This Power Coleslaw with Peanut Sauce has it all. It has protein, fiber, flavor and healthy fats. The peanut sauce is sweet, tangy and has a little spice. I call this a power slaw because it has all the elements of a powerful and balanced meal. Edamame has plant-based protein, crunchy cabbage and carrots are teeming with fiber, colorful bell peppers bring antioxidants to the party and the peanuts bring the heart healthy fats. Plus this vegan salad is super fresh and zippy thanks to the fresh cilantro and mint.
What is peanut coleslaw?
We've all had coleslaw before, I'm sure, which is normally made by tossing shredded cabbage and carrots with a tangy, creamy dressing. Really, though, that's just one of many types.
To be coleslaw, you need cabbage since "cole" means cabbage in Dutch. But, cabbage can be mix-and-matched with countless different ingredients.
This version uses a sweet and savory peanut sauce plus cucumber, bell peppers, edamame, mango, and lots of fresh herbs to make it extra satisfying.
It's a fun alternative to traditional coleslaw and makes it way, way easier to eat a mountain of veggies every day!
Why you’ll love this Peanut Coleslaw Recipe
- Loaded with tons of fresh veggies
- One of my favorite ways to serve more veggies and greens, especially to picky eaters
- The peanuts and peanut sauce make every bite absolutely irresistible
- Great side dish to serve with Asian-inspired flavors, like kebabs, vegan egg rolls, and more
- Always, always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients for Peanut Coleslaw
The ingredients for this power slaw with peanut sauce are humble and easy to find in most markets. These are mostly basic pantry staples that people who like to cook have in their home. If you cannot find edamame, I suggest substituting chickpeas because they have a firm texture and mild flavor. If you are allergic to peanuts, you can try tahini instead of peanut butter and skip the peanuts.
For the Salad
- Edamame - Use frozen edamame to keep things easy. Be sure to thaw completely first.
- Red + green cabbage - I almost always combine both colors for lots of color in addition to all that crunch. Plus, red cabbage has different antioxidants!
- Fresh carrots - For a little sweetness and extra crunch.
- Fresh herbs - Load up on fresh mint, cilantro, and scallions.
- Persian cucumber - These seedless cukes are ideal for salads. Cut them into half moons to help keep their texture.
- Peanuts - I like to use roasted and unsalted peanuts, although salted peanuts can work in a pinch.
- Baby bell peppers - Fresh peppers add lots of color and a nice earthy note.
- Mango - I adore fresh mango and think it's ideal for this recipe! You can skip it, if needed, or I've had several commenters say they used fresh apple with good results.
For the Peanut Sauce
This is very