Fresh cabbage and carrot slaw tossed in a mixture of rice wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and grated fresh ginger, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.
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With lots of shredded cabbage and carrot, this ginger sesame slaw is a huge win in my house. 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!
This is my favorite way to enjoy slaw because traditional coleslaw can become very watery and runny, and I'm not really a big fan of mayo honestly.
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
- rice wine vinegar
- honey
- toasted sesame oil
- soy sauce
- carrot
- purple cabbage
- fresh ginger
- toasted sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
- parsley
Time Saving Tip: you'll 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.
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 or Jump to Recipe.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the carrots and purple cabbage. Set aside.
- Then, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce until well combined.
- Pour the sesame oil dressing mixture over the carrots and cabbage and toss to coat.
- Next, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle in the parsley.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
Equipment
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- Mixing Bowls and Whisk
- Measuring Spoons and Liquid Measuring Cup
- Box Grater (for the cabbage and carrot)
- Microplane (for grating the ginger)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about how to make a simple Asian slaw and some of the ingredients.
Yes, red cabbage is actually purple in color!
Both are healthy, but purple cabbage is more nutrient-rich and full of vitamin A.
Rinse the cabbage in ice-cold water and drain well.
The rice wine vinegar will help keep the purple or red cabbage color from bleeding in your slaw.
📖 Variations
The first time you try any new recipe we recommend that you make it just as it is written on the recipe card since that is how it has been tested. However, the next time you make our Asian cabbage slaw, you might want to try one of these ideas:
- Instead of parsley, use chopped fresh cilantro, minced green onions, or even a bit of thinly sliced fresh basil.
- Slaw recipes can be made with a variety of crunchy vegetables. 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 bell pepper or red bell pepper makes this an especially colorful Asian coleslaw!
- Instead of purple cabbage, you can also use green cabbage, Napa cabbage, or bok choy.
- For a bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sesame dressing mixture.
- There are lots of other toppings you can add to this salad such as chopped peanuts or cashews, edamame, or peas.
- If you do not have rice wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar.
🍴 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.
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.
Let's Eat!
Not ready to make this crunchy Asian cabbage salad yet? Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later!
When you do make it, please come back and comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Asian Purple Cabbage Slaw
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Ingredients
- ½ head purple cabbage shredded
- 1 large carrot shredded
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the carrots and purple cabbage. Set aside.½ head purple cabbage, 1 large carrot
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.¼ cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- Pour the mixture over the carrots and cabbage and toss to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle in the parsley.salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- Garnish with sesame seeds.2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
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Katy says
I used a bagged coleslaw mix with your dressing and it was really good. I had some black sesame seeds so I sprinkled a little bit on top.