My mom handed me this recipe back in the 1970s, and it’s been a workhorse in my kitchen ever since. With just tiny tweaks, this simple, sweet and tangy dressing transforms from a beautiful poppy seed dressing into a classic vinegar slaw dressing (and can go full on German if you lean that way).

Old Fashioned Vinegar Coleslaw

Whether you’re dressing a fruit salad, tossing a batch of coleslaw, or looking for an old-fashioned dressing with real flavor, this recipe delivers. Made in minutes with pantry ingredients, it’s easy, adaptable, and so much better than bottled.

About Old Fashioned Poppy Seed or Coleslaw Dressing:

This simple, tangy dressing, whether shaken together in a jar or whipped up in a blender, morphs into three different things. Just a tiny change in the seeds used, poppy seed, celery seed, or caraway, changes everything.

The dressing can become:

• a tangy, sweet Poppy Seed Dressing for fruit salads and green salads with fruit. This recipe is exceptional, a family favorite.
• a classic American Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing, when the poppy seeds are swapped for celery seed; this is the comforting flavor in our American classic coleslaws.
• or an old-world German-style slaw dressing simply by substituting the much more strongly flavored caraway. Be careful with caraway. It is strong.

The changes don’t just alter the flavor; they change the cultural identity of the dish.

I think that’s one of the great lessons of home cooking. Our mothers and grandmothers weren’t always following recipes. They were learning patterns.

This dressing is one of those patterns. One idea, one recipe, adapted to suit the ingredients on hand, the occasion, or simply what sounded good that day.

Making Old Fashioned Poppy Seed or Coleslaw Dressing:

Blend this dressing (my preference) or shake it in a jar. The advantage of blending is a thicker emulsion that clings well and lasts for weeks in the fridge. Just remember to stir the seeds in by hand. But don’t feel limited if there’s no blender.

Mustard Powder:

This is the secret ingredient and key to the recipe. I feel like mustard powder isn’t used enough in dressings these days and has been eclipsed by Dijon. Don’t get me wrong – I love Dijon.

But mustard powder brings a clean, bright flavor that enhances other ingredients without introducing the heavier Dijon flavor. It’s essential to so many old-fashioned dressings and recipes, and, like any mustard, it helps create a beautiful emulsion.

Vinegar:

Since this is an old-fashioned recipe, I use plain old white or cider vinegar for zip and zing. I prefer white with the Poppy Seed Salad Dressing and cider with the  Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing. Nothing fancy is needed. We are not being subtle here.

How to Use This as a Coleslaw Dressing

If using this recipe as a coleslaw, you might want to browse my menu of Cabbage and Other Slaws. This Coleslaw dressing can be used for many of the slaws there. But check out my favorite items to enhance with this dressing:

• My Vinegar-based Slaw
• Red cabbage slaw
• Packaged coleslaw mixes
• Broccoli slaw
• Shaved Brussels sprouts
• Other shaved or spiralized vegetables

Vinegar-based slaw has always been my favorite kind of coleslaw, and this dressing takes on a completely different personality when made with celery seed or caraway.

When deciding between celery seed and caraway, I let the audience be my guide:

• For picnics, potlucks, tailgates, and a general crowd, I usually reach for the milder celery seed.
• For anyone with German or Eastern European roots—especially the older generation—caraway is often the clear favorite.
• Be careful with caraway, though. It can be surprisingly potent! A little goes a long way, and while some people absolutely love that old-world flavor, others may find it a bit overwhelming.

Old Fashioned Vinegar Coleslaw

How to Use This as a Poppy Seed Dressing

My daughter was crazy about poppy seed dressing when she was young. I was less enthusiastic about the additives in the bottled versions! I made up a batch of this dressing, and we never looked back.

Poppy seed dressing has a natural affinity for:

• Simple green salads
• Spring mixes
• Butter lettuce
• Spinach salads
• Salads with strawberries, blueberries, apples, or pears
• Fruit salads of almost any kind

It plays beautifully with sweet-tart fruit flavors and adds just enough tang to keep things interesting. It would be marvelous on my version of Longhorn Steakhouse’s Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad, too. Check out my menu of Salads with Fruit for more inspiration.

Longhorn Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad

Storing the Dressing:

The dressing keeps its emulsion well for weeks in the fridge if made with a blender. It will thicken just a bit, but if kept in a wide-mouth jar, a few minutes at room temperature, and a quick stir will take care of that.

Bonus: This dressing stands up so much better at outdoor events than a mayo or a buttermilk dressing. Of course, from a food safety standpoint, it is important to keep all cold food cold.

Winning at the Grocery:

The secret isn’t always where you shop, it’s when. Do take advantage of discount stores like Aldi and Lidl, and shop selectively at your buyers’ club. Shop ethnic markets if you have them and watch grocery sales. But that’s not the full picture.

Most ingredients have predictable sales cycles. Learning those patterns can make a bigger impact on your grocery budget than chasing sales and coupons alone.

I try to buy ingredients at their best value and keep enough on hand to avoid paying top price later. It’s a simple idea, but it has saved me far more than any coupon alone ever did.

Learn more in my Winning at the Grocery series. In this recipe, all the ingredients led a secret life, stored away in my pantry and spice cupboard, just waiting for their chance to shine. Not only did I save by making rather than buying the dressing, but everything purchased at a low price over time saved me even more.

The Oil:

• Use a neutral-flavored oil, anything you’re comfortable with. Vegetable oil works well, so bonus for being cheap.
• Shop well for pricier oils. Buyer’s Clubs have surprising pricing and quality. Discount stores like Aldi & Lidl have good pricing and a decent selection. At the regular grocery store, watch for sales, especially on new items. If there’s a discount tag, remove it and hand it to the clerk. They’re often missed.

Sugar:

• Basic pantry items shouldn’t be bought when needed; stock up at rock-bottom pricing.
• For larger amounts, buyer’s clubs are good. Aldi and Lidl have everyday low pricing.
• At the regular grocery, look for rock-bottom pricing from Thanksgiving through New Year and again before Easter.

Mustard & Seeds:

• If your store has cellophane bags of herbs & spices, the poppy seeds are a bargain. Put in jars and keep in the freezer.
• Markets that cater to Eastern European populations will have all of these items and at a discount.
• McCormick holds sales in the spring; they may be unadvertised, and you may see competitive pricing from the other producers as well.

Here I am, updating this post in 2026, which was first published in 2015, but has been in the family for decades. No changes have been made to the Old Fashioned Poppy Seed or Coleslaw Dressing recipe. I hope it brings as much joy to your family as it has ours.

Mollie

Old Fashioned Poppy Seed or Coleslaw Dressing

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• Author: Catherine Barlow
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: about 1 cup 1x

Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup of lemon juice (fresh is best, bottled in a pinch; see note)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (try white for poppy seed, apple cider for celery)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup light olive or canola oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon celery, poppy or caraway seeds

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Instructions

Add lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard to a blender in the order listed. Pulse and blend until smooth. (May need to stop and stir up from bottom.)

Slowly, through the top of the blender, with the blender running, drizzle in the oil and blend until emulsified.

Stir seeds in by hand. Refrigerate. The mixture will become slightly thicker when chilled. Makes about a cup.

Note: if bottled lemon is used, check to see if it needs to be mixed with water to mimic the strength of an actual lemon; it may be highly concentrated.

Note: may be mixed in a jar by adding all ingredients and vigorously shaken. Use a jar with extra room. The mixture will be thinner than when blended.