Crunchy, creamy, and cool, coleslaw is the perfect Summertime side for potlucks, picnics and barbecues. This 5-ingredient recipe is a snap to make. A hint of sesame oil gives it a unique sweet-smoky flavor your friends and family will love.
Summertime barbecues and coleslaw are a match made in heaven. They go together like pulled pork and well… coleslaw! So creamy and crunchy it’s the perfect side to serve with barbecue chicken, pork and brisket. Try it with juicy keto ribs, smoked beer can chicken, and baked cinnamon chicken.
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Is Coleslaw Keto?
Although coleslaw is made of cabbage, a great low carb vegetable, not all coleslaw is low carb or keto friendly. Most commercially made coleslaw and homemade coleslaw recipes contain a lot of sugar.
My low carb coleslaw recipe replaces sugar with a sugar free alternative. The result? A lightly sweet healthy coleslaw I know you’ll love.
It’s Easy to Make Coleslaw Sugar Free
The appeal of a good coleslaw recipe is the interplay of crunchy and creamy textures with sweet and tangy flavors.
This healthy coleslaw recipe has only 5 ingredients so it not only tastes great, but it’s super easy to make. Choose a good mayonnaise, one without added sugar, and your favorite keto sweetener to make the sugar free coleslaw dressing.
White vinegar has a clean taste which is why I use it over cider vinegar and red wine vinegar in this recipe. Sesame oil is my secret weapon and makes it extra special.
NOTE: You can make your own keto mayo with 1 large egg and 1 cup of light olive oil or avocado oil, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar. Add additional seasoning per your taste. OR choose a good sugar free brand like Chosen Foods Keto Mayo, which I found at Costco.
How to Make Keto Coleslaw
This keto coleslaw is a snap to make. Just add the mayonnaise, sugar free sweetener, sesame oil, and white vinegar to a bowl and give it a good whisk. Then pour it over the shredded cabbage and mix. That’s it! Serve this delicious low carb side at picnics or potlucks and watch it disappear.
To make coleslaw ahead of time, mix the dressing ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Coleslaw is best if mixed just before serving or a few hours ahead of serving. It gets a little soggy after a few days in the fridge.
This coleslaw recipe is delicious as is, but experiment with its texture, flavor and color by adding:
- Purple cabbage
- Red onion
- Scallions
- Diced green apple
- Radishes
- Jicama
- Shredded carrots
If you decide to add any extra vegetables, I recommend grating or shredding them so their consistency matches the shredded cabbage base.
Additional Ideas for Keto Coleslaw
- Ranch Coleslaw – ¾ cup good ranch dressing and ¼ cup sour cream
- Blue Cheese Coleslaw – ¾ cup blue cheese dressing and ¼ cup sour cream
- Oil and Vinegar Coleslaw – ½ cup of your favorite Italian oil and vinegar dressing
- Coleslaw with Warm Bacon Fat Dressing (use the dressing in this recipe)
Keto Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 10 oz Bag Angel Hair Coleslaw (or finely shredded green cabbage)
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sugar-free powdered sugar (Sukrin Melis, Swerve, Lakanto, Besti)
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Mix the dressing together. Taste to adjust flavors per you.
- Add 3/4 of the dressing to the angel hair slaw and toss. Add more as needed. Best if eaten within a few hours.
- To Make Ahead: Mix the dressing, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Dress the cabbage just before serving.
- Serves 6 people at 1.68 g NET CARBS per serving.
quit using “keto” as your catch phrase. 1/4 cup of artificial sweetener as a substitute for sugar is not keto. Artificial sweeteners often produce insulin responses the same way sugar does. keto is a life style, not an excuse to modify foods to mimic a “diet style”.
Hi friend. The word keto actually refers to a metabolic state in which the body burns fat for fuel in the absence of sufficient carbs to burn glucose/glycogen. Most of the recipes I share are under 10 grams of carbs per serving and are absolutely suitable for those following a ketogenic diet. Whether or not one wants to use any sweeteners is a personal choice. It’s my opinion that one should choose to plan for sweeteners instead of using them all day every day. They make life sweeter. Many people find more success on eating plans that allow for some sweet indulgences than those that don’t. And, with sweeteners like erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit, they can indulge without actually having sugar coursing through their bodies. I’m sure the insulin response is much less than ingesting the actual amount of real sugar.
Yes, I read in Gary Taub’s book Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It, that artificial sweeteners have been shown to elicit an insulin response. Incidentally, so does thinking about sweet things. But, I’m certainly not going to go around trying to police people’s thoughts and tell them that they aren’t keto because their thoughts may be bringing about an insulin response.
Thanks for your thoughts. -Kim
This is Thee most amazing coleslaw dressing on the planet!
I used to use Greek yogurt dressing and it was so bland and just tasted like Greek yogurt. This has the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Thank you so much! I am eating coleslaw every week now.
I’m glad you like the dressing, Rosemary. When I’m out of salad dressing, I whip this up to dress our dinner salads. It really helps in a pinch! Have a nice day. -Kim
Delicious! The perfect addition to our smoked BBQ pork. The sesame oil added a little smoky-sweet flavor that I really liked.
This was a great slaw to go with the pulled pork we made over the weekend. Really good. I highly recommend.
Easy. Quick. Delicious.
I want to put this dressing on everything! Sesame oil… Who knew?
Proper coleslaw is made with cider vinegar and NO sweetener! Kidding aside, the adding of sweetener to everything is one of the reasons so many people struggle with addictions to sugar. Why does everything have to be sweetened?
I get you, Janice. I admit that I prefer a lightly sweetened coleslaw over unsweetened. That’s because to me, mayonnaise tastes like “dirt”! I’m not kidding. Adding the white vinegar (or even a rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar) and a little sweetener gives the coleslaw a slightly sweet-sour flavor that knocks-out the “dirt” taste I so dislike. Sure, apple cider vinegar may be classic, but I share recipes made how I like them. Everyone’s taste buds are different and I usually include ideas on how to make a recipe one’s own by varying ingredients. Thanks for your comment. -Kim
I know, Kim, I was mostly kidding. I’m glad you share variations, we don’t all have to like the same things made the same way. I appreciate your site, it has provided me with many good ideas.
Agreed in the mayo … I use ranch instead & love it for this recipe!
Great low carb,dressing for slaw!