Asian Cabbage Salad
Asian Cabbage Salad is a slightly-spicy salad that’s loaded with flavor from Sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Sesame oil. And this cabbage salad recipe with all those interesting ingredients is a tasty side dish any time of year.
PIN the tasty Asian Cabbage Salad to try it later!
Asian Cabbage Salad was created when I saw a recipe pairing cabbage with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Of course, I had to add my own twist, so I couldn’t resist adding Sriracha Sauce to the dressing and I also added peanuts, but the peanuts are definitely optional.
I loved the recipe I came up with, and It’s pretty obvious that I’m a huge fan of cabbage, right? I love cabbage recipes of all types, but there’s something special about the crunch and slightly-sweet flavor of raw cabbage that makes my mouth feel happy. And I’m excited that this Asian cabbage Salad now has new photos that I hope can tempt you to make it. If you like the sound of these flavors in a cabbage salad, I hope you’ll give it a try!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- green cabbage
- green onion
- sesame seeds, preferably Black Sesame Seeds (affiliate link)
- chopped peanuts
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- sesame oil (affiliate link)
- granulated Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
- grated ginger, I used Minced Ginger(affiliate link) from a jar
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
What gives this cabbage salad the Asian flavors?
I’m not claiming this is an authentic Asian recipe of course! But ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and of course Sriracha Sauce mean the salad has a lot of Asian flavors going on!
Do you have to use black sesame seeds for the Asian Cabbage Salad?
I love everything in this Asian cabbage recipe, but especially the black sesame seeds (affiliate link)! Sesame seeds are something that really adds an interesting mouth feel to salads and vegetables, but of course you can use the regular white ones from the grocery store if that’s what you have on hand.
How low in carbs is the Asian Cabbage Salad?
This slightly spicy salad has only 9 net carbs per serving and 6 grams of protein.
How to make Asian Cabbage Salad:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Whisk together Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link), soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link), sesame oil, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link), ginger puree, and garlic puree to make the dressing.
- Thinly slice the cabbage, using a mandoline slicer (affiliate link) if you have one.
- Slice the green onion, chop peanuts, and measure out the sesame seeds.
- Toss the cabbage and green onions together, then add desired amount of the spicy dressing and toss until the cabbage is all coated with dressing.
- Add peanuts and sesame seeds and toss again.
- Sprinkle with a few more sesame seeds and serve.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This Asian Cabbage Salad recipe would taste great with Stir-Fried Tofu or Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks for a low-carb meatless meal! Or serve it next to Sanpete County Grilled Turkey Kabobs, Grilled Sausage and Peppers, or Grilled Mahi Mahi with Korean Dipping Sauce.
More Tasty Recipes with Sesame:
- Sesame Chicken and Broccoli Sheet Pan Meal
- Quick Roasted Broccoli with Soy Sauce and Sesame Seeds
- Sesame Noodles with Chicken
Asian Cabbage Salad
This Asian Cabbage Salad is flavored with Sriracha and Sesame and this salad is so tasty you'll want to make it over and over!
Ingredients
- 1/2 head green cabbage, sliced in strips (see notes)
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 2 T sesame seeds, toasted (preferably black)
- 1/4 cup barely chopped peanuts
- 2 T rice vinegar (see notes)
- 1 T soy sauce (gluten-free soy sauce if needed)
- 1 T sesame oil
- 4 tsp. granulated Monk Fruit (see notes)
- 1 tsp. Sriracha Sauce (more or less to taste, or use your favorite hot sauce)
- 1 tsp. grated ginger (I used ginger puree from a jar)
- 1 tsp. minced garlic or garlic puree from a jar
Instructions
- Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link), sesame oil, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link), ginger puree, and garlic puree to make the dressing.
- Thinly slice cabbage, cutting slices in half crosswise if they’re long. We used a mandoline slicer (affiliate link) with the 3mm blade, but you can cut with a chef's knife.
- Slice green onions, slightly chop peanuts, and measure out the sesame seeds.
- Put cabbage strips into mixing bowl and toss with the sliced green onions.
- Then add dressing and toss cabbage well with dressing.
- Add peanuts and sesame seeds and toss again (reserving a few peanuts and sesame seeds to sprinkle on the top.
- Serve right away.
- When I made this there were no leftovers, so I’m not sure how well it will keep in the fridge, but I’m guessing it’s best freshly made.
Notes
You need about 5-6 cups chopped cabbage.
Read here about why I like Monk Fruit Sweetener if it’s new to you. Use any sweetener you prefer if you don't have Monkfruit Sweetener. Don’t use seasoned vinegar, which contains sugar.
