Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw
Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw is one of my go-to salads to make for parties, and I promise this will be a hit with everyone! If you’re not a cilantro fan, use a little more thinly sliced green onion in this tasty low-carb Asian slaw recipe.
PIN this amazing Asian Slaw to make it later!
Years ago I spotted this Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw recipe in The Sunset Cookbook and made a slightly adapted version of it right away. The salad turned out to be a big hit on the blog, despite the original photos which were a bit boring.
It was also a hit with my huge extended family, although when I make this salad for a Denny Family Party, I always have to make two bowls (with or without cilantro) so everyone can enjoy it. And I’ve made this salad quite a few times for friends as well. No matter who I serve it to, this low-carb Asian slaw is always a hit.
Salads like this that are a jumble of ingredients can be a challenge to photograph well. But recently I decided to make the salad and see if I could get some photos that really showed off how tasty it was! And I am happy to have better photos!
And even though Napa Cabbage is probably not on sale during March in the same way that regular green cabbage is, I’m featuring this as the last recipe in the string of Cabbage Recipes I’ve been crushing on this month! I hope everyone who likes these flavors will try this favorite salad!
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.)
- Napa cabbage
- sugar snap peas
- radishes
- green onion
- cilantro (optional, see notes)
- sliced almonds
- white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar (affiliate link)
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- crushed garlic puree or Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- Asian sesame oil (affiliate link)
- ground ginger puree or Minced Ginger (affiliate link)
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) or other hot sauce
- mayo
What gives the Asian flavors in Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw?
I’m definitely not claiming that this Asian slaw recipe is an authentically Asian recipe, but it does have soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and Sriracha adding lots of Asian flavor notes.
What Dressing is used for Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw?
Personally I’d say it’s the slightly sweet and sour soy-mayo dressing with so many Asian ingredients that makes this salad such a wow, so you might want to make extra dressing if you like the sound of that.
Can you make this Asian Slaw without cilantro?
If you don’t like cilantro, or you have family members who don’t like it I recommend adding a little more thinly-sliced green onion to the salad, and it will be just as tasty!
Who else is a fan of cabbage salads?
I’m a huge fan of cabbage salads, and you can see my favorites in a collection of Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Salads.
How to Make Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw:
(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.)
- The original recipe made 14 cups, so I cut it down quite a bit to get this version which makes about 6 servings. The slightly-spicy soy-mayo based dressing is one of the things that make this salad, and I prefer the salad with lots of dressing so I recommend doubling the dressing amounts.
- Start with one small head of Napa cabbage, about 3-4 cups of thinly shredded cabbage.
- I trimmed both ends of the sugar snap peas and then sliced them thinly on the diagonal.
- My radishes were fairly large so I trimmed the ends, sliced them in half lengthwise, and then sliced them in half-moon shaped slices.
- I also sliced up a bunch of green onions, and chopped the cilantro.
- Toss together the Napa cabbage, sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions (and cilantro if using), then toss with enough dressing to coat the ingredients.
- Toast the sliced almonds in a dry pan over high heat for 1-2 minutes (just until the nuts start to become fragrant; watch them closely so they don’t get too brown.)
- Add the nuts and gently toss again.
- This is best served right away, and you probably won’t have any leftovers!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This tasty Asian slaw made with Napa cabbage would be a delicious side dish for Grilled Sriracha Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Fusion Chicken, Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, Air Fryer Pork Chops, or Chicken with Peanut Sauce.
More Tasty Salads with Cabbage:
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Cabbage
- Spicy Lime Coleslaw
- Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw
- Spicy Cilantro Peanut Slaw
- Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Goat Cheese
Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw
Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw is a perfect party salad and this will be a hit with everyone!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 1 C thinly and diagonally-sliced sugar snap peas
- 1 C radishes, sliced into half-moon shapes
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (see notes)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 T white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- 1 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, or sweetener of your choice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic puree or minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger puree or minced ginger
- 1/4 tsp. Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce (more or less to taste)
- 1/3 cup mayo
Instructions
- Thinly slice Napa cabbage, then coarsely chop to make about 4 cups shredded cabbage.
- Trim both ends of sugar snap peas, then thinly slice on the diagonal to make 1 cup sliced peas.
- Trim both ends of radishes and wash if needed, then cut in half lengthwise and cut into half-moon slices.
