Asian Coleslaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing - House of Nash Eats (2024)

This is your new favorite version of coleslaw with crunchy veggies and a sweet and savory Thai-inspired peanut sauce. I always get requests for the recipe when I take this to potlucks and picnics!

Asian Coleslaw Recipe

If you need a side dish to bring to a potluck or picnic or just want to change up your standard coleslaw recipe, this Asian-inspired coleslaw is going to take your tastebuds to new levels.

Made with a creamy peanut butter sauce, this slaw has it all with sweet, savory, and sour flavors in perfect harmony with plenty of that coleslaw crunch from thinly sliced veggies. Even kids love this coleslaw!

Looking for more delicious summer salads and sides? Be sure to check out our Easy Homemade Coleslaw for a more traditional version, or try our Chinese Chicken Salad for something more substantial!

Asian slaw makes a wonderful side all on it's own - I could easily eat bowlfuls of this stuff - but it's perfect for topping these Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders I shared the other day.

I can see these being enjoyed all season long for easy entertaining or game day food. You could make this into a full-on dinner salad by adding crunchy Ramen noodles and some cooked chicken or salmon.

Asian Coleslaw Ingredients

• Coleslaw Mix
• Red Cabbage
• Red Bell Pepper
• Carrots
• Green Onions
• Cilantro
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Vegetable Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Soy Sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Ginger Root
• Garlic

How to Make Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing

1. This easy Asian cabbage slaw starts with a bag of coleslaw mix from the grocery store to save some of the extra chopping of cabbage. But since those mixes are typically pretty boring, with mostly just regular green cabbage and just a few sad pops of purple and orange from a handful of grated carrots and red cabbage, I decided to throw in some more color and flavor.

2. The red cabbage and shredded carrots were a no brainer since they are typically included in those bagged coleslaw mixes.
3. But I also had a bag of 6 red bell peppers from Costco (gets me every time) that needed to be used up so I grabbed one of those and started to julienne the red pepper (which is just a fancy way of saying I sliced it into really thin, short strips).
4. The key is to make sure that the pepper is sliced thin enough that you aren't getting chunks that are noticeably a lot bigger than the rest of the slaw ingredients.
5. I also chopped up some green onion and fresh cilantro to go in there too, which gave even more color and flavor.
6. After that, it's just a matter of whisking together the dressing ingredients in a bowl and pouring it over the slaw ingredients, tossing to coat.
7. The dressing for this Asian slaw calls for sesame oil, which is something I often use when cooking Asian-style foods. It has a deep nutty, toasted flavor that I love, and I really recommend buying some if you don't already have it in your pantry. It's not a big amount, but it definitely makes a difference.

Asian Cabbage Slaw Substitutions

• Soy sauce: You can substitute this ingredient with coconut aminos or tamari.
• Bell pepper: Yellow, orange, or even green bell peppers will work. We mostly like the color of the red.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: If you don’t have this on hand, apple cider vinegar makes a good substitute.
• Garlic & Ginger: If you don’t have fresh, you can substitute 1 teaspoon each of dried ginger and garlic powder.

Tips for Asian Salad with Peanut Dressing

• Chop everything very fine. You might even want to use a mandolin. This makes the slaw easier to eat and everything gets a better coating of the dressing.
• Don’t dress until ready to serve. If you are taking this to a potluck or other event, wait to combine the sauce with the vegetables until shortly before you are about to serve it. Keep everything chilled in a cooler so the veggies stay crisp.

How to Store Asian Slaw

Like most coleslaw, this version doesn’t store great once you mix the sauce with everything else since it gets soggy and softens in the fridge overnight. You can still eat it the next day, but I recommend storing the sauce and veggies in separate airtight containers in the fridge if you don’t plan to eat it all right away and only combine the amount that will be eaten.

More like this Asian Slaw Recipe

• Oven Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
• Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce
• Thai Coconut Mango Sticky Rice
• Korean Pancakes with Scallions