Asian Cabbage Slaw with Miso Ginger Dressing

This Asian Cabbage Slaw is made with fresh shredded red and green cabbage, carrots, and tossed in a homemade miso ginger coleslaw dressing!

If you're looking for a summer side dish that's packed with flavor, be sure to check out this Asian Style Coleslaw. It's perfect for a BBQ or picnic served alongside all your favorite main dishes.

Cabbage is one of the underdogs of the vegetable world, but I firmly believe it should be given more credit. It's one of the most affordable veggies, a head of cabbage yields a large amount, it can be served raw or cooked, and cabbage is incredibly versatile.

One of my favorite dishes to make with cabbage is coleslaw. It's an all-around great side dish to serve with things like grilled chicken, burgers, tacos, or tofu. Cabbage is hearty and holds up well to being tossed in dressing. You can customize coleslaw by altering the dressing with a variety of sauces and spices.

This version is inspired by Asian flavors and is made with a combination of shredded red and green cabbage along with carrots for sweetness. The combo of these vegetables gives this coleslaw a vibrant color and crunchy texture.

The cabbage and carrots are tossed in a homemade miso ginger dressing. The dressing is creamy and packed with garlic, ginger, miso paste, rice wine vinegar, Tamari, and mayo. It gives this dish a salty, tangy, umami flavor that's downright addicting.

Jump to:

• What Type Of Cabbage Is Best For Coleslaw?
• How To Cut Cabbage For Coleslaw
• Ingredients For Asian Cabbage Slaw
• What Is Miso?
• How To Make Miso Ginger Dressing
• How To Make Asian Cabbage Slaw
• What To Serve With Miso Cabbage Slaw
• How Long Does This Coleslaw Last In The Fridge?
• Can It Be Made The Day Ahead?
• Asian Cabbage Slaw with Miso Ginger Dressing

What Type Of Cabbage Is Best For Coleslaw?

For this Asian Cabbage Slaw, I recommend using both green and red cabbage (also known as purple cabbage). The combination of the two types of cabbage provides this coleslaw with a beautiful color. Green and red cabbage both have a mild peppery flavor and crunchy texture that works well with all types of coleslaw dressing.

Green and red cabbage both hold up nicely when shredded and don't become soggy after tossed in dressing, making either a great choice for coleslaw. Both green and red cabbage are readily available in the produce section of most grocery stores.

This recipe calls for half a head each of green and red cabbage. Half a head of each equals 1 medium to large sized head of cabbage and yields 8-10 cups of shredded cabbage. You can also use 1 head of green or 1 head of red instead of a combination of the two if that's what you have on hand.

I do not recommend Napa or Savoy cabbage for this recipe, as these varieties are more tender and do not retain their crunchy texture when shredded.

If you're running low on time, you can opt for pre-cut bagged cabbage as well. This is a great shortcut option that I've used many times. It is often labeled 'Coleslaw Mix' in the store and usually includes a combination of shredded green and red cabbage as well as carrots.

I love to add carrots to any coleslaw, as this provides the dish with extra color and sweetness.

How To Cut Cabbage For Coleslaw

1. To shred the cabbage, simply remove any dirty or damaged outer leaves and discard. Cut the cabbage first in half and then cut the halves into quarters.
2. Cut the core from each of the quarters and discard (the core can be a bit too tough for coleslaw)
3. Place each of the quarters flat-side down on a cutting board and chop the cabbage into thin strips. Repeat with the second cabbage if using.
4. Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl (yields 8-10 cups of shredded cabbage).

Check out this tutorial for more detailed info on How To Cut A Cabbage if needed.

Ingredients For Asian Cabbage Slaw

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 4-5 cups Green Cabbage (shredded) (equals half of 1 medium-sized green cabbage)
• 4-5 cups Red Cabbage (shredded) (equals half of 1 medium-sized red cabbage)
• 2 cups Carrots (shredded) (equals 2 large carrots)
• ½ cup Mayo
• 2 Tbsp. Miso Paste
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Low Sodium Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if not gluten free)
• ½ tsp. Sugar
• ⅛ tsp. of Kosher Salt
• 1 large clove Garlic (grated)
• 1 inch Ginger Root (grated)
• 2 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds (for garnish) (optional)
• Scallions or Fresh Herbs like Cilantro or Thai Basil for garnish (optional)

Another thing I love about cabbage is that it's so darn healthy! It's a cruciferous vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family (much like cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts). 

It has tons of antioxidants, it's anti-inflammatory, it can help regulate cholesterol as well as blood pressure, and it's full of fiber. Among its many vitamins and minerals, cabbage contains lots of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, making it a superfood.

What Is Miso?

