This colorful Asian Coleslaw is chock full of crunchy vegetables and dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette with honey, soy, and sesame oil.

This Recipe for Asian Salad has more Dutch roots than Asian, but there’s definitely a taste of the Far East in every delightful bite.

Asian Coleslaw in a white serving bowl.

Why You Must Make

  • It’s perfect for picnics and potlucks as there’s no mayo-based dressing that needs to stay chilled.
  • An Asian Coleslaw Recipe is unusual enough that your contribution to any pitch-in meal will be unique.
  • It’s refreshing, light, and easily adaptable to the veggies you have in your fridge. Cabbage is a must, though!
  • The vibrant colors make a beautiful presentation. We eat with our eyes first!
Overhead view of Asian Salad with Ginger Dressing.

Expert Tips

  • I prefer that the cabbage is dressed ahead of time so that the cabbage wilts and softens. Unfortunately, adding the vinaigrette draws out some liquid from the vegetables and dilutes the lovely Asian flavors.
  • I minimized this by tossing the salad with just a fraction of the dressing, then draining some of the excess liquid at serving time before mixing it with the remaining dressing. This worked like a charm.
  • This salad is extremely versatile. If you don’t like snow peas, add some other green veggies like shredded broccoli or brussels sprouts, blanched sugar snap peas, or green bell pepper. More spice? Increase the minced jalapeno or add more red pepper flakes. Make it your own!
  • Make sure you use a variety of colored vegetables for the best presentation.
Salad ingredients for Asian Salad Recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in an Asian Slaw?

Shredded cabbage, other crunchy vegetables, and onions make up the body of this salad. They are tossed in an Asian vinaigrette.

What’s in an Asian Salad Dressing?

This varies greatly depending from recipe to recipe, but soy sauce and sesame oil are very common. Other ingredients may include olive or vegetable oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, and/or both regular and black sesame seeds.

Is Slaw the same as Coleslaw?

Yes, these two culinary terms are interchangeable.

What Nationality is Coleslaw?

It can be traced to the ancient Romans but the origin of the word coleslaw is from the Netherlands. The Dutch word Koosla means cabbage salad. The first mention of coleslaw in American dates to the 1770s.

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A small white bowl of Asian salad with a red handle fork

Asian Coleslaw

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Yield 6 servings

A delicious Asian slaw with cabbage, peppers, snow peas and a flavorful ginger vinaigrette.

Ingredients

Slaw:

  • 4 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, sliced into matchstick-sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups snow peas, blanched and sliced if desired*
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, minced (more or less to taste)

Ginger Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or run through a garlic press
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger.
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Place all vegetables into a large bowl and toss.
  2. Whisk together the rice wine vinegar and lime juice.
  3. Add the sesame oil and olive oil slowly while whisking, then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Pour over vegetables. Toss to mix, and serve immediately.

Notes

*To blanch the snow peas, place them in boiling water for a minute or two until they turn bright green. Remove and place in a bowl of cold ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry before using.

If you add the dressing ahead of time, it will pull water out of the vegetables and dilute the flavors. If you want your cabbage to wilt, toss with just some of the dressing and add the majority just before serving.

Use any of your favorite vegetables, julienned. Pick all the colors of the rainbow for the most beautiful presentation.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 483mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g

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