Prepare for a flavourful fiesta with this delicious recipe for Low-Carb Mexican Coleslaw! Served with a zesty lime dressing and lime wedges.
When it's Mexican night at your house, you can enjoy this coleslaw with Mexican burgers, burrito bowls, or keto tortillas.

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Is coleslaw keto?
Coleslaw can be keto as long as you avoid high-carb vegetables and store-bought dressings that have added sugar. Always read the nutrition labels.
Coleslaw is usually made with shredded white cabbage, green cabbage, purple cabbage, and occasionally shredded carrots. However, if you are on a low-carb diet or keto diet, you will want to avoid the carrots to make sure your coleslaw is as low carb as it can be.
Just a little carrot is in the recipe as an optional extra. I like to add a few to make it a colourful salad. it depends on how strict you have to be with your carb restriction on your low-carb diet or keto diet.
Keto Mexican Coleslaw
Coleslaw has always been eaten as a side dish for chicken, beef, pork, salmon, and other varieties of meats served at summer BBQs. In different countries across the world, people have taken this simple healthy shredded cabbage dish and made it unique to their tastes.
Now, you can make a bowl of shredded vegetable coleslaw extra special with my spicy Mexican twist! Onions and lime with some Mexican-inspired herbs.
It's perfect to be served alongside a Mexican chicken burger, chicken burrito bowl, or as a side dish for copycat taco bell burritos.
Ingredients
All quantities, ingredients, and instructions are in the recipe card below.
This is the basic recipe for a low-carb Mexican coleslaw, but you can add your favourite vegetables to make it exactly how you prefer. However, you will need to recalculate the nutrition panel so you know exactly how many net g carbs, g protein, and g fat are in your homemade recipe.
- Shredded white cabbage
- Shredded red cabbage
- Carrot (optional)
Lime Dressing
- Lime juice - fresh lime zest and fresh lime juice are the best. If you can only find bottled lime juice, that will work but it won't have the authentic lime taste.
- Ground cumin.
- Fresh coriander (fresh cilantro) - omit if you're one of my readers who tell me cilantro tastes like soap!
- Olive oil - or avocado oil, macadamia oil, or extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt/pepper - add seasoning to taste
- Sliced red onions - or sliced green onions, spring onions.
Instructions
Mexican Coleslaw
In a large mixing bowl mix the onion (shown below is sliced red onion but you can use sliced green onion/spring onion to reduce the carbs.
Using a food processor and the shredding/grating blade, shred the cabbage and carrots (optional). Place in a large serving dish and mix.
Lime Dressing
Place all the delicious fresh ingredients for the lime dressing in a small mixing bowl as shown. Whisk with a fork and pour over the Mexican coleslaw. Gently stir to combine.
Allow the Mexican coleslaw to marinate in the lime dressing and fresh herbs for an hour in the fridge. This is not essential if you are short of time, but it does make the most wonderful zesty tasty delicious meal.
Serving
Coleslaw can seem a bit boring when you’ve only ever made it the traditional way. But with this recipe for Mexican salad, your family will look forward to having fresh crunchy coleslaw often in your meal plan and meal prep rotation.
It's best to serve it as a keto veggie side dish with main dishes such as keto steak fajitas (sheet pan fajitas), Mexican chicken burgers, fat head nachos, and inside my keto tortillas.
Mexican chicken burgers Fat Head nachos Libby's keto tortillas
📖 Recipe
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Low-Carb Mexican Coleslaw Recipe (lime dressing)
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
Mexican Coleslaw
- 400 g (0.9 lb) white cabbage
- 400 g (0.9 lb) red cabbage
- 2 carrots (optional)
Lime Dressing
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon fresh coriander/cilantro
- 60 ml (0.25 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- +/- +/- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 spring onion/scallion sliced
Equipment
Instructions
Mexican Coleslaw
- Using a food processor and the shredding/grating blade, shred the cabbage and carrots (optional). Place in a large serving dish.
Lime Dressing
- Place all the ingredients for the lime dressing in a bowl as shown. Whisk with a fork and pour over the Mexican coleslaw. Gently stir to combine.
Notes
5-INGREDIENTS COOKBOOK
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YOUR HOLIDAY PANTRY & GIFT GUIDES
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Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.
More low-carb salad recipes
You won't be surprised when your delicious Mexican coleslaw is the first thing that runs out on the BBQ buffet table! Good thing it’s super easy to make.
Some other popular salad recipes are the famous homemade keto Big Mac salad, crack slaw, and keto taco salad.
When it's summer you'll need some quick low carb salad ideas and of course a tangy sugar-free BBQ sauce.
Keto Big Mac salad Keto taco salad Crack slaw
More keto Mexican recipes
Have some crunchy, refreshing keto coleslaw with your keto tacos, nachos, and low-carb chilli and you’re all set!
- Keto cheese taco shells
- Keto taco cups (using mozzarella dough)
- Low-carb Mexican chicken burgers
- Fat Head nachos
- Quick homemade keto taco seasoning
Genevieve
This was easy and delicious to make. I added a bit of Natvia sweetener to the dressing and a and it was perfect. Matched so well with the amazing pulled pork.
Brenda
Uggh! We did not like this coleslaw at all. A lot of work to be so disappointed. Will not be making this again obviously.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I'm so sorry to read your review. What didn't you like so I may suggest and adaptation perhaps?
Judy
Hi Brenda, I know this is a long time after your comment. However you may find it is the fresh corianda that spoilt it for you. Some people love it I personal dislike it a lot. So I always exchange for parsley in any recipe using fresh corianda. Not authentic but it works for me.
Gayle
Coleslaw is a staple veg dish for me since we our selection is so limited. I am thinking of adding bits of al dente pumpkin instead of the carrot for show.
Looking forward to making this.
Julie
Hi. Libby. I was going to comment on your mayo site and thought I'd do a search first, looking for cole slaw dressing. I am looking for a basic, standard, non-ethnic cole slaw dressing. Any suggestions? Thanks for all you do!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hi Julie, I would look here at my 1-minute mayonnaise, there are over 15 flavours there to choose from. I love the blue cheese mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar or the herbed mayonnaise for coleslaw.
Shirley Kemper
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I didn't have the red cabbage so just used green. A bowl full of health that tickled the taste buds indeed. I can only imagine how this would compliment fish, yum!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Oooh, I had never thought of it with fish - that would be incredible!
Katty Balle
That Coleslaw looks deliciously refreshing. I would love to try it.
Terri F
Looking forward to trying this! Thanks!