Crisp and fresh with a light citrus dressing, this Easy Asian Slaw is the perfect addition to any summer cookout. Incredibly easy to make and ready in just minutes, this simple side dish is loaded with snow peas, edamame, carrots, cabbage and more.

Asian slaw in a white bowl with a silver spoon and a blue and white napkin to the left.


Asian Slaw

Summer is coming and with it are all my favorite barbecue side dishes. They were always my favorite thing at summer parties….I would totally skip the barbecue ribs and chicken to go straight for the bowls of salads.

My food obsession started at a young age and I was smitten with summer side salads like macaroni salad, potato salad and this amazing coleslaw recipe. You can call me weird, I know most kids were clamoring for s’mores…but me, side dishes stole my heart.

Ingredients

  • Cabbage – As with most slaw recipes, this one starts with cabbage, both red and green. If you can’t find red you can substitute with Napa cabbage or the equivalent green cabbage.
  • Carrots – Matchstick cut carrots are best here but if you can’t find them you can shred carrots on a box grater.
  • Veggies – We use Snow Peas, edamame and scallions but you can easily toss in your favorite things like water chestnuts, bean sprouts or mandarin oranges.
  • Asian Dressing – I made a simple dressing of soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, mirin, sriracha, lime juice, salt and pepper. You can use leftovers as a marinade or to top a green salad.
Asian slaw in a white bowl with sliced flank steak in the background on a pewter platter.

How To Make Asian Slaw

I love the flavors of this inspired Asian Coleslaw recipe so much. It’s made without mayonnaise giving it a bright, fresh flavor that’s perfect for hot summer days.

You can easily chop all the vegetables up in a food processor or make it even easier by buying shredded vegetables in your grocery store. Either way, you’ll be hooked on the light gingery flavor of this easy Asian Coleslaw.

  1. Shred the cabbage using a food processor or chop with a knife.
  2. After you shredded all the veggies for your cole slaw, you then toss everything into bowl until it’s thoroughly combined.
  3. Whisk together a few ingredients for your asian coleslaw dressing like ginger, mirin, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar and Sriracha for a kick.
  4. Toss your salad with the dressing and either serve immediately OR cover, chill and serve later in the day. I love serving it later to give the flavors time to dance and get happy.

What To Serve Asian Slaw

Each bite of slaw has the perfect balance of cabbage, carrots, edamame, cilantro, snow peas and scallions with every single bite bursting with fresh flavor that compliments just about any grilling recipe from barbecue chicken to ribs.

It’s also fabulous with these Asian Style Wings!

Serve it with our favorite weekday Chicken Breast to make it a truly simple, yet special, dinner.

Or serve it with this Five Spice Grilled Flank Steak for a take out fake out substitute.

Asian coleslaw being mixed with a spoon in a glass mixing bowl.

More Summer Side Dish Ideas

close up of asian slaw with cabbage, carries, edamame, green onions and sesame seeds in a white bowl.

Make it a Meal

Either way, you’re going to wow any guests at any barbecue or picnic this year. And if the weather is really scorching, serve a heaping pile of Asian Style Coleslaw with a bit of your leftover Sunday chicken for an easy main course, asian inspired salad that won’t leave you sweating bullets from standing over a grill. So, there you have it….my summer memory. Bet you don’t think I’m that strange anymore, right? So….tell me, what’s YOUR favorite summer memory?

Asian coleslaw plated with sliced steak on a blue plate.

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close up of asian slaw with cabbage, carries, edamame, green onions and sesame seeds in a white bowl.

Get the Recipe: Easy Asian Slaw Recipe

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Loaded with fresh flavor, this Easy Asian Coleslaw recipe is a great side dish for just about everything.
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 head green cabbage, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 head red cabbage, cut into quarters
  • 1 cup matchstick cut carrots
  • 1 cup chopped snow peas
  • 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons mirin, sweet rice wine
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha, chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Equipment

  • 1 food processor
  • 1 mixing bowl

Instructions 

  • Using the shredding blade on your food processor, insert the cabbage into the feed tube and shred. Repeat until all the cabbage is shredded. (Alternatively, you can shred by hand on a box grater.)
  • Add the carrots, snow peas, edamame, scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds to the cabbage. Toss to combine.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, mirin, Sriracha, lime juice, salt and pepper until combined.
  • Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss.
  • Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 599mg, Potassium: 448mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 3540IU, Vitamin C: 64.4mg, Calcium: 121mg, Iron: 2.4mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: asian