This keto crack slaw recipe is one of my favorite quick dinners! If you are asking, “what is crack slaw?”, it’s also known as a low carb egg roll in a bowl. Why? Because it tastes just like an egg roll, minus the wrapper… a.k.a., it’s DELICIOUS! This easy keto egg roll in a bowl recipe is just about the easiest healthy dinner ever and when I say “quick”, I mean it. You can have it on the table in just fifteen minutes! There is so much to love about this meal. Many paleo or low carb swaps for traditional high carb foods require grain-free or low carb dough, like fathead pizza or keto bread. And yes, I do love these. They are even the most popular recipes on this site. Gluten-free bread-like replacements are delicious and certainly healthier than their wheat counterparts. But, they should not be the entire basis for a low carb diet. In my eyes, the whole point of a low carb lifestyle is to focus on real food. Unprocessed meat and vegetables should be your staples. They are the healthiest aspects go going grain-free and low carb. That is where you will get the highest nutritional value. And this is why I love keto crack slaw recipe so much. It’s the ultimate low carb, paleo, and Whole30 meal. The best part is, it’s naturally that way. It’s not contrived and you don’t need any specialty ingredients.
What is Crack Slaw or Egg Roll in a Bowl?
If you haven’t heard of a crack bowl or egg roll in a bowl before, it’s basically just a stir fry with beef and cabbage. This dish uses ground meat to cook up super quick, similar to my Asian chicken lettuce wraps (but without the lettuce!). It reminds me a bit of my favorite chicken cabbage stir fry recipe. I’ve seen crack slaw recipes all over the Internet, but have no idea where the origin comes from. All I know is, it’s a delicious low carb cabbage stir fry and you’re missing out if you haven’t tried it yet… It’s no secret that simple stir fry recipes are my favorite. They were the beginning of my healthy cooking journey, and so they are near and dear to my heart. Besides, what better way to use up random veggies you have than a good stir fry? But this one… oh my goodness, you guys. It’s so, so good… I think it’s my favorite of them all! Making this easy egg roll in a bowl keto is super easy, because it’s naturally low carb. And it’s surprisingly irresistible, hence the name “crack slaw.”
How To Make an Egg Roll in a Bowl
This easy egg roll in a bowl is Chinese food (or at least Chinese American food) at its finest – and healthiest, not to mention easiest. Forget the cornstarch, flour roux, sugar, and rice that are all often found in Asian dishes. You don’t need these! The ingredients for this crack slaw recipe are common and simple. Here’s how to make an egg roll in a bowl:
Saute the garlic and ginger. This brings out the flavor, so just stir fry them quickly, until fragrant. I used avocado oil for its neutral taste and benefits, but any oil or even butter will do just fine.
TIP: Feel free to use fresh or ground garlic and ginger, as you see fit. I like to use fresh ingredients when I can, but either will work. Ground ginger is actually a lot more potent than fresh. You can definitely use that instead of fresh if you really like a concentrated ginger flavor. Or, just use even more of the fresh kind! The recipe is not fussy.
Stir fry the meat. I opted to make my keto crack slaw with ground beef. Any kind of ground meat will do! It’s not uncommon to see egg roll in a bowl made with pork or chicken. You could even use ground turkey. Saute your ground beef, or whatever meat you are using, along with the garlic, ginger, sea salt, and black pepper.
TIP: Use medium-high heat, so that you get some nice browning.
Add the cabbage. Once the meat is cooked, add the main ingredient – cabbage! Reduce the heat and toss the cabbage with some coconut aminos. Stir fry it for about five minutes, until the cabbage is nice and tender.
TIP: To save time, use shredded coleslaw mix for the cabbage. I pretty much use that any chance I get, because it’s so convenient. If you are looking to save money, or if you don’t want the carrots found in coleslaw mix, a head of cabbage is just fine. Just chop it up and toss it in. You need about four cups, either way.
Stir in sesame oil. Do this step last, only after removing from heat as it’s not a oil you want to cook with.
TIP: Don’t cook with the sesame oil! The reason is that toasted sesame oil has a very low smoke point, and will release carcinogens if you cook with it at high heat. We don’t want that!
Add green onions. Toss your everything with some fresh sliced green onions, and you’re good to go. You can even throw in some sesame seeds, if you’re so inclined.
So, are you ready to make some yet? Once you’ve made this beef egg roll in a bowl, I can almost guarantee you’ll be making it again and again. It’s one of my favorite low carb dinners for busy nights, we call it the best crack slaw recipe EVER!
Can I Eat Egg Rolls On Keto?
No! You can not eat egg rolls on keto… which is just the purpose for this keto egg roll in a bowl recipe. Traditional egg rolls have a flour or rice paper wrapping, which is then deep fried – way too many carbs for keto. So, we’ve taken the best part (the filling!) and turned it into crack coleslaw.
How Many Carbs In An Egg Roll?
There are about 25 grams of carbohydrates in an average egg roll. You’ll be happy to know that we slashed that number! This crack slaw keto recipe has just 4g net carbs per 1-cup serving, or 7g net carbs in 1 1/2 cups for a standalone meal (the difference is due to rounding). All the flavor, way fewer carbs!
Can You Make Keto Crack Slaw Ahead?
Yes! This low carb egg roll is the perfect meal to make ahead as it can easily be re-heated. The meal is ready in 15 minutes, but if you’d like to cut it down even further, you could also brown the ground beef and shred the cabbage and then stir fry them all together once you are ready to eat. Either way, crack slaw keto leftovers are amazing!
More Low Carb Stir Fry Recipes
Keto Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice Ground Beef Zucchini Stir Fry Paleo Kung Pao Chicken – For the low carb version, omit the tapioca flour and coconut sugar. You can also replace cashews with peanuts if you prefer lower carbs.
Ceramic Nonstick Wok – This wok makes stir frying egg roll filling keto super easy! The tall sides ensure you won’t lose any of the stir fry over the edge. 🙂 Silicone Utensils Set – These are pretty and functional! And they won’t scratch any of your pans in the stir fry process. Mandoline Slicer – If you’re going to slice your own cabbage, using a mandoline slicer helps make the process fast!
This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook! Order your copy to get 100 easy keto recipes in a beautiful print hardcover book, including 80 exclusive recipes not found anywhere else (not even this blog!), my complete fathead dough guide, the primer for starting keto, and much more. ORDER THE EASY KETO COOKBOOK HERE Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I’d love to see it!
Nutrition info below is for 1 1/2 cups. Net carbs are approximately 7g for 1 1/2 cups, or 4g for 1 cup
Recipe from The Easy Keto Cookbook.
