This simple chilled Ramen Cabbage Salad with carrots, scallions and toasted almonds is made with crunchy uncooked ramen noodles, Napa cabbage and an easy Asian-inspired soy sesame dressing. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is the ideal recipe to serve at potlucks, picnics and cookouts!

Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad in a white bowl with wooden salad spoons in it on a table.

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Why We Love Napa Cabbage Ramen Salad

This Asian Ramen Noodle Salad is my go-to for picnics and parties because it “sits” so well. Meaning that it doesn’t need to be eaten the minute it is tossed and it doesn’t wilt. In my opinion, it is even better about 20 minutes after it is tossed with the dressing. The crunchy ramen soften ever so slightly in the sweet and nutty soy dressing. It soaks up the dressing a bit in the most delicious way.

This flavor pairing is perfection! I love the crunchy cabbage and carrot, sweet peppers and toasted almonds all mixed together. Whenever I serve this inspired Chinese Cabbage Salad, it’s a crowd-pleaser and I always have people asking me for the recipe!

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Ingredients for The Cabbage Ramen Salad

Top view of Ingredients for Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad in small bowls on a table with text labels.
Top view of avocado oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, maple syrup, and garlic powder each in small bowls on a white table with text labels on them.
  • Cabbage: We like the tender leafy texture of Napa cabbage but feel free to use regular green cabbage instead for this crunchy ramen salad. We also used red cabbage for color and crunchy texture.
  • Uncooked Ramen Noodles: The key to this salad is broken-up uncooked crunchy ramen noodles. Purchase any flavor, and discard the seasoning packets. I like to break the brick apart by hitting the bag with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
  • Toasted Almonds: Toasted almonds have been sliced and toasted on a stovetop. Toasting slivered almonds brings out their nutty flavor so you can get away with using slightly less.
  • Chopped Veggies: In addition to the cabbages, I also added in chopped carrots, red bell pepper, radishes and scallions for more texture, color and flavor.
  • Oil: For the dressing you’ll need a neutral oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil or an organic canola oil.
  • Soy sauce: To season the vinaigrette
  • Rice wine vinegar: You want the unsweetened rice vinegar. On the label it will say “natural.” You do not want “seasoned” which has sugar and salt added. Lime also works.
  • Orange juice: To naturally sweeten the dressing and extend it a little bit. You can use fresh squeezed or OJ from a carton
  • Toasted sesame oil: Gives great flavor to the cabbage ramen salad.
  • Maple syrup: To sweeten the dressing. You can also use brown sugar- just make sure to dissolve it in the dressing before tossing with the ramen cabbage slaw.
  • Garlic powder: a quick and easy way to add garlic flavor to the dressing
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Step By Step Instructions To Make This Recipe

Top view of napa Cabbahe Ramen Noodle Salad ingredients separated into kinds in a black bowl.

Step 1: Combine Salad Ingredients

Place Napa in a large bowl. Top with broken noodles, purple cabbage, scallions, carrot, bell pepper, radishes, and almonds.

Top view of napa cabbage salad dressing in a jar being held by a hand.

Step 2: Make Dressing

Combine avocado oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, maple syrup, and garlic powder in a jar. Shake well to combine.

Top view of Napa Cabbage Salad being tossed in a black bowl with wooden salad spoons.

Step 3: Toss Salad

Pour the dressing over the cabbage ramen salad and toss to combine. After that, let it sit for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally to soften the ramen.

Close up of napa cabbage salad in a black bowl with wooden salad spoons in it.

FAQs

How do you cut a Napa cabbage for a salad?

For thinly sliced or shredded Napa cabbage cut the cabbage into long quarters, then remove the triangular shaped core. From there hold each section together and slice finely. Have a look at my detailed guide how to cut cabbage. Alternatively, you can use the leaves whole, so once the bottom has been removed, just peel the leaves off the body of the cabbage. 

Can you cook Napa cabbage like regular cabbage?

You can cook Napa cabbage just like any other vegetable. You can use it in soups, with noodles, or as a side dish. It is more delicate than green cabbage or Savoy and cooks more quickly.

Can you eat Napa cabbage raw in a salad?

You can eat Napa cabbage raw or cooked. In a salad it is more tender than green cabbage with a texture more akin to romaine lettuce.

What goes with Cabbage Ramen Salad?

For a weeknight meal, simply top this cabbage ramen slaw with grilled marinated chicken or serve it alongside burgers. Try with Maple Glazed Salmon or Thai Coconut Steaks.

Substitutions, Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

  • Make Ahead: This ramen noodle cabbage salad can be assembled in the large salad bowl but not tossed 1 day ahead. Keep the dressing separately in the jar and refrigerate both. Once it is tossed, enjoy within an hour or so as the cabbage will start to let off too much water.
  • Leftovers: You can store leftovers in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for the next day, though crunchy noodles may lose their texture overnight. 
  • Variations and Substitutions: One of the great things about this salad is you could easily swap the fresh veggies with green onions, celery, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, or anything else you have on hand. You can also turn this into an easy main course meal by adding some shredded rotisserie chicken. Another option is to add sesame seeds or sunflower seeds for crunch!
Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad in a white bowl with a silver spoon in it, on a chopping board on a table.

Additional Cabbage Recipes To Try

Top view of Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad in a black bowl with wooden serving spoons in it.

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad in a white bowl with wooden salad spoons sitting in it.

Napa Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad

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5 from 5 reviews

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Description

This simple chilled ramen noodle cabbage salad with carrots, scallions and toasted almonds is made with crunchy uncooked ramen noodles, Napa cabbage and an easy Asian-inspired soy sesame dressing. It takes less than a half hour to make and is the ideal recipe to serve at potlucks, picnics and cookouts.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 cups shredded Napa cabbage
  • 1 brick of ramen noodle soup, seasoning packet discarded, noodles broken up
  • 2 cups finely sliced red cabbage
  • 1 cup sliced scallions
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes or watermelon radishes
  • 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Place Napa in a large salad bowl. Top with broken noodles, red cabbage, scallions, carrot, bell pepper, radishes, and almonds.
  2. Combine avocado oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, maple syrup, and garlic powder in a jar. Shake well to combine.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally to soften the ramen.

Notes

Ingredient Note:

You can substitute green cabbage for Napa cabbage if you can’t source Napa cabbage. You could also use whole toasted almonds rather than sliced. 

Make-Ahead:

This salad can be assembled but not tossed 1 day ahead. Keep the dressing separately in the jar and refrigerate both.

  • Prep Time: 25
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Asian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 Cups
  • Calories: 249
  • Sugar: 7 g
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 7 g

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