Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw

You’re going to love this Kale Cabbage Slaw if you even slightly like raw kale, and this is good any time of year! And even if you’re not a huge fan of kale, if you like sweet red cabbage I think you might enjoy this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw.

PIN the Kale Cabbage Slaw to try it later!

The inspiration for this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw was a type of heirloom kale called Red Russian Kale. That variety of kale is recommended for eating raw, and it was something I experimented with back in the days when I had a big vegetable garden. And trying new vegetables you’ve never had before is part of the fun of growing a garden, right?

Then I made this again to improve the photos and see if I could entice fellow kale lovers to try it! I did like the flavor of the raw kale, and I combined it with red cabbage, green onions, and a sweet-sour dressing with a touch of red chile flavor. That made a colorful coleslaw I thought was just delicious.

For the updated photos I used organic kale from the grocery store, and you could make it with baby kale if you want to skip the step of slicing up the kale! But if you like kale and cabbage I hope you enjoy this kale cabbage slaw as much as I did!

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.)

• Kale strips (use Red Russian Kale if you have it)
• red cabbage
• green onions
• mayo
• white wine vinegar (affiliate link)
• Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) 
• Celery Seed (affiliate link)
• ground Ancho chile (affiliate link), or can use any chile powder you have
• salt to taste

What is Red Russian Kale?

Red Russian Kale is a variety of kale with purplish-gray leaves. When I grew this it was thriving in the Utah heat, and it’s very hardy in the cold tolerant as well. The leaves are shaped like oak leaves, and the stems are smaller than other kale varieties. And this is a very attractive plant, as well as being tasty. This type of kale is sometimes grown in flower beds. Of course, Red Russian Kale can also be cooked like other types of greens. I thought the Red Russian Kale was spectacular in this kale and cabbage salad, but definitely use any type of kale you have.

Can you make the kale cabbage slaw with green cabbage?

Of course you can make this slaw recipe with regular green cabbage if that’s what you have. But I thought the salad was so pretty with the combination of kale and red cabbage!

Can you make this kale and cabbage salad with baby kale?

You can definitely make this slaw with baby kale, which will make it a big easier to cut up. And if you’re not a huge fan of kale, the baby kale is a bit milder and less bitter, so you might prefer that.

How low in carbs is the kale cabbage slaw?

This tasty salad with kale and red cabbage has only 8 net carbs per serving, with 4 grams of protein.

How to make Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw:

(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.)

1. If you have large kale leaves like I did, start by chopping off the thick stems.
2. Then fold each kale leaf over and cut out most of the thick rib.
3. Pile the kale leaves up and cut into thin slices, then chop.
4. I gave the kale a good wash in the salad spinner (affiliate link).
5. I use the Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to slice the red cabbage; just slice with a knife if you don’t have a mandoline.
6. Slice the green onion.
7. Whisk together mayo, white wine vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, Celery Seed, ground Ancho chile or other chile powder, and a bit of salt to make the dressing.
8. Combine kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large plastic bowl.
9. Then stir in desired amount of dressing, until all the kale and cabbage leaves are slightly coated.
10. The Kale Cabbage Slaw will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing. But that didn’t stop me from gobbling it up!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw would be great served with any of these main dishes:

• Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken
• Maple Glazed Salmon
• Grilled Boneless Pork Chops 
• Grilled Sausage and Peppers
• Sanpete County Grilled Turkey Kabobs

More Tasty Salads with Kale:

• Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
• Kale Caesar Salad (with Romaine and Shaved Parmesan)
• Kale and Arugula Salad

Continue to Content

Print

4.9 Stars (9 Reviews)

Yield: 6 servings

Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Anyone who likes the flavor of raw kale is going to love this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw! And if you have Red Russian Kale it will be spectacular in this salad, but use any type of kale you prefer.

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 4 cups sliced Kale strips (see notes)
• 4 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced (see notes)
• 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 3 T white wine vinegar
• 2 T Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1/4 tsp. Ancho Chile powder (or can use regular chile powder)
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. For baby kale or small Red Russian Kale leave, just cut off the thin stems from the young leaves, then wash the kale and dry very well.
2. If you have large kale leaves, start by chopping off the thick stems.
3. Then fold each kale leaf over and cut out most of the thick rib.
4. Pile the kale leaves up and cut into thin slices, then chop up enough to make 4 cups of chopped kale.
5. I gave the kale a good wash in the salad spinner (affiliate link), but baby kale in a package won't need to be washing.
6. I use the Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to make 4 cups sliced red cabbage; just slice with a knife if you don't have a mandoline.
7. Slice about 1/2 cup green onion.
8. Whisk together mayo, white wine vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, Celery Seed (affiliate link), ground Ancho chile (affiliate link) or other chile powder, and a bit of salt to make the tasty dressing.
9. Combine the kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large plastic bowl.
10. Then stir in desired amount of dressing, until all the kale and cabbage leaves are slightly coated with dressing. (You may not need all the dressing but it's good on many other vegetable salads!
11. This Kale Cabbage Slaw will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing.

Notes

Four cups of kale is about 1 lb. kale leaves, sliced. Use any type of Kale you have.

Four cups of red cabbage is about 1/2 large head cabbage.

I used Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) but use any sweetener you prefer.

Recipe created by Kalyn years ago when she had Red Russian Kale in her garden!

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 247Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 12mgSodium 321mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 5gSugar 5gProtein 4g

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.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Everything in this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw is a perfect low-glycemic ingredient, making this a great recipe for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The slaw has 8 net carbs per serving, so it’s okay for low-carb diet plans, but a bit high in carbs for strict Keto.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type index pages to find more 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 kale cabbage slaw recipe was first posted in 2008 when I had Red Russian Kale in my garden! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.