This Low Carb Keto Coleslaw recipe is seriously the BEST! A delicious balance of crunchy and creamy with a surprising ingredient - dill pickles and bacon! So good! Easy to make and the perfect salad recipe for your next weeknight dinner, cookout, or BBQ. 🙂
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Watch: Low Carb Cole Slaw
Got more easy salads for you! Be sure to try my Italian Pasta Salad that can be made with pasta or without, this Layered Salad is a super easy make-ahead dish, and Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is the easiest of all! 🙂
Why you'll love Keto Slaw
"This is essentially the red cabbage slaw recipe my Grandma used to make but to make it keto I removed the apples and added dill pickles and bacon for a crunchy dill twist." -Kori
It's Tasty. This is by far my favorite coleslaw. It's the right balance between salt and sweet, soft and crunchy. The bacon and pickles just add the little extra oomph. It is so good that no one will know it's healthy. I mean it. No one.
So Healthy! This coleslaw is gluten-free, low carb, keto, and has no added sugar.
- There are 4 grams of sugar and it comes from the red cabbage. Red cabbage is sweeter than green cabbage. If this is a concern then feel free to use all green cabbage instead.
- With 13.2 grams of fat, 1.3 grams of protein, and 5.6 net carbs, this is a great keto coleslaw recipe option!
Keto Coleslaw ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this keto coleslaw:
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Keto Coleslaw Dressing
- Mayonnaise - I used an avocado oil mayo (for test purposes I used Sir Kensington Avocado Oil Mayo), but you can use your favorite as long as it's keto!
- Sugar Substitute - for this coleslaw I just used Swerve but any 1:1 sugar substitute will be fine!
- Cider Vinegar
- Pickle Juice
- Dijon Mustard
Coleslaw
- Cabbage - I used both red and green cabbage because it makes the salad so beautiful. If you're short on time you could use a pre-cut coleslaw mix.
- Bacon - use your favorite brand of bacon, make sure it's sugar-free. You could also use pre-cook bacon and crumble it.
- Celery
- Dill Pickles - use any favorite brand of dill pickles. 🙂
- Salt and Pepper - adjust this seasoning at the end.
Hint: Since this recipe doesn't use a whole head of cabbage, see "More Cabbage Recipes" below - I listed six more terrific recipes you can make with the extra! 🙂
How to make Low Carb Cole Slaw
This low carb coleslaw recipe is definitely not hard to make! Here's how to make this dill pickle version:
Prep
Cook and crumble your bacon.
Thinly slice cabbage or use a food processor or knife.
Dice celery and dill pickles.
Make Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Swerve, cider vinegar, pickle juice, and dijon mustard.
Toss Coleslaw
Add all cabbage, celery, pickles, and bacon to a large bowl.
Pour dressing over coleslaw salad and toss until well combined.
Refrigerate
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour up to 8 hours before serving.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to serve Low Carb Coleslaw
So, what goes with coleslaw?
Always a hit at barbecues or cookouts, just about everything goes well with coleslaw. Food that is grilled or has a smoky flavor pairs really well with it. Here are just a few more ideas:
Make Peanut Butter Burgers with Sweet Pepper Jelly then serve this coleslaw on the side!
Serve keto sloppy joes or pulled pork on chaffles and then top with coleslaw.
Slaw make a great side dish to grilled ribeye steaks and my baby back ribs recipe - both of these recipes have been super popular on my site too!
Keto Coleslaw variations
Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to this recipe:
- Make it a broccoli slaw by substituting broccoli instead of cabbage. You can use either the shredded broccoli slaw mix or use bite-size florets.
- Add 1 or 2 grated carrots for more color. It will add a slight amount of carbs but it makes it colorful and pretty! Carrots are also healthy!
- Add 2 tablespoons of green onion if you like.
- Add 1 tart apple diced (Granny Smith is my favorite) (apples are not keto).
- If you don't like dill pickles and pickle juice just replace the 1 tablespoon of pickle juice with apple cider vinegar.
- Substitute yellow mustard for dijon mustard (or other favorite mustard).
- If you can't get enough dill, dice up some fresh dill or add dried to taste.
How to store Keto Coleslaw
Store leftover coleslaw in an airtight container up to 24 hours. The longer the coleslaw keeps the soggier it will get. It is best to prepare only the amount you plan to eat.
Keto Coleslaw Recipe top tips
- Don't add salt or pepper until you mix all ingredients together. Bacon, mayonnaise, and pickles can all have varying amounts of salt so you'll need to adjust the salt and pepper accordingly. In fact, wait until you get ready to serve to taste it. The flavors blend after a while. Many times I never add salt.
- Make-ahead tip: dressing can be made ahead of time, bacon cooked in advance, and all vegetables chopped or shredded.
