Summertime just got a whole lot more enjoyable with this invigorating low carb Keto Coleslaw recipe. Crunchy coleslaw with a creamy sauce crumbled bacon, lots of crispy cabbage, and only 3.5 net carbs. Take it to all your potlucks and barbecues because everyone tends to love it!
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When I was growing up, I wasn’t always the biggest fan of coleslaw. But as an adult, I have grown to love coleslaw so much. Back before I started to eat low-carb it was normal for barbecues to just have pasta salad, potato salad, and coleslaw with sugar added. I still enjoy the flavors of salads and coleslaw, but I want keto friendly low carb recipes instead of filled with sugars and other additives like many store-bought varieties.
One of the things that take my keto coleslaw to the next level is that I add bacon. I like it without, but adding a little bit of bacon seriously makes it an irresistible side dish. If you haven’t had bacon in coleslaw before, you are going to be so glad when you finally do. The combination of the crispy cabbage and bacon is delicious. It is our favorite side dish when we make Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken. It’s also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Ingredients
Cabbage - You can use shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, or a pre-shredded mix. Most pre-shredded coleslaw mixes do contain carrots so if you are very strict on a keto diet you may want to avoid those.
Mayo - Mayonaisse is a great way to add some healthy fat to creamy keto coleslaw dressing. I like to use avocado oil mayo.
Sour Cream - Sour cream is rich and creamy when added to slaws. You can sub in plain Greek yogurt if that is your preference.
Scallions - Thinly sliced green onions add a lot of flavor in cabbage slaw.
Garlic Salt - I use a simple combination of salt and garlic powder. You can also add black pepper to taste.
Bacon - I love the flavor of bacon crumbles in this salad. You can cook your own bacon until it is crisp or use 100% bacon that comes in a package.
How To Make Keto Coleslaw
You can literally throw together this gluten free low carb coleslaw recipe in under 10 minutes. How easy is that? It is one of our favorite easy keto recipes in the summer. Take a peek at these simple steps:
First Step: Combine the sour cream, mayo, and garlic salt in a medium-sized bowl to make the keto sugar free coleslaw dressing.
Expert Tip: I personally do not like vinegar in creamy salads but if you do add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in this step. I also don't add any sweetener but you can add a pinch if you like your coleslaw on the sweet side.
Second Step: Mix in the scallions and shredded cabbage.
Third Step: Lastly, add on the bacon on top and enjoy!
Expert Tip: Make sure to choose real cooked bacon and not processed bacon bits when buying prepared bacon crumbles. And then to boost the flavor microwave them for 15-30 seconds on a plate before adding to any recipe.
Variations
Seasoning - Feel free to vary the spices in this recipe. One addition we add quite often is half a teaspoon celery seed.
Common Questions
Is Coleslaw Healthy?
While I am a giant fan of the way the cole slaw tastes, additionally, I am a fan of the nutrients we get from eating it. It is a great addition to your healthy recipes for a keto low carb diet.
Cabbage has potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, folate, fiber, and vitamin B6. These are all fantastic for you and makes cabbage idea for adding to your diet.
Scallions add tons of flavor to this keto coleslaw, but they are also great for getting healthy vitamins and minerals too. You may be surprised to hear that they are a great source of copper, magnesium, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, and so much more.
Bacon surprisingly has some great nutrients too! Lots of B vitamins, selenium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and potassium. Mayonnaise and sour cream both are filled with good fats that are ideal when you eat keto.
Is coleslaw keto friendly?
Regular coleslaw is keto as long as it does not have added sugar or starchy vegetables added to it.
Can I Make Keto Coleslaw Ahead?
It is really best to mix this right before serving. What you can do it layer the dressing in the bottom of your bowl and put the cabbage on top. Then right before serving give it a stir and sprinkle on the bacon.
If you make it ahead it can get watery. This happens because cabbage is loaded with water. As it sits in the sauce or dressing, the water is pulled out of the cabbage. If the sauce you use has a lot of sugar, you will find it is even more likely to be watery. My keto coleslaw doesn’t have any added sugar, so that will help you.
Another way you can help prevent this from happening is by slicing the cabbage and sprinkling salt to it. The salt helps pull out the water in the cabbage, so you will want to keep it in a colander. It’s best to let it sit for 1-3 hours, then drain off any liquid. This isn’t a required step, but it’s helpful at preventing watery coleslaw. However, this will lead to a softer coleslaw so if you prefer your coleslaw crispy don't do this.
How Long Can Coleslaw Sit Out?
Due to the cold ingredients in the coleslaw, it should never sit out longer than 1-2 hours. If it does sit out for longer, it needs to be thrown away. There will be bacteria that grow after two hours, and you are likely to become sick.
If you are taking it to a dinner party or somewhere that it’s not going to be refrigerated, it’s best if you keep it on ice. We will place a bowl with ice on the bottom and the bowl with the coleslaw on top. This will keep it chilled, and it can sit out for longer. Just be sure to stir it and add more ice as needed to keep it properly cold.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 small head of cabbage, very finely shredded about 20 oz (or 2 bags coleslaw mix)
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- ½ cup crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Mix together the first 3 ingredients.
- Add the vegetables and toss until covered.
- Sprinkle the bacon on top.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love this keto coleslaw, be sure to try out some of my other tasty side dishes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Southwest Cauliflower Salad
- Zucchini Salad with Lemon & Feta
- Roasted Cabbage Steaks With Balsamic
- Kohlrabi Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
- Keto Broccoli Slaw
Originally Published July 2, 2020. Revised and Republished April 13, 2023.
Renee says
As a southern girl, I will admit, I was a bit skeptical. But bacon makes everything better so I thought, "WHY NOT?!". It's quite a departure from what I'm accustomed to but it was delicious! Will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing such a great take on a classic.
wilhelmina says
This is a fabulous side dish for summer! It paired perfectly with grilled chicken we made!
Michelle says
This is a really good, savory slaw! Everybody liked it!