6 Store-Bought Coleslaws, Ranked Worst To Best

Ah, coleslaw –it's a must-have side for barbecue season, whether you pile it high on a brisket sandwich or just eat it straight from your fork. It's a beloved American dish outside of barbecues, too (in fact, a version of coleslaw is even Tennessee's state food). And while the rich, creamy combo of veggies is super easy to whip up at home, you won't always have the luxury of prep time and counter space. Need some last-minute coleslaw to feed a crowd? Your local grocer just may come in handy.

Now, even though the basic coleslaw formula is relatively simple, the end result will vary pretty widely depending on who's making it. Anyone can add varying amounts of dressing or their own unique coleslaw additions, so it's highly unlikely you'll ever find two that taste exactly the same. That begs the question, then: Who makes the best store-bought coleslaw? Well, dear readers, I expected this ranking piece would be way more difficult than it was. I, too, was of the novice belief that store coleslaws couldn't vary too wildly from one another, but I was very mistaken. After sampling several selections from local grocers, it was relatively easy to put them in a worst-to-best order based on their crunch, the veggie-to-dressing ratio, and the coleslaw's overall flavor. What follows is my definitive ranking — and yes, you should definitely take it into account before buying coleslaw blind. 

I have to say, Market Pantry isn't generally my favorite brand, but I did try to go into this ranking as unbiased as possible. But despite my attempts to find this palatable, I couldn't force down more than one forkful. Texturally, it was just fine — crunchy enough, though the veggies were all chopped so small that it didn't give a super satisfying bite. The texture wasn't nearly as big an issue as the flavor. 

I left this particular tasting wondering how in the world Market Pantry's coleslaw passed quality control. If I was tasting it blind, I would have identified it as an ultra-creamy relish or thick pickled dressing rather than a coleslaw. Beyond its unappealing pickled coleslaw character, it was way too sweet for my taste. A slight sweetness is welcome in coleslaw, but this one packed way too much. Rather than getting any of that warm, welcome coleslaw flavor, vinegar and sugar competed to be the dominant tasting note and it just didn't work. If you're someone who often laments that your coleslaw isn't sweet or tangy enough, this might be the pick for you — everyone else, on the other hand, would be better shopping elsewhere. 

I can only buy 2 pounds of Walmart's Freshness Guaranteed coleslaw. In the interest of reducing waste, I really hoped I would like this one — but as you can probably guess from its second-to-last placement, I really didn't. Chief among my complaints was something you can't exactly tell by looking at it. The coleslaw was absolutely swimming in dressing, and I don't know about you, but "soggy" isn't an adjective that comes to mind when I think of scrumptious slaw. 

Liquidity aside, I could give Walmart's coleslaw a spot higher than Market Pantry's for the simple fact that its flavors were more muted. Note: They weren't necessarily better — they were just subtler enough than the previous choice that this coleslaw wasn't as bad. I still got some unwelcome ultra-briny notes, and while I definitely don't mind a lemony tang in coleslaw (in fact, I love it), a straight brine flavor doesn't appeal to me. Sugar overtook the pickled notes here, which also left me pretty disappointed. Moreover, aside from having way too much dressing, the veggies were once again cut too small and didn't give as much crunch as I'd have hoped. I'd call this a less-strong version of the previous slaw, and for that, it got fifth place.

Now, Kroger's own brand tends to surprise me when I do these rankings. After placing its Caesar salad among my top picks in one ranking piece, I made a mental vow never to doubt the chain again. As such, I had fairly high expectations for its coleslaw — expectations that were, unfortunately, mostly unfounded. The main reason I'm able to give this fourth place (ranking it above a couple others) is because it boasted some tasting notes beyond just being sweet and briny. Unfortunately, I can't say much else about it.

The pros: This coleslaw was amply crunchy, I could identify some pepper in it, and it was thick and creamy. The cons: Once again, I found it too sweet and simultaneously too vinegar-forward. It was also, as you can tell, laden with more dressing than anyone would know what to do with. I mean, if you want an ultra-soggy slider that drips the moment you turn it vertical, perhaps this is the slaw for you. It was fine but nothing noteworthy — I didn't actively dislike it as much as the previous two and I found it more flavorful, but I definitely wouldn't buy it again. Do with that information what you will. 

I'd buy any of my top three coleslaw contenders again and wouldn't have a problem recommending them to anyone in need of a decent store-bought coleslaw. Coming in third place is Whole Foods' take on the side, which just visually was way more appealing than any of the previous three. I like the somewhat uneven cut of the veggies — it gives a noticeable textural contrast and, personally, I always appreciate larger chunks of cabbage over a tiny dice.

You'll also notice just from the picture that there's way less dressing on this slaw, something I wholly appreciated. That said, I do think it could have used a bit more, but perhaps I have Goldilocks preferences when it comes to coleslaw. Regardless, this coleslaw definitely would have benefited from some more pepper and lemon notes, even without more dressing. I'd call Whole Foods' selection a good choice if you want to top something with coleslaw, as it provides ample crunch; if you want to eat slaw on its own, though, I'd go with one of my top two picks. 

Safeway's Signature Select brand doesn't often impress me, but its coleslaw was a different story. I should note, I got this packaged for me at the prepared foods counter — it wasn't available pre-packaged in the refrigerated section, like every other selection on this list. I really liked the look of this slaw. You can tell it won't get soggy but still had enough dressing on it to be flavorful. 

This coleslaw was also one of the crunchiest of the bunch, which I wholly welcomed (thick chunks of cabbage and shredded carrots? Yes, please!). It's not as flavorful as my top choice, but I'll gladly take that over the sugary, vinegar-y qualities of my bottom picks — plus, I'd rather have to add some pepper and lemon juice than temper it in any way. This made it to spot number two because it was well-dressed, didn't boast any of the negative characteristics of the previous picks, and had a slight edge over Whole Foods' version. Really, though, nothing can beat my number one choice. 

Fortunately for most of the general population, the Reser's brand is pretty ubiquitous — this item was available at every grocery store I went to, and it didn't have any competitors aside from the store's own brand. So I wasn't super surprised that it ended up being my favorite. I actually had quite a few forkfuls of this coleslaw, and it may or may not be the only one still sitting in my fridge. 

Reser's beat out the other selections by a mile. Its balance was perfect. It was amply crunchy and well-dressed without being soggy, and was plenty flavorful. The coleslaw is slightly sweet but not at all overbearing, and there's definitely enough salt and pepper notes to make up for it. It's creamy, full of flavor, and comparable to a homemade coleslaw — not to mention its store-bought convenience. I'll easily eat this again as a side or on a slider, and it'll definitely be my go-to brand when I need a quick store-bought option in the future. It should be yours, too. 

After scouring the inventory at my local grocers, I was somewhat surprised to find that there was only one non-store brand with a coleslaw offering: Reser's. I probably shouldn't be surprised that the brand's coleslaw ended up being my favorite. Perhaps it has such a chokehold on the industry that no other third-party brands can compete. All the stores I checked also had their own coleslaw offerings, which varied wildly from one another. 

When tasting the slaws, I looked for a couple things. I wanted an ample crunch, some nice seasoning (namely salt, pepper, and perhaps some lemony tang), a good veggie-to-dressing ratio, and I didn't want it to be too sweet. My bottom choices were lacking in at least one of these areas — primarily, they were far too sweet or were swimming in dressing. My top choices featured thick-cut veggies with a decent coating of dressing, and they were flavorful without adding anything superfluous. Reser's tasted the closest to my favorite homemade coleslaw of the bunch.