Even though I didn’t grow up eating coleslaw, I am a big fan. I love it on summer classics – hot dogs, pulled pork, burgers, sandwiches. It’s even delicious right off a spoon. My local deli makes a wonderful coleslaw, but it is laden with so much mayo, sometimes I forget that this is a vegetable side.
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But when I made my Vegan No-Mayo Coleslaw for the first time, I instantly fell in love with the healthy cole slaw craze. If you are like me, new to the concept of making coleslaw with yogurt instead of mayo, read on.
Because this Greek coleslaw recipe is really good. It also is healthy, light, low calorie and delicious.
If you know me well, you know I am a big fan of yogurt. It is an ingredient that comes to the rescue whenever I am in need of mayo-free recipes such as Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad, Kale and Apple Slaw or Healthy Apple Salad. And I always love to make a quick 5-Minute Greek Yogurt Dressing when I am short on time.
In all honesty, the creamy dressing makes this flavorful and light coleslaw recipe so good. The Greek yogurt offers a wonderful alternative to an otherwise mayo-laden slaw.
A few thinly sliced fresh veggies and you have a new and improved yogurt, or yoghurt, slaw in no time.
Ingredients
For the coleslaw veggie base, you will need green and purple cabbage (aka red cabbage), carrots, green onions and Italian parsley.
As far as the Greek yogurt coleslaw sauce goes, gather together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, kosher salt and black pepper.
A few helpful tips on ingredients:
- Cabbage: I like to use a combination of purple (red) and white (green) cabbage for flavor and color but you can also whichever kind you have on hand.
- Greek Yogurt: Full-fat, low-fat or zero-fat Greek yogurt all work here. Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt, but the remaining ingredients in the dressing thin it out to the right consistency. As always, make sure it is plain and unsweetened.
- Celery Seed: I highly recommend seeking out celery seed if you do not already have it on hand. This is that classic coleslaw flavor that really makes this recipe shine.
PRO TIP: Celery seed (pure, whole celery seeds) is different from celery salt (ground celery seed mixed with salt). If you would like to replace celery salt with the celery seed, use 1 ½ teaspoons of celery salt and omit the salt in the recipe. Taste and adjust the salt level, if needed.
How to make this recipe?
The steps for this healthy coleslaw recipe are so easy, all it takes is two bowls (one large, one small) and 15 minutes. Simply:
- Prepare coleslaw mix. In a large bowl, place the thinly sliced green cabbage and purple cabbage in a bowl, along with the grated carrots, scallions and parsley.
- Whisk together the healthy greek yogurt coleslaw dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
- Toss! Pour the dressing over the sliced vegetables and give it a good toss.
- Serve. Serve it immediately or cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
PRO TIP: Having trouble whisking the honey into the greek yogurt coleslaw dressing? Place the honey in a small, microwave-safe bowl and pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds so that it’s slightly warm. This loosens up the honey enough to easily whisk into the dressing.
Variations Greek Yogurt Slaw
Low Fat Coleslaw Dressing (using Skyr Yogurt):
Skyr yogurt is a low-fat Icelandic yogurt that is strained for a longer period of time to reach the same thickness and consistency as Greek yogurt. In other words – super, super creamy! If you are a Greek yogurt fan but want to use a low-fat product that is equivalent in flavor and quality, be sure to try making this healthy coleslaw sauce with Skyr yogurt. And if you have some extra, be sure to try my Yogurt Fruit Dip.
Tzatziki Coleslaw:
You can also use my Tzatziki recipe and use it as your dressing for coleslaw with yogurt. This is especially a great option if you like garlicky flavors.
Pre-packaged Coleslaw Mix:
Short on time? Purchase one 10-12 ounce bag coleslaw mix of cabbage and carrots – no slicing or grating required.
Maple Syrup:
Omit the honey and use pure maple syrup. I like Grade A Golden for it’s lighter flavor, but Amber or even Dark Amber will work just as well.
Uses for coleslaw yoghurt dressing recipe
I like to think of this recipe as a 2-for-1 since the dressing is just as delicious on its own. Feel free to make the greek yoghurt dressing and use it as a sauce, dip or spread (very similar to how you would use Tzatziki or Tahini Yogurt Sauce). Serve it as:
- Sauce for grilled vegetables and meats
- Dip for crudite or fresh cut vegetables
- Spread on sandwiches or your morning toast or bagel
Is coleslaw good for you?
