This hearty ramen noodle salad is full of cabbage, carrots, crunchy ramen noodles, green onions and almonds, all tossed in an oriental dressing. The perfect make-ahead salad to feed a crowd.
Ramen noodle salad is a classic dish that’s a welcome addition to any party. It’s simple to put together and people always beg me for the recipe!
In my opinion, the best salads have a variety of flavors, colors and textures. This ramen noodle salad, for example, has the perfect mix of textures due to the almonds and ramen noodles. Those crunchy ramen noodles mixing with the fresh and snappy vegetables make for the perfect side dish.
HOW DO YOU MAKE RAMEN NOODLE SALAD?
To make ramen noodle salad, you’ll put fresh carrots, shredded cabbage, green onion, ramen noodles, and almonds in a bowl. I use both purple and green cabbage because it looks so much more appealing with all the bright colors. Next, whisk together a sweet and tangy mixture of vegetable oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and the seasoning packets from your ramen noodles. Pour the dressing over your veggies, toss to mix well, and you’ve got the perfect side dish!
If you don’t want to chop up your own cabbage and carrots, I don’t blame you! Feel free to grab a bag of pre-shredded carrots and a bag of coleslaw mix to make life easier. This saves a ton of time on prep work which is great if you want to toss this salad together in a hurry.
One of the perks of this oriental ramen noodle salad is being able to easily adjust the flavor without changing up the ingredients. I like to use chicken flavored ramen noodles but you can use any flavor you would like. If you don’t have green onions on hand, cilantro is a great substitute. Sometimes I like to add other ingredients to this salad like thinly sliced snow peas or red bell pepper. I’ve even seen ramen noodle salad made with sunflower seeds instead of almonds.
ARE RAMEN NOODLES HEALTHY FOR YOU?
Ramen noodles aren’t the healthiest option when it comes to food. They’re often fried in oil and the seasoning packets can be high in sodium. However, they have a great crunch to them that adds so much flavor and texture to any salad. The ramen noodles straight from the package are pleasantly crunchy, but will soften a bit when tossed with the dressing.
CAN RAMEN NOODLE SALAD BE A MAIN DISH?
Most dishes can be transformed into a full dinner. Salads are the best for this because they’re already full of veggies. To make this ramen noodle cabbage salad a main course, you can add grilled chicken, shrimp, or even cubes of tofu.
There’s nothing more satisfying than a good salad on a hot day. They’re so refreshing and contain all the best nutrients your body needs to keep pushing through the summer. I make this salad often and have no doubt I’ll be making it again soon!
MORE SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Chickpea Salad with Avocado
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Antipasto Salad
Ramen Noodle Salad Video
Ramen Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 packages ramen noodles noodles broken into chunks, seasoning packets reserved
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Place the cabbages, carrots, ramen noodles, green onions and almonds in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, sugar and ramen noodle seasoning packets.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- Serve immediately, or cover and store in the fridge for up to 8 hours before serving.
I make this often and have for several years. My noodles are never ‘crunchy’ as I assemble and put in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours before serving for flavors to mingle.I do used sunflower seeds instead of almonds. Personal preference. I lost my recipe card for this so I copied yours thanks.
Love this salad! I did add about a tablespoon of sesame oil and about the same of ginger paste to the dressing. Also only used one seasoning packet; trying to lower the sodium content. Also for convenience, used 2 bags of coleslaw cabbage.
So yummy
How far in advance can I make this? Example: I making a lunch tomorrow for a get together can I make today?
You can make it a day in advance just be aware the noodles will be softer and lose their crunch!
I make this all the time gif work gatherings. I put everything in the bowl. And bring the dressing separate and add just before serving. Toss and always works out fine. I break up the noodles and leave on top and mix in with the dressing. Hope that helps.
The salad has been a long-time staple in our house. To save time I grabbed three large bags of coleslaw mix! Everything else remains the same. I adjust the sauce as needed. Tastes great!
Looks delicious
Sooooo delicious! Even if you’re not into cabbage, this recipe can totally change your mind!
Delicious
Can you make this a day ahead?
That should be fine, just be aware that the ramen noodles will soften as they sit in the dressing!
Make the dressing, keep in a little mason jar, toss the veggies and keep in a big ziploc, keep the noods and almonds separate in another ziploc and dump it all together just before serving 🙂
We do this all the time on the boat!
We’ve been making this recipe for years and have tweaked it a bit over that timeframe to make it our own.
We substitute the vegetable oil for a light olive oil or even sesame oil at times.
We also add fresh bean sprouts and water chestnuts plus cooked and diced chicken breast that’s been seasoned slightly with s&p and granulated garlic.
We mix everything at will and then taste test to see if we want to add more rice vinegar and/or low sodium soy sauce as the salad gets tastier as it marinate in the sauce and seasonings.
It males a great meal all by itself with the chicken. Our WHOLE family LOVES it.
Oh, and if you use the season packets, roast chicken is great but the oriental Ramen packet works also. Sometimes we will do both, depending on how big of a dish we’re making which is usually enough to feed an army and it never lasts long. Lol
My son has a severe nut allergy so I will be omitting the almonds. Is it crunchy enough without them? Any substitute ideas?
It should be fine without the almonds! If he can eat sunflower seeds those would be a good substitute.
Do you use plain or seasoned (sweetened, sushi style) rice vinegar?
Either will work but I typically use plain!
Can I not use the seasoning packet? I use to make something like this for a school cafe sounds about the same but no season packs
It should be fine but you may need to add other seasonings to your taste.
I just made this for the second time this week! The first time we ate it all up in one meal – it’s that good. I use a cabbage/carrot mixed bag from Trader Joe’s and it makes it super easy. I can put it together in 5 minutes. My kid loves it too!
What flavor ramen noodle are you suppose to use?
I typically use chicken but it’s ok to use other flavors too.
I love this recipe as even the kids will eat this salad.
Would you not cook the noodles
The noodles soften as the absorb the dressing!
Sounds Delicious!!! Yum 😋
I’ve been wanting to make this dish for years now and I finally did after finding this recipe and it was delicious! Thank you! I will definitely be making this again.
Add 1-2 teaspoons, of sesame oil, to the dressing! It makes all the difference, in the world!!
I’ve also added, cooked chicken breasts; if you wanted to make a meal out of it, delicious!
I add 1-2 tbls more of rice vinegar to give it a kick…also, I buy the big bags of coleslaw cabbage (with red cabbage & carrots) from Sam’s Club. Then I add cooked chicken breasts cut into small slivers and a can (drained) of mandarin oranges. I brought it to work, and now I’m the “salad whisperer”.