This recipe adapted from the original South Beach Diet Book. (affiliate link)
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 154Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 0mgSodium 306mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 5gSugar 6gProtein 6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Asian Cabbage Salad is a perfect side dish for low-carb diets, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Cabbage Recipes or Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007! It was updated with better photos in 2016 and was last updated with more information in 2025.
30 Comments on “Asian Cabbage Salad”
Pingback: Recipe Roundup – Low Carb / Keto Cabbage Recipes | Remake My Plate
The recipe is good, different from any slaw I have ever tried. I think it would be great with grilled asian chicken. I added a splash of lime to one serving, but think it is better without it. Thanks for posting and for the comments – I think a coleslaw mix with some red cabbage and carrots would make an even nicer presentation.
So glad you liked it; I agree colorful cabbage and carrots would be good here.
I've got a bag of cole slaw mix waiting for an idea. This recipe is it!
Thanks Lydia; it was good! Maybe more Sriracha for you.
Jen, glad you liked it. I like the idea of using napa cabbage.
This salad is delicious! I make it with Napa cabbage (because it has a milder flavor) and add red bell pepper and cucumbers, too. It makes a perfect lunch.
Anonymous, that’s wonderful. (I love hearing that sweet men are reading my blog!)
Kalyn,
The sweetest man made me dinner last night, including your salad, and this morning emailed me the link to your site.
Delicious!
Thanks for the feedback Rachel. So glad to hear you liked it.
Kalyn, I made this recipe after seeing it in your blog and its very good! Thanks for the recipe!
Kalyn, I LOVE cabbage, and this salad sounds so good, what with the sesame seeds and peanuts as well! I’ll definitely have to try it next weekend 🙂
Never tried a cabbage salad like this one, so it´s a must do.
thanks for the great round up you´ve done, and I updated my post to give you the flavour infos. 🙂
Kalyn – fabulous salad, thanks for this. I think I’ll make ti tomorrow night with chicken for dinner…
Manisha, just went into my kitchen and did a taste test on rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar, and I think if you thinned the apple cider vinegar with just a bit of water, the taste would be close. Rice vinegar is quite mild. I wouldn’t use red wine vinegar or balsamic, seems like it would stain the cabbage. White balsamic would probably be good but I don’t know if you have that.
This has my two faves: peanuts and sesame seeds! And of course, cabbage! What can I use instead of rice vinegar? Apple cider vinegar won’t work, right? What about balsamic or red wine vinegar?
i too love cabbage in salads. i dislike it cooked because of the odour when it comes in contact with heat. your salad looks wonderful.
You’ve reminded me that I have to get back into posting for WHB, Kalyn. Love this salad!
Growing up cabbage was not on my good list and I’m still not fond of mayo cold slaw. I have however come to love cabbage and slaws without mayo. Like the sesame seeds and peanuts and the extra spice!
Well, I love cabbage and I love sesame seeds…. Something tells me I might like this! It IS nice to see salads in winter. I should remember that more often!
I love cabbage salads and slaws, though I detest cooked cabbage. Go figure…
I don’t normally eat cabbage raw… This salad looks pretty good and I will have try it. I really like sesame seeds and often use them in salads.
I really like the versatility of Cabbage and I particularly like they way it is here in your Asian salad.
Hi Kaylin your Asian salad looks great. 🙂
Hi, Kalyn – it’s me. I’m baaackk. After a few months of slacking off my doctor told me to get back into the low-carb mode, so I’ve been hanging around your site making more notes and plans. I’d wondered what I was going to have at my weekly Friday breakfast with my pals, since I need to lay off the pumpkin pancakes and hash browns with my eggs, and saw your post about oatmeal. The place I go to makes great oatmeal, so oatmeal it is! I have to back off potatoes again, too. Ack. But I can do it. I did it before.
I might even start blogging about my trip back to low carb. But I’ll definitely be visiting you more often.
Thanks!! I have 4 heads of cabbage and this will be an excellent way to go through some of it. Sounds delicious!
I love cabbage salads too. I find the crunch-crunch cheerful.
Kalyn, I love cabbage salads too. They have it all–great taste, health benefits, and they don’t wilt like salads made with greens. That looks like a terrific recipe–love the sesame seeds and peanuts in it.
Love this one! I love cabbage salads, they have a nice crunch and they are very fresh!! Can’t wait to try it!
Kayln, it’s great to see salad recipes in the winter. We need our veggies all year ’round.
Also, try this with Napa cabbage, a more delicate slaw it does make.