When I first started making coleslaw at home, it was mostly because I wanted a homemade condiment I could eat on top of hot dogs and burgers. Just as it always goes with developing recipes, I learned that coleslaw is actually quite good for you when made at home.
The superfood powerhouse is cabbage. Cabbage is packed with Vitamins A, B6, C and K, along with a good amount of iron and fiber.
The Greek yogurt takes the benefits of coleslaw even farther since it contains ample amounts of calcium and far more protein than any mayo-laden coleslaw could ever provide.
Make-ahead and serving instructions
Make the coleslaw with yogurt at least 30 minutes prior to serving and keep it covered in the fridge.
Once chilled, the coleslaw goes best with sandwiches, grilled meats and crisp, green veggies.
I always make this coleslaw with yogurt the morning or afternoon I am going to serve. The veggies and greek yogurt dressing will hold it’s integrity for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
After the 2 day mark, the vegetables begin to wilt due to the amount of acid in the dressing. Plus, if you allow yogurt to sit with lemon juice for a long period of time, the flavors start to become bitter.
Other salad recipes perfect for the picnic/grill season:
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Need more inspiration? Check out all our salad recipes
Greek Yogurt Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
For The Coleslaw:
- 2 cups green cabbage, sliced thinly
- 2 cups red cabbage, sliced thinly
- 1 cup grated carrots, 3-4 large carrots
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Italian Parsley, roughly chopped
For the Greek Yogurt Coleslaw Dressing:
- ⅔ cups of plain Greek yogurt, both full fat and no fat would work
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey, optional
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To prepare the coleslaw:
- Place green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrot in a bowl. Add in the chopped scallions. Set aside.
To make the dressing:
- Mix together yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, celery seed, and salt and pepper in a bowl and give it a good whisk. Give it a taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
To assemble:
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Give it a toss. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- You can serve it immediately or cover it with stretch film and place in the fridge for up to 3 hours.
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Notes
Make-ahead and serving instructions
Make the coleslaw with yogurt at least 30 minutes prior to serving and keep it covered in the fridge. Once chilled, the coleslaw goes best with sandwiches, grilled meats and crisp, green veggies. I always make this coleslaw with yogurt the morning or afternoon I am going to serve. The veggies and greek yogurt dressing will hold it’s integrity for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you think this is a healthy alternative to coleslaw therefore it won’t taste as good, you are very much mistaken. This is the most delicious coleslaw ever!!!
I really enjoyed adding some dried fruits such as cherries and nuts in this as well. ???? Thanks for sharing, Aysegul!!!
YAY! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it. I might be biased but I feel exactly the same. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to review. Cheers my friend.
Dear Aysegul
Did you ever heard about Turkish yogurt or as they say in your origin country, just yogurt ?
If you dont want to loose some of your clientele or symphaty of greekophiles , at least could not you ommit “greek” mention. You know that is not true, but politically accepted by westerns.
Or we should be carefull, anything culinaire called by a “greek” prefix could be stollen from another countries culture.Dont let them intimidate us par leurs mensonges.
Dear Muzo,
Yes, I have heard about yogurt. And you are right, we refer to yogurt as yogurt in Turkey.
I am not sure where you live but here in the US, where I live, the understanding of yogurt (or I should say types of yogurt) is a little bit different. What people refer to as “Greek Yogurt” is somewhat thicker than what we referred to as “yogurt” in Turkey. Not sure if you speak Turkish, but the consistency of Greek yogurt is similar to suzme yogurt.
In this coleslaw recipe, in order to get the consistency of mayo (and use it in place of it), you need that nice and thick kind of yogurt to achieve a similar result. Since more than 80% of my audience is from North America, making a distinction in calling it a “Greek Yogurt Coleslaw” is necessary for people to get great results.
On a personal note, I use this platform to promote healthy and clean recipes made with everyday ingredients for everyone regardless of where they live, what nationality they are from, or what political beliefs they have. Having spent most of my summers in Izmir, I have met many Greek people and made lifelong friendships with some of them. While I can see where you are coming from, it is undeniable that our cuisines are very similar. However, as I explained earlier, my distinction here was not based on political motives. Rather, it was coming from a place of making sure my readers have the right understanding of the ingredient to get the best results when they try a recipe I shared on my site.
I hope this makes sense.
Thanks for coming by.