Textbooks constitute important learning tools in foreign language education and should depict ethnic and gender diversity. This article responds to calls for intersectional textbook research and addresses the following question: How diverse are representations of wo/men of colour in comparison with white wo/men in sparsely researched Dutch language textbooks? We performed content analysis of six frequently used textbooks for learning Dutch, examining pictures, texts and (audio-recorded) dialogues. Results show an underrepresentation of People of Colour (PoC) in comparison with demographic statistics. In contrast with white wo/men, PoC are featured in a limited range of low-status roles (e.g. migrant), except for in one textbook. Countries and cities are Eurocentric and Netherlands-centric, there is little variety in terms of accented speech in dialogues, and non-native speakers utter sentences that frame them as dependent. These findings build on the body of (Anglocentric) textbook research from a cultural studies’ perspective, help determine the degree to which educational materials meet diversity demands in language education policies, and what alternative ‘realities’ could arise.