Chinese Cabbage Salad

5 from 2 votes

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Use that bag of shredded cabbage in a whole new way with this Chinese Cabbage Salad recipe! Flavored with a homemade sesame dressing and filled with cabbage, peppers, onions, carrots, almonds and chow mein noodles. This is our new weekly go-to side dish.

Hello summer salads! I am HERE for you! I love this Chinese Cabbage Salad Recipe for so many reasons. Mainly because it’s a great cabbage salad recipe that isn’t coleslaw. Ha! It’s like a really delicious love child of a Chinese Chicken Salad and a Thai Peanut Slaw. It’s fresh, simple and really flavorful! You are going to love it.

chinese cabbage salad in bowl with tongs

No Ordinary Cabbage Salad

Like I mentioned above, this salad is all about flavor! When I first was testing it, I wanted to pack as much of a punch as possible using minimal ingredients. Sesame oil, garlic and fresh ginger are the main flavor components of the sesame dressing. I love the brown sugar that adds a hint of sweetness as well as the sweet juicy mandarin oranges. And of course it wouldn’t be a Lauren’s Latest salad without a little crunch! I include chow mein noodles and a few toasted almonds to finish the whole thing off and really create a stand out super flavorful Chinese Cabbage Salad.

ingredients in bowl

Main Ingredients Needed

No surprise here! The main ingredient that makes up the bulk of this cabbage salad recipe is a pre-shredded bagged cabbage. These are widely available nowadays and really inexpensive. You also need carrots, peppers, green onions, red onions, cilantro, canned mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles and almonds. Seems like a big long list, but everything should be easy to find!

The dressing is filled with those flavorful ingredients (garlic, ginger, sesame oil) as well as some brown sugar, canola oil, soy sauce and vinegar. I love this sesame dressing and use a similar version of it on my Sesame Noodle Salad. It’s tried and true and FABULOUS.

What should I eat with this salad? Try these simple main courses: Simple Roasted Chicken, Baked Chicken Legs, Oven Baked Salmon with Garlic Butter Bread Crumbs, Oven Baked Ribs.

pouring dressing on cabbage salad

Making Cabbage Salad

So, as with most salads, it’s just a matter of chopping all the ingredients and adding them into a bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve! It really is that simple. The hardest part is having to chop veggies for 10 minutes. Yes, really! If you buy that pre-shredded cabbage, and pre-shredded carrots, you will be in great shape! Chinese Cabbage Salad in minutes! It’s really a great side dish for any meal.

Making Ahead/Storing Instructions

The one caveat this recipe has is you have to toss with the dressing right before serving. Those chow mein noodles will get soggy after 30 minutes, so you’ll want to make sure everything is getting tossed right before you bring it to the table. To make in advance, store the dressing and salad separately in the refrigerator and then toss together right before serving.

Storing leftovers is a no-no (in my opinion). Those chow mein noodles really give up the ghost after those first 30 minutes, so your salad won’t taste nearly as good or have the same texture the next day. If this doesn’t bother you, by all means store the extras and enjoy! But I’m picky and really don’t love this. If you want to take special precautions, serve the chow mein noodles along side the salad instead of tossing all together.

chinese cabbage salad in bowl close up

Love this Cabbage Salad Recipe? Here are some of our favorites:

chinese cabbage salad toss with tongs

I hope you all try this recipe and love it!! It has quickly turned into a favorite around these parts. I even dared my (vegetable hating) father-in-law to try it and he had two helpings!! You *must* print/bookmark/pin/save this recipe. It’s a good one.

Have a great day, friends!

chinese asian slaw toss with tongs
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5 from 2 votes

Chinese Cabbage Salad

Use that bag of shredded cabbage in a whole new way with this Chinese Cabbage Salad recipe! Flavored with a homemade sesame dressing and filled with cabbage, peppers, onions, carrots, almonds and chow mein noodles.
servings 6 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 14 oz shredded cabbage red and green
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 1 cup yellow bell pepper chopped
  • 3 whole green onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 11 oz can mandarin oranges well drained
  • 1 cup chow mein noodles
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds toasted
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion

For the Sesame Dressing:

  • 1 clove garlic finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger finely minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  • When you are ready to serve, toss dressing together with the salad and serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to make this salad in advance, be sure to store the salad and dressing separately in the fridge. Right before serving, toss together.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 4405IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: salad recipe
5 from 2 votes

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7 Responses
  1. Brenda

    I made a version of this years ago & it was always a favorite. I love the updates you’ve made. A couple of questions: we have a couple food allergies that have developed & can’t do almonds (or any other tree nuts) or sesame oil. Do you have any recommendations for substitutes?

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