Asian Slaw with Peanut Dressing

Asian slaw with peanut dressing is packed with flavor, easy to make and comes together in under 10 minutes. It’s the perfect side dish and can easily become a crunchy, flavorful meal by just adding some protein. This Asian cabbage salad is great anytime of year and would also be great for meal prep.

I love having a large salad on hand to enjoy all week long. If you also love salads like this, you should try my Cruciferous Crunch Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing or my Asian Broccoli Slaw Salad.

Making quick salads like this is a great way to get lots of veggies on the table in a short period of time. My experience running a meal prep business taught me how to pack big flavor into little time! I use those tips I learned running that business to create recipes for Bites of Wellness to help you get a delicious meal on the table with minimal effort.

Why this will become part of your meal rotation

• Easy to make
• Packed with flavor
• Ready in 10 minutes
• Simple side dish or hearty meal
• Great way to get in more veggies
• Budget friendly
• Great for meal prep (enjoy for up to 4 days)
• Great for cookouts, parties or weeknight meals.

Ingredients

Asian Slaw

• Green and red cabbage – I like the mix of both but you could also do all green or all red (purple) cabbage.
• Shredded carrots – use store bought or shred carrots yourself by using the shredding attachment on your food processor.
• Bell pepper – I recommend using the sweeter peppers (red, yellow, orange) in this slaw.

Peanut Sesame Dressing

• Peanut butter – smooth peanut butter works best here (the drippy kind of peanut butter that you have to stir the oil in when you first open the jar). You could also use a crunchy peanut butter in a pinch. Almond butter or tahini would work if you can’t do peanuts.
• Coconut aminos or gluten free tamari (or soy sauce) – to give a depth of flavor to the dressing.
• Lime juice and rice wine vinegar– helps to add a tangy flavor to the sauce and to balance out the fat from the peanut butter.
• Sesame oil – sesame oil gives the dressing a very distinct flavor. It’s important to note that a little sesame oil goes a long way (so don’t over do it). Store sesame oil in the fridge to ensure it doesn’t go rancid.
• Garlic powder, ground ginger, salt – I tend to use garlic powder and ground ginger in recipes as I always have them on hand and they are easy to add to the sauce.

How to make Asian cabbage slaw with peanut dressing

Start by shredding the cabbage and slicing the peppers thinly.

Add all the veggies to a large salad bowl.

Combine the ingredients for the peanut sesame dressing in a bowl. Stir well until everything is well combined.

Pour the dressing over the veggies and stir well until the dressing is coating all of the vegetables. I like to use tongs for this.

Serve immediately or allow to sit in the fridge to let the flavors combine for 1-2 hours.

Other additions

I love how simple this recipe is and I typically have all these ingredients on hand at all times. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand. Some other great additions include:

• Add veggies: Shredded brussel sprouts (raw or sauteed), napa cabbage, sugar snap peas or snap peas (chopped), sauteed asparagus, green beans, broccoli, broccoli slaw, edamame
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro, mint, green onion
• Make it Spicy: Add in red pepper flakes (1/2 -1 tsp), garlic chili sauce (1-2 tbsp) or sriracha (1-2 tbsp)
• Make it Sweeter: Add in 1-2 tbsp. honey, maple syrup or date paste
• Make it Creamier: Add in 1-2 more tablespoons of peanut butter
• Make it Crunchier: Top the salad with peanuts, sesame seeds, cashews or sunflower seeds

What to serve with Asian cabbage slaw?

This Asian slaw with peanut dressing would go great with your favorite Asian dishes or as a simple side for most weeknight meals. You could try it with:

• 10 Minute Asian Chicken
• Curry Salmon Cakes
• Teriyaki chickpeas
• Sweet Potato Lentil Patties

Common Questions

What are other ways to use peanut lime dressing

The peanut lime dressing is great for salads and slaws. Some other ways to use it include:

• As a dip for spring rolls or collard wraps
• As a sauce to pour over stir fry’s or noodles and veggies
• As a marinade for chicken or salmon
• Use it as a dip for roasted or fresh veggies

What is the easiest ways to slice cabbage for slaw

Thinly slicing cabbage is the most time consuming part of making this slaw. There are some ways to quickly slice cabbage to make this easier:

• Food processor: This is typically my go to for shredding/slicing. My food processor has a shredding attachment (not the grater) that replaces the S-shaped blade. Cut the cabbage into small enough chunks to fit through the feeding tube at the top of the food processor and quickly shred the cabbage.
• Sharp knife: When using a knife, it’s best to create a flat base to work with. Cut the cabbage in half, cut out the core and then thinly slice the cabbage making sure the cabbage is flat on the cutting board to make this as easy as possible.
• Spiralizer: Using a spiralizer to shred cabbage is so easy, but the cabbage can fly everywhere in the process so know that it can make a mess to clean up. Put the root of the cabbage on the handle of the spiralizer with just a flat blade and spiralize from the top of the cabbage. As you get closer to the core, the core will also spiralize which makes thicker pieces (which are not great for slaw).

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: Store Asian cabbage slaw in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be sure to stir the slaw before serving, as the dressing can fall to the bottom of the bowl when sitting in the fridge.
• Freezer: Do not freeze the slaw.

If you love this recipe you should try

• Spicy Creamy Asian Slaw (Whole30, vegan)
• Pineapple Coleslaw
• Spicy Sriracha Brussels Sprouts