Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad is a classic potluck dish that I’ve made a hundred times. I tweaked the recipe slightly, by adding shelled edamame and adjusting the salad dressing to up the health factor. Still SO good and an easy recipe I keep coming back to again and again!
I may be dating myself, but how many of you recognize this cabbage salad? You know the one with ramen in it? Well, if your hand is up, stay tuned because I’ve made this one HEALTHIER. It’s still awesomely tasty, but it has zero refined sugar and skips that nasty salt bomb in the tiny little packet of the ramen noodles. Is this ringing a bell yet?
My mother made this salad for SO many potlucks back in the day, and I have too. I’ve made a lot of salads over the last couple of years, and love playing with ingredients to make it both tasty and healthy. Gone are the days of eating boring lifeless salads. Bring on all of the flavor, the crunch, and the familiarity.
Ingredients needed for this Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad Recipe:
- Packaged Cabbage Slaw – but you could chop your own green cabbage.
- Red Cabbage – or use an equivalent amount of extra packaged slaw.
- Matchstick Carrots – you could also cut your own here.
- Shelled Edamame – found in the frozen vegetable section of your grocery store.
- Green Onions
- Package of Ramen Noodles – broken up and toasted.
- Slivered Almonds – toasted as well.
- Sunflower Seeds – optional salad topping.
Ingredients needed for the Salad Dressing:
I did most of the tweaking here, because salad dressings shouldn’t be loaded with sugar.
- Oil – use either regular sesame oil or canola oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – or Rice Wine Vinegar would be nice too.
- Honey – used to sweeten instead of sugar.
- Soy Sauce – to give an Asian flavor.
- Chili Paste or Sriracha – for some added flavor (and color!). This won’t make it super spicy, it’s just for flavor. Try it, you’ll like it!
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
How to make Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad:
- Mix the salad dressing together, and shake vigorously. Set aside, or in the refrigerator if you are prepping in advance.
- Microwave the frozen edamame. Add a pinch of salt, and let cool.
- Break up the ramen noodles, and toast on the stove top until fragrant and slightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- Toast the slivered almonds as well. Set aside to cool.
- Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. To serve, drizzle salad dressing on top, and mix well. EAT.
You can do either of three things with the dressing:
- Add all the salad dressing when you make it, or well in advance of your meal.
- Before adding the ramen or nuts, add the dressing, and then add ramen and nuts right before serving.
- Apply dressing to individual salads at meal time.
Since cabbage is a strong vegetable, it doesn’t wilt easily and will hold up to the dressing for awhile. I tend to like it better when the salad has time to soak up some of the flavors from the dressing, but you do you. 😀
Other Potluck Salad Ideas:
What do they call potlucks now? Share-a-dish? Bring-a-plate? Hmmm. Do tell. What do YOU call it?
- Creamy Potato Salad – my mom’s awesome recipe
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad – one of my all-time favs
- Mexican Quinoa Salad – a recent obsession
Enjoy, ya’ll!
Kitchen Tools used for this recipe: (Affiliate Links)
Make this salad next: Healthy Broccoli Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.
xoxo ~Sue
Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 16 oz package cabbage slaw
- 1 1/2 cups red cabbage – chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup green onions – diced
- 8 oz. shelled edamame
- 3 oz. package ramen noodles – broken into pieces, and toasted
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds -toasted
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- sunflower seeds – optional topping
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup regular sesame oil – or canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce – or a few dashes more
- 2 teaspoons chili paste or sriracha – for a little spice and taste (optional)
- salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and refrigerate.
- Microwave the shelled edamame according to package directions. Remove from package to cool.
- Spread the ramen noodle pieces and slivered almonds in a large saucepan. Toast on medium heat, just until you can smell them and they are slightly browned. Remove from heat to a paper towel to cool.
- Combine the cabbage slaw, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Add cooled edamame, ramen noodles, and slivered almonds. Stir to combine.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and stir. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can omit the red cabbage, and just add more green cabbage mix, if desired.
