It’s a wonderful thing to have a recipe that you know will be a hit with everyone who tries it. Our readers say that ramen noodle salad is that recipe. It’s a favorite to serve at family gatherings and potluck meals because it’s really flavorful and easy to throw together. The dressing itself is just five pantry ingredients!
This Asian noodle salad uses both parts of a package of ramen noodles—the seasoning goes into the vinaigrette dressing and the dry noodles are crumbled and tossed with the ingredients. Because of the common components in this dish, you can serve it as a summery salad or bring it out when you need wintry salads to lighten up a heavier meal.
Ramen Noodle Salad Ingredients
- Sunflower seeds: Some of the crunch in this salad comes from shelled, toasted sunflower seeds, also sold as kernels. Sunflower shells aren’t digestible, so make sure not to skip the shelling.
- Almonds: Toasted almonds add even more crunch and nutty flavor. Choose slivered almonds for this recipe.
- Olive oil: A little oil toasts the nuts and seeds; the rest goes into the dressing. Use extra virgin olive oil or another mild-flavored vegetable oil.
- Coleslaw mix: Bagged, pre-shredded coleslaw mix saves so much time when making this recipe—however, you can also choose to shred your own green or red cabbage and mix in shredded carrots.
- Ramen noodles: Pick up two packages of chicken-flavored ramen noodles. The noodles are added to the finished salad, and the seasoning packet flavors the dressing.
- Green onions: Slice off the white bulb ends and the scraggly tops of 12 green onions, and then chop the green stems.
- Red pepper: Diced red bell pepper adds color and a little sweetness to the ramen noodle salad.
- Cider vinegar: Balance the salad dressing with some acidity from apple cider vinegar.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar to add sweetness to the savory ramen-seasoned salad dressing.
- Pepper: You only need to add a pinch of black pepper to complete the homemade salad dressing.
Directions
Step 1: Toast the nuts and seeds
Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the sunflower kernels and slivered almonds. Stir and toast the ingredients for about four minutes, until they’re fragrant and beginning to show a little color. Transfer the nuts and seeds to a plate and let them cool.
Step 2: Combine the veggies
Pour the coleslaw mix into a large bowl, then add in the chopped green onions and red pepper. Use a large spoon to toss everything together.
Step 3: Make the dressing
Whisk together the rest of the olive oil, cider vinegar, sugar, pepper and the contents of both ramen seasoning packets in a small bowl.
Editor’s Note: The recipe makes enough dressing to lightly coat the salad. If you like a lot of dressing on your salads, or you’re adding extra veggies or proteins to the salad, make a double batch of dressing.
Step 4: Dress the salad
Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mixture, then use a large spoon or tongs to toss everything together. The salad should be well coated with dressing. Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
When you’re ready to serve, remove the salad from the fridge; add in the toasted almonds and sunflower seeds. Crumble the dry ramen noodles into small pieces, and sprinkle them into the bowl. Toss the salad to mix everything, and serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- Add chicken: Turn this ramen noodle salad recipe into a light summer dinner by adding cooked, cooled, shredded chicken to the salad mixture.
- Try other ramen flavors: Ramen noodles are available in flavors like shrimp, beef and pork, as well as various flavors of chicken. A different ramen seasoning flavor is an easy opportunity to add other proteins too, like stir-fried pork or cooked shrimp.
- Make it vegetarian: Use meat-free ramen varieties like soy sauce or chili. Or, skip the seasoning packet altogether and add a tablespoon of your own favorite spice blend to the dressing.
- Add fruit: This fresh, crunchy salad is lovely with the addition of sweet sliced apples, halved grapes or mandarin oranges.
- Use broccoli slaw: This bagged variety has shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrots. It’s extra crunchy and leftovers hold up better too.
How to Store Ramen Noodle Salad
This salad has the best flavor and texture when served right after mixing. That’s because the coleslaw and ramen noodles become soft the longer they sit in the dressing. To plan on leftovers, don’t mix the dry ramen noodles into the salad. Instead, serve them in a separate bowl, so guests can sprinkle some on their own salads. Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Keep the ramen noodle crumbles in an airtight dish at room temperature.
Ramen Noodle Salad Tips
What else can you make with ramen noodles?
There are so many ramen noodle recipes we love making. The noodles cook quickly, which means you can add them to your favorite homemade soup (like this Thai chicken noodle soup) near the end of the cooking time. The cooked noodles are also delicious in beef lo mein or pork stir fry.
Try a cold chicken ramen pasta salad made with a soy-sesame dressing, or substitute cooked ramen noodles for those in other pasta salads.
What can you serve with ramen noodle salad?
Serve this pasta salad at barbecues and backyard gatherings with grilled food like cheeseburgers and chicken. It’s a crowd-pleasing dish you can make for potluck office parties—just bring the coleslaw mixture, dressing and dry ramen noodles in separate containers and mix them when you arrive. Ramen noodle salad also pairs with favorites like summer tea sandwiches and slow-cooker meatballs. At home, make this salad in place of your usual veggie sides to go with roast chicken or pan-fried chicken cutlets.
