Who doesn’t love a good chopped salad? One of the best is a crunchy, delicious, light and healthy Asian Chopped Salad.  So easy to make with simple ingredients from your pantry, fridge, or local food market. You’ll be hooked after noshing down on just one delightful bowl of goodness that’s vibrant with vivid colors and amazing sweet and savory flavors. 

Oh yes, of course you can find commercially pre-bagged salads in a food store, but their freshness is questionable. When you cook from scratch at home, you know that you’re getting the freshest ingredients possible.  Plus, you know what’s in your Asian Chopped Salad and that you can control how much or how little of something goes into your creation.

This Asian Chopped Salad just screams with crunchy texture in EVERY. SINGLE. BITE!  It’s loaded with fresh, crisp cabbage (both green and red), carrots, green onions, peanuts (or cashews), red peppers, edamame, and Japanese radish (“daikon”).  Both a beautiful and delicious way to eat more veggies!

Packed with bright, rainbow colors, we know how good this vegetable salad is for us!  The combination of amazing flavor, delightful crunch, ease in preparation, and  an array of healthy, rainbow-colored veggies makes this Asian Chopped Salad a no-brainer.  Perfect for a repeat performance on a meal planner. 

Ingredients You’ll Need For Asian Chopped Salad

  • Cabbage (Both green and red/purple) – For crunchy texture, lots of color, and that won’t wilt or get soggy like lettuce does.
  • Japanese Radish (Daikon)
  • Green Onions/Scallions – The sweetness of these little onions in both the white bulb and the green leaves really add a nice layer of flavor and crunch.
  • Carrots – You can either shred these or cut them into matchstick slices. For a change in shape, you can always just chop them into random little pieces. Carrots keep well in salads and are less inclined to getting soggy.
  • Edamame beans (shelled) – These are soybeans that are super healthy and loaded with protein. You can find them in either the produce department or the frozen food section of your food market. They add a nice crunch to this Asian Chopped Salad. You can substitute sugar snap peas if you prefer.
  • Red Onion Adds more color and a sweet tang.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Great for adding even more pops of color and additional sweetness (I could eat these by themselves all day!). You can also use any bell pepper (green, yellow, orange, red) or a combination of any of them.
  • Fresh Cilantro
  • Fresh Parsley – I prefer Italian parsley that has a better flavor.
  • Roasted Peanuts / Cashews – Lends a nice nutty flavor and crunchiness. Use either salted or unsalted nuts depending on your personal preferences.
  • Sesame Seeds – Give tiny little bits of nutty crunch to this salad. These are also very nice to use as a garnish on top of this Asian Chopped Salad. You can also use smaller-sized sunflower seeds.

Optional Add-Ins For Variations of Asian Chopped Salad

This salad, like so many chopped salads is so versatile! Here are just a few options that you might want to add to your own version:

  • Cooked Chicken – If you have left-over chicken, say, from making chicken stock, it’s a nice way to add more protein to the salad, making it more of a main dish than a side salad. You can always pick up a rotisserie chicken that’s been pre-cooked at your local food market. That’s always so convenient and time-saving!
  • Romaine Lettuce – If you want more green color in your salad, just add the inner leaves of Romaine where the leaves are more crispy.
  • Baby Spinach – What’s not to love about baby spinach?
  • Cucumbers – Use English cucumbers that are seedess and a bit crispier. Otherwise, take a spoon and simply scoop out the seeds from a regular cucumber.
  • Other Vegetables – Broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus are good options. Also baby corn!
  • Fruit – Yes, fruit! Add Mandarin oranges, apple slices, or dried cranberries. YUM!
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Chow Mein Noodles or Won Ton Noodles – These amp up the texture of this salad.
  • Slivered almonds – Use instead of roasted peanuts or cashews.
  • Extra Firm Tofu – For more vegetarian goodness.

More Chopped Salads For You To Enjoy!

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Chopped Salad {Copycat}

Crunchy Thai Chopped Salad with Peanut Dressing

Perfect Autumn Chopped Salad

Asia Chopped Salad
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Asian Chopped Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Salads
  • Cuisine: Asian
  • Diet: Low Fat

Description

This salad has it all!  Amazing flavor, salty and savory for a ying and yang balance.  Crunchy goodness in the freshest, raw vegetable ingredients.  And finished with a delightful Asian vinaigrette.  Addicting!


Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad

  • 2 cups Cabbage (green), sliced into very thin 1/4″ strips, then cut into 2″ pieces
  • 2 cups Cabbage (red/purple), sliced into very thin 1/4″ strips, then cut into 2″ pieces
  • 1 cup Japanese Radish (Daikon), sliced into very thin 1/4″ strips, then cut into 1″ pieces
  • 3 Carrots, grated or cut into thin matchstick slices
  • 4 Green Onions / Scallions, cut both green leaves and white bulb on the diagonal into 1/41/2” slices
  • 1 large Red Bell Pepper – Cut into 1/3” slices and then cut into 1” pieces
  • 1 Red Onion – Sliced into 1/4” slices and then cut into 3rds
  • 2 cups of Edamame (Shelled only) – use fresh or frozen (thawed out)
  • 1 cup Roasted Peanuts (salted or unsalted)
  • 1/2 cup of Fresh Cilantro – Minced
  • 1/2 cup of Fresh Parsley – Diced

For the Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup Canola Oil
  • 1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 3 tsp. Asian Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 5 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh Ginger, finely grated
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt

Garnish:  Sesame Seeds


Instructions

  1. Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Set aside.
  2. Combine all of the salad ingredients in a very large mixing bowl.  Mix well.
  3. 10 minutes before serving, add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss well.  Allow the vegetables to soak up the vinaigrette.  
  4. Taste and make any flavor adjustments.  Add the salt.  If heat is desired, add a tiny bit of Sriracha Sauce.
  5. Sprinkle sesame seeds all over the top of the salad.
  6. Serve cold.
  7. Buon Appetito!


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1-½ cup
  • Calories: 210
  • Sugar: 15g
  • Sodium: 517mg
  • Fat: 12g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 4g
  • Trans Fat: .003g
  • Carbohydrates: 20g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 5g