- This salad can also be prepared by adding the dressing about an hour before serving. Wait to add the ramen, almonds, and sunflower seeds until serving, for best results.
- You can add dressing to individual servings as well, if you don’t plan to eat the entire salad.
healthy salad recipe..
I had this ramen cabbage years ago with sugar and who knows what in the dressing. I love this recipe the best, by far. The dressing is just perfect and the addition of the edamame is great. This is a keeper.
Thank you, Renee! We love this lightened up version too. 🙂
This recipe is very easy to follow. Thank you for sharing this recipe without the dressing loaded with sugar! I love making this salad, which is 100% healthy, but the cup of sugar in the dressing that most recipes call for completely negates the healthy! Yours is a perfectly delicious alternative. I agree with letting the dressing soak into the salad for a few hours before eating. I make a whole head of white and red Cabbage, which yields a tremendous salad that we eat over a few days. We add the ramen and nuts only when we serve, so they don’t get soggy.
Hi Margaret! I’m so glad you enjoy this salad. It’s one of our favorites too! 🙂
Making this salad for at least the 100th time!! It is my favorite right next to your Spinach Salad!! So yummy & filling!
Hi Tiffany! So glad you enjoy the cabbage salad so much. We love it too!
I am excited to try this modified version of an old stand by. Just confirming that the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sesame oil. It’s a strong oil and I have never used more than a few drops or perhaps a tsp.
Thanks
Make sure you are using regular sesame oil (the clear one), instead of toasted sesame oil (the dark one used for finishing). You can also use regular canola oil if you wish.
I can see myself making this and enjoying it throughout the week. Love how colorful & crunchy it is.
Yes, enjoy Ariella!
Cabbage is my favorite. This slaw is full of flavor and texture. Easy to make and a big hit with the family.
Thanks for your feedback, Eileen! We love this salad too. 🙂
Mmmm, everything I like in a bowl! Love this alongside BBQ meats.
I’m actually making this again today. So glad you like it, Colleen!
Love crunchy salads and this one is definitely on my list now. Lately, I been trying to make more Asian inspired recipes and I will bookmark this recipe.
Oh great. We love this salad, and I think you will too!
Love all the colors and crunch. I’m with you on dressings – I appreciate some sweetener helps in a number, but there really shouldn’t be too much. Honey is definitely my preference for things like this. We’re big edamame fans so love them in there too.
We eat a ton of edamame, and it’s a nice surprise in this salad. Enjoy, Caroline!
I recognize this salad and love that you made it healthier, but still kept the raman!
Thanks Terry! I hope you enjoy the salad!
I love salads like this! Full of flavor and fresh veggies I’m adding this to my list of new salads to try!
Let me know how you like the salad, Anne! 🙂
This is perfect for summer lunch by the pool!
Exactly! Enjoy the salad, Laura!
Healthy and delicious 😋
Thank you so much Laura! 🙂
Easy to make, not a lot of dishes to do after, healthy, and extremely yummy!
Just made this again too. One of our favorites!! ?
How long would the dressing last in the fridge?
Hi Jasmine, I think this dressing would be fine in the refrigerator for a few days. Just shake it up really really well before adding it to the salad.
This is an old family favorite, even the lightened up version is fantastic!!
Yup, the old version was loaded with sugar. This one is just as tasty, and way healthier!
Just made this salad for dinner. I added cooked-then-chilled shrimp and used sesame oil/sunflower oil mix instead of canola. Oh and added some red pepper flakes on top. It was delicious! We ate 2 heaping bowls each, oopsie! I will definitely make this again, thanks for the yummy recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cabbage salad, Tricia! It’s one of my favorites. Thanks so much for your feedback! 🙂
We all know salads are healthy for you, but sometimes they get boring. This salad is awesome and is different than most! It won’t disappoint.
This one is definitely NOT boring. Thanks for the feedback!