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    Home > Recipes > Salad

    Asian Chopped Salad with Sweet Sesame Vinaigrette

    Published: Aug 30, 2021 · Modified: Jun 27, 2022 · by Jess Smith · Jump to Recipe · 4 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

    asian chopped salad
    asian chopped salad
    asian chopped salad

    Crunchy and bright, Asian Chopped Salad is packed with colorful vegetables and dressed with a delicious sweet sesame vinaigrette. Edamame gives this salad enough protein to make it a hearty vegetarian lunch or side salad for your next Asian-inspired meal. 

    chopped salad in a wooden bowl

    What You’ll Love About Asian Chopped Salad

    One word - texture. This chopped salad has so much texture. Between coleslaw mix, crispy wontons, and peanuts, every bite has tons of crunch. This is a great salad to serve to a crowd and everything can be prepared ahead of time - just wait to add the wontons, peanuts, and dressing until right before serving. 

    This salad is:

    • Fresh
    • Colorful
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free-Friendly (see tips below)

    Ingredients

    • Coleslaw Mix - Bagged coleslaw mix makes this easy and gives the salad crunch. Any type will work. Feel free to shred your own green cabbage or purple cabbage.
    • Baby Spinach - Roughly chop the baby spinach so that everything in the salad is about the same size. Finely shredded kale makes a great substitute.
    • Shelled Edamame - Look for pre-shelled edamame in the freezer section.
    • Shredded Carrots - Buy them pre-shredded to save time or grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor.
    • Green Onions - Fresh herbs give this salad added flavor. Fresh cilantro makes a good substitute.
    • Roasted Peanuts and Crispy Wontons - Add these right at the end for the ultimate crunchy salad.
    • White or Black Sesame Seeds - These are optional but add color and texture to the finished salad.
    • Sweet Sesame Vinaigrette - A balance of sweet and savory flavor in the sesame, soy, and lime dressing brings everything together. Peanut dressing (either homemade or store-bought) would be a great substitute.
    ingredients for Asian chopped salad in a clear glass bowl

    How to Make Asian Chopped Salad

    1. Whisk together the vinaigrette using cooking oil, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, and fresh ginger.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine coleslaw mix, spinach, edamame, and carrots.
    3. Just before serving, add peanuts, wontons, and dressing to the salad.
    4. Toss to combine.
    5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

    Shortcuts 

    This recipe uses several shortcuts to minimize the amount of chopping / prep needed:

    • Coleslaw Mix - buy bagged coleslaw mix to give the salad crunch 
    • Baby Spinach - buy pre-washed bagged baby spinach (I like to roughly chop it first, but you can skip that step to save time)
    • Shelled Edamame - be sure to grab the kind that has been removed from the shells so you don’t need to do that yourself.
    • Shredded Carrots - look for pre-shredded carrots in the produce section
    • Roasted Peanuts - buy pre-roasted peanuts to add crunch and flavor

    If you want to save even more time, look for a store-bought sweet sesame dressing to dress the salad. 

    a wooden spoon in chopped salad in a wooden bowl

    Possible Variations

    • Make it a Meal - Add your favorite protein to make this a meal. Salmon, chicken, or tofu (like this one) are great here. 
    • Make it Gluten-Free - Use Tamari instead of soy sauce and skip the crispy wontons (you’ll still get great crunch from the peanuts). 

    More Fresh Green Salads

    • Fresh Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
    • Balsamic Chicken Salad with Fresh Berries and Feta
    • Apple, Brie and Pecan Salad
    • Bacon, Corn and Avocado Salad
    • Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad
    asian chopped salad in a wooden bowl
    Print Recipe
    4.67 from 6 votes

    Asian Chopped Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing

    Crunchy and bright, Asian Chopped Salad is packed with colorful vegetables and dressed with an addictive sweet sesame vinaigrette. Edamame gives this salad enough protein to make it a hearty vegetarian lunch or side salad for your next Asian-inspired meal.
    To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Asian
    Keyword: Asian, easy salad, summer, vegetarian
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 161kcal
    Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
    Cost: $6.00

    Equipment

    • Knife
    • Cutting Board
    • Mixing Bowl
    • Salad Bowl

    Ingredients

    Sweet Sesame Vinaigrette:

    • 3 tablespoon Cooking Oil (any neutral oil like grapeseed, vegetable, or avocado)
    • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
    • 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Honey
    • 2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
    • 1 teaspoon grated Fresh Ginger

    Crunchy Asian Salad:

    • 3 cups Coleslaw Mix
    • 5 cups chopped Baby Spinach
    • 1 cup Shelled Edamame (look for these in the freezer section, defrost before using)
    • 1 cup Shredded Carrots (look for pre-grated carrots or shred them using a box grater)
    • 2 stalks Green Onions / Scallions, chopped
    • 1 3.5 oz bag Crispy Wontons (look for these in the salad section near croutons)
    • ½ cup Roasted Peanuts
    • White or Black Sesame Seeds (optional)

    Instructions

    • Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette.
    • In a large salad bowl, combine coleslaw mix, baby spinach, shelled edamame, shredded carrots, and green onions.
    • Just before serving, add wontons and peanuts. Pour dressing over top and toss to combine.
    • Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.

    Notes

    Make Ahead - If meal prepping or making this salad ahead, you can prepare the vinaigrette up to 5 days ahead and store in the refrigerator. The coleslaw mix, spinach, edamame, carrots, and green onions can be prepped and combined up to 3 hours before serving and refrigerated until ready to serve. Wait to add the wontons, peanuts, vinaigrette, and sesame seeds until right before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4488IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

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    About Jess

    Hi! I'm Jess. I am the recipe creator and photographer behind the 900+ recipes you’ll find on Inquiring Chef. As a mom to three young kids and professional cook, my mission is to make every moment in the kitchen and around the table count. If you’re looking for easy, flavorful, family-approved recipes, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about me here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. FSC Tư VẤn Giấy Phép Thực PHẩm

      September 01, 2021 at 2:07 am

      great!

      Reply
    2. Amy

      September 05, 2021 at 10:12 pm

      5 stars
      Really tasty and so easy to make! Great side for char siu chicken. I didn’t have spinach, but otherwise made this according to the recipe. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        September 09, 2021 at 9:12 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! And great idea to serve with char siu chicken - yum!

        Reply
    3. Audra Clark

      September 29, 2021 at 6:20 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Made it twice in one week since I had extra ingredients and my husband and kids liked it so much. Once I served with no meat and once I grilled some chicken breasts to go along with it. It was great both ways!

      Reply

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