this green cabbage salad with peanut dressing is full of vitamins, nutrients, plant protein, and oh my goodness it is delicious! filled with green cabbage,, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, edamame, green onions, and lots of flavor you are sure to love.
This salad is so filling and so delicious. I love a peanut dressing but it took me a few tries to really nail one I love when it came to the consistency and taste. It works so well here and this salad is super hearty. The pumpkin seeds and edamame add some nice plant protein and healthy fats. Along with of course the peanut butter adding in healthy fats. The cabbage and cucumber give crunch and the green onion a bit of bite. The salad dressing also has ginger and some red pepper flakes in it which adds a nice touch of heat.
Peanut Dressing Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this peanut dressing, you probably already have them at home too!
- Peanut Butter: of course this is the base of our dressing. You can either use chunky or creamy. The chunky kind will of course add some fun chopped peanuts and texture into the mix. Personally, I always go for creamy.
- Ground Ginger: you can find ground ginger with the spices and seasonings at your food store. I like to use it for this because it is a powder, much easier to mix into the dressing, and way less of a hassle. If you want to use freshly grated ginger you of course can as well.
- Red Pepper Flakes: these are optional but I always love the little kick of heat it adds.
- Non-Dairy Milk: you can use any kind you like as long as it is unflavored and unsweetened. I personally love Ripple Pea Protein milk but any non-dairy milk will work fine. This adds extra creaminess to the dressing, you can substitute with water if you like.
- Agave/Maple Syrup: this helps to bring out sweetness in the dressing.
- Soy Sauce: this helps to add umami and saltiness to the dressing.
Green Cabbage
Green cabbage works really well with this peanut dressing. Due to the texture of green cabbage it can hold a dressing and not get soggy. It also helps this salad last for up to 2 days in the fridge. The longer this salad sits the more the cabbage will wilt but it is able to keep some firmness. I love green cabbage because it is inexpensive, they are huge, and they are great to keep on hand. We won’t use the whole cabbage for this recipe so you can use it for other things like soup, stews, or maybe even dumplings!
More Salad Recipes
Tips For Making The Best Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing
This salad is very straight-forward and so easy to make. However, here are a few things to make your salad eating experience even better! Toasting the pumpkin seeds with some salt and pepper. This adds tons flavor to them and helps them to not get weighed down by the dressing. Thinly slicing the cabbage makes it easier for chewing and enjoying the salad. If you aren’t great at cutting things or just don’t like doing it you can always use a food processor to help you. Finally, when making the dressing to ensure everything is mixed up well I like to use a small blender. However, you can also do this with a whisk just takes some extra elbow grease.
Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing FAQ
Here are some quick questions and answers you might have!
- Is this recipe nut free? No, the base of the dressing is peanut butter. If you are allergic to peanuts but not another nut you can use almond butter or cashew butter. You can also swap it out for sunflower seed butter to make it completely nut free.
- Is this recipe gluten free? No, because of the soy sauce. Just swap it out for coconut aminos or tamari.
- Is this recipe soy free? No, because of the soy sauce and edamame. You can swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos and leave out the edamame. Try adding in chickpeas instead!
- What else can I add to this salad? While this salad is phenomenal as is if you want to add some extra things you could do roasted broccoli, crispy tofu, crispy chickpeas, carrots, bell pepper – or anything else you like.
- How long does this salad last? It will last for 2-3 days in the fridge. It will get soggier the longer it sits around. If you want to keep it fresh longer you can make the dressing and salad separately and then pour the dressing on before eating.
- How long does the dressing last? Up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Is this a meal salad or side salad? I think it can be either! It is filling enough to have it as a meal but would also be great on the side of noodles or rice.
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Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons (45g) peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup (120ml) non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons (42g) agave or maple syrup
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) low sodium soy sauce
Salad
- ¼ cup (32g) pumpkin seeds
- ⅓ head of green cabbage (about 6.5 ounces/180g) thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber English preferred (about 10 ounce/293g) chopped
- 1 cup (150g) cooked shelled edamame
- 10 green onions whites and greens chopped
- Sesame seeds optional for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a small blender, you can also mix by hand with a whisk. Mix until well incorporated and turns into a thick dressing. Taste and add any extra seasonings to preference.
- Optional, toast the pumpkin seeds. I like to do this by spray them with a bit of spray oil add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and then let them cook on the stove over medium heat for 5 minutes shaking the pan occasionally. You can also enjoy them raw and untoasted in the salad.
- Assemble the salad by adding all ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Pour over the dressing. Toss to coat everything evenly.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over top for garnish and enjoy.
Video
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This is a refreshing salad and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I found the dressing to be a tad sweet (I used maple syrup) so I added a bit more peanut butter. The dressing actually comes out runny which works well. I served this salad on a bed of torn bib lettuce mostly because I needed to use the lettuce.
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed it overall. Thank you for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment and reivew!
How much soy sause do you use
Hi Christine, my apologies thank you for catching that. I have updated the recipe now, it is 1 tablespoon