Asian Slaw

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Fresh, crunchy, and packed with vibrant vegetables, this Asian Slaw recipe features a zesty sesame-ginger dressing and is the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. Delicious and refreshing, it pairs beautifully with grilled meats, seafood, sandwiches, burgers and more!

Asian Coleslaw with the BEST Dressing!

What really makes a meal in my opinion is the sauce. Whether it’s the phenomenal gravy, the delicate and refined sauces or the dressing, it’s the sauce that can really elevate something simple into something spectacular. My favorite part about this Asian Slaw is the Asian slaw dressing.

I also love the versatility of its preparation. You can stick to the recipe as written or you can incorporate other vegetables like a red bell pepper, some snow peas, bean sprouts, turnips, kohlrabi, radishes, etc. Whichever route you go, once those crunchy vegetables are tossed in that dressing, the end result will taste amazing!

Asian Slaw Ingredients & Substitutions

This Asian slaw recipe calls for pantry staples and gives you a lot of flexibility. Swap out one vegetable for another, substitute more red cabbage for green, add in some chopped broccoli or a red bell pepper – you can personalize it to make it your own. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Cabbage: This forms the base of the slaw. You can use any cabbage variety, including Napa cabbage, but my personal favorite is the vibrant combination of green and red cabbage.
• Carrot: This adds some sweetness and color.
• Green Onions/Scallions: You can substitute thinly sliced red onion but I prefer the flavor of green onions in this slaw. It also provides some nice color contrast.
• Cilantro: Its herbaceous brightness harmonizes beautifully with the Asian flavors in the dressing.
• Roasted Peanuts: Sprinkled over the top, these add some nice crunch and flavor. Alternatively you can use crunchy chow mein noodles. You can also add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds if you like. Any of these are optional.
• Optional:  You can swap out some of the cabbage for other vegetables like red bell pepper, snow peas, shelled edamame, kohlrabi, jicama, turnips, bean sprouts or broccoli. You’ll a total of about 7 cups of shredded/sliced vegetables.

Asian Slaw Dressing Ingredients

If you cook Asian food on a regular basis, these ingredients are all pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Rice Vinegar: This is my favorite option for Asian slaw but you can substitute white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Olive Oil: You can use another oil of your choice such as canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc.
• Tamari or Soy Sauce: I’m a big fan of tamari because its flavor is more complex than soy sauce. But you can use either, including a low sodium version.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: This is where a lot of the flavor magic comes from. Don’t omit it. You can add more or less according to your taste.
• Mayonnaise: Unlike traditional creamy coleslaw that’s very heavy on the mayonnaise, or freezer slaw that contains none, this Asian slaw includes just enough mayonnaise to give the dressing a bit of creaminess and to enhance the mouthfeel.
• Honey: This adds sweetness and both balances and enhances the overall flavor. You can use brown sugar instead but I prefer honey because it adds a really nice flavor in addition to the sweetness.
• Ginger: Resist the urge to substitute powdered ground ginger, it doesn’t begin to compare to the freshness and flavor of freshly grated ginger root.

Asian Slaw Recipe

This recipe comes together in just minutes. Here’s how to make it:

1. Whisk the Asian Slaw Dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Adjust the tamari, honey and sesame oil to taste.
2. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables, green onions and cilantro together.
3. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss well to thoroughly combine.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving for best flavor results.
5. Sprinkle the roasted peanuts over the the top (or crunchy chow mein noodles or toasted sesame seeds) and garnish with some cilantro.

That’s it!

Storage and Make ahead

This Asian Slaw will keep for 3-4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator but will start to lose some of its crunchiness and become more watery over time.

For advance preparation, you can prep the slaw ingredients and make the dressing a day or two in advance (keep everything refrigerated) and then toss everything together when you’re ready to serve.

What to Serve with Asian Slaw

Wherever you would normally serve regular coleslaw, you can serve this Asian Slaw. Here are just a few ideas:

• Grilled or baked meat, chicken, seafood, Grilled Salmon
• Barbecue Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
• Heaped on tacos, Asian Fish Tacos, wraps, pulled pork
• BBQ Pulled Chicken sandwiches, Chicken Salad sandwiches, Tuna Salad or Egg Salad sandwiches
• Fish cakes, salmon cakes, crab cakes, Fish and Chips, battered shrimp
• Chicken Teriyaki, Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Kabobs, Teriyaki Salmon, Teriyaki Tofu
• Burgers and hot dogs
• Meat and/or veggie kebabs
• Fried rice, Rice bowls, Buddha bowls

Enjoy!

For more favorite salads try my:

• Chicken Salad
• Olivier Salad
• Egg Salad
• Tuna Salad
• Creamy Coleslaw
• Macaroni Salad
• Classic Potato Salad
• Maroulosalata
• Thai Quinoa Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Black Eyed Pea Salad
• Freezer Slaw
• Pea Salad
• Creamy German Cucumber Salad
• Waldorf Salad
• Moroccan Chicken Salad
• Sauerkraut Salad
• Four Bean Salad