Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe
Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe is the perfect low-carb side dish for any kind of protein; if you like coleslaw you’ll make this over and over! And in my huge extended family where most people don’t care about carbs, everyone will gobble up this Keto Coleslaw and never suspect it’s low in carbs!
PIN Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe to make it later!
Today I’m reminding you about Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe, which I think is a perfect low-carb side dish when you want a salad with a little crunch! This is a favorite salad I’ve made over and over.
Of course, it’s probably not hard to figure out that I love salads with cabbage, and there are lots of interesting cabbage slaw recipes on the blog. But I confess I absolutely love coleslaw, just the basic sweet-sour stuff you make with the already-shredded mix from the grocery store. I think it’s a perfect easy side dish to have with any protein main dish.
So many years ago I created this Keto Coleslaw Recipe, and when I served it to my extended family of absolutely not-low-carb eaters, several people commented that it was the best coleslaw they’d ever had!
If you like coleslaw at all I hope you’ll try my Keto Coleslaw and see what you think! And if you like this recipe like my family does, you may end up keeping a package of coleslaw mix and a jar of this dressing in the fridge at all times so you can make this in a flash!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- coleslaw mix
- red cabbage
- green onion
- buttermilk
- milk (or use all buttermilk for a little more tang)
- mayo
- White Wine Vinegar (affiliate link)
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice; I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Onion Powder (affiliate link)
- Celery Seed (affiliate link)
- Vege-Sal (affiliate link) (or use slightly less salt (see notes)
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
What is the must-have ingredient for this Keto Coleslaw Recipe?
Coleslaw is definitely a salad that can be made to taste, and you might prefer this coleslaw with less white wine vinegar or lemon juice or not want to bother with adding red cabbage. But the MUST HAVE ingredient for this recipe is Celery Seed (affiliate link)! That’s something I learned to love from my mother, and it’s adds such a nice touch of savory flavor to cabbage salads.
How long will the dressing for Keto Coleslaw keep in the fridge?
This dressing will keep in the fridge for a week or probably even two, and if you don’t like a lot of dressing on your salads I’m giving you a recipe for enough dressing for two bags of coleslaw mix. Make the full amount of dressing, and you can make a big bowl of low-carb coleslaw for a party or have coleslaw again in a few days!
How low in carbs is this Keto Coleslaw Recipe?
My favorite coleslaw recipe only has 6 net carbs per serving.
Want more salads with Cabbage?
If you’re a huge cabbage fan like I am, be sure to check out my great collection of Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Salads!
How to make Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Mix together buttermilk, milk (or more buttermilk), mayo, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, onion powder, celery seed, Vege-Sal (or salt), and sweetener of your choice.
- Chop up red cabbage and thinly slice green onions.
- Combine coleslaw mix, chopped cabbage, and sliced green onion, and then stir in desired amount of dressing.
- Season the Keto Coleslaw with a little more salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. That’s all there is to it!
- If you want to make this for Weekend Food Prep, chop all the ingredients and make the dressing, then store separately and assemble the salad the day you’re going to eat it.
- This is best the day it’s made, but that doesn’t stop me from gobbling up leftovers the next day whenever I have some in the fridge.
More Favorite Coleslaw Recipes:
- Spicy Mexican Slaw
- Blue Cheese Coleslaw
- Spicy Cilantro-Peanut Slaw
- Spicy Lime Coleslaw
- Crunchy Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw
Weekend Food Prep:
This Keto Coleslaw Recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Kalyn's Keto Coleslaw Recipe
I’m crazy about any kind of salad that features cabbage, but Kalyn's Keto Coleslaw Recipe is a favorite cabbage salad I make over and over. And in my family everyone loves this coleslaw, even the ones who don't care at all about carbs.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 14 oz. pkg. coleslaw mix (see notes)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red cabbage
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
Dressing Ingredients (see notes)
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk (or use all buttermilk for a little more tang)
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- 1/4 tsp. Veg-Sal (or use slightly less salt (see notes)
- 1/3 cup sweetener, or use a bit more or less, to taste. (see notes)
Instructions
- Combine dressing ingredients. I did in a bowl with a wire whisk.
