Easy Ramen Noodle Salad

How to Make Ramen Noodle Salad

This fresh recipe is super simple to make. Top Ramen Salad is like a classic old school recipe that you just toss together and serve. 

1. Chop the cabbage and toss in a bowl.
2. Add the crushed ramen noodles, edamame, pineapple, mandarin oranges, macadamia nuts, green onions, and dressing to the bowl.
3. Toss the ingredients together and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
4. Serve or stash in the fridge for your impending party!

Ingredients For Ramen Salad

Although a classic ramen noodle salad has pretty much the same ingredients, I upped the ante just a bit to make it more modern with a few fun additions. 

Ingredients You Will Need

• Napa Cabbage (Chinese Cabbage) – Napa cabbage is a less rigid green cabbage that has a great texture. It can be hard to find at some grocery stores so feel free to use regular green cabbage or even bagged Coleslaw mix.
• Red Cabbage – Chopped red cabbage adds vibrant color, if you can’t find it you can leave it out.
• Edamame – I love Edamame in this salad. It adds a bit of protein and fiber but is so tasty. If you can’t find edamame, green peas a great substitute.
• Fruit – A blend of pineapple and mandarin oranges add fresh flavor to the salad.
• Macadamia Nuts – The crunch factor is amplified with buttery macadamia nuts. They can be expensive, though, so substitute with chopped peanuts for a budget friendly option.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

You can really add any other additional you want to make your ramen salad your very own. If your allergic to any of the ingredients you can totally substitute with anything you like. Don’t care for macadamias….substitute with peanuts or slivered almonds. 

Want more fruit? You can totally add anything you like! Extra crunch? Add some chopped Bok Choy!

Tips for Making Ramen Noodle Salad

• Save a bit of the juice from the mandarin oranges and pineapple to sweeten up the dressing. A tablespoon or two of each should do the trick.
• If you don’t like macadamia nuts (for the flavor or the price), you can substitute with almonds or even peanuts. Just be sure to chop them up pretty well so they blend into the salad easily.
• I use frozen edamame for this recipe. It thaws quickly and you don’t have to worry about shelling your own beans. Be sure to buy edamame that’s already been shelled and is unseasoned.
• For quick prep, you can use matchstick cut carrots found with the bagged carrots in your produce section. It’s such a timesaver and you won’t have to peel and chop your carrots at all.
• Want to save even more time…you can totally sub out the chinese cabbage with bagged slaw mix. It’s a little different but will save you about 10 minutes of chopping time.
• Don’t use the seasoning packet in the ramen noodles. That’s just good for the trash so toss it and don’t even feel badly about it.
• Be sure to try and use low sodium soy sauce to shave off extra sodium.