This Crunchy Ramen Cabbage Salad is a refreshing fusion-style side dish featuring crispy slaw, juicy mandarin oranges, nutty almonds, and crunchy ramen noodles, all tossed in a sweet-tangy sesame dressing. It’s vibrant, addictive, and perfect for sharing.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
It’s quick to prepare, uses simple ingredients, and brings big flavor and texture. The sweet-savory dressing complements the crunch of raw ramen and cabbage perfectly. It’s a potluck favorite, BBQ side dish hero, and weeknight staple.
Crunchy Oriental Ramen Salad
You know those recipes you try once, then make again and again for every party, picnic, or gathering? This salad is one of those. It’s got texture, flavor, freshness—and it takes barely 15 minutes to put together.
The base is a classic shredded cabbage slaw mix, which gives crunch and freshness. You can go with green cabbage or a colorful slaw blend. The real magic? The contrast of textures and flavors from the other mix-ins.
Juicy mandarin oranges add sweetness and brighten the whole salad. Sliced almonds give it a rich, nutty crunch. Snow peas or edamame provide a little extra bite and veggie goodness.
Then there’s the ramen. We’re not cooking it—we’re crumbling it up raw for the ultimate crunch. Once it mixes with the dressing, it softens slightly but still holds a bite, creating a uniquely satisfying texture.
Now, about that dressing. It’s made with vegetable oil, white vinegar, a touch of sugar, and the seasoning packets from the ramen noodles. The result? A lightly sweet, tangy, umami-rich dressing that ties everything together.
It’s easy to make ahead—just keep the dressing separate and toss it together right before serving to preserve the crunch.
This salad is naturally dairy-free and egg-free, and works well for a variety of diets. It’s also completely customizable. Want more protein? Add grilled chicken, tofu, or more edamame. Prefer less sweetness? Reduce the sugar slightly.
Perfect for summer BBQs, office lunches, or a fun side dish to break up the dinner routine.
Try it once and you’ll be hooked. It’s crunchy, colorful, refreshing, and totally crave-worthy.
Servings 6
Time
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: Optional 10 minutes
Total Time: 15–25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix
- 1 cup snow peas or shelled edamame, diced
- 1 cup scallions, diced
- 1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 packs ramen noodles (oriental or sesame flavor), seasoning packets reserved
Dressing:
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Seasoning packets from ramen
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coleslaw mix, snow peas or edamame, scallions, mandarin oranges, and almonds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar, and seasoning packets until fully combined. Chill if making ahead.
- Just before serving, pour the dressing over the slaw mixture.
- Crumble uncooked ramen noodles and add to the bowl.
- Gently toss everything together until evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Add protein with grilled tofu, chicken, or extra edamame.
- Use sesame oil for added flavor or mix in a bit of soy sauce.
- Don’t add the ramen too early or it will lose its crunch.
- Leftovers keep well for about 1 day before losing texture.