- If you’re not sure how sweet you like your coleslaw, mix the dressing with slightly less sweetener and then taste and decide whether you want to use the full amount.
- At least 2 hours before serving, combine coleslaw mix, chopped red cabbage, and thinly sliced green onion. Pour enough dressing over to moisten all the cabbage and combine well.
- Chill in refrigerator, then stir again just before serving. (You may need less than 1/2 the dressing for one bag of coleslaw mix. Keep the rest in the refrigerator for another time.)
Notes
Instead of coleslaw mix you can use 6-8 cups thinly sliced and chopped green cabbage For the lowest carb version use sliced and chopped fresh cabbage since coleslaw mix has a tiny amount of carrots.
You may not want all the dressing in this recipe; use more or less dressing to taste.
I am a huge fan of Vege-Sal (affiliate link), which adds a bit more flavor than traditional salt. I would use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), but use any low-carb sweetener you prefer, or use sugar if you don’t care if the coleslaw is low in carbs. You can add some of the sweetener and then keep tasting until it seems right to you if you're not sure how sweet you like it.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 287Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 4.5gUnsaturated Fat 22.3gCholesterol 17mgSodium 266mgCarbohydrates 7.7gFiber 1.7gSugar 4.6gProtein 2.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw should be great for any low-carb or Keto eating plan. The original South Beach Diet would recommend using reduced-fat mayo but truthfully I’d use full-fat mayo, and I still wouldn’t worry about eating this for any phase of the South Beach Diet (even with the teeny-tiny bit of carrots in the coleslaw mix.) Use whichever you prefer of course.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Keto Coleslaw Recipe was first posted in 2006, and that’s how long I’ve been making it for my family! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
16 Comments on “Kalyn’s Keto Coleslaw Recipe”
Hi there…. wondering if you can substitute the buttermilk for anything else?… Â thanks.
Susan
I haven’t made it with anything else and nothing is coming to mind. It might work fine with all milk if you want to try it, but as I said I haven’t tried it that way.
This looks wonderful! I love coleslaw. Using buttermilk in the dressing is a fantastic idea.
Thanks Maya; I am a huge buttermilk fan!
Hi Kaylyn….This is superb, one of the best slaw dressings I have ever had. Like you, I am a cabbage freak and actually rate restaurants (for me) as to how good their coleslaw was. I love your site and have compiled a notebook of my favorites. Thanks for your excellent work….Dennis
Thanks for the nice thoughts Dennis; so glad to hear you have enjoyed it! And I love to hear from a fellow cabbage freak!
Cookiecrumb, when Rand and I were growing up, KFC was considered fine cuisine.
Paz, you will love the Vege-sal.
Christine and Sher, I hope you likeit.
Anna, love the idea of the wasabi paste. I love wasabi.
Have you tried that same recipe with wasabi? I have a similar recipe (it’s the KFC copycat, actually), but I add wasabi paste…..a lot. It is so good.
I grew up eating coleslaw and love it. This looks like a very good version.
Ooooooh! I love coleslaw and this sounds wonderful. I’ll make it this weekend. Thanks Kalyn.
Nice recipe. I’ve never heard of veg sal. I’m going to look for it.
Paz
(I’m gathering that Rand has dined at KFC. Heh.)
Oh, I’m so in the mood for coleslaw. So here I am eating locally for the month of May. I had to make my own mayonnaise for last week’s coleslaw to keep it legal!
Gabriella, rice vinegar sounds good.
Rand, Better than KFC, especially if you put extra carrot and red cabbage.
Is this as good as KFC’s? Not that I’ve ever had KFC’s or anything 🙂
oh, I forgot to add, I use Rice Wine Vinegar in mine. Delicious. Try it sometime. I am definitely going to try some buttermilk in mine.
Oh, I have a buttermilk chicken recipe. Let me find it.
I have never put buttermilk in mine but that sounds good.
Splenda! I am TOTALLY going to try that in my next batch.