- Time-saving tip: use a food processor to cut that cabbage in a hurry! Or, use pre-cut-up cabbage and cooked bacon crumbles.
- Adjust any of the flavors and seasoning to your taste.
Keto Cole Slaw FAQs
Yes, you can eat dill pickles on keto. Pickles have .8 grams carbohydrates, .3 grams fiber, and .5 net carbs. For more information on what you can eat on keto please read Printable Keto Food List PDF
Yes, cabbage is good for you! It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are especially good for you. It contains over half your recommended daily allowance of vitamin K and vitamin C and is full of insoluble fiber.
With all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber - cabbage not only helps with digestion but it may even help lower your risk of certain diseases and reduce inflammation.
I love eating cabbage and coming up with ways to make it taste even better, but I am definitely not a doctor nor a cabbage expert. 🙂
For more information please see Health Benefits of Cabbage and 9 Reasons You Should Eat Cabbage.
Coleslaw does have some carb, yes. The amount of carbs in coleslaw will vary depending on the recipe you use. This recipe has 7.2 grams carbs, 1.6 grams fiber, and 5.6 net carbs.
Yes! Absolutely. Cabbage is keto friendly and also has the benefit of being low in calories! Enjoy it raw or cooked. 2 cups of cooked cabbage contains only 4 carbs.
More Recipes
- Thai Peanut Salad Recipe (Low Carb Keto Salad)
- Italian Antipasto Salad Recipe
- Grilled Shrimp Salad Recipe (Shrimp Louie Salad)
- Air Fryer Cabbage
- Roasted Red Cabbage Recipe
- Italian Roasted Cabbage Slices (Keto Cabbage Recipe)
- Sweet & Tangy Pickled Red Cabbage
- Best Pickled Red Onions Recipe
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad - use cauliflower in place of pasta.
- Fridge Pickles
Dill Pickle Keto Cole Slaw
Ingredients
Keto Coleslaw Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise we used Sir Kensington Avocado Oil Mayo
- 1 tablespoon Swerve sugar substitute Or regular sugar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Coleslaw
- 8 ounces red cabbage thinly sliced/shredded
- 8 ounces green cabbage thinly sliced/shredded
- 9 bacon slices cooked and crumbled
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ⅓ cup dill pickles chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the coleslaw dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl add cabbage, celery, and pickles.
- Add dressing to coleslaw salad. Add bacon. Toss all ingredients until well incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour up to 8 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper (if needed).
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
© 2023 Seeking Good Eats™
Jane says
Love love love this recipe! I made it for a family reunion potluck and ate a lot of it myself (against my husband’s theory that you shouldn’t eat what you bring to a potluck, you should be trying other people’s stuff).
seekinggoodeats says
Thank you Jane, I'm so glad you loved it! It is the perfect thing to take to a potluck!
Gabby says
Quick question: what is the serving size?
seekinggoodeats says
Hello, approximately 1/2 cup give or take. Enjoy!
Tina says
This recipe was amazing. Tangy and crunchy and its so lovely to look at it could have been my table centerpiece. Thank you for sharing.
LOVE your website!! Not overrun and bombarded with tons of advertisements and videos.
seekinggoodeats says
Thank you!! So glad you loved the recipe and the site! 🙂
Shelley Wilson says
I'm going to try this recipe on the weekend! FYI, in the article, the recipe is listed twice, but in the first (blog) copy, the green cabbage is omitted. I had me really confused the first couple of times I looked at it, because I'd come back and look at ingredients and they were different than what I just saw! LOL. Thought you'd want to know 🙂
seekinggoodeats says
Yes, thank you for catching that!! I was in reviewing the recipe and must have deleted something on accident! 🙂 Thanks again...hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
M. Costello says
So glad I came across this recipe! I was getting tired of broccoli salad. Side dishes are limited when you're trying to stick to keto. I've already made this dish 3 times this summer. Thank you!
Debbie says
Wow. I don't normally like coleslaw but wanted to try a different version. Just Wow. This coleslaw is so crazy good! SO crazy good. I will definitely be making it again. And again. I did leave out the sugar because I don't have a sweet tooth. But it didn't need it. It was amazing.
Kori says
Yay! I'm so glad you gave it a try - even if you didn't like coleslaw. I'm even happier you LOVED it!! 🙂 I originally made this coleslaw with my boys in mind to get them to eat more veggies. The dill pickles and bacon worked. lol!
Kathy g says
This was everything I had hoped it would be!! The flavor and crunch were so satisfying!! Love this! GREAT RECIPE!!
Kori says
Awwww! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you loved this slaw. It's about the only coleslaw I make now. The pickle and bacon are addicting. LOL 🙂