Asian Coleslaw is the perfect side dish for meat, fish, tofu, and noodles. This salad has cabbage, onions, and pea pods. Then the slaw mix has a sweet and savory dressing.
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Why this Asian Slaw Recipe is a Keeper
This side salad is sure to be a huge hit at get-togethers. With bright and crunchy vegetables and a sesame oil dressing, it’s a great recipe for potlucks, and is a fantastic way to have a side dish to go. This delicious salad is easy to put together, so make a big batch for meal prep so it’s quickly ready to serve. Here are a few reasons why this light salad is sure to be one of your favorite recipes:
- 10 Minute Side: This zesty mixed vegetable side dish is ready within an easy 10 minutes.
- Easy Ingredients: Find all of the ingredients for this Asian coleslaw recipe in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Adaptable: Adjust the ingredients to your preferences or dietary needs, and add additional vegetables to this easy salad recipe if you want.
If you’re looking for more Asian-inspired recipes, try these: Instant Pot Asian Meatballs, Asian Pork Meatballs, and Asian Burger with Chili Sauce.
What is the Difference Between Slaw and Coleslaw?
While slaw and coleslaw typically refer to the same thing, coleslaw you make primarily with cabbage. Other slaw use different vegetables, such as shredded carrots, jicama, broccoli, or peas.
Asian Slaw Ingredient Notes
- Coleslaw Mix: A bag of slaw mix will give you most of the crunchy veggies you need, and typically contains cabbage, carrots, and red onions. You can use any variety you want, such as purple cabbage or Chinese cabbage to the mix.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Crunchy Asian Coleslaw
- Noodles: Some crushed ramen noodles will give the slaw a crunchy texture.
- Edamame: Add dried or fresh edamame beans to this coleslaw.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can make the Asian dressing with apple cider vinegar instead.
- Mint: Some shredded mint or cilantro will add a refreshing flavor for the best Asian salad.
- Fish Sauce: This umami bonito sauce is frequently used in Asian cooking. You can also add in some toasted sesame oil to make an easy sesame dressing.
Pro Tip to Love this Recipe
Make the coleslaw ahead of time to allow the flavors to meld together.
How to Make this Easy Asian Slaw Side Dish
This traditional coleslaw with Asian slaw dressing is super easy to make. Top with toasted almonds and sesame seeds, or even chili flakes. It goes great with ahi tuna, chicken, stir fries, and more.
These are the basic steps for making coleslaw without mayo. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Combine Asian Slaw Ingredients
Add slaw mix, peas, and green onions to a large bowl.
2. Make the Dressing for Asian Cabbage Slaw
In a separate small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Asian Salad with Sesame Dressing Recipe FAQs
Store leftover coleslaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or cover a bowl in plastic wrap.
Garnish with peanuts, fried shallots, toasted sesame seeds, or fresh mint.
Yes; you can use carrots, peppers, or other kinds of cabbage, such as Napa cabbage, Chinese coleslaw cabbage, red cabbage, or bok choy.
Yes; you can freeze this coleslaw recipe in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips for Making Asian Cabbage Coleslaw
- Seeds: Add in sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or peanuts.
- Variation tip: Broccoli slaw or shaved Brussels sprouts can be used in place of cabbage slaw.
- Maple Syrup: You can use maple syrup in place of honey.
- Zest: Lime zest, lemon zest, or lemon juice can add brightness.
What to Serve with Asian Slaw
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Asian Coleslaw
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Ingredients
Salad
- 14 ounces Coleslaw mix, 1 bag
- 1 cup Pea pods, fresh, cut diagonally
- 2 Green onions, sliced
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, minced
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Add salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Christina’s Notes
- Seeds: Add in sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or peanuts.
- Variation tip: Broccoli slaw or shaved Brussels sprouts can be used in place of the cabbage slaw.
- Zest: Lime zest, lemon zest, or lemon juice can add brightness.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
We love honest feedback, but to keep reviews helpful for everyone, we reserve the right to remove star ratings if it is clear the recipe has not been made, if the comment does not provide meaningful input, or if significant substitutions or alterations were made. Please note that ratings should reflect the original recipe as written to avoid confusing other readers.
This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
I will definitely make this again, I loved it!
I followed the recipe as written.
The dressing on this coleslaw is so unique and flavorful! I took the coleslaw to a potluck and it was a huge hit!
Yum! This goes perfectly with so many things!
This was AWESOME! I did use things I had around like hot honey so I left out the hot sauce and I had this peanut butter from Hawaii with coconut. I also bought some breaded chicken tenders from the deli and added sliced almonds. I can’t wait to impress people with this recipe.
good
👍🏽