- Slice green onions to make 1/2 cup.
- If using cilantro, wash, spin dry or dry with paper towels, and then chop enough to make 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, or a bit more won't hurt.
- Put Napa cabbage, sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions (and cilantro if using) into salad bowl.
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup stir together the white wine vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic puree, sesame oil, ginger puree, and Sriracha sauce (affiliate link). I recommend doubling the dressing; it is good on so many things!
- Whisk in the mayo until ingredients are well combined.
- Toss salad ingredients, add enough dressing to coat ingredients, and toss again.
- Toast the sliced almonds in a dry pan over high heat for 1-2 minutes (just until the nuts are fragrant).
- Add almonds to the salad and toss gently.
- Serve immediately. At my house this never lasts long enough to know whether it will keep in the refrigerator!
Notes
You need about 4 cups shredded Napa cabbage. Cilantro is optional, but if you’re a cilantro fan I would use it. I would prefer Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this recipe. Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if you need the salad to be gluten-free.
This recipe adapted slightly from a salad recipe found in The Sunset Cookbook.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 159Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 5mgSodium 165mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 4g
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:
If it’s made with an approved sweetener, this Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw would be approved for low-carb and Keto eating plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Light mayonnaise would be recommended for South Beach, but honestly I personally wouldn’t worry about using full-fat mayonnaise for better flavor, since there isn’t a huge amount of mayo compared to the crunchy salad ingredients, and other low-carb diets would prefer full-fat mayo.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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 Asian slaw recipe was first posted in March 2011. It was updated with better photos and a step-by-step video March 2019, and updated again with more information in 2023.
54 Comments on “Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw”
Outstanding recipe. Kudos to the chef, from one discriminatory cook!!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. I have made this over and over for parties!
I made this 2 days ago using regular cabbage as that is what I had in my fridge. Super delicious! I took it for lunch yesterday, and am packing it again for today.. The almonds do get soft, but the flavor is still just as good – for those wondering how it keeps if not eaten on the same day.
I also added a Tbsp of peanut butter to the dressing – so good I almost want to drink it!
So glad you are enjoying it! I like the idea of adding some peanut butter.
I’m a huge fan of your low-carb chicken and cabbage salad, and this looks really great in the main. Problem is that I really don’t like sweet cole-slaw dressings (it goes way back to elementary school and having to eat cole slaw three times a week in the cafeteria). Is there another, non-sweet dressing you think would go well with the salad itself, Kalyn? Thanks.
I wouldn’t say that this dressing is especially sweet, and you could use even less sweetener than the one tablespoon called for. Maybe the dressing for Spicy Mexican Slaw would be good here, but I’d probably just cut down the sweetener in this dressing.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. I am always looking for new salad ideas and this one was fantastic!!!
This is sooooo good! I didn't even have have the correct salad ingredients, but made the sauce and mixed it with shredded cabbage and asparagus. This will definitely be our new go-to dressing for whatever slaw ingredients we have on hand! I can't wait to see how good it will be with cilantro 🙂
It looks fantastic! hugs,hugs.
Emily, so glad you liked the salad so much!
I'm still drooling over this absolutely spectacular salad. Kalyn outdid herself with this one.
My husband offered to make dinner(!!!), and I said I was in the mood for something Asian. I chose this salad and Kalyn's recipe for Grilled Curried Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce. (We ditched the curry and replaced it with ginger.) This salad gets even better overnight as it continues to marinate in the dressing. We added sliced cucumbers and used red cabbage. I think I'm going to be dreaming about this salad tonight……
So glad you enjoyed it!
We made this salad for dinner this evening… Just loved it! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Dear Husband and I LOVED this. I'm going to make it often and am looking forward to trying the brocolli stem variation. Thank you for your efforts; you have a beautiful blog.
So glad you liked it! I have it on the menu for a bridal shower I'm hosting in a few weeks.
This was delicious! I doubled the dressing because I found it a little dry. It was soooo good!Thank you for the recipe 😉
We made this last week when I was visiting my mom and it was great – we all loved it. Next time, a double batch!
What a fun place to work, and this recipe was definitely awesome!
I love Sunset! I use to work for them. Sniff sniff. I miss them. Their recipes are always awesome.
