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This Asian ramen salad is the potluck dish that always disappears long before anything else on the table. Crispy crushed ramen noodles, crunchy sunflower seeds and almonds, and shredded cabbage come together in a sweet-and-tangy vinaigrette—no cooking required, and it only gets better as it sits.
The Potluck Legend Ramen Coleslaw Salad That Never Makes it Home
My aunt gave me this Asian ramen noodle salad recipe—she got it from her late husband’s family in Indiana—and I always think of her when I make it. I love that. A dish this simple carrying that much meaning is exactly why I keep cooking.
Every time we bring it to a potluck or get-together, it is the FIRST thing to go. We have never once gone home with leftovers, which is both the highest compliment and a little devastating when you were counting on having some for lunch the next day.
Unlike most salads, this Asian slaw with ramen noodles actually benefits from sitting out. Nothing in it will wilt or spoil, so it’s safe on the table at a party or potluck for hours. That’s what makes it such a crowd-pleaser for entertaining.
Why I Use Bagged Coleslaw
There’s no chopping here. No shredding cabbage. No julienning anything. That’s the beauty of making ramen noodle salad with bagged coleslaw. You grab a 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix from the store, and you’re already most of the way there.
I know some folks might feel like using a bag is “cheating,” but I promise you, it’s not. The coleslaw mix gives you the perfect blend of green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots, and since everything is uniform in size, every forkful has great texture and color. If you do want to go the homemade route, my cabbage slaw with creamy hummus dressing is a great place to start. But I recommend saving your knife skills for another day.
Someone once tried to scale this up for 100 people. Can you imagine? That’s a lot of coleslaw bags (13 by my calculations!). But I completely understand the impulse because this salad is just that good.
How to Make Asian Ramen Salad
This might be the easiest recipe on the blog: Place the dry noodle block in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to break it into smaller pieces. Add the coleslaw mix, crushed ramen, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, and scallions to a large bowl. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and sugar in a measuring cup (don’t worry if the sugar doesn’t fully dissolve; it’s fine). Pour the dressing over everything and toss well with a large spatula until coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Why I Don’t Toast the Noodles & Nuts
People always ask me: Are the ramen noodles really supposed to go in dry and uncooked? The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. The crunchy, uncooked noodles are the signature texture of this asian ramen slaw. That satisfying snap when you bite in is kind of the whole point.
And no, you don’t need to toast the almonds or sunflower seeds either. It might seem like toasting would add more flavor, but raw is the way to go here. The dressing does the flavor lifting, and toasting can actually make the nuts go soft faster once dressed.
Dressing Tips
The dressing for this Asian ramen noodle salad is just three ingredients: vegetable oil, white vinegar, and granulated sugar. That’s it.
A few questions I get all the time:
- Can I substitute sesame oil? I wouldn’t use it as a straight swap. Sesame oil is potent and will completely take over the salad. If you love that flavor, add just ½ tablespoon alongside the vegetable oil, not instead of it.
- Can I reduce the sugar or make the dressing without it? The sugar is what balances the sharpness of the white vinegar, so I wouldn’t skip it entirely. You could try honey as a substitute—start with a little less since honey is sweeter by volume—but the texture of the dressing will be slightly different. The granulated sugar also doesn’t fully dissolve, which is totally fine and expected. Just whisk it well before pouring.
Ways to Make it Your Own
This ramen noodle coleslaw with sunflower seeds is wonderful as-is, but it also plays nicely with add-ins. A few that I think work really well:
- Shredded rotisserie chicken (turns it into a full meal)
- Mandarin oranges (a little sweetness and juiciness)
- Edamame (adds protein and color)
- Napa cabbage in place of some of the regular coleslaw mix (lighter, more tender)
- Sesame seeds (a small sprinkle goes a long way)
- A pinch of red pepper flakes if you want a little heat
- If you’re into that tangy crunch, my pickled cabbage would be amazing stirred in
And if you love a cold noodle salad as much as I do, check out my soba noodle salad with creamy peanut dressing, too!
The dressing can be made ahead and stored in a jar at room temperature for up to 1 week. Just shake or whisk again before using, since it will separate.
No. I leave it out entirely. The seasoning packets are high in sodium and add flavors that compete with the clean, sweet-tangy dressing. The vinegar-and-sugar dressing is all you need.
The ramen noodles do get “soggy” after they have been sitting in the salad for a while (since they soak up the liquid), so there are two ways you can go about this:
1. Don’t add the ramen noodles until right before you serve if you want the crunchy texture.
2. Add the ramen noodles in before you put it in the fridge to chill; you’ll get slightly softened/soggy noodles, but some people don’t like the extra crunch.
