This 10-ingredient Cold Ramen Noodle Salad is colorful, crunchy and loaded with delicious fresh flavors. Perfect to make-ahead, it's the salad that's always a showstopper during a busy week or to bring to a party.
If I had a dollar for every time my mom has made this classic recipe, I'd retire this very minute! This crisp and Cold Ramen Noodle Salad has everything a great salad side dish needs: sweet and savory flavors, crunchy and smooth textures, a slightly sweet tangy dressing, and takes 20 minutes to make.
You can do the prep work for the salad ingredients and the dressing separately up to a day in advance and toss everything together with the dressing just before serving for maximum crunch. Top it with some shrimp, salmon, chicken, tofu or steak and you have yourself a complete meal!
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It is the perfect salad for a family reunion, spring picnic, work potluck, church homecoming, holiday celebration, birthday party, etc. You name the function, and this salad needs to be invited!
Along with the salad, my Best Macaroni Salad and Healthy Pasta Salad are great side dishes to bring to your next potluck!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Like the Recipe
- Quick to Make: Crunchy ramen noodle salad takes less than 20 minutes to make from start to finish! You can make every component ahead of time and then toss right before serving! It's the side dish everyone raves about at get-togethers!
- Crunchy Goodness: The combination of crunchy ramen noodles, nuts, and vegetables provides a satisfying crunch in every bite.
- Flavorful Dressing: The tangy, slightly sweet dressing ties all the ingredients together perfectly.
- Versatile and Colorful: This cold salad with ramen noodles is not only a feast for the eyes but also a delight for the taste buds. You can switch up the ingredients to make it your own and serve it as a side dish or add a protein source and make it a main dish!
Laura Ashley's Tip: My mom has made this salad for years! Her meal prep secret is she prepares everything the day before, then tosses it together right before serving. It's perfect every single time.
Ingredients for Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe
Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
Dressing Ingredients
- Oil: Forms the base of the dressing, adding richness and helping to blend the flavors together. Any neutral flavored oil will work.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds a tangy kick to the dressing, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the dressing.
- Ramen Noodle Seasoning Packet: The seasoning packets within the packages is an optional flavor addition for the dressing.
Salad Ingredients
- Chicken Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles: Packets of ramen noodles provides a crunchy texture and absorbs the flavors of the dressing. They are the star of this recipe!
- Broccoli Slaw or Coleslaw Mix: Adds a nutritious, crunchy vegetable base to the salad.
- Sugar Snap Peas: Brings a sweet, crisp element to each bite.
- Green Onions: Adds a mild onion flavor and a pop of color.
- Grapes: Offers a juicy, sweet contrast to the other crunchy ingredients.
- Orange Segments or Mandarin Oranges: Provides a burst of citrus flavor and juiciness.
- Sliced or Slivered Almonds: Adds a nutty flavor and extra crunch.
- Sunflower Seeds: Contributes a subtle, nutty flavor and additional texture.
- Wonton Strips: Enhance the crunchiness and add a delicious, fried flavor.
Tools You’ll Need
How to Make Cold Ramen Noodle Salad
- For the dressing, in a small bowl or mason jar, add oil, vinegar, sugar, and the seasoning packets from both ramen packets.
- For the salad, in a large bowl, combine ramen noodles, broccoli slaw, sugar snap peas, green onions, grapes and oranges.
- When ready to serve, shake the dressing until well-emulsified and pour over the salad. Add sunflower seeds and almonds. Toss until the ingredients are well combined. Serve this cabbage ramen noodle salad in a bowl garnished with wonton strips on top.
Tips and Substitutions
- Wait to Mix: DO NOT mix this salad together until you're ready to serve it. The ideal level of crunch is in the first couple hours it's tossed and served.
- Noodle Substitutions: While ramen noodles are traditional, you can also use rice noodles or cooked soba noodles for a different texture and flavor.
- Dressing Oils: For the oil, I typically use vegetable oil, but avocado and canola can work as well. Sesame oil in this quantity would likely be too strong, but substituting a portion of it with sesame oil would add a yummy flavor. A light olive oil can work as well but will add a slightly stronger flavor.
- Vinegar Options: For the vinegar, I use apple cider but rice vinegar can work as well.
- Feed a Crowd: This salad with cabbage and ramen noodles is a great side dish when you need to feed a large crowd. Simply double, triple or add however much you need depending on your crowd! I plan on 1 cup of the salad per person and this salad makes about 12 cups.
