Asian Purple Cabbage Slaw

Why You’ll Love Our Recipe

It’s got lots of great crunch, sweetness from the carrots and honey, a little sour note from the vinegar, saltiness from the soy sauce, and even nuttiness from the toasted sesame oil. The whole combination is just darn good!

You’ll love serving this on top of sliders or as a side dish for any Asian-themed meal. And it’s great for grilling season, too! Substitute this instead of traditional coleslaw for a fun spin on the classic summer BBQ.

Ingredients

This is meant to be a brief overview of our Asian cabbage and carrot slaw recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.

Here’s what you will need to make this Asian Purple Cabbage Slaw recipe:

• Rice Wine Vinegar: If you don’t have this on hand, substitute apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
• Honey: Balances the acidity of the vinegar. Substitute agave nectar or maple syrup as the sweetener.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: This adds big flavor to the dressing, but a little goes a long way.
• Soy Sauce: Brings umami to the dressing.
• Carrot: Any variety of carrots will work. I like using a vegetable peeler to get long pieces but you can also use pre-shredded carrots.
• Purple Cabbage: Instead of purple cabbage, you can use green cabbage, Napa cabbage, or bok choy.
• Ground Ginger: Adds a warm and slightly spicy note to the dish.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds: Optional, but these are both yummy and pretty on the salad.
• Salt and Black Pepper: Rounds out all the flavors.
• Parsley: For garnish. You could also use chopped fresh cilantro or mint, minced green onions, or thinly sliced fresh basil.

Variations:

• Slaw recipes can be made with a variety of crunchy vegetables. You can substitute some of the shredded cabbage for shredded broccoli, zucchini, cucumber, jicama, or even Brussels sprouts.
• Add thinly sliced bell peppers—a bit of yellow or red bell pepper makes this an especially colorful Asian coleslaw!
• For a bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sesame dressing mixture.
• You can add many other toppings to this salad such as chopped peanuts or cashews, edamame, or peas.

Ang’s Recipe Tips

Here’s my best time-saving tip for this recipe: You can often find shredded vegetables in the produce section at your local grocery store, which is a great way to save time when making this easy Asian slaw.

Serving Suggestions

Some of my favorite weeknight meals include this easy slaw. Our Asian Pulled Pork Sliders have a big pile on top for sure, and it’s also yummy on our easy Pork Lettuce Wraps or with Slow Cooker Huli Huli Chicken.

However, this purple cabbage and carrot slaw doesn’t have to just be a topping for sandwiches. It is absolutely delicious on its own as a side dish. Try it alongside our Pork Kabobs, Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, or Baked Eggrolls with Pork and Veggies.

You can even use it on tacos with Crockpot Korean Beef!

Similar Recipes

This is one of my favorite summer side dishes! Fresh salads, especially flavorful ones, add so much to a meal! Try our Italian green bean salad or apple feta salad.