding the dressing. This is just as important as the salting itself.

When to Use This Trick

I use this technique anytime I want a cabbage salad to stay crisp for more than a few minutes. It’s especially worth doing for:

• Classic creamy coleslaw, where excess moisture can quickly thin the dressing.
• Vinegar-based slaws, like those served alongside barbecue, where you want the vegetables to stay crisp and the dressing tart instead of soaking in a pool of diluted liquid.
• Cabbage salads, such as sesame or peanut slaws, whose dressings can also draw moisture from the cabbage over time.
• Any make-ahead slaws for picnics, potlucks, and cookouts, where the salad may sit for an hour or more before serving.

Will your coleslaw be ruined if you skip this step? Not at all. It’ll still be tasty. But if you’ve ever wondered why homemade coleslaw seems to get watery so quickly, this five-minute step is the easiest way I know to keep it crisp, creamy, and fresh until the last bite.

Read the original article on Serious Eats