Asian Slaw
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This light, flavorful Asian slaw is a delicious, healthy side dish that is perfect for the spring and summer months. Serve it with some grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and watermelon and you have yourself a perfect meal.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
You know that delicious slaw salad made from Oriental Ramen Noodles? Well, unfortunately, that recipe is usually full of processed ingredients and MSG.
The good news is, my friend Carla took a stab at making a homemade version of that dressing. I then tweaked the recipe resulting in a delicious Asian Slaw recipe that is healthy and still awesome-tasting according to our husbands and friends.
Ingredients in Asian Slaw
The ingredients in Asian Slaw are quite simple and require very little prep. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cabbage slaw mix
- Chopped green onion
- Almond slivers or slices
- Dried cranberries
- Sunflower seeds
- 1 crisp pear or apple
- Optional: grilled chicken
You could also toss in some edamame, peanuts, or snow peas. Play with it! Have fun!
The dressing has a handful of ingredients that you likely have in your pantry.
Why Make Salad Dressing at Home?
There are several reasons why you might want to make homemade salad dressing at home.
- Healthier Ingredients: When you make your own dressing, you have control over the ingredients. You can use high-quality oils, fresh herbs and spices, and avoid preservatives and additives that may be present in store-bought dressings.
- Customizable: Making your own dressing allows you to customize the flavor and consistency. You can easily adjust the sweetness, tanginess, and spiciness to your preference.
- Cost-Effective: Homemade salad dressings can be less expensive than store-bought versions, especially if you use ingredients that you already have on hand.
- Freshness: Homemade salad dressings are always fresh and can be made in small batches, so you can avoid wasting any leftover dressing.
- Sustainability: Making your own salad dressing can be a more sustainable option because you can reduce packaging waste and avoid buying products that require shipping and transportation.
Make sure to browse around our Top 10 Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings for more ideas.
What to Serve with Asian Slaw
While this recipe can be used any time of the year, I seem to gravitate towards it in the summer time. Here are some ideas that it would pair well with:
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Asian Slaw
This light, flavorful Asian slaw is a delicious, healthy side dish that is perfect for the spring and summer months. Serve it with some grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and watermelon and you have yourself a perfect meal.
Ingredients
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (sub: rice vinegar)
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Slaw Ingredients:
- 16 oz bag of cabbage slaw mix
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup almond slivers or slices
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 1 crisp pear or apple, diced in small chunks
- Optional: 1 1/2 lbs grilled chicken, diced
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Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a sealed jar and shake until combined. Chill in the fridge while making the rest of the salad.
- Toast the almonds at 350°F for about 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. Watch closely so they don’t burn.
- Approximately 30 minutes before serving, combine the slaw ingredients and then toss with part of the dressing. Taste and then add more dressing, as needed.
- Optional: To add grilled chicken, make a second batch of the dressing. Marinate chicken breasts in that mixture for 1-2 hours and discard the marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let rest for 5 minutes and then slice on against the grain and top the Asian Slaw.
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Easy and delicious
★★★★★
Thanks Amber. Those are two words we love to hear about our recipes!
Balsamic vinegar? It’s an ingredient in the video, but not listed in the recipe itself. Was that a tweak and you decided eventually to take it out or is it meant to be there? And if so, how much?
Yes, we removed that ingredient when we updated and improved the recipe (after making the video). Good catch, though!
My husband and I loved this. We used the left overs to add to fish tacos the next day.
★★★★★
Great idea to use in fish tacos. Yum!
I have use this recipe for years as a good potluck for the beach. Try using Mango
★★★★★
Ooh, mango is a fun idea for a different twist. Thanks!
My whole family loves this recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you for this recipe. I made it this week and I wasn’t sure how it would go over as my husband does not typically like sweeter foods at dinner. But it was a big hit with my whole family. I served it with pulled pork and there were no leftovers! This is a definite make-again dish!
★★★★★
Awesome! Love hearing that. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback and a review, Cheryl.
Made the slaw as a side with smoked brisket. Was light and crispy with the almonds and apples! Dressing was delicious! A major hit with the family. This one’s now added to my regular summer salad rotation!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Kelly. 🙂
Will the dressing keep the apple from turning brown? I was thinking of making this ahead of time and just add the dressing the next day.
The acid from the dressing will help keep it from turning, but it may still turn a little brown within that time period. I would suggest adding the apple and the sauce about 30-60 minutes before serving and then toss it all together.
My whole family (hubs, 3 1/2 year old, and 2 year old) all ate this! This is quite the feat at our house. We loved the dressing! I made some changes (anybody else always have to skip a few things on their grocery list due to verge of toddler meltdown? ?)
I used broccoli slaw instead of cabbage slaw (a misgrab) only used 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp stevia, used ground almonds/walnuts leftover from another recipe and pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds, and omitted the green onions (forgot to slice) and crasins (sweet enough already for us!). It was delicious.
Yeah! I love it when there is a meal that the entire family likes. WIN!
Rachel, this is a fun recipe. I’m adapting it for allergy and other dietary issues by substituting grape seed oil for olive oil, Tamari soy as a gluten-free soy sauce option, and using a small amount of stevia, agave, or honey for sweetness. Thanks for sharing it. Cam
Thanks for the allergy-free suggestions! I will have to try some stevia or honey in for the sugar, too. Love that suggestion.