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Green bowl full of colorful cabbage salad with crispy ramen topping.

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. 
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:5 minutes
Total Time:20 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Asian, Fusion
Keyword: Easy
Servings: 6

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.