Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Crispy Ramen Topping
This Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Crispy Ramen Topping was inspired by the retro salad we grew up with, but we’ve made some upgrades. It’s full of with fresh vegetables, edamame, a fast dressing that you can shake up in a jar, and the greatest dry ramen noodle crunchy topping you’ll ever have.
We love a good crunchy cabbage salad, and this retro cabbage ramen salad is a tasty and healthy main dish or side. Shredded green and purple cabbage, carrots, green onions, and edamame get tossed in a simple soy vinaigrette, then topped with seasoned crispy ramen noodles and toasted almonds for texture and flavor. It’s quick to prepare, perfect for potlucks, and disappears quickly every time.
Pull Up A Chair
Rachel: I love this salad because it feels a little nostalgic but also modern and reinvented. Plus, it satisfies that inexplicable craving for dry, seasoned, uncooked instant ramen noodles that we’ve had since childhood.
Emily: It’s such a great simple dinner option or side. It’s so crunchy and savory and really easy to put together on a weeknight too, even for anyone who’s just starting out cooking or who doesn’t have a ton of energy to make dinner.
Before You Start
- As always, read the full recipe first.
- If you can toss and chop, you can make this salad.
- If you really need to cut down on time, you can pre-shredded cabbage. It’ll just taste a little less fresh.
Why You’ll Love This Crunchy Cabbage Salad
- Fresh and crunchy – have we mentioned that it’s crunchy? Tons of crispety, crunchety texture from the fresh cabbage and the dry ramen noodles.
- Easy, shakable dressing – it’s as easy as adding everything to a jar, screwing on the lid, and shaking it up.
- Healthy veg – this salad is full of carrots, green onions, and edamame. It also has two kinds of cabbage for tons of extra nutrients (did you know that cabbage is a low-calorie superfood?)
- Extra protein from edamame – in addition to fulfilling your vegetable quota for the day, you get an extra protein boost from the edamame. Win-win!
How To Cut Cabbage for Slaw
We like to use about ¼ inch thick slices for cabbage salads. Thick enough that it gives the salad body but not so thin that it’s almost papery. You can use a mandolin to quickly create shredded cabbage or you can cut it by hand. To cut it by hand, we recommend first removing the often-dirty outer layer of leaves to get to the clean unexposed leaves below. Then slice through your cabbage from top to bottom cutting, it in half. Lay each half flat side down on your cutting board and cut each in half again vertically, so that you now have four wedges total. To shred one wedge, place it on the cutting board with one of the flat sides facing down. Using your knife, start slicing it into thin strips perpendicular to the flat sides.
Ingredients in Crunchy Cabbage Salad
- Dressing – neutral oil (avocado or grapeseed work well), rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Crispy ramen topping – vegan butter (or you can use regular, if you want), sliced almonds, sesame seeds, poultry seasoning (or blend of sage, thyme, and other herbs), onion powder, white pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Cabbage – we like using green and purple for color, but you can stick with just green if you want.
- Carrots – you can buy pre-shredded or shred them yourself.
- Edamame – buy them pre-shelled for ease, if possible.
- Green onions – for a little bit of sharp, fresh flavor.
How to Make This Crispy Ramen Cabbage Salad
To make the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Set the dressing aside for later.
To make the crispy ramen topping, first heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the almonds, sesame seeds, instant ramen noodles, and all the seasonings and cook for a few minutes until the nuts, seeds, and noodles are lightly toasted. Set them aside to cool. They’ll get more crispy as they rest.
For the crunchy cabbage salad, add all of the cabbage, carrots, edamame, and green onions to a large salad bowl. Toss the salad with the prepared dressing and top with the cooled crispy ramen topping. Note: if you’re planning on saving some salad for later, top each individual serving with ramen topping instead of mixing it with the salad. This will make sure it stays crispy.
Our Tips for The Best Cabbage Ramen Salad
How to Store This Crunchy Ramen Salad
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days for best results. We recommend keeping the crispy ramen noodle topping in a separate container at room temperature. So if you aren’t planning on eating all of it when you make it, we recommend you don’t toss the ramen topping with the full salad ahead of time. Instead, top each individual portion with some of the ramen so that it stays crispy and fresh.
What to Serve With This Salad
This salad is great as a main dish or alongside a healthy protein, such as:
You can also serve it with a crusty baguette, flatbread, or another side dish for a heartier meal.
FAQs: Cabbage Salad with Ramen
Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Crispy Ramen Topping
Ingredients
Soy Sauce Vinaigrette
- ½ cup neutral oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar unseasoned
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Crispy Ramen Topping
- 1 package instant ramen noodles broken into pieces
- ½ cup sliced almonds unsalted
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp vegan or regular butter
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning or blend of sage, thyme, other herbs
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Crunchy Cabbage Salad
- ½ green cabbage shredded
- ¼ purple cabbage shredded
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup edamame shelled
- 8 green onions diced
Instructions
Soy Sauce Vinaigrette
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Set it aside for later.½ cup neutral oil, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari, 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar, Salt and pepper to taste
Crispy Ramen Topping
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.3 tbsp vegan or regular butter
- Add the almonds, sesame seeds, instant ramen noodles, and all the seasonings and cook for 3 to 5 few minutes until the nuts, seeds, and noodles are lightly toasted. Set them aside to cool. They’ll get more crispy as they rest.1 package instant ramen noodles, ½ cup sliced almonds, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, ½ tsp poultry seasoning, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp white pepper, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Crunchy Cabbage Salad
- Add all of the cabbage, carrots, edamame, and green onions to a large salad bowl.½ green cabbage, ¼ purple cabbage, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 cup edamame, 8 green onions
- Toss the salad with the prepared dressing and top with the cooled crispy ramen topping.
Notes
Tips:
- Use a mandolin, if you have one. This will speed up the prep and help slice up the cabbage into thin, even strips.
- Dress the salad right before serving to preserve the full crunchy cabbage potential.
- If making the crunchy ramen topping ahead of time, keep it in a dry, air tight container to keep out any moisture that may soften the dry ramen noodles.
- Top each individual serving with the ramen topping. Otherwise, it can get soggy.
Final Thoughts
We grew up eating a lot of salads, and we also grew up eating dried ramen noodles mixed with seasoning packets. This recipe combines our love of cabbage and fresh veggies with our nostalgic craving for dry ramen noodles, all tossed in a soy dressing for an elevated plant-based main dish or side. It’s so fresh and savory and light. If you make this recipe, we’d love to know how it turned out, so leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram!
Can’t Get Enough Salad? Try These!
- Our Easy Mediterranean Farro Salad, full of healthy ingredients and bright flavors.
- This protein-packed Vegan Chickpea Salad with Avocado that’s great as a dip, on top of lettuce, or in a sandwich!
- A Tropical Fruit Salad that’s tossed in a sweet umami dressing.
- This super hearty Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad, which is great for potlucks and cookouts!
Sounds delicious 😋 I can’t to put the ingredients together to try.