Spicy Lime Coleslaw
Spicy Lime Coleslaw is a perfect side dish and everyone who likes cabbage salad with a touch of lime will love this coleslaw recipe! I do like the lime coleslaw best when it’s made with freshly chopped cabbage, but you can make it with packaged coleslaw mix if you’re rushed for time.
PIN the spicy lime coleslaw to try it later!
Spicy Lime Coleslaw had it’s fifteen minutes of fame a few years ago when people on social media started telling me that famous lecturer and author Brené Brown had given a shout-out to me and this recipe in one of her podcasts. That was fun, and the lime coleslaw recipe is easy and tasty, but it almost didn’t make an appearance on the blog!
Years ago I made the recipe just for myself at least three times before it occurred to me it might be a recipe people would like to see here. I first made it as a variation of Spicy Mexican Slaw on a day when I didn’t have cilantro. Another time I tried adding a few carrots, and when I loved this combination with the carrots so much and realized I didn’t miss the cilantro, that’s when I decided I had to post the recipe!
Since then I sometimes keep the mixture of chopped cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a container in the fridge with a jar of the spicy dressing mixed up, and I just mix up up a bowlful when I get a craving for that spicy lime flavor! I know there are some people who don’t like cilantro, so Spicy Lime Coleslaw will be a winner if you’re one of those cilantro-averse people, but everyone who likes cabbage, mayo, and lime is probably going to like this salad!
What ingredients do you need?
(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.)
- green cabbage
- red cabbage
- grated or shredded carrots (optional, but good)
- sliced green onion
- mayo (see notes)
- fresh squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), or use other hot sauce of your choice
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
How spicy is the Lime Coleslaw?
It’s the Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) that gives the spicy flavor to this lime coleslaw recipe, so if you don’t know how spicy you want it, just start with a small amount of that in the dressing, taste, and add more if you like.
How to keep lime juice on hand to make lime coleslaw:
One of my best cooking tips ever is to squeeze the juice from fresh limes and lemons and freezer it. And that fresh-frozen lime juice is what I always use for this recipe.
Will lime coleslaw Keep in the Fridge?
This is a perfect recipe to chop up the cabbage, carrots, and green onions on the weekend and keep a container of it in the fridge, but don’t mix on the spicy mayo dressing until just before you serve it or the red cabbage will make the whole salad turn pink. If I was making this ahead for lunches, I’d have a container of the cabbage mixture in the fridge with separate containers of dressing to mix in right when I ate the salad.
How low in carbs is the Spicy Lime Coleslaw?
This flavorful coleslaw recipe with the small amount of carrots I used and a spicy mayo lime dressing has only 6 net carbs per serving.
How to Make Spicy Lime Coleslaw:
(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.)
- I do prefer this salad with freshly chopped cabbage, but you can also use packaged coleslaw mix if that’s what works for you!
- Finely slice and then coarsely chop 1/2 head green cabbage (about 4 cups green cabbage.) I used a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) with the 3mm blade, but you can slice with a big knife if you don’t have a mandoline.
- Finely slice and then coarsely chop 1/2 head red cabbage (about 2 cups red cabbage.)
- Grate 1/2 cup carrots (or use pre-shredded carrots like I did and give them a few chops.) Omit carrots and use a bit more cabbage if you want less carbs.
- Slice 1/2 cup green onion.
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or other hot sauce of your choice.
- Right before you’re going to serve the lime coleslaw, stir in the dressing and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Enjoy!
- If this makes more than you’ll eat right away I would only add dressing to the part you’re eating and store the chopped cabbage and dressing separately to enjoy another time.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Spicy Lime Coleslaw would be a tasty side dish to serve with one of these low-carb main dishes:
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
- Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
- Spice Rubbed Salmon Roasted in Olive Oil
- Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs
- Baked Chicken Nuggets
Weekend Food Prep:
This lime coleslaw recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Spicy Lime Coleslaw
Spicy Lime Coleslaw is so easy and interesting for a low-carb side dish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 cup grated or shredded carrots, lightly chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 4 T mayo (see notes)
- 3 T fresh squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- 1 tsp green Tabasco sauce (or use other hot sauce of your choice)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice and then chop the 1/2 head of green cabbage and the 1/2 head of red cabbage and place in bowl.
- Grate and chop the carrots (or use matchstick carrots like I did and coarsely chop them.)
- Slice green onions and put carrots and green onions in the bowl with cabbage.
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link). Taste the dressing to see if you want it a bit more sour or spicy.