Get Creative With Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad
This last minute, easy dish is one of my favorite things to make because you can make it with ingredients you need to use up in your fridge or personalize it to your taste buds. Here are some excellent substitutions or additions you can make:
- Diced Red Bell Pepper
- Napa Cabbage
- Edamame Beans
- Chow Mein Noodles
- Red Cabbage or Green Cabbage
- Red Onions
- Fresh Corn Kernels
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Sesame Seeds
- Chopped Pineapple
- Chopped Mango
- Zucchini
- Cilantro
- Mandarine Oranges
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts
- Chopped Asparagus
- Crunchy Macadamias
- Shredded Chicken, Grilled Shrimp or Chicken, Tofu, Grilled Steak
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The ramen noodles, nuts, and wonton strips will lose some of their crunch over time, so it’s best to add extra just before serving if needed.
This is not a dish that can be frozen and thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can do it with your hands or in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin.
Yes, and some variations of this recipe calls for this step. If doing so, spread the ramen noodles on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 425°F. for 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.
Absolutely! You can either do this in a pan on medium-high heat, stirring often, or you can toast them in the oven at 425°F for 3-5 minutes.
Sugar substitutes, honey, agave nectar, date syrup and maple syrup can work as substitutes for the sugar.
The seasoning packet holds a lot of savoriness (with the added sodium) and flavors, but you can omit it if you'd like. If you want to substitute it, you can use chicken Better Than Bouillon or Herb-Ox in the dressing to your palates preference.
Uncooked ramen noodles are safe to eat. Slightly crunchy noodles are one thing that sets this recipe apart from others. They absorb moisture from the dressing once it's mixed together. You can toast the ramen noodles first if desired.
Top Ramen, Maruchan and Lotus Foods are a few brands that carry gluten free ramen noodles. The rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
You can substitute the sugar with an alternative, decrease the fruit ingredients and/or use a low carbohydrate ramen noodle substitute.
More Easy Side Dish Salad Recipes
- Holiday Broccoli Salad
- Southern Layered Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Bacon Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Berry Cherry Salad
- Crispy Chicken Citrus Salad
Cold Ramen Noodle Salad (10 Ingredients)
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Salad
- 2 3 ounce packages chicken flavored ramen noodles roughly crushed
- 10 ounce package broccoli slaw or coleslaw
- 1 cup sugar snap peas chopped
- 6 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup halved grapes
- 1 orange cut into small segments
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons roasted and salted sunflower seeds
- Wonton Strips for garnish
Instructions
- For the dressing, in a small bowl, add oil, vinegar, sugar and the seasoning packets from both ramen packets.
- For the salad, in a large bowl, combine ramen noodles, broccoli slaw, sugar snap peas, green onions, grapes and oranges.
- When ready to serve, shake the dressing until well-emulsified and pour over the salad. Add sunflower seeds and almonds. Toss until the ingredients are well combined. Serve garnished with wonton strips on top.
Video
Notes
Tips and Substitutions
-
- Wait to Mix: DO NOT mix this salad together until you're ready to serve it. The ideal level of crunch is in the first couple hours it's tossed and served.
- Noodle Substitutions: While ramen noodles are traditional, you can also use rice noodles or cooked soba noodles for a different texture and flavor.
-
- Dressing Oils: For the oil, I typically use vegetable oil, but avocado and canola can work as well. Sesame oil in this quantity would likely be too strong, but substituting a portion of it with sesame oil would add a yummy flavor. A light olive oil can work as well but will add a slightly stronger flavor.
-
- Vinegar Options: For the vinegar, I use apple cider but rice vinegar can work as well.
-
- Feed a Crowd: This salad is a great side dish when you need to feed a large crowd. Simply double, triple or add however much you need depending on your crowd! I plan on 1 cup of the salad per person and this salad makes about 12 cups.
Salad Substitutions and/or Additions:
- Diced Red Bell Pepper
- Napa Cabbage
- Edamame Beans
- Chow Mein Noodles
- Red Cabbage or Green Cabbage
- Red Onions
- Fresh Corn Kernels
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Sesame Seeds
- Chopped Pineapple
- Chopped Mango
- Zucchini
- Cilantro
- Mandarine Oranges
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts
- Chopped Asparagus
- Crunchy Macadamias
- Shredded Chicken, Grilled Shrimp or Chicken, Tofu, Grilled Steak
Kayla Fauscett
What a fun twist on salad! The ramen adds the perfect crunch.
Laura Ashley
Thank you so much!!😁