The Tart Ingredient Your Coleslaw Has Been Missing This Whole Time

Coleslaw is a classic for a reason. Simultaneously versatile, indulgent, and (somewhat) nutritious, this shredded cabbage dish is a potluck powerhouse. But let's be real — as much as we love the fresh, creamy crunch of homemade coleslaw with a tangy sauce, life gets busy, and we don't always have time or energy to chop and grate a head of cabbage. This is when store-bought coleslaw saves the day. A tub of grocery store coleslaw makes the perfect affordable and effortless burger side dish, barbecue palate cleanser, or creative hot dog topping. 

However, most store-bought coleslaw could benefit from an extra punch of flavor and texture. Luckily, there's a super easy way to amp up the tang factor with an ingredient you most likely already have in your pantry: jarred pickles. Adding a few chopped-up scoops of your favorite pickles to a tub of coleslaw takes about two minutes, and it adds an amazing punch of fresh and tart flavor. Adding pickles is a simple and fun way to make any old grocery store slaw a little bit special, and a lot more flavorful.

Pickle coleslaw is an easy, forgiving, and highly customizable dish. Just chop up a few spoonfuls of your pickle of choice and stir them into a tub of store-bought coleslaw. You can also add a splash of the pickle juice for an extra punch of zippy, briny flavor – just one of the many clever ways to use pickle juice. 

The fresh acidity of dill pickles pairs particularly well with the sweet creamy crunch of a classic coleslaw, but almost any pickle variety will work wonderfully. You could get fancy with bougie options like Wickles or Grillo's (the best pickle brands in our taste test). You could even play around with more creative slaw and pickle pairings -– think balancing the tartness of a vinegar-based slaw with a salty Kosher dill pickle, or amping up a spicy Southwestern slaw with an extra kick of pickled jalapeños. So the next time you're crunched for time and pick up a tub of store-bought coleslaw, you can rest assured you won't have to settle for forgettable slaw — the pickled possibilities are practically endless.