Crunchy Asian Slaw
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Published Aug 16, 2019, Updated Jun 09, 2021
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This quick and easy Asian slaw is loaded with crunchy vegetables and tossed in a flavorful sesame soy Asian dressing. Perfect as a topping for tacos or as a side!
Do you ever feel like you need a side salad that takes close to zero effort to put together but still tastes super flavorful?! If your answer is “um pretty much every day” this Asian slaw is for you! You can buy pre-chopped veggies to cut some corners and whip up the dressing in under five minutes. The end result is a flavorful side dish or topping for tacos.
I created this easy Asian slaw recipe to go with my Asian tofu tacos, but I’m already dreaming of all the things I can enjoy this with. I can see this with grilled chicken, rice and bok choy for an Asian-inspired bowl, over grilled fish or even on a bbq sammie. The options are endless!
Asian Slaw Ingredients
- shredded cabbage – You can use napa, green or red. And feel free to buy pre-shredded cabbage for a time-saving shortcut!
- shredded carrots – same as above, buy pre-shredded to save some time or look for a coleslaw mix that has both cabbage and carrots included
- scallions
- red bell pepper
- white or black sesame seeds
Feel free to make this slaw your own! Use a coleslaw mix, add in some of your favorite veggies you need to use up, or simply stick to this recipe. The base recipe is delish!
Dressing Ingredients
- mayonnaise – I don’t use mayo often, but when I do I like avocado oil mayo. Vegan mayo works great too!
- sesame oil – I prefer spicy sesame oil, but regular toasted sesame oil works
- low-sodium tamari – you can also use coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce if you’re not worried about the slaw being gluten-free
- rice vinegar
- mirin – a sweet and tangy rice wine (read more about this below)
Don’t Skip the Mirin
If you’re not familiar with mirin, it’s a rice wine – kind of like sake but with less alcohol and more sugar. Its flavor is sweet and tangy and it’s an essential ingredient in a lot of Asian dishes. When I first saw mirin in a recipe I thought I could skip it, but trust me, it’s worth having a bottle handy for Asian recipes! Thankfully, it’s fairly inexpensive and one bottle will last you a long time.
Where to buy mirin: You can find it at Asian grocery stores, international markets, or larger grocery stores like Whole Foods or Wegmans on the international aisle. You can also order it online from a variety of stores, even Target.
Want Even More Side Salads?
If you try this crunchy Asian slaw, please leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback on my recipes is so helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Asian Slaw
Ingredients
Slaw
- 1 lb about 5 cups shredded cabbage*
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup sliced scallions
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- white or black sesame seeds, for topping
Asian Dressing
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise, I like avocado oil mayo, but vegan mayo works too
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, I like spicy sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons low-sodium tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce works too
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
Instructions
- Toss together slaw ingredients in a large salad bowl.
- Add all ingredients for the dressing into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour over slaw and toss to combine. Top with sesame seeds and serve. Slaw will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- For the cabbage, you can use napa, green or red. I used a combo of green and red for extra color.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The slaw dressing is amazing! I make it once a week and drizzle on my tofu tacos!!!
So glad this slaw has been a hit, Nita! Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
Replaced mirin with marsala! It’s amazing! Thank you!
Ohh yummy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Love, love, love this slaw, especially in your Asian tacos!!
They don’t sell avocado oil mayo where I live. How can I make this? Sounds delicious!
You can use regular mayo.
We are loving your salad and we had all of the ingredients in our “quaranine kitchen”. We are feeling healthy and virtuous. I did pump up the ginger, mirin and rice wine vinegar a bit and added a dash of Sambal Oelek for heat (ran out of chili oil at 1T.) Thank you! If we had any left I would totally use this for tacos too. Hope you are well.
Absolutely love this salad, isn’t quite as picturesque as yours, but still super summery, fresh and delish!
Yay! Thanks for trying my recipe, Caitlin. I’m so glad you loved it. And thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This looks incredible! Totally making this for lunch over the weekend!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out for you!