Healthy Coleslaw Recipe – The best healthy coleslaw recipe with no mayo and fresh green cabbage, carrots, olives, pine nuts, and light lemon garlic parmesan dressing. Yes, you read correctly: There’s no mayo and no sugar! This coleslaw recipe is simple, healthy, gluten-free, and makes the perfect side salad to pair with all your summer grilling. Enjoy!
Try this for dinner!
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Ingredients list for the coleslaw recipe
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Healthy coleslaw without mayonnaise
This simple coleslaw recipe with fresh ingredients is the opposite of limp, mayo-drowned cabbage slaw. This light and healthy coleslaw recipe with Mediterranean accents is perfect bliss for your potlucks, barbecue, or any outdoor event! Toasted pine nuts bring an unexpected smokiness that blends greatly with the lemony dressing. Everybody will ask for the recipe for this mayo-free coleslaw!
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How to make coleslaw healthier
For a healthy coleslaw, just use fresh ingredients like green cabbage, carrot, olives, and pine nuts. Shred, slice, chop everything and throw in a large salad bowl. Make the dressing using a mason jar (our favorite method!) to blend olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper. Skip on mayo and sugar, you simply don’t need them when there’s so much flavor in this coleslaw! Let the coleslaw sit for 15 or 20 minutes before serving, so the dressing doesn’t “cook” and wilts the veggies.
Photo credit: © lawyerroll.com
Photo credit: © lawyerroll.com
Photo credit: © lawyerroll.com
Photo credit: © lawyerroll.com
Photo credit: © lawyerroll.com
Directions
1. To make the coleslaw: Prepare the parmesan garlic dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl or jar. Whisk until well combined, or close the jar and shake until combined and set aside.
2. Shred the cabbage, julienne the carrot, and combine in a large salad bowl. Add the sliced olives and toasted pine nuts.
3. Pour the parmesan garlic dressing over the coleslaw ingredients, then toss until everything is combined and coated in the dressing. Let the coleslaw sit for 15 minutes before serving, so the flavors meld together. Stir one last time just before serving to redistribute the dressing evenly. Enjoy! ❤️
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Tips for making healthy coleslaw
- We recommend you shred the green cabbage yourself. While it’s easier to buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix (see below), cabbage turns limp much faster than the freshly shredded one. Or sometimes, it’s the contrary, the cabbage is too dry out of the bag. To shred green cabbage on your own, you can use a mandoline slicer, a food processor, or a sharp knife.
- For the carrots, use a julienne peeler or a box grater.
- Add a teaspoon or two of hot sauce to the dressing if you like to give it some heat.
Healthy substitution for the coleslaw recipe
We recommend you follow the coleslaw recipe as is for the best results, but here are some nice substitutions if you would like to give it some twist after a few tries:
- Instead of lemon juice, you can try apple cider vinegar or another clear or lightly colored vinegar to add some zing to the dressing.
- Instead of garlic powder, use grated fresh garlic cloves. To taste is more pungent, but it pairs well with other coleslaw ingredients.
- Try green olives or Kalamata olives instead of back olives.
Can we use coleslaw mix?
This coleslaw recipe uses fresh cabbage. It’s simply a mix of shredded green cabbage and carrots. If you feel in a hurry, you can use bagged “coleslaw mix” from the grocery store.
What to serve with the healthy coleslaw recipe
This healthy coleslaw with no mayo is a great side to serve with most main courses. You can also use it as a great topping for your burger, tacos, or fish and chips.
How to keep the coleslaw leftovers
Keep the cabbage coleslaw leftovers for up to2 days in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Note that cabbage will wilt after a couple of days.
More cabbage salad recipes
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