Classic 20-Minute Dairy Free Coleslaw with Mayo Dressing (no sugar!)

This dairy-free coleslaw is made with fresh and crunchy cabbage, carrots, herbs, and a creamy, tangy mayo based dressing. All the flavors you love in a traditional coleslaw recipe but without any sugar or dairy, and ready in just 20 minutes. It’s the best classic side dish for your next BBQ, potluck, or family dinner! And no sugar in the dressing means this recipe is Whole30 compatible and lower in carbs for a keto friendly option.

The best, classic dairy-free coleslaw!

What makes the best coleslaw?

As a midwest native (where we take our coleslaw VERY seriously), this is what it is to me:

A tangle of thinly shaved cabbage (red or green or both!), thinly sliced red onion, shredded carrots, fresh herbs for good measure, and a tangy mayo-based dressing coats every bite – so good it will make you SING.

It is simple, easy to throw together, and absolutely packed with fresh flavors.

In our book, it’s the side dish that should be at every BBQ and summer spread!

🌿 If you love a good picnic-friendly salad as much as we do be sure to check out our crave-worthy recipes for Dill Pickle Potato Salad, Creamy 30-Minute Deviled Egg Salad, Our Favorite 15-Minute Chicken Salad, The Easiest Chickpea Feta Salad, and Classic Tuna Salad!

Recipe testing notes

Should you buy pre-cut cabbage and carrots or cut it yourself?

When you cut your veggies at home (in this case cabbage and carrots) they will undoubtedly have better texture and fresher flavor.

If you have a large cutting board, a sharp knife, and know how to approach prepping your cabbage it’s really not that difficult to do!

Here are my tips:

• Start by cutting the cabbage into manageable pieces. Before you begin you’ll want to cut your head of cabbage into smaller pieces, or wedges. Start by cutting it in half through the core, and then cut each half in half again to create 4 wedges. Then lay each wedge on a flat side and slice off the bit on the bottom corner that has the tough stem before laying flat on the cutting board to thinly slice.
• Use a sharp knife. When cutting cabbage by hand the best knife for the job is a large, sharp chefs knife.
• Or put your food processor to work! If you have a slicing blade for your food processor it can make super fast work of shredding a bunch of cabbage! Cut and core the cabbage as described above and then cut the wedges into pieces small enough to fit through the feeding tube and shred away.

For the carrots, you can either julienne or grate them using a box grater or your food processor grating blade (one of my favorite ways to shred veggies!!).

All that said, if you’re short on time or just don’t have the patience to prep the veggies yourself you can absolutely buy it pre-shredded, or even buy a coleslaw mix to make this recipe using the dressing outlined in the recipe card below.

Prepackaged coleslaw mix is typically made of shredded cabbage and carrots, though Trader Joe’s has some other fun takes on slaw mixes that would be yummy as well.

Just be sure to grab the right amount so that the ratios match the measurements in the recipe.

Why I included coconut aminos in the dressing

Because this recipe is made without any added sugar, the coconut aminos add a little bit of sweetness to the dressing.

Even though they are often used instead of soy sauce, their umami rich and slightly sweet flavor profile perfectly compliment the other flavors in the coleslaw dressing.

You can leave the coconut aminos out if you don’t have any on hand (or don’t want to purchase a bottle just for this recipe), but without them the dressing will be slightly more vinegar forward.

Or, if you’re not concerned about omitting sugar in the recipe, you can substitute them with 1 tablespoon of your sweetener of choice.

One of the things that I love the most about slaws in general is how super versatile they are.

You can thinly slice and chop just about any fresh ingredient and throw it in a big ol’ bowl with a perfectly creamy dressing and you’ve got a delightful slaw to serve alongside lunch or dinner.

It’s such a good (delicious!!) way to get extra extra veggies on your plate.

But today we’re going the classic coleslaw route and chatting about how to make a traditional version from scratch, dairy-free style.

Fun recipe variations!

If you do want to switch out some of the ingredients in this coleslaw salad, or add a few extra things there’s so many different directions you could go!

Here’s some ideas:

• Apple cut into matchsticks
• Shaved fennel
• Julienned collard greens or kale
• Shredded beets (keep in mind they will tint your slaw purple!)
• Any variety of fresh herbs (we love love dill in slaws)
• Toasted seeds or nuts
• Sweet corn cut off the cob
• Sliced sugar snap peas
• Chopped jalapeño (!!)

Making a vegan version

To make a vegan version of this recipe all you’ll need to do is swap out the mayonnaise for a plant based mayo alternative. So easy!

How to make the recipe

Can you make coleslaw in advance?

Yep! It can totally be prepped ahead of time and in my opinion can actually get better with an hour or two in the fridge.

If you’re serving it just a bit later in the day, you can prepare it as the recipe is written and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Just give is a good stir to make sure everything is evenly coated before setting it out since the dressing will settle to the bottom of the bowl.

If you want to prep it a day or so in advance, I would recommend making the dressing and prepping the fresh ingredients but storing them separately in the refrigerator until about an hour before serving.

Serving suggestions!

This easy and wholesome coleslaw recipe is the perfect side dish to so many types of meals!

Coleslaw is obviously a delicious addition to any BBQ spread, but you could also serve it with tacos, salads, sandwiches, or a bowl meal of any kind.

We especially love it with these oven roasted BBQ chicken thighs or with this BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl –> drool!

If you enjoyed this coleslaw we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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