This is your new favorite version of coleslaw with crunchy veggies and a sweet and savory Thai-inspired peanut sauce. I always get requests for the recipe when I take this to potlucks and picnics!
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Asian Coleslaw Recipe
If you need a side dish to bring to a potluck or picnic or just want to change up your standard coleslaw recipe, this Asian-inspired coleslaw is going to take your tastebuds to new levels.
Made with a creamy peanut butter sauce, this slaw has it all with sweet, savory, and sour flavors in perfect harmony with plenty of that coleslaw crunch from thinly sliced veggies. Even kids love this coleslaw!
Looking for more delicious summer salads and sides? Be sure to check out our Easy Homemade Coleslaw for a more traditional version, or try our Chinese Chicken Salad for something more substantial!
Asian slaw makes a wonderful side all on it’s own – I could easily eat bowlfuls of this stuff – but it’s perfect for topping these Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders I shared the other day.
I can see these being enjoyed all season long for easy entertaining or game day food. You could make this into a full-on dinner salad by adding crunchy Ramen noodles and some cooked chicken or salmon.
Asian Coleslaw Ingredients
- Coleslaw Mix
- Red Cabbage
- Red Bell Pepper
- Carrots
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Vegetable Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Ginger Root
- Garlic
How to Make Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing
- This easy Asian cabbage slaw starts with a bag of coleslaw mix from the grocery store to save some of the extra chopping of cabbage. But since those mixes are typically pretty boring, with mostly just regular green cabbage and just a few sad pops of purple and orange from a handful of grated carrots and red cabbage, I decided to throw in some more color and flavor.
- The red cabbage and shredded carrots were a no brainer since they are typically included in those bagged coleslaw mixes.
- But I also had a bag of 6 red bell peppers from Costco (gets me every time) that needed to be used up so I grabbed one of those and started to julienne the red pepper (which is just a fancy way of saying I sliced it into really thin, short strips).
- The key is to make sure that the pepper is sliced thin enough that you aren’t getting chunks that are noticeably a lot bigger than the rest of the slaw ingredients.
- I also chopped up some green onion and fresh cilantro to go in there too, which gave even more color and flavor.
- After that, it’s just a matter of whisking together the dressing ingredients in a bowl and pouring it over the slaw ingredients, tossing to coat.
- The dressing for this Asian slaw calls for sesame oil, which is something I often use when cooking Asian-style foods. It has a deep nutty, toasted flavor that I love, and I really recommend buying some if you don’t already have it in your pantry. It’s not a big amount, but it definitely makes a difference.
Asian Cabbage Slaw Substitutions
- Soy sauce: You can substitute this ingredient with coconut aminos or tamari.
- Bell pepper: Yellow, orange, or even green bell peppers will work. We mostly like the color of the red.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: If you don’t have this on hand, apple cider vinegar makes a good substitute.
- Garlic & Ginger: If you don’t have fresh, you can substitute 1 teaspoon each of dried ginger and garlic powder.
Tips for Asian Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Chop everything very fine. You might even want to use a mandolin. This makes the slaw easier to eat and everything gets a better coating of the dressing.
- Don’t dress until ready to serve. If you are taking this to a potluck or other event, wait to combine the sauce with the vegetables until shortly before you are about to serve it. Keep everything chilled in a cooler so the veggies stay crisp.
How to Store Asian Slaw
Like most coleslaw, this version doesn’t store great once you mix the sauce with everything else since it gets soggy and softens in the fridge overnight. You can still eat it the next day, but I recommend storing the sauce and veggies in separate airtight containers in the fridge if you don’t plan to eat it all right away and only combine the amount that will be eaten.
More like this Asian Slaw Recipe
- Oven Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
- Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce
- Thai Coconut Mango Sticky Rice
- Korean Pancakes with Scallions
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Asian Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
For the slaw
- 1 bag packaged coleslaw mix
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
For the dressing
- 6 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 5 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oils, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.
- In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, red cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with the dressing just before serving.
This looks wonderful! I plan to try it tonight. Can you tell me what the serving size is?
I would say a serving size is about 3/4 cup.
I made this today for my wife and I and it came out wonderful! I mariated a couple of ahi steaks, seared, sliced and served it on a bed of this stuff and it was divine. Thanks so much for the recipe! I think this will go into our regular rotation.
Delicious recipe!! Thank you soo much my family LOVED it 😍😍😍
This Asian Cole Slaw was delicious! My teen boys loved it and I made it again tonight. It’s easy, tasty and when you add chicken it makes a yummy dinner salad.
I made Pulled BBQ Chicken and added this slaw on top. My boys were raving about it.
I served this with cedar plank salmon & asparagus and it was fantastic! Everyone raved. Will definitely make again. Such a nice change!
The coleslaw mix and purple cabbage heads at the store were seriously sad, so I shredded my own green cabbage (about 2/3 head) and added extra carrot for color. I also reduced the brown sugar to 1 Tb since I was using coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. I’m sure the recipe is great as written, and it worked well with my slight changes. I served this slaw with pork BBQ, ate the leftovers for several days, and will make again!
I made this tonight and had my in-laws over and it was a BIG hit!! We were thinking this would make a great marinade for chicken to do lettuce wraps or something of the like. Restaurant quality flavor!
Greetings. I will be making this for a side dish tonight and tomorrow as a topping on the pulled pork sandwiches. I figure I should split the mixture in half and save 1/2 slaw and 1/2 dressing for the second day. I see you recommend tossing the slaw mix with dressing and refrigerating for at least 30 minutes. Is longer soaking time better? I assume if I put dressing in a sealed jar, it will last for 24 hours in refrigerator. I appreciate any suggestions! I’m not a very experienced cook.
We have had this as leftovers the next day and it’s okay, but as the vegetables soak they tend to soften a bit. I think it would be best if you don’t plan on eating it all at once to split the dressing and salad first and dress half an hour before serving.
Instead of cole slaw, I made and poured this dressing on chopped cucumbers and onions with crushed peanuts and cilantro on top. DELISH! Such a great alternative to mayo based dressings.
Love both recipes, but the peanut sauce does last refrigerated for quite awhile! It’s so easy to make and tastes so much better than store bought. I make it in bulk because I use it with everything!
It’s so flippin good! My customers are raving about it. So quick and easy and the dressing is the best.
I’m so happy to hear that, Bobbi!
Amy,
This recipe looks great. I have some pulled pork in the freezer from a large pork butt that I smoked recently. I’m going to make this Asian Slaw as a topping for pulled pork sandwiches this week. I think they will go well together.
A step up from regular coleslaw!! Made it for my in-laws as part of the August Farmer’s Market Challenge.
This was so good added Keto honey for the sweetener!
The Asian slaw was delicious, the flavor was the right amount of all the ingredients: It’s my new favorite! I made it last week and making it again tonight. I make the recipe into bowls, one I put half the dressing on and the other bowl I save to have it for lunch and toss the other half of dressing on in the morning