Asian Coleslaw with Orange Sesame Dressing
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This 20-minute Asian coleslaw will be a hit. It’s colorful, vibrant, refreshing, and packed with delicious flavors. An array of veggies and mandarin oranges is tossed in the most divine orange sesame dressing.
I love it when something truly crave-worthy is also packed with veggies, and this Asian coleslaw checks all those boxes. It’s crunchy, colorful, and makes the perfect side dish for just about any BBQ.
The slaw is loaded with crisp vegetables, sweet mandarin oranges, and roasted cashews, then tossed in a creamy orange sesame dressing that’s completely mayo-free. The dressing hits all the right notes — tangy, nutty, a little sweet, and deeply savory — and somehow makes you want to keep going back for just one more bite.
Ingredients notes
Asian coleslaw recipes are packed with colorful, vibrant veggies with lots of delicious crunch. This one has the dreamiest dressing! These are your Asian slaw ingredients:
- Easy Asian coleslaw dressing: Juice from one mandarin orange, tahini, toasted sesame oil, avocado oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, and soy sauce.
- Asian slaw ingredients: Cabbage, carrots, mandarin oranges, fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds.
- Salted cashews: If your supermarket carries garlic roasted cashews, get them! Otherwise roasted, salted cashews are perfect.
Mayo-free coleslaw dressing
We love a mayo-based coleslaw dressing just as much as the next person. However, there are occasions when a mayo-free version is ideal: if your coleslaw is sitting out for an hour at a picnic or BBQ, or if you want to lighten things up, mayo-free is the way to go for your Asian coleslaw dressing!
The holy grail ingredient is tahini. It makes this perfectly creamy while remaining dairy-free and adds a beautiful sesame flavor that complements the zesty orange. Crafting it is super simple—you pour everything into a jar, shake it, and you’ve got yourself a vibrant Asian coleslaw dressing!
Variations and additions
This Asian coleslaw recipe is versatile, so you can throw an array of other ingredients in there to play with the flavors or clear out the fridge. Here are some of our top picks:
- Edamame: This delicious burst of green goodness will keep you satisfied for longer.
- Herbs: Fresh mint or basil add a refreshing element.
- Extra vegetables: Add bean sprouts, broccoli florets or sliced stems, snap peas, green onions, red bell pepper, sliced onions, corn kernels, whatever is left in the fridge!
- Spicy: Want to add some kick? Sprinkle in sliced chilis or red chili flakes to taste.
- Chicken: Add some shredded chicken for a heartier Asian chicken slaw.
- Fruit: Some thinly sliced apple or Asian pear works a treat in this Asian slaw, too.
- Toppings: Add some wasabi peas or crispy fried onions, or swap the cashews out for peanuts or almonds.
- Ramen noodles: Add some extra crunch by breaking up ramen noodles into small pieces, and scatter them over your slaw, similar to how we make our ramen noodle salad!
What to serve with Asian coleslaw
This Asian coleslaw is delicious enough to eat as a stand-alone, veggie-loaded meal but it’s also great as a side to enjoy beside whatever is sizzling on the BBQ. It’ll round out the meal when you’re enjoying meat, like lemongrass meatballs, teriyaki salmon, honey sriracha chicken, garlic ginger chicken, or sesame honey shrimp. Add a serving of steaming coconut rice on the side for a complete meal!
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, you can ask it in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
If you’re preparing for dinner, you can chop all the vegetables a day in advance and make the dressing several days ahead. But wait until you’re ready to serve it before you mix everything.
How do I store leftover Asian coleslaw?
If possible, store the Asian slaw undressed; place it in an airtight container and the dressing in a separate jar. Otherwise, place it in an airtight container and enjoy within 1-2 days. It will be a bit soft the next day, but it still makes an excellent lunch!
Watch how to make this recipe
Asian Coleslaw Recipe
Ingredients
Orange Sesame Dressing
- Juice from 1 mandarin orange (about ¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons EACH: toasted sesame oil and avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons EACH: rice wine vinegar, honey, and soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: finely minced ginger and garlic
Easy Asian Coleslaw
- 1 lb thinly shaved cabbage (try half purple and half green cabbage)
- 2 carrots (sliced into thin strips – a mandolin works great for this)
- 1 red pepper (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews
- 3 mandarin oranges (peeled and segmented)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a 2 cup glass jar and give it a good shake. It's ready to go when it's creamy. Note: if your tahini is very thick, mix it with the orange juice first then add the rest of the ingredients and shake.Juice from 1 mandarin orange, 2 tablespoons tahini, 3 tablespoons EACH: toasted sesame oil and avocado oil, 2 tablespoons EACH: rice wine vinegar, honey, and soy sauce , ½ teaspoon EACH: finely minced ginger and garlic
- Place the cabbage, carrots, pepper, cashews, oranges, cilantro, and sesame seeds into a large salad bowl.1 lb thinly shaved cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 red pepper, ½ cup roasted salted cashews, 3 mandarin oranges, ¼ cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- Pour the dressing over the top and then toss with salad tongs. Serve right away.
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More coleslaw recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our salad recipes!
This is light & terrific. I made this along with your Korean Pulled Pork. Fantastic flavors & great combo.
Oh what a fantastic dinner! Such a great combo of recipes!
This sounds delicious! I plan on making it for an upcoming bbq 🙂
Has anyone tried subbing the fresh mandarin oranges (& mandarin orange juice) with the ones that come in the plastic containers??
If that’s what you have available to you then go ahead!
This looks so delicious! Thank you for posting! I am making this for dinner tonight. I made the salad dressing this morning. And will prep veggies now too. My question is: What is the best time to toss it all together? Immediately before serving or is a few hours ahead of time okay? Don’t want to cause it to wilt. Thanks again!
I like it best when it’s tossed right before serving. 🙂
JUST PLAIN FABULOUS!! A NEW FAMILY FAVORITE. AS FOR THE NAME, ANYTHING WITH THOSE INGREDIENTS WOULD CONSTITUTE “ASIAN” IN MY BOOK. NO WORRIES THERE.
Easy and delicious! Definitely will make it ago but might add some green onions.
Awww thanks! I’m so happy everyone loved it!
You are so awesome! Thank you for sharing that recipe!
It feels so great to eat big salads all the time, doesn’t it?! Yay for salad season!