I’ve been a little bit obsessed with cold salads lately that DON’T involve lettuce. This is my latest favorite. Thai Sesame Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad is cool, crunchy, and refreshing. It’s packed with flavor from fresh mint, cilantro, and basil, with a toasted sesame dressing that’s bursting with umami.
And it’s SO PRETTY! Look at those beautiful colors. Red cabbage is a food blogger’s best friend- it always photographs beautifully. Paired with the bright orange from the carrots, it’s even more beautiful. I had almost a whole head of red cabbage leftover from making chipotle salmon tacos, so I whipped up this colorful salad with the rest.
Honestly, I don’t know why it’s called red cabbage. It’s far more purple than red. Same with red onion. What gives?
I love how simple this salad is, but how much flavor it has.
The cabbage and carrots are crunchy and cool. The fresh basil, mint, and cilantro adds that awesome fresh herb flavor found in lots of Thai (and other South Asian) dishes.
And the sesame dressing– oh boy.
Toasted sesame oil gives it tons of flavor, the fish sauce gives it a burst of salty umami, the ginger and lime juice brighten it up, and just a little bit of honey sweetens it up a bit.
I’m about to put this dressing on EVERYTHING moving forward.
If you have a food processor with attachments, it can make shredding the cabbage and grating the carrots very easy. You can also cut the cabbage by hand with a sharp chef’s knife and grate the carrots with a box grater.
What’s your favorite way to use up extra red cabbage? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Other cool, crunchy salad recipes you’ll love
- Spicy Jalapeño Cilantro Slaw
- Mayo Free Coleslaw
- Broccoli Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Walnuts
- Sesame Cucumber Spiralized Salad
Recipe for Thai Sesame Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad below!
Thai Sesame Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 cups shredded red cabbage about one small or 1/2 large head
- 4 carrots grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- sesame seeds and extra herbs for garnish (optional)
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons lime juice from about 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce see notes for vegan/vegetarian option
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced or grated, from about a 1" piece
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add all salad ingredients (cabbage, carrots, and herbs) to bowl.
- Stir together. Best served immediately. Garnish with sesame seeds and extra herbs just before serving.
Notes
- For a vegetarian/vegan recipe, make sure to use a vegetarian/vegan fish sauce substitute.
- Make ahead: This salad will get soggy as it sits. To prep ahead, I recommend mixing the dressing separately and tossing together just before serving.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Simon
I bought a red cabbage at the market and searched online for inspiration… and happily your recipe came up and piqued my interest. Thank you!
I added some finely sliced celery, some crushed garlic, red chili pepper and a handful of crushed roasted peanuts (I was making peanut butter so had some spare to hand).
Served the salad with some grilled chicken.
Delicious… and healthy!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it! Love the idea of adding peanuts. Sounds like a yummy meal :-)
GardenBar
This Sesame red cabbage & Carrot salads is really looking fabulous. Thank you for such an amazing recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! So glad you liked it!