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This ridiculously amazing Asian ramen salad will have you and your guests going back for thirds and fourths. Everyone will be asking for the recipe and you’ll want to bring this easy dish to every potluck!
This Asian ramen salad is so ridiculously amazing!
This salad is true to its name.
My aunt gave me this recipe from which she got from her late husband’s family in Indiana. Every single time we make this salad and bring it to potlucks, it is the FIRST to go. Every single time! There’s never a time we leave with some of the salad left in the bowl. It’s always devoured.
I’ve been eating this Asian ramen salad for years and years. I always think of my aunt whenever I have this salad and I love the memories it evokes. See? Food is always attached to a memory!
The best part is, this is probably the easiest thing to throw together. If you need a side dish to bring to a party or potluck, this Asian ramen salad has your name written all over it!
Bring this Asian ramen salad to a potluck or party. It is fit for a crowd!
It’s so easy to double, triple, or quadruple this Asian ramen salad for whatever size potluck or party you are going to. I have heard of someone trying to make this for 100 people.
Can you imagine?
That is a whole lot of Asian ramen salad to go around! Haha
But I think the most appealing part of this recipe is how easy it is and the fact that it’s okay if it sits out at parties and potlucks. Nothing will “go bad” in this recipe so after you take it out of the fridge from its initial chilling, it is fine to sit out at the table.
What kind of add-ins could I add into this Asian ramen salad?
So, my Asian ramen salad recipe is from my aunt and just like all recipes, there is a bunch of different ways that people make this recipe. There are so many variations and different ways it has been passed down!
In being passed down from generation to generation, there’s always little add-ins that I have heard of through the years that would make a great addition to this salad.
Here are some that I think would be great:
- Shredded chicken
- Mandarin oranges
- Edamame
- Napa cabbage
With or without the seasoning packet?
I get a lot of questions on this and my answer is no.
In my recipe below, I actually tell you to omit the seasoning packet from the ramen because it’s filled with not-so-good ingredients and so much sodium.
Would sesame oil work in this Asian ramen salad?
Using sesame oil would completely overpower the salad. I would say if you want to add in sesame oil, use like 1/2 tablespoon.
Are the ramen noodles supposed to be crispy/uncooked?
Yes. That’s the point. The crunchy ramen noodles give it texture and bite.
They do get “soggy” after they have been sitting in the salad for awhile (since it soaks up the liquid) so there are two ways you can go about this:
- Don’t add the ramen noodles until right before you serve if you want the crunchy texture.
- 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.
Alright, so now I’ve talked your ear off about this Asian ramen salad you should probably go grab the ingredients listed in the recipe below and get to making!
It’ll be gone soo fast and you’ll get requests from everyone for the recipe :)
Come back and let me know how it goes ;) That’s how positive I am that it’s THAT good!
Other great potluck recipe ideas:
- Honey mustard and onion pretzels
- Tangy potato salad
- Mexican Street Corn off the Cob
- Cabbage Slaw with Creamy Hummus Dressing
- Cowboy Caviar
- Broccoli Salad
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.
Love this !! I’m going to make this and add dried cranberries !
love this salad! My recipe calls for chicken ramen and you use the packet in the dressing. Enjoy reading all the different tips.
i too toast the ramen but I also toast the almonds along with the ramen but watch carefully because they will burn. At potluck so I never go home with leftovers. Best salad ever!
I couldn’t believe I randomly pulled up this recipe today since I am having sore mouth problems you described and I am going to the dentist tomorrow morning. what helped? By the way, making this recipe now. looks great! Thanks!
I just gave it time :( I didn’t have a special cure
This salad looks delicious!! I’m planning on making it on Thursday for out of state guests :) But I have a question first. If I added one packet beef seasoning, would it be ‘too’ salty? Or is it salty enough without the seadoning packets? Thanks in advance!!
No, it wouldn’t be too salty at all! My aunt adds it in but I just don’t really like that beef-ish flavor it gives the salad.
Aw man! What to do!! Ha! I think I’ll give it s shot. But, is it still salty without the packet? It’s bad. I like salt too much :/
No, it’s not really salty at all without the packet. It’s more tangy, in my opinion!
Thank you!!!!!!
For the inexperienced cook- just wondering how much of the green onions to use. I cut the green stalks with a scissor into thin circles but left the white onion parts out. Should I have chopped them up too???
It doesn’t matter – you could chop them or discard them. It’s really up to preference!
Do you think I could make this one day before and stir in the nuts and sunflower seeds right before serving? I am thinking about doubling the recipe for a graduation party.
Yes, you absolutely can! It *might* be slightly soggy/softened and not as crunchy but the nuts and sunflower seeds that you add in right before serving will give the salad the crunch and texture :)
Yes you should use the white part too. Usually a recipe will indicate if they want you to use only the white or green part of the green onions (also known as scallions). Hope this helps
I love this Asian ramen salad and it is amazing! It is very flexible (as other commenters have mentioned). I used what I had on hand – wine vinegar with a splash of cider vinegar, sucralose for sweetner, olive oil, a small amount of regular onion and since I did not have almonds I doubled the sunflower seeds. Looking forward to trying it as written and with some of variations mentioned in the comments!
Fantastic recipe! Thanks so much for sharing :) I will definitely be bringing this to the next church potluck…which happens to be this weekend!
I’ve made this twice now for work potlucks and both times it’s come together within minutes and disappeared just as quickly. True to the other posts everyone asked for the recipe. Very flattering as I’m not much of a cook.
For those that have asked about substitutions, don’t hesitate to try them! This recipe is very forgiving and practically impossible to ruin. Aside from discovering rotten Napa cabbage, or burning the nuts when toasting, it’s about as fool proof as it gets.
The first time I made the recipe as indicated, but the second time I made some substitutions and the results were equally as delicious, and maybe a skoche more healthful? I used 1/3 of cup olive oil and equal parts vegetable oil and grape seed oil to equal the 3/4 cup of oil. Instead of using all sugar I used equal parts honey and agave, and then probably 2 tbsp sugar to equal the 1/2 cup of sweetness. I couldn’t find the ratio for substituting agave for sugar but this tasted the same as the original, so I guess it’s about even. I mixed apple cider vinegar with rice wine vinegar instead of white vinegar. I also added just a splash of soy ginger sauce. The only difference, noticicable only to me since I had made the original, was that the dressing with the substitutes wasn’t quite as thick after whisking. It still coated everything nicely and didn’t pool in the bottom, separate, or anything else weird. I’m also a fan of toasting everything, nuts, seeds and ramen. I was afraid it would taste too raw otherwise. Not necessary but worth the extra few minutes of prep, imho.
I look forward to making this over and over. Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous meal!
i just found this recipe of yours and would really love to try it, however do you think this would still taste really good as what people had commented if I change the vegetable oil to maybe extra virgin olive oil?
I think it’ll be fine!