This cabbage slaw is sent over the top with a ginger miso dressing that will leave you wanting to lick the bowl. One of the things that makes the dressing so tasty is the addition of miso.

Miso is a fermented soybean paste made with soybeans are combined with salt and koji (a type of mold or fungus) and then fermented and aged. It's used extensively in Japanese cuisine.

Miso is one of those things that adds a lot of flavor to any dish. It has a salty, briny, umami flavor and provides just about any dish with a lot of depth.

There are a number of varieties of miso. Generally, the darker varieties have been aged and have a sweeter, stronger flavor. For this recipe, I recommend a milder variety such as white or yellow miso.

Miso paste is usually gluten free, but make sure to check the label to be sure if gluten is an issue for you.

You can pick up a package of miso in the refrigerated section at most grocery stores nowadays or an Asian supermarket. It can also be purchased online.

Miso is also healthy as its fermented and contains lots of good probiotics.

How To Make Miso Ginger Dressing

This dressing is super easy to make and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

It's made with mayo, miso paste, white wine vinegar, Tamari, sugar, and grated garlic and ginger. A Microplane or small grater works nicely to grate the garlic and ginger.

Feel free to use soy sauce in place of Tamari if gluten is not an issue for you.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting vegan mayo in place of regular mayo.

1. To make the dressing, start by peeling 1 large clove of garlic and a 1-inch section of ginger root. Use a Microplane or small grater to grate the clove of garlic and the ginger.
2. Place ½ cup mayo (you can use vegan mayo if you'd like to keep this coleslaw vegan), 2 Tbsp. miso paste, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. of rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp. low sodium Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if not gluten free), ½ tsp. sugar, 1 clove of grated garlic, 1-inch of grated ginger and ⅛ tsp. of kosher salt into a small bowl.
3. Mix all of these ingredients until completely combined using a fork or a small whisk.

How To Make Asian Cabbage Slaw

Once the veggies and dressing are ready, all that's needed is to combine all of the components in a large bowl and mix until combined.

You can use as much or as little of the dressing as you like. Feel free to save any extra dressing and use it as a dip for veggies or drizzled onto some roasted vegetables or grilled meats.

1. Remove any dirty or damaged outer leaves from one 1 medium-sized green cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half. Cut one of the halves in half again and cut the core from those two halves. Shred the two smaller halves with a knife until you have 4-5 heaping cups of green cabbage.
2. Repeat this process with 1 medium-sized red cabbage. Remove any dirty or damaged outer leaves from one 1 medium-sized red cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half. Cut one of the halves in half again and cut the core from those two halves. Shred the two smaller halves with a knife until you have 4-5 heaping cups of red cabbage.
3. Peel 2 large carrots. Shred the carrots using a box grater or grater of choice (yields 2 cups shredded carrots).
4. Place the shredded green and red cabbage along with the grated carrots into a large mixing bowl.
5. Drizzle the miso ginger dressing over the top of the veggies and mix until completely combined. Feel free to use as much or as little of the dressing as you like. Make sure that the veggies are evenly coated in the dressing.
6. Garnish the coleslaw with some chopped scallions or green onions, or fresh herbs of choice such as cilantro, chives, or Thai basil, and sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top (optional).

What To Serve With Miso Cabbage Slaw

This Asian Cabbage Slaw is a great all-around side dish. It pairs well with any type of grilled or BBQ meats like pork, beef, or chicken. It's the perfect accompaniment to any dish with Asian flavors.

It's great served with these Asian chicken rice bowls, Teriyaki turkey rice bowls, Korean turkey bowls, Thai chicken rice bowls, and Sweet Spicy Brussels Sprouts.

I love cabbage slaw with sandwiches, tacos, or even vegetarian dishes like tofu or tempeh. This coleslaw is perfect piled on top of these Asian Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches or alongside these Sweet Spicy Chicken Wings.

Coleslaw is perfect served with grilled turkey burgers or seafood like shrimp or salmon.

Looking for more summer side dishes? Check out these recipes!

• Southwest Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Potato Salad
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Pickled Beet Feta Salad
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad
• Chipotle Potato Salad
• Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
• Italian Green Bean Salad

How Long Does This Coleslaw Last In The Fridge?

This coleslaw should last 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can It Be Made The Day Ahead?

Yes, this coleslaw can be made the day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure to stir the coleslaw before serving and garnish right before serving.

It may lose a bit of its crispiness if made the day before.

Love coleslaw? Check out these recipes!

• Light Crunchy Coleslaw
• Blue Cheese Coleslaw
• Kohlrabi Slaw
• Spicy Cilantro Lime Slaw
• Chipotle Coleslaw

Looking For More Summer Sides? Don't Miss These!

Ultimate Potato Salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Asian Cucumber Salad