How to Make an Asian Slaw (Add a Healthy Crunch)

This recipe is a friggin delicious Asian slaw that you will love crunching down on. It is a fantastic side dish that goes great with meatballs, balsamic glazed grilled chicken. 

You will love it standing in front of the fridge door open fork in hand.

Yep, it is perfect for those desperate leftover moments. Admit it! 

Do you want some crunch in your life but know that potato chips for dinner aren’t the best adult option? If that is you (it sure is me), then this Asian slaw recipe is for you.

What is an Asian slaw anyways?

If you are curious about what the heck makes an Asian slaw different then an American slaw it the inclusion of sesame oil and vinegar with cabbage. In other words, this slaw recipe doesn’t have mayonnaise in it.

How can you keep it simple?

I felt fancy, well actually I had just bought my first ever professional food processor and wanted to play with it. So I used my new toy to shred the carrots and the fresh cabbage.

There is good news for those of us who are in a hurry, though.

You CAN buy pre-shredded coleslaw mixes at the grocery stores these days. Yep, that jam-packed grocery chain has your back for once. 

This is a 4-star quickie recipe! 

If you buy the coleslaw mix at the grocery, you can legit throw this together in just a few minutes. So on the quickness scale, you can throw this side dish together in about 5 minutes. 

It comes down to how quick you are with a whisk and how efficient you find ingredients in your pantry. 

AHEM, that may be a big problem for me…I may or may not have been stumbling around the house pre-coffee this morning looking for the sweetener.

Yep, the Swerve was on my desk.

Hey! I am a food blogger.

Things get weird here.

Yes, you can make this ahead!

If you have a potluck at work tomorrow, this is a great recipe. It is better after chilling in the fridge for a bit. 

Even Asian coleslaw appreciates a bit of chill time!  

If you want this to remain extra crispy, don’t pre-mix it before putting it in the fridge. Keep the dressing and the salad mix separate. Mix that all up at the last minute. 

However, this is a recipe that will keep in the fridge overnight. Our daughter came home from college last night and of course, went straight to the fridge. 

Hello comes second! 

Hunger comes first!

She grabbed the two-day-old Asian slaw first, and mid-chew told me it was restaurant quality. Now we know after two days it is still delicious! 

Real talk about fresh ingredients

Raise your hand if you had a long day! 🙌

Fresh is always gonna be better. But real talk, we are busy people. We don’t always have time to grate some fresh ginger.

If that is the kind of day that you are having, grab that dried ginger from the cabinet. It is there for a reason.

If the idea of grabbing a fresh bulb of garlic, peeling it and then mincing it by hand or digging thru that dreaded drawer to find the mincer makes you want to stab someone, don’t stress.

You can buy a jar of minced garlic at the grocery store. It is fantastic and makes life easy.

I highly recommend keeping one of those jars in your fridge at all times.

What goes good with Asian Slaw?

Oh my goodness! This is such a versatile side dish. It goes super awesome with Asian meatballs. It is also fabulous on the side of a juicy burger. Yep, give them something different and they will all smile.

This slaw is also a great side dish for grilled chicken or fish. Just serve it and watch everyone eat it. It is just that good!

I don’t like coleslaw, but I love Asian Slaw. If I am transparent here, I DO NOT eat leftovers. I ate this slaw leftover twice! 

That is LEGIT the best testament to a recipe that I can ever give!

Enjoy!

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.     — Jim Davis