This low sodium purple cabbage slaw recipe is crisp, tangy, and the perfect veggie dish for the summer!

Read on to learn how to make this recipe and why it is kidney friendly. If you prefer to view a food demo to learn how to make it, watch below!

Why is this purple cabbage slaw kidney friendly?

This recipe features purple cabbage and bell peppers which are both low-moderate in potassium. While not everyone with CKD needs to limit potassium in their diet, some do. Since this recipe utilizes lower potassium produce, it allows people to enjoy a bigger portion. This is extra beneficial for people with kidney disease because veggies are low/negative PRAL!

With only ~50 mg of sodium per serving, this recipe is kidney friendly and heart healthy! It also has a very low carb to fiber ratio making is great for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. One serving is only 8 grams of carbohydrates but provides 2.5 grams of fiber. That’s a 3:1 carb to fiber ratio!

Another benefit of this slaw is that it is high in vitamin C. At 80 mg vitamin C per serving, it almost meets the RDA (90 mg/day)! Add this slaw to your meal to help increase the absorption of iron from your food. To learn more about iron on a plant based diet, watch my video, “How To Get Iron In Your Plant Based Diet”.

There is an abundance of reasons why this purple cabbage slaw is great for your kidney health! Now let’s make it 🙂

How to make it

It’s pretty simple. You want to slice your veggies (purple cabbage and bell pepper) thin, add dressing and fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley), and marinate it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes! That’s basically it.

For the dressing, you will combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, hummus, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and black pepper. We don’t add any salt to the dressing since the hummus and Dijon will add a little sodium. The hummus helps make the dressing creamier (since a lot of slaws are made with mayonnaise)!

While you could eat this slaw right away, it is best to let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. This allows the dressing to soak in and it gets colder and crisper!

Serving suggestions & variations

This slaw recipe makes 6 servings. Each serving is one cup. This is the serving suggestion if this is a side dish. If you are eating this as a meal, you can double the portion and add your favorite plant protein. I personally would add edamame or crispy chickpeas 🙂

You can use green cabbage in place of the purple cabbage. Chopped kale would likely work too since kale is a tougher leafy green. Any color of bell pepper will work for this recipe or you can use shredded carrots instead.

For the dressing, you can use apple cider vinegar in place of red wine vinegar and parsley or green onion instead of cilantro. Feel free to add more spices/seasonings of your choice that are low in sodium depending on what flavor profile you are looking for.

A summer slaw dish

Whether you plan to make this as a side dish or your main meal, this purple cabbage slaw is crispy, tangy, and nutritious 🙂 Bring it to your next barbecue or get together. Or make it once/week so that you always have a prepared veggie dish that you can add to your kidney friendly meal!