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Simple and delicious, this Ramen Cabbage Salad packs in all the crunch! Chopped cabbage, ramen noodles, almonds and more make this crisp salad one that everyone will love. An easy peanut dressing to top it all off!
This recipe was originally published in October 2019 and updated March 2023.
This Ramen Cabbage Salad is for all the crunchy salad lovers. You seriously cannot beat the crunch from the Ramen, cabbage, chopped nuts--it's the perfect salad!
A simple salad that can easily be tweaked into a meal with some added protein or made even more colorful with the addition of other veggies. Enjoy!
Why You Will Love This Ramen Cabbage Salad:
- All the crunch! It's the crunch that does it for everyone in this ramen salad. Cabbage, nuts, and ramen bring life to the salad and then the flavors of the cilantro, peanut dressing and all of it tossed together is just so spot on!
- Simple to prep. A little bit of chopping and whipping up some dressing and then tossing it together--that about sums it up. You can buy pre-chopped cabbage as well for even easier prep!
- Easy to vary. This cabbage salad is a perfect base. You can eat it as is, but you can also add a protein like grilled chicken to the mix. The recipe is easily made vegan by using maple instead of honey in the dressing. Toss in other veggies.
- A great salad showstopper for the party. Every time I bring this Ramen cabbage salad to a gathering, the bowl is essentially licked clean. It adds to any spread when it comes to summer BBQs!
Ramen Cabbage Salad Ingredients:
- cole slaw mix: using a ready to go cole slaw mix to make for the easiest salad prep. You could opt to shred carrots and chop a head of cabbage as well if you are up for the extra work, but I like the convenience of the ready to go mix.
- red cabbage: this is probably the most work of the recipe. Chop up the red cabbage, or sometimes you can find ready to go chopped red cabbage in the produce section of the grocery.
- green onion: chop up the greens, you can use the entire onion including the white part or just use the green.
- cilantro: the more the better in my opinion!
- almonds: sliced almonds (unless an allergy, you can use sunflower seeds) are ideal for a nice crunch. You can add them in as is, or lightly toast them before adding to the salad.
- ramen noodles: super affordable and no need to be cooked!
For The Dressing:
- vegetable oil: lots of peanut dressing use sesame seed oil but it's not my favorite flavored oil, so I opt for a mild flavored vegetable oil. I have used olive oil as well and still thought it turned out great as well.
- peanut butter: the natural, drippy, stir to use peanut butter works best in the this peanut dressing. If you have a peanut allergy, almond butter or sunflower seed butter will sub well in this dressing.
- rice vinegar: if you don't have any available, you can use apple cider vinegar or even white vinegar. I like the extra flavor the rice vinegar adds
- soy sauce: you can use tamari for gluten free. Coconut aminos will also work in this peanut dressing
- ginger: the perfect compliment to this peanut dressing. Freshly minced is ideal but your could use ground ginger in a pinch.
- lime juice: freshly squeezed is ideal!
- crushed red pepper: adjust the amount to desired spice level
- garlic: minced, fresh garlic over powder. If you don't have any, use about ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- maple/honey: whatever you have on hand is great. To ensure this ramen cabbage salad is vegan, use maple instead of the honey.
- water: you may or may not need this. Use as desired. The thickness of your peanut butter will likely impact how much you do or do not need.
Is this Ramen Cabbage Salad Vegan?
As is, it is completely vegan! So feel free to invite all of your plant based friends over to share this one! It's not always easy to find vegan friendly recipes without making substitutions so keep this one in your back pocket for when you need it!
Are Ramen Noodles Gluten Free?
Most ramen noodles contain wheat flour so no, they are technically not gluten free. You can find gluten free Ramen though so you are in luck! If you have a personal favorite, let me know below in the comments!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- For easier prep, buy pre-chopped veggies! Why do you think I used the Cole slaw mix?! I can get a package for $1.49 at the grocery. $1.49? Yes, that kind of price is what I am talking about.
- You can toast the ramen noodles if desired. Ramen noodles are actually pre-cooked so you can safely eat them without cooking. However, if you toast them in the oven just a bit, it adds some extra flavor!
- Adjust the dressing to your desired thickness. Not all peanut butters are created equally. I use the really drippy natural kind so it is a bit thinner. You may need to thin yours out a bit more with some extra water.
- Make this salad a meal: add some grilled chicken, salmon, or even some steak. For vegan, you can add some tofu as well. Mukimame is another great option to add. Sliced almonds instead of the peanuts are also great!
Ramen Cabbage Salad Storage Instructions:
You can store this ramen salad for up to 5 days. For best results, reserve a bit of dressing for serving and toss it in just before eating. You can add a touch of olive oil if you don't have any left. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Possible Salad Add-Ins:
- diced red bell pepper
- shelled edamame (also known as mukimame)
- dried cranberries
- shredded rotisserie chicken
- peas
- chickpeas
- a drizzle of sriracha
- sesame seeds
Other Salad Recipes:
- Lemon Orzo Salad
- Strawberry Arugula Goat Cheese Salad with Pretzel Crusted Chicken
- Spring Green Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing and Sourdough Croutons
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Spinach Mandarin Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing
- Simple Blackberry Spinach Quinoa Salad with Blackberry Thyme Infused Olive Oil
- Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
- Vegan Quinoa Salad with Cucumber and Dill
- Watermelon Avocado Salad with Feta
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Chopped Ramen Cabbage Salad
Simple and delicious, this Ramen Cabbage Salad packs in all the crunch! Chopped cabbage, ramen noodles, sliced almonds and more make this crisp salad one that everyone will love. An easy peanut dressing to top it all off!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 283kcal
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 bag cole slaw mix (16 oz.) chopped
- ½ head of purple cabbage chopped
- 2-3 green onions chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ c sliced almonds
- 1 package ramen noodles (3 oz.)
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 2 T lime juice
- 1 T rice vinegar
- 1 T soy sauce or Tamari for gluten free option
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2-3 T maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon freshly minced ginger ground ginger will work too
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Pepper
- 3 T water more or less as needed
Instructions
- Chop/cut vegetables accordingly and combine in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together aside from the water in a small mixing bowl. Add water to thin out if desired.
- Either pour dressing over salad and toss to combine, or wait until ready to serve to add dressing. (Add desired amount of dressing, you don't have to use the entire amount.) Toss in crushed up ramen noodles and peanuts just before serving. Top with extra cilantro for garnish.
- Refrigerate leftovers in sealed containers.
Notes
- For easier prep, buy pre-chopped veggies! Why do you think I used the Cole slaw mix?! I can get a package for $1.49 at the grocery. $1.49? Yes, that kind of price is what I am talking about.
- Adjust the dressing to your desired thickness. Not all peanut butters are created equally. I use the really drippy natural kind so it is a bit thinner. You may need to thin yours out a bit more with some extra water.
- Make this salad a meal: add some grilled chicken, salmon, or even some grilled steak. For vegan, you can add some tofu as well. Mukimame is another great option to add. Sliced almonds instead of the peanuts are also great!
Nutrition
Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1894IU | Vitamin C: 110mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg
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Robyn Spano says
Made this recipe low carb, shirataki noodles and sugar-free maple syrup. Amazing! Rinsed my noodles well and cooked in oven on foil 350 for 30 minutes. Taking this for my lunch this week! Yummy!????
Lorie says
Sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!