Ditch The Mayo, Dress Your Coleslaw In Honey Mustard

Honey mustard is nothing if not versatile. It can be the star of honey mustard-glazed ham or serve as a delicious and simple dip for chicken fingers, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. It can also be used to replace ingredients in all kinds of recipes where a bit of extra sweetness and zippiness is appreciated. Coleslaw is a prime example: Doing away with plain mayonnaise and instead dressing your veggies in honey mustard will leave you with a sharper, sweeter, more striking side dish.

Since its two main ingredients are ultra flavorful on their own, honey mustard is a surefire way to elevate your coleslaw and infuse it with that tangy taste the condiment is known for. It brings about a warmth and zesty kick that you can't get with creamier, milder mayo, and the honey accentuates the inherent sweetness of vegetables like cabbage and carrots. While we can all be thankful for the invention of mayonnaise considering it finds its way into so many different dishes and sauces, its mixture of emulsified eggs, oil, and vinegar can only go so far in amping up a meal's flavor. Swapping it out for honey mustard is an incredibly easy way to avoid uninspiring slaw.

The best part about this substitution is that there's plenty of room to play around with exactly what you'd like to add to your honey mustard. Store-bought options run the gamut, from gently hot and mostly sweet to peppery hot honey varieties.

The base ingredients for homemade honey mustard are either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, a pinch of chile powder, and, of course, honey. The type of mustard you choose is up to you: yellow, Dijon, and brown mustards will all lend different levels of heat and complexity (the latter two are hot, while yellow mustard is primarily piquant rather than fiery), so the nuances of your dressing are totally up to you. Similarly, you can experiment with your honey choice, from floral cultivars to richer buckwheat. Of course, many honey mustard recipes include mayonnaise. Luckily, you can easily substitute yogurt or sour cream instead.

Watch how your vegetables — like cabbage, carrots, and even fennel — come to life when you generously cover them in a dressing made from the zingy condiment. You can enjoy your upgraded coleslaw on its own, or pair it with casual bites like Philly cheesesteak-style sliders and loaded ground beef gyros to make it a more complete meal. Go wild and consider putting the salad on the inside of the wrap or buns for some extra fun. Nothing could be sweeter than using honey mustard to dress your coleslaw.