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Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing – So light & refreshing, yet so satisfying! Plus, it's SO easy to put together and you won't need to cook anything!
It's getting a little hot in my neck of the woods, so heat-free meals are in heavy rotation now. This Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is on that list, along with my favorite Avocado Black Bean & Corn Salad.
I don't usually just have salad as a meal, but this one is really filling. It's loaded with romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, edamame, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges and topped with crunchy noodles.
Oh, and the dressing is simply marvelous! It's savory, zesty, and citrusy. I added very little oil to keep it light and healthy too.
Asian Chopped Salad Ingredients
️🌟 This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. For the complete ingredient amounts and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
For the Salad
- Frozen shelled edamame
- Romaine lettuce
- Red cabbage
- Carrots
- Green onions
- Sliced almonds
- Mandarin oranges
- Crispy noodles
Sesame Ginger Dressing Ingredients
- Rice vinegar
- Low sodium tamari (sub soy)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Agave
- Liquid from canned mandarin oranges
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Sesame seeds
Now put it all together!
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine well. The flavors are really easy to adjust to your liking, so taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Now place dressing in the fridge while you wash and cut your veggies. This will give the flavors time to marinate. The dressing will slightly separate so don't forget to whisk again before pouring on the salad.
*Tip: If you can't have soy, you can replace the tamari with Coconut Aminos and the edamame with snow peas.
How to make Asian Chopped Salad
It's so easy to put this all together, just thaw the frozen edamame, drain the oranges (save liquid), shred the romaine and purple cabbage, slice the green onions and julienne or shred the carrots.
When you're ready to serve the salad, add the dressing (*whisk before pouring), almonds, and half the oranges to the bowl of veggies.
Now, gently toss to combine well. Some of the dressing will settle to the bottom, so if you feel the veggies need more coating, just toss gently again.
Top with the crispy noodles and the remaining oranges. You can sprinkle on more almonds and sesame seeds too.
SuccessTips
- Make sure your veggies are dry after washing to prevent sogginess. I always run the veggies through my salad spinner. It helps keep everything crisp and fresh. It's one kitchen item that I can't do without.
- If you want to make things even easier, you can buy most of the veggies pre-washed and pre-cut. Then all you'll have to do is pour everything into your salad bowl.
- If you are bringing this to a get-together, leave the oranges and dressing out until it's ready to serve. Otherwise, the lettuce will get soggy. Another option is to serve the dressing on the side. Top with noodles right before serving too.
Add-In Ideas
This Asian Chopped Salad is easily adjustable, so feel free to omit ingredients and add your favorite herbs, veggies, nuts, and seeds. It's completely fool-proof so have fun with it! Here are some add-in ideas:
- Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Cucumber
- Snow Peas
- Cilantro, Basil, Mint
- Peanuts, Hemp Seeds, Cashews
- Seasoned Tofu or Tempeh
More Light and Fresh Recipes to Try
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would really make my day! You can also share your remake with me on Instagram. Just tag #veganhuggs and @veganhuggs so I don’t miss it!
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Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
Sesame Ginger Dressing
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari (sub soy)
- 3 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger , minced
- 2 ½ tablespoons liquid from canned mandarin oranges
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Salad
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame , thawed
- 1 large head (12 oz) romaine lettuce , shredded (about 7 cups)
- 1 ½ cups red cabbage , shredded
- 1 ½ cups carrots , julienne (matchstick) or shredded
- ⅓ cup green onions , sliced thin
- ½ cup sliced almonds , raw or toasted
- 1 10 oz can mandarin oranges , reserve liquid
- ½ cup crispy noodles (for topping)
Instructions
Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (add a pinch of salt if desired). Place in the fridge while you wash and cut your veggies. This will give the flavors time to marinate. (* Whisk again before pouring on salad)
Salad
- To a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, edamame, almonds, and green onions. Toss to combine well.
- If you're ready to serve the salad, add the dressing (*whisk before pouring) and half the oranges. Gently toss to combine. Some of the dressing will settle to the bottom, so if you feel the veggies need more coating, just toss gently again. Top with crispy noodles and the remaining oranges. You can sprinkle on sesame seeds too. Enjoy!
Peggy L Cervantes
So delish! Love the ginger dressing, it's so refreshing.i have a hard time stopping myself from gorging on this feast! Simple but So Delish!!
Melissa Huggins
Thanks for the feedback, Peggy! I am pleased that you liked the recipe.
Sonya
Yum! This is so good! I left out the endamame as I was using leftover sesame grilled tofu. I also used peanuts instead of crispy noodles. What a great lunch!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Sonya! We are happy to hear that you loved the recipe - thanks so much for trying it out 🙂
Carolyn
Pretty new to veganism and Chinese chicken salad has always been my favorite salad, so I was excited to find this recipe. Sesame oil is a bit too strong for my taste and I only use 1/2 of what a recipe calls for. The dressing was just perfect for me that way. Also, I added some “chickenless” chicken strips to which I added a spoonful of the dressing while sautéing them. It was delicious and my husband asked that I make this often.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Carolyn! We are so happy to hear that you both loved the salad and that it worked out well with the modifications. Thanks so much for trying out the recipe!
Peggy
Absolutely fabulous! I literally licked the bowl! 😳😁😋 Thank God it's super healthy! This will be a definate Go-To for sure!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Melissa Huggins
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it so much! Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
Courtney
Delicious and easy! My favorite kind of recipe. Great balance of flavors and textures.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Courtney! So glad you liked it. 🙂
Nicki
Delicious!! And so easy. The dressing was perfect, the salad ingredients were perfect. Will definitely make this again. Served with Peking portobellos. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Nicki, I'm so happy that you liked it! Sounds perfect with the portobellos. YUM! Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
Carole
Everyone loved this salad.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Carole, I'm so glad everyone loved it! Thank you so much. 🙂
Beth
I have been looking for this forever. Thank you!
Sue Murray
So easy and delicious!! I added chopped cashews but you could easily put chicken on it too. Flavourful without being overbearing.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sue, I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Dee
Awesome salad! Light and refreshing! I love the ginger dressing! Will definitely use the ginger dressing for my other salads or even as a dipping sauce for my dumplings.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Dee! I'm glad that you liked it! I need to try the dressing with dumplings too! 🙂
Dorothy L.
Hi Melissa, I love your vegan recipes. Instead of the red cabbage in the Asian salad, can I use radicchio instead since cabbage is a no no for my tummy. If not, since radicchio has a strong flavor and might overpower, what would you suggest? Thanks, Dorothy
Melissa Huggins
Hi Dorothy, thank you so much! I'm glad to hear this!
Can you have bok choy? If yes, that would be a great substitute. I think radicchio would be great too, but you may want to cut down the amount and replace with more romaine or mixed greens. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you. 🙂