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
This asian slaw with ramen is one of those rare salads that’s actually better after it chills. The dressing has time to work its way into the cabbage, and the flavors meld beautifully. Make it up to the point of adding the ramen noodles, refrigerate for up to 2 hours (or overnight), and add the noodles right before serving if you want them crispy.
Once fully dressed, the salad keeps well at room temperature for several hours. Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for 1–2 days. The noodles will continue to soften, but honestly? A lot of people love the slightly softened version even more.
Ridiculously Amazing Asian Ramen Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounce (454 g) bag coleslaw mix
- 1 cup (134 g) sunflower seeds, de-shelled/shelled/no shells
- 1 cup (237 g) sliced almonds
- 6 ounces (170 g) dried ramen*, (any flavor, you won’t be using the seasoning packets so it doesn’t matter)
- 5 stalks of scallions, sliced
- ¾ cup (177 ml) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) white vinegar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place coleslaw mix, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, crushed ramen (see note below), and scallions.16 ounce (454 g) bag coleslaw mix, 1 cup (134 g) sunflower seeds, 1 cup (237 g) sliced almonds, 6 ounces (170 g) dried ramen*, 5 stalks of scallions
- In a large measuring cup, add vegetable oil, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk together. Don’t worry if the sugar will not completely dissolve.¾ cup (177 ml) vegetable oil, ⅓ cup (79 ml) white vinegar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Pour oil mixture over the coleslaw mix and toss everything together with a large spatula until everything is coated well.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Serve cold or room temperature.
I haven’t seen anyone say this so I just thought I’d throw it out there. We actually use broccoli slaw instead of cabbage and we throw in some cooked shrimp as well so it can be a whole meal at our house!
We also use cashew instead of almonds because when my mom was given the recipe I didn’t like almonds. I like then now but I love cashews.
I have also made this salad many times. I add a bit of soy sauce to the vinegar, sugar and oil mixture. I toast the ramen noodles and almonds on top of the stove with a tablespoon of butter and drain on a paper towel. I don’t mix together but let my guests decide how much dressing and crunchies to add. I don’t like the coleslaw wimpy from sitting in the dressing. That way you can store any leftovers separately and be good to go at the next meal.
The sugar in dressing will dissolve better if the dressing is just heated in small sauce pan or microwave and let cool. I usually use sweetener(whatever kind you like)/2-3 packets in glass jar and shake. Taste to see if you have enough sweet to vinegar ratio. I love this salad and take it to any potluck.
Hi, this looks great! Do you think I could sub avocado oil for the canola?
Hi Eve, I’m not familiar with avocado oil but if it’s got flavor to it, it might alter the taste of the salad, but if it doesn’t, it would be ok to sub for the canola.
I`m like skimming through the comments and now I feel like some loser because I seriously have never had this before. In ANY variation!! How is this possible??! This looks amazing!!
I love this blog… it’s on my favorites radar! :)
I made this last night for my man-friend’s SuperBowl party and it’s so weird – you can’t stop eating this stuff!! “Hmmm… just one more spoonful…mmmm….one more…” haha. Love all the recipes and so far, this is the third from your blog that I’ve made. All success stories. :) Keep the awesome coming!!
I’m so glad you love this blog, Janice! This recipe is definitely very addicting :) hope you continue to find recipes to enjoy on here!
I forgot to add that you need to make it at least 4 hrs ahead of time.
It is even BETTER the next day :)
JULIE!! OMG, this WAS absolutely delish! EXACTLY like the title of it: AMAZING!
I didn’t think it would taste as good as it did since there were so few ingredients and it looked too simple to make! We all LOVED it, especially my husband, and he keeps asking me when I’m going to make it again :D I followed the recipe to the “T”, except I toasted the sliced almonds first…..SOOOOO good and highly recommended. Our #1 coleslaw for sure! Thanks for sharing this.
Haha, so glad you enjoyed it, Karen!!
Have a recipe almost identical to this called Crunchy Chicken Salad. In addition to your ingredients, it has green, red and yellow chopped bell peppers as well as diced, cooked chicken which makes a very good sized, colorful bowl of salad. The ramen seasoning packet is also mixed in to the dressing. If you want your salad crispy, don’t add the noodles and dressing until the last minute. If you have any leftovers (and that’s a big IF), the noodles will be soggy within a couple hours after absorbing the dressing. Personally, I like the crunch. Beautiful presentation!!!
This salad is fabulous…my recipe does call for adding the Ramen seasoning packet to the dressing ( hence, chicken flavor is preferable)… I like to add chopped celery for even more crunch…my friend adds mandarin oranges..also delicious!
Hi Jane! Glad you add your own little twists to this recipe!