So glad you liked it, and I love the idea of adding chicken to this.
OMG – Made this yesterday. To die for. I left out the snap peas and added some grilled chicken.
Whoa! Deelish
Glad you liked it!
Thanks, Kalyn. (Your name is beautiful, by the way.) I posted your salad on my site today, and of course, gave credit where credit was due. I thought you might like to see it.
http://linkadventure.blogspot.com/2011/04/tasty-tuesday-asian-slaw.html
Samara, so glad you enjoyed it!
Kalyn, thank you for this recipe! Your blog is beautiful. I made this last night. I included the cilantro, and we loved it. The dressing is incredible. I'm so glad to have it in my cooking arsenal.
Now I'm definitely intrigued at the sound of Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad!
I'm always on the lookout for innovative salads and looking forward to trying this one. Love the idea of adding radishes and snow peas. Made a main course salad that was a big hit with the men of the house this week called Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad.
Margot, definitely my favorite as well!
I love that you are using coriander in so many dishes, one of my favourite herbs… remind me of Mexico 😉
Stamp Mom, good idea!
Made this for dinner tonight , SO GOOD!!! 🙂 Didn't have the Sricha so used 1/4 tsp. hot oil instead.
Thanks everyone for the nice feedback on this. I've been distracted from replying because I've been tending 2 little boys!
Marie, good luck on South Beach. I promise it works if you stick with it!
I made this IMMEDIATELY after I saw the posting…I didn't have cilantro or the right vinegar…but I used apple cider vinegar which gave the dressing another level of tart sweetness, and it was still great. Amazing, actually. I was on my 4th day of Phase 1, so I made a really big salad just for me, with a side of asian-flavored tilapia. Just an incredible, delicious lunch; refreshing – but filling!
I love how much cabbage you use in your salad recipes. I find it so much tastier than most lettuces.
On another note, I've been reading your blog for months, and it finally convinced me to go on South Beach. It's a little tough to get through, but it would be near IMPOSSIBLE without your blog! Thanks so much for all you do!!
This has so many great flavors going on in it. I love it when everything is on hand and it can come together like this. Also love Sunset! Great recipe 🙂
Salads are my staple. Thanks for this yummy one. I'm a cilantro nut. If I have it, it goes in.
This salad is calling to me, Kalyn. With the sweetness of the peas and the kick of radishes, I would happily eat this all day.
Now that is one fabulous salad, Kalyn! I'm going to take that to one of our group lunches in May…love that you've used Napa cabbage!
I made this for dinner with friends and added chicken and toasted almonds. Everyone raved, try this recipe for SURE.
Looks amazing! I think I have to try it immediately
I think rice vinegar would be fine in this.
Kalyn,
How do you think rice vinegar would be in place of white wine vinegar? Or another vinegar? I have red wine, balsamic, and rice… I'd rather not add another bottle to my cabinet if possible!
Pam, I assume you *do* want cilantro in yours?
What a great salad. You have it packed with good things for sure. I need to buy some napa cabbage now!
CJ, my vote too!
I love chopped salads for ease of prep plus there is a little bit of every delcious thing in one bite. I especially love cabbage saalds because they hold up better than tender lettuces. Plus, they're good for you!
My vote- Add cilantro. But I'm a lover, not a hater.
Val I think you could also use regular cabbage with this dressing.
Kelly, next time I make it, I will be SURE to have cilantro!
I make a similar salad and it's one of our favorites. The cilantro's my favorite part!
The only thing lacking in my kitchen would be the Napa Cabbage which I am huessing is akin to Savoy. This salad has been bookmarked.
Thanks everyone for the nice thoughts about this salad. I loved the dressing and have already used it on a slightly different salad with some of these same ingredients!
The dressing looks amazing. It probably would be delicious on all kinds of salads.
This looks not only beautiful but also healthy and delicious! That's my kind of salad! I will be trying this for sure, thanks!
Your napa cabbage salads never fail to put a smile on my face. So much great crunch and filled with so many good-for-you ingredients!
It's nice to meet a fellow cilantro lover. I just made an Asian style rice noodle soup and garnished it with TONS of cilantro. Can't get enough of that stuff. This recipe is right up my alley. Your photography is beautiful.
Kalyn you have done it again. This salad looks incredible.