Ramen Noodle Salad with Sweet and Tangy Sesame Dressing

Ramen noodle salad is a delicious side dish that’s perfect for a picnic, barbecue, or easy weeknight dinner. It’s made with two types of cabbage, toasted ramen noodles, crunchy cashews, mini mandarin oranges, and a sweet-and-tangy sesame dressing.

If you grew up going to potlucks in the ’90s, there’s a good chance you’ve had some version of ramen noodle salad. This recipe is my fresher, more flavorful take on that nostalgic classic — still crunchy, sweet-savory, and incredibly hard to stop eating, but made with a few simple upgrades that make a big difference.

First, I skip the seasoning packets entirely and make a homemade dressing instead. It has the same sweet-savory flavor people love about the original, just with fresher ingredients and a more balanced taste. I also use fresh mandarins instead of canned ones and keep the sweetness lighter with just a little honey.

The crunchy texture is still very much the star here. Toasted ramen noodles add that signature crisp bite, while fresh cabbage, snap peas, carrots, and peppers make the salad feel extra vibrant and colorful. Bagged coleslaw works perfectly if you want to save time, but I love the crunch and freshness of chopping the vegetables myself. It’s the kind of salad that disappears fast at barbecues, potlucks, and summer dinners.

Make-ahead suggestion

If you want to prepare this ahead of time, chop the vegetables and place them in a serving bowl. Toast the ramen and cashews, then, when they’re cool, put them in a lidded container. Make the dressing and put it into a jar. Just before serving, add the noodles and cashews to the veggies, pour the dressing over the top, and toss to combine.

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Ramen Noodle Salad with Sweet and Tangy Sesame Dressing

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 8 minutes mins

Total: 28 minutes mins

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Ramen noodle salad is a delicious side dish that's perfect for a picnic, barbecue, or easy weeknight dinner. It's made with two types of cabbage, toasted ramen noodles, crunchy cashews, mini mandarin oranges, and a sweet and tangy sesame dressing.

6

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 3-ounce packages of ramen noodles (seasoning packet discarded or saved for another use)
• ▢ ½ cup cashews (bonus if they’re spicy!)
• ▢ 2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
• ▢ 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
• ▢ 2 medium carrots (shredded with the large holes on a grater)
• ▢ 1 cup snap peas (cut in half)
• ▢ 1 red pepper (diced)
• ▢ ¼ cup green onions (chopped)
• ▢ 3 mini mandarin oranges (peeled and segmented)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

The Dressing

• ▢ 2 tablespoons EACH: cooking oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: minced ginger and minced garlic

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Crush the dry ramen noodles into bite-sized pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. There will be many tiny pieces, but make sure there are some slightly larger pieces as these have the best crunch. Add the cashews to the sheet and toast in the oven for 7-8 minutes, stirring halfway through. 
  2 3-ounce packages of ramen noodles, ½ cup cashews
• Add the cabbage, carrots, snap peas, red pepper, green onions, mandarin oranges, and sesame seeds to a large salad bowl. When the ramen and cashews have cooled, add them to the bowl, too. 
  2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage, 2 medium carrots, 1 cup snap peas, 1 red pepper, ¼ cup green onions, 3 mini mandarin oranges, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
• Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Serve right away. 
  2 tablespoons EACH: cooking oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce , 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and honey, 1 teaspoon EACH: minced ginger and minced garlic

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 ½ cups, Calories: 315kcal (16%), Carbohydrates: 36g (12%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 847mg (37%), Potassium: 476mg (14%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 13g (14%), Vitamin A: 4894IU (98%), Vitamin C: 74mg (90%), Calcium: 95mg (10%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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