Simple, healthy, and addicting. This easy Asian slaw with sesame ginger dressing is so dynamic, it can be used on tacos, added to buddha bowls, or eaten by itself.
This is a recipe we know you’ll keep coming back to. So, set this post as a bookmark and let’s get to making this slaw!
📖 About
Before we get into the nitty gritty, we’re going to school you on the difference between a slaw and a salad because it’s good to know things. Being smart is cool.
It all comes down to the lettuce and the cabbage. Salad may have a bit of cabbage, but it’s mostly lettuce based. On the other hand, slaw contains only cabbage as its base. Interesting right? If not, it’s too late to unlearn it.
Anyways, last week we were asked by one of our friends to create an Asian inspired slaw, and guess what we did? We created one!
We love getting requests from other people to create recipes because it makes us research, learn, and develop our culinary skills. This recipe is seriously so simple, but comes together quickly and has incredibly delicious flavors.
The sesame ginger dressing is definitely our favorite part as it encompasses our love for zest, sweetness, and a bit of heat. Let us know your thoughts, or if you’d tweak it in any way!
Ingredients for the sesame ginger dressing Ingredients for the Asian slaw
🍲 Key ingredients
- Cabbage: closely related to broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that is packed with nutrients. Just one cup of this stuff contains 85% of your daily vitamin C needs, which is the same as a whole orange! Not only is it full of essential vitamins and minerals, but also adds the perfect crunchy texture that makes this slaw so delicious.
- Edamame: these whole, immature soybeans grow in pods and are typically found in east Asia. Not only are edamame beans slightly sweet with a fibrous texture, but these babies pack almost 20g of protein in every cup! We love adding them to our salads or buddha bowls whenever we can. They are typically sold frozen, so search for them in that section of your local grocery store.
- Ginger: there’s really no flavor in the world quite like ginger. You either love it, or you hate it. In our case, we’re obsessed. It’s spicy and pungent, yet sweet and warm all at the same time. This root has been used in medicine and cooking for over 5000 years. We love to use the fresh variety because we believe the flavor is better, but you’ll have to try it to see if you agree!
- Sesame: we use sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds in this recipe. This is another unique flavor often used in Asian cooking. Not only do sesame seeds boast 5g of protein per 3 tablespoons, but they are also an awesome source of cholesterol-lowering Omega-3 fatty acids.
🔪 Instructions
The Slaw
To prepare the vegetables for this slaw, you’ll begin by shredding the cabbage into a large mixing bowl. Next, julienne the bell pepper and carrots, and add them to the same bowl.
Throw in the diced red onion and thawed edamame beans. Mix everything around, and set your bowl aside while you prepare the dressing!
Sesame Ginger Dressing
Again, this part of the recipe is super easy. First, mince the garlic and ginger, and add them both to a mason jar or container. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake it well.
Taste the dressing and adjust ingredients to your liking. You can add lime juice or rice vinegar for more tang, more sesame oil for a toasty flavor, maple syrup for sweetness, or ginger and garlic for more punch.
Add the dressing to your slaw and toss together. We love to serve this salad with toasted peanuts or cashews, mandarin slices, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro!
🌡️ Storage
It’s best to keep the slaw separate from the dressing until you are ready to eat it to maintain optimal freshness. But, if you mix it all together don’t fret! This slaw stores nicely in the fridge for up to 4 days with the dressing mixed in.
With the slaw and dressing separate, each will store for up to 7 days in the fridge.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Skip the bell pepper or opt for green since it’s cheaper
- Use a cheaper liquid sweetener like agave
- Swap out the liquid aminos for soy sauce (not gluten-free though)
🍴 Tasting notes
This easy Asian slaw comes together quickly with minimal effort. We hope you love it as much as we do. It’s:
- Zesty
- Crunchy
- Fresh
- Juicy
If you try this for lunch or dinner, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
Easy Asian Slaw With Sesame Ginger Dressing
Equipment
- Chef knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Mason jar with lid
Ingredients
Slaw
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded ($0.32)
- 2 cups purple cabbage, shredded ($0.32)
- 1 large carrot, julienned ($0.20)
- 1 whole red bell pepper, julienned ($0.82)
- ¼ medium red onion, diced ($0.06)
- 1 cup edamame beans, thawed ($0.46)
Dressing
- 3 tbsp any neutral oil ($0.36)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil ($0.13)
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar ($0.33)
- 1 tbsp lime juice ($0.12)
- 1 tbsp liquid aminos ($0.18)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup ($0.29)
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely minced ($0.03)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced ($0.03)
- 1 tsp sambal oelek ($0.02)
- Sea salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
Garnishes optional
- Toasted peanuts or cashews
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped cilantro
- Mandarin slices
Instructions
Slaw
- To start, shred the cabbage into a large mixing bowl. Next, julienne the carrots and bell pepper, and add them to the same bowl.
- Throw in the diced red onion and thawed edamame beans to the bowl as well. Mix slaw around, then set the bowl aside.
Dressing
- First, finely mince the ginger and garlic (you can use a garlic press if you have one). Add them both to a mason jar or container. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, put the lid on, and shake everything well to incorporate the oil.
- Taste dressing, and adjust the flavor to your liking. Add lime juice or rice vinegar for more tang, more sesame oil for a toasty flavor, maple syrup for sweetness, or ginger and garlic for more punch.
- Add sesame ginger dressing to the slaw and toss together. Serve this salad with toasted peanuts or cashews, mandarin slices, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price of the recipe.
- We usually use avocado oil, but feel free to use whatever oil you like!
- If you aren’t planning on eating the whole slaw immediately, keep the dressing and slaw separate.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty ideas, check out our:
- Coconut crusted cauliflower tacos for some seriously delicious finger food if you’re a coconut fiend like us.
- Baked sesame ginger tofu if you like crispy, sticky tofu chunks and came with an appetite.
- Rainbow tofu Buddha bowl for a bowl of healthy nutrients and an extra delicious flavor profile.
- Teriyaki tofu and vegetable stir fry for a high protein meal that comes together in no time.
💬 FAQ
You can definitely omit the neutral oil in this Asian slaw, but we recommend keeping the sesame oil as it’s what gives this recipe one of its unique flavors.
You can definitely substitute powdered garlic and ginger in lieu of fresh. We always opt for fresh when we can because we find the flavors to be more natural.
