Healthy Greek Yogurt Coleslaw with Low Fat Dressing

This delicious and healthy coleslaw recipe with Greek yogurt is one of those light salads too. It is packed with a variety of textures and complex flavors. And overall, it is easy to pair with different main dishes. You can include it in your bbq menu or incorporate it into burgers and sandwiches!

If you are not a fan of mayo or in search of a healthier coleslaw recipe, we’ve got you covered. Our Greek yogurt coleslaw dressing makes this cabbage and carrot salad super tasty. Plus, it is low calorie and healthy too. It is so good that you won’t even miss mayonnaise in your coleslaw.

You know we LOVE homemade yogurt and its thicker version, Greek style yogurt, also known as strained yogurt. They are both staple ingredients in our cooking. We often use it to make haydari meze and in recipes like this no mayo coleslaw dressing.

Greek yogurt is a great substitute for mayonnaise. We even use it to make deviled eggs without mayo. They come out perfectly creamy with less calories.

About The Ingredients

Coleslaw Base:

• Cabbage: We like to use a combination of red cabbage, also known as purple cabbage and green or white cabbage. This gives the salad a pop of color and makes it look more appealing. But, you can use whichever type of cabbage you can find.
• Carrots: When adding carrots to the recipe, you should add a lot less. This will help create a more balanced flavor and prevent an overly sweet coleslaw.
• Celery: We add celery ribs to this recipe to give it more flavor and crunch. If you don’t like fresh celery, you can use celery seeds or celery salt in the coleslaw dressing. 
• Alternatively, you can also use a bag of coleslaw mix if your grocery store sells it. 
• Optional Add-Ins: You can add some chopped herbs like green onions, parsley or fresh dill. It will help add even more color and texture. 

Greek Yogurt Coleslaw Sauce:

• Plain Greek yogurt: This is what makes it a healthier coleslaw recipe. You can make your own Greek yogurt or buy it from the store. Full fat, low fat, thick, even plant-based yogurt, all work fine. Make sure it is plain, unflavored yogurt.  
• Acids: We use lemon juice and apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar) in this recipe. They tenderize the coleslaw veggies and create a tangy taste.
• Maple syrup: This is the sweet ingredient that helps counter the tanginess of the dressing. You can also use honey instead.
• Seasoning ingredients: And finally, we add Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to round off the flavor of the dressing. Our ratios work nicely, but you can adjust it to your liking.

How To Make

Our Greek yogurt coleslaw recipe is quick and easy to make. And, you can even make it ahead of time.  

1. Prepare the base: Simply combine the sliced cabbage, grated carrots, and diced celery in a large bowl. Set it aside.

2. Prepare the coleslaw dressing with yogurt: In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Whisk the ingredients together until you have a uniform dressing.

3. Assemble: Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the bowl. Give them a good toss to coat all of the ingredients with the sauce. Then, if you would like to, garnish the salad with some diced celery (or green onions) and serve it immediately.

Expert Tips

• If you want to make a creamier coleslaw dressing with yogurt, then increase the amount of Greek yogurt. Even adding another quarter cup will do the trick! 
• You can easily substitute celery with green onions. It will give this Greek coleslaw recipe a less spicy flavor, while still keeping the peppery notes. Only substitute the celery with 2 stalks of green onions.
• The amount of lemon juice in the recipe can be adjusted according to your liking. For a more tangy salad, add a touch more lemon juice.
• Maple syrup helps give a hint of sweetness to the healthy coleslaw dressing. We use only  If tablespoon as we don't want our coleslaw very sweet. If you want a sweeter sauce, use 2 tablespoons instead. Or just leave it out if you don't want any sweetener. Carrots are naturally sweet, so it might be enough for you.
• You can substitute maple syrup with honey. Just make sure to heat it up a little before using it. This way it will mix better with the other ingredients. You can heat it inside a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave for a couple of seconds.

Serving Suggestions

This Greek coleslaw recipe is extremely versatile! Naturally, you can serve it as a side dish along with barbecues. It goes great as an accompaniment with tacos, grilled meat, pork or kebabs like lamb shish kebabs, Adana kebab and meatballs.

This coleslaw is great when paired with chicken recipes like air fryer whole wings, dry rub chicken wings, chicken kebabs and cast iron chicken breast.

It goes very well with vegetarian recipes like vegetable kabobs or oyster mushroom kebabs.

However, you can also easily incorporate it into other recipes. A sandwich or burger is an easy effortless option to try. And, because the flavors of the Greek yoghurt coleslaw is so well-balanced, it will pair with virtually any type of burger you are making!

How To Store

Storing this low fat coleslaw is very easy. And, it stays fresh for a surprising amount of time!

You can either store the entire assembled salad, or store the coleslaw base and dressing separately. Storing them separately will further increase the shelf life of this salad.

To store the entire salad (once assembled), simply place it inside an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will still be good for another 2 days, depending on the freshness of the ingredients and temperature of the fridge.

If you store the component separately, place the coleslaw base on a damp piece of paper towel, directly inside an airtight container. Then, cover it with another damp piece of paper towel. It will help seal in the moisture.

Then, store the yogurt coleslaw dressing inside a glass jar or another airtight container. Place both inside of the fridge. The base will stay good for between 3-7 days, and the dressing can easily last up to a week!

Why You Should Make This Recipe

• Our Greek coleslaw recipe is packed with delicious flavors. It has a well-balanced flavor profile that uses sweet and tangy ingredients.
• It is easy to make. You can even buy a bag of coleslaw mix to make things even quicker. The only thing you need to do is to combine the coleslaw base mix with the Greek yogurt dressing. 
• It is a healthy coleslaw recipe with Greek yogurt. You can also choose a low fat option to cut back on calories.
• It can be made in advance. You can make this coleslaw a couple of hours before serving it. And, the leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Salad Recipes

• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Curried Chicken Salad
• Pasta Salad with Mayo
• Potato Tuna Egg Salad
• Lemon Orzo Salad
• Piyaz White Bean Salad

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