This easy vegan ramen noodle salad with cabbage is a classic summer side! Great for picnics and potlucks, this salad is fresh, healthy, and bursting with flavor! Packed with cabbage, carrots, and crunchy uncooked ramen noodles tossed in a flavorful Asian style dressing.
Ramen noodle cabbage salad is just one of those dishes that tastes like summer! It's fresh and crisp and flavorful.
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❤️ This recipe is
- quick and easy to make.
- bursting with flavor.
- a great light summertime meal or side dish.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Cabbage - I like to use a bag of shredded cabbage to make it quick and easy, but you can wash and shred your own cabbage. A mix with some purple cabbage makes it pretty, but you can use whatever cabbage that you want.
- Carrots - most bags of shredded cabbage contain shredded carrots as well, but if you are not using bagged cabbage, you will want to add 1 cup of shredded carrots.
- Ramen Noodles - for crunchy goodness in your salad. Be sure to use Top Ramen brand (Maruchun brand noodles are not vegan). All of the Top Ramen noodles are vegan, but most of the seasoning packets are not. Only the spicy chili and soy sauce flavor packets are also vegan. (You will not be using the flavor packets, just the noodles though.)
- Green Onions - for added flavor. (optional)
- Sesame Seeds - for texture and color.
- Sliced Almonds - optional for added texture and flavor. Some people in my family don't eat nuts, so I usually leave them out or serve them on the side. You can also use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead if desired.
For the dressing
- Oil - any neutral-flavored oil will work. You can reduce the amount of oil, but I would not omit it completely for the best taste and texture.
- Sesame Oil - for flavor. This is key to giving your salad an Asian flavor.
- Seasoned Rice Vinegar - for sweetness and acidity. You can use white or apple cider vinegar instead, but it's not as flavorful.
- Sweetener - I like to use agave nectar or my vegan honey since they are liquid sweeteners and dissolve better in the dressing, but granulated sugar will also work.
- Soy Sauce - for saltiness and flavor. You can also use Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tamari.
- Ginger - fresh grated ginger root adds a lot of flavor to the salad. You can use powdered ginger or simply omit it if you don't have fresh ginger.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Grater- if you are going to be cutting your own cabbage.
- Microplane - for mincing the ginger root.
🥄 Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/4 cup of oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons agave (or sweetener of choice), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger. Stir with a whisk until combined.
- Pour in a bag of shredded cabbage mix and toss well until the cabbage is coated in the dressing.
- Take the seasoning packet out of the bag of ramen and crush up the noodles until they are in bite-sized pieces. Add the crushed noodles to the salad and toss well again.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. (You may also add some sliced almonds or sunflower seeds if desired.)
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- This salad tastes best within a few hours of making. After about 3-4 hours, the ramen noodles start to get soft.
- When using fresh ginger, use a knife or a peeler to get the brown skin off of the ginger root. Then use a microplane or zester to mince the ginger into tiny pieces.
- Add some grilled chicken seitan and turn this salad into a full meal!
🍞 Can I make it gluten-free?
You can make this into a simple cabbage salad without the noodles if you need it to be gluten-free. Ramen noodles are not gluten-free and the gluten-free equivalents don't taste good uncooked as the wheat versions do.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This salad is best served fresh or within a few hours of making. It can be refrigerated and will keep for up to 3 days, but the noodles will get a little soggy.
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Vegan Ramen Noodle Salad with Cabbage
An Asian inspired cabbage salad with a light flavorful dressing and crunchy ramen noodles.
Servings: 8
Calories: 102kcal
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup light olive oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
For the salad
- 1 (14 oz. bag) shredded cabbage (about 6 cups)
- 2 (3 oz. bags) ramen
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and/or 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/4 cup of oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons agave (or sweetener of choice), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger. Stir with a whisk until combined.
- Pour in a bag of shredded cabbage mix and toss well until the cabbage is coated in the dressing.
- Take the seasoning packet out of the bag of ramen and crush up the noodles until they are in bite-sized pieces. Add the crushed noodles to the salad and toss well again.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. (You may also add some sliced almonds or sunflower seeds if desired.)
Notes
- This salad tastes best within a few hours of making. After about 3-4 hours, the ramen noodles start to get soft.
- When using fresh ginger, use a knife or a peeler to get the brown skin off of the ginger root. Then use a microplane or zester to mince the ginger into tiny pieces.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Fabulous. 30 years ago when I lived in California, there was a fast food place that made the best chicken Chinese cabbage salad. These were my pre-vegan days. I’ve never been able to replicate it until now. The first day was great, but then I went and bought Impossible chicken nuggets and added them. Great, but not quite. Today I’m going to pick up the Daring plant chicken pieces. Marinade in some teriyaki, grill it, and add it to the salad. Thank you so much for this recipe!
You're welcome! I'm happy that you liked the recipe.
Can I make ahead and add the ramen noodles the next day?
You can go ahead and mix up the dressing the day before, but don't put it on the noodles or shredded cabbage until just before serving, so it stays fresh. Enjoy!
Delish and easy to make. We added our homemade vegan chkin and it was a perfect meal! Making again for July 4th! Thanks for a great recipe!
You're welcome, Chamron. I'm so happy that you liked it! 🙂
Do you use the ramen noodle seasoning packets or just the noodles for this salad?
No, you don't use the seasoning packet, just the dry noodles. Enjoy! 🙂
What size is a serving? 1 cup?
Yes, 1 cup. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Monica! I am going to make this and can tell it is going to be good just by the ingredients except I am going to use lemon juice (it's healthier for the kidneys) so I rated it in advance for you. 🙂 I had a recipe in the past that was good but lost it. A nice addition is a small amount of chopped mint or spearmint leaves. Also, a little tip, I use the tip of a teaspoon to peel my ginger. It works like a charm. Thank you for all you do to help people with recipes, even me. 🙂
I hope that you enjoy it, Marie! 🙂