Ramen Cabbage Salad

The iconic ramen cabbage slaw we all grew up loving but with a choice of 2 different dressings: Classic & Upgraded!

This crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad is a classic!

I swear, growing up, this salad was always on the table at every bridal shower, baby shower, Tupperware party, Pampered Chef party, and any other home party.

And summer BBQs?! It was definitely there. It doesn’t contain mayo or dairy, so it would be OK if it sat out for the most part.

Ramen Cabbage Salad ingredients

In this post, you’ll see in the recipe card that I’m giving you two different dressing recipes: classic and upgraded. Both are equally delicious. The upgraded one has a more Asian flavor with the rice wine vinegar and fresh ginger, while the classic is more like what I grew up with.

• Slaw: I use a mixture of tri-colored coleslaw and broccoli slaw as I like that flavor marriage.
• Veggies: matchstick carrots and green onions
• Toppings: Ramen noodles (from the cheap packets of ramen). You can save or discard the seasoning packets.
• Dressing: oil, acid, sugar, seasonings, and, depending on the dressing you’re making, garlic and ginger

Make The Dressing

1. Add all your dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Toast Your Toppings

What makes this salad so incredible is the crunchification factor.

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and place the crushed ramen noodles and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Bake for 3-4 minutes or until they are toasted brown.
3. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. If storing for a day or two, add them to an air-tight container.

How to make Ramen Noodle Salad

1. While the almonds and crushed ramen noodles are cooling, assemble the rest of the salad.
2. Add the slaws, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss to combine thoroughly. If serving immediately, add the toasted noodles and almonds. If not, cover and chill. Add the noodles and almonds right before serving.

Ramen Salad Serving Options

Once the slaw and veggies are in a large bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Now you have a few options here:

• Cover and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to combine or
• Serve it immediately

When To Add The Crunchy Ramen

The biggest thing to remember about this salad is that if you want the crunchy factor to remain, you should only add the toasted ramen and almonds before serving.

You can also serve it on the side and let folks add it. The only thing I will mention with this is double the topping factor if you serve it this way, as I can guarantee that folks will take more.

Cabbage Ramen Salad substitutions

I get it; we all don’t like the same thing. Here are some suggestions for substitutions:

• Slaw – instead of cabbage or the broccoli slaw, try riced cauliflower or toasted quinoa
• Almonds – you can omit or try other chopped, toasted nuts
• Ramen – if you’re gluten-free, try the gluten-free version of ramen noodles or omit it. Additionally, you could also use rice noodles.

Ramen Noodle Salad variations

What I love about the following section is that you can customize this salad to your preference (more onions, other veggies, etc.).

Customize this Asian Salad with Ramen Noodles!

I’ve said it a million times: this is my favorite section of my recipe posts. I LOVE to change it up (thus my upgraded dressing variation). Here are some of my favorite additions to add:

• Fruit – Mandarin oranges, chopped pineapple, chopped Asian pears
• Veggies – chopped sugar snap peas, chopped radishes, diced water chestnuts, red bell peppers, edamame
• Crunchies – toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds
• Herbs – cilantro brightens up this dish as well

Make This A Main Dish!

I do this quite often when it’s just for me. Add cooked shrimp or grilled, chopped chicken to a bowl of this salad.

Make This A Wrap or Sandwich Topping!

Whether you add protein or items to make it a complete meal, take some and add it to a wrap. Have a sandwich like my Crunchy Korean Shrimp Burger, and put a scoop of this on top! Or, if you saw it on my Instagram Reel, put this and my Sticky Gochujang Pork Belly Burnt Ends on a bun! Seriously, that was pure heaven!

How To Store Ramen Salad

Once dressed, this salad will last about three days in the fridge. It’s cabbage, and if you’ve ever made coleslaw, you’ll see that it starts to weep after a day or two once it’s dressed. Just use a slotted spoon when you serve it.

Crunchy Cabbage Ramen Salad

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The iconic ramen cabbage slaw we all grew up loving but with a choice of 2 different dressings: Classic & Upgraded!

• Author: Lori
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 4
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: ~10 servings
• Category: salad, cookouts, bridal showers, baby showers, parties
• Method: no bake or bake
• Cuisine: Asian, Oriental, salad, cookouts, bridal showers, baby showers, parties

Ingredients

Slaw

• 1 – 16 oz bag tri-colored coleslaw
• 1 – 16 oz bag broccoli slaw (or can use an additional coleslaw)
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup carrot matchsticks

Topping

• 1 package of ramen noodles only (seasoning packet not used) *if you like more crunch, add a second noodle package – slightly crush the noodles
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Upgraded Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 –3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Classic Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil *or any light oil
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 –1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F, and place the slightly crushed noodles and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 3-4 minutes just until they become toasted. Set aside to cool.
2. In a bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. In a large bowl add the slaws, carrots, and green onions. Pour the dressing overtop and toss to combine thoroughly. If serving immediately add the toasted noodles and almonds. If not, cover and chill. Add the noodles and almonds right before serving.

Notes

Nutritional information is including the Upgraded Dressing

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