The Tangy Ingredient That Will Liven Up Your Coleslaw Is Dill Pickles

Whether paired alongside a cheeseburger or enjoyed on its own, coleslaw is prone to mixing and matching. Kale slaw, for example, incorporates kale, cabbage, and carrots, while carrot slaw relies predominantly on its namesake, along with cabbage and onions. Given these variations — all in the form of additional ingredients — coleslaw provides the perfect opportunity for yet another ingredient. Enter, dill pickles.

Dill pickles are a particularly valuable addition to coleslaw because they cut through rich, traditional slaw with a salty, sour, and acidic flavor. They offer brightness to the mayonnaise-based dish and add yet another flavor profile — not to mention the crunchy consistency that most of the best coleslaws embody. Soft, minced, or finely chopped, pickles pair well thin shredded cabbage.

To add pickles to your next coleslaw, simply chop them up and mix them in your favorite recipe. While coleslaw leaves the door open for additions, don't get too ahead of yourself. Pair pickles with complementary ingredients and you can't go wrong.

When it comes to making coleslaw, you have more than a few options for both recipes and techniques. However, the dill pickle addition tends to work best in traditional coleslaws, where the pickles can complement the flavors of cabbage and carrots. On the flip side, a more creative coleslaw — like Tasting Table's apple and blue cheese recipe — already has a lot going on. As such, you may want to save your dill pickles for another, simpler recipe. 

Of course, the choice is always yours and depends on your favorite flavors. Keep the experiment going by adding more vegetables or swapping a standard mayonnaise base for a ranch dressing. Meanwhile, if you're a diehard pickle fan, you can go all-in on the flavors. Pickle aficionados should consider adding both chopped pickles and pickle juice to coleslaw. While you're at it, add some fresh dill for a truly well-rounded and flavorful dill pickle slaw. After all, burgers so often come with coleslaw and a pickle. If the flavors are already waiting for you, why not combine the two and see what happens?