Asian Slaw

Asian Slaw, easy homemade cabbage slaw recipe with quick dressing and delicious Asian pears. Great as a salad or side dish, or on top of tacos, sandwiches, burgers, and more for the best addition!

Love that this Asian Slaw recipe is quick and easy to put together and great year-round! If you’d never had an Asian pear, I strongly recommend it for this recipe. Give it a try!

As I mentioned above, I’d strongly recommend looking for the Asian pear for this recipe. If you’ve never had one, it’s kind of a cross between an apple and pear and perfect for this slaw.

Not really a lot of ingredients for this slaw so hopefully you’ll have most already.

Asian Slaw Ingredients

• Coleslaw mix (cabbage & carrot)
• Asian pear
• Green onion

Asian Slaw Dressing

• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil (I used toasted, but you can use regular if you’d like)
• Brown sugar
• Lime juice
• Soy sauce
• Garlic powder

How to Make Asian Slaw

1. In a large mixing bowl, gently mix together the coleslaw mix, pear, and green onion.
2. In a separate small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and garlic powder until well combined.
3. Drizzle dressing over coleslaw mix and toss gently to combine.

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Quick Tips for Best Results

• Use a firm ripe Asian pear for the best flavor and texture in the slaw.
• Serve the slaw soon after making if you want it crunchy. If you prefer a softer slaw, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.
• Different brands and types of rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce can have different tastes so go with ones you like.
• To save time, go for the package of precut cabbage slaw that has shredded cabbage and carrots. You can, however, make your own coleslaw mix.

Asian Slaw FAQ

Can I use a different size bag of coleslaw mix?
Yes, if you can’t find the same size bag of coleslaw you can use a slightly larger or smaller bag. Although, there is probably enough dressing you may need to adjust and add more or less.

What are some Asian pear substitutes?
If you can’t find an Asian pear, you can use a firm sweet apple or pear. If you can find an Asian pear though I’d definitely give it a try.

How do I store this coleslaw?
If you want the coleslaw more on the crunchy side, serve it right away. If you prefer coleslaws that are more soft than crunchy, place the slaw in the refrigerator for at least an hour or more. Store the coleslaw, and any leftovers, covered in the refrigerator.

How long with coleslaw last?
Depending on the freshness of the ingredients, the slaw should last in the refrigerator a few days but will get soft over time.

What else can I add to this slaw?
To make the Asian Slaw even more crunchy you could add chopped ramen noodles, chopped peanuts or almonds, or even fried wontons. You can also add your favorite vegetables such as kale or cucumbers.

Can I use a different sweetener in the dressing?
Yes, you can try using other sweeteners. You could try using honey, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, sugar substitute, or whatever you’d like. Just know you may need to adjust the amount of sweetener to your personal preference and to make more or less sweet.

Can I make this slaw spicy?
If you like things a bit more on the spicy side you could add some minced jalapeño or red pepper flakes.

Other Side Dish Recipes You May Enjoy

• Broccoli Salad – easy salad with fresh broccoli and a yogurt dressing.
• Coconut Rice – an easy Asian inspired side dish. Yum!
• Japanese Cucumber Salad – lots of fresh cucumbers in this simple Asian salad. Looks perfect for summer!

What to Serve with this Asian Slaw

• Tacos – Add some of this slaw to the top of your favorite tacos instead of lettuce. Would be great on fish or seafood tacos such as tuna tacos or shrimp tacos.
• Sandwiches – Add to your favorite sandwich for a little crunch and for extra veggies and fruit. Great on burgers too even chicken or turkey burgers.
• Pasta – Mix the slaw with spaghetti or Asian noodle for a completely different dish.
• Meat – Serve as a side dish alongside your favorite Asian beef, pork, chicken, fish, or vegetarian dishes. Great with BBQ ribs! Or add meat, fish, seafood, or more veggies to the slaw for a main dish.

Hope you enjoy this quick and easy Asian Slaw!

This slaw would also be a great addition to these Chicken Lettuce Wraps or as a side dish with these Honey BBQ Ribs!