- Salad can be prepared to this point and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. (It will keep in the fridge for a few days if it’s in a sealed container or bag with the dressing in a separate container.)
- Just before serving, mix desired amount of dressing into the cabbage mixture, season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.
Notes
I used almost 4 cups green cabbage and about 2 cups red cabbage. I like matchstick carrots in a bag, which are a bit thicker than grated carrots, or omit carrots and use a bit more cabbage if you prefer. Use light or regular mayo, or a combination, whichever you prefer. I used my frozen fresh lime juice.
This recipe can easily be doubled and was adapted from Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro that was originally found in Fine Cooking Annual 2008.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 132Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 6mgSodium 297mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 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 has only 6 net carbs per serving, but if you’re making the this coleslaw for a strict low-carb or Keto diet, you could omit carrots. Spicy Lime Coleslaw made with carrots would work for carb-conscious diets or for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach Recommends light mayo, but other low-carb plans will prefer full-fat mayo!
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo 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 lime coleslaw recipe was first posted in 2011. It was updated with better photos in 2020 and was last updated with more information in 2025.
25 Comments on “Spicy Lime Coleslaw”
Loved this. Really fresh tasting. It’s great as is, but I added a bit more lime and liked it even better.
Glad you enjoyed it! And I am always up for more lime.
Give it a try!
What are the amounts of mayo and light mayo that you mention for the dressing. I don’t see the measurement for light mayo. I’m confused! Thanks!
Oops, that is an editing mistake, sorry about that. I used to specify half light and half regular mayo, but now I put this down in the notes: Use light or regular mayo, or a combination, whichever you prefer.” The total amount of mayo is 4 T, no matter which kind you use.
I will fix the error!
Kristine, I'm a big cabbage fan too. Glad you enjoyed this!
I could eat cabbage every day of my life so I'm always looking for new slaw recipes. I made this one last night for some girlfriends and it was delicious! Super simple too. Thanks for posting 🙂
Rich, the thought of that is making me hungry!
As a Texan, I had never eaten pork barbecue sandwiches with coleslaw until a couple of years ago, and have loved them since (not as much as brisket, of course). This looks absolutely perfect for my next endeavor!
TW, I really *love* the lime in this!
Wow – love the idea of lime as a way to really juice up spicy slaw!
Karina, I just love cilantro in anything, so I was a little surprised at how I liked this salad just as much as the one with cilantro.
Jeanette, I would love this on fish tacos, great idea.
This would go great on fish tacos! Thanks for sharing your recipe and all the others.
Like you, I'm a cilantro lover. Especially with lime. It's such a refreshing flavor combo. This slaw looks delicious!
Marianne, I think this would be yummy with enchiladas!
I make something just like this to go with chicken enchiladas, which, imho, pair much better with a slaw than with mountains of beans and rice.
CJ, me too! I am such a cabbage freak. Thank goodness it's such a healthful veggie.
Mmmm!
I make a slaw similar to your, but without the mayo. It's excellent on tacos.
I'm going to have to give the mayo version a spin. Looks delicious and I have lots of cabbage.
(p.s.– I love slaws.)
Oh dear, I really have no idea where I got that plate. I have so many plates and bowls that I buy at thrift stores and discount kitchen stores for shooting photos that I can't remember where this one came from, sorry.
i get the focus of the post is your slaw but i really love the brown plate you have it on in the pic. where did you get those?
Susan, I love the sound of that!
Alyssa, I definitely don't have the anti-cilantro gene either! Love it. Good luck with phase one. I need to do it myself again soon, just to lose a few pounds before the holidays.
My husband is a great lover of coleslaw. I am too, although raw cabbage is not always a great lover of me. I the people breathing the air around me. Sad but true.
Some things are just worth the sacrifice though.
I definitely do NOT have the anti-cilantro gene. I could eat full salads of it.
Though I've never tried.
I'm going back on phase one this week and wanted to thank you so much for the inspiration. I'm making your West African Chicken and Peanut Stew and I CAN'T wait!
Love this slaw! I can definitely see some sitting on on top of a Cuban pulled pork sandwich! Mmmm!
Lael, you're welcome. I do realize that the anti-cilantro thing is not just something where you get over it! I've even heard it's a genetic trait to have the anti-cilantro gene. So if you don't like cilantro, this salad is for you.
Giuliano loves coleslaw and I'm always meaning to get around to making it! Thank you for the inspiration. This looks like the perfect picnic recipe. Also, as for one to whom cilantro tastes like soap, thank you. I keep trying to like it, but it doesn't like me.