Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw

If you even slightly like the flavor of raw kale you’re going to love this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw, and this is good any time of year! And even if you’re not that big of a fan of kale, if you like sweet red cabbage I bet you’ll enjoy this kale and cabbage salad.

PIN the Kale and Cabbage Slaw to try it later!

One of the fun things about having a vegetable garden is growing plants you might not have tried, and many years ago I experimented with a type of heirloom kale called Red Russian Kale. That variety of kale is recommended for eating raw, and it was the inspiration for this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw.

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

For the new photos I just used organic kale from the grocery store for the kale, and you could even 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 think you might enjoy this salad 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 type of kale it was even thriving in the Utah heat, but apparently it’s very hardy in the cold 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, and this type of kale is sometimes grown in flower beds. From a blogger in Denmark, I learned this plant is also called Ragged Jack. And of course, the Red Russian Kale can also be cooked like other types of greens. I think Red Russian Kale would be spectacular in this kale and cabbage salad, but definitely use any type of kale you have.

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.

Can you make the kale and 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!

How low in carbs is the kale and cabbage slaw?

This tasty salad with kale and red cabbage has about 8 net carbs per serving.

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 (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 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. This will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing. That didn’t stop me from gobbling it up though!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw would be great served with Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken, Maple Glazed Salmon, or Grilled Boneless Pork Chops for a perfect low-carb meal.

More Tasty Salads Using Kale:

• Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
• Kale and Arugula Salad
• Caesar Salad with Kale, Romaine, and Shaved Parmesan

Continue to Content

Print

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!

Ingredients

• 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 will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing. That didn't stop me from gobbling it up though.

Notes

Four cups of kale is about 1 lb. kale leaves, sliced. 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. It’s also low in net carbs so it should also work for low-carb diet plans.

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 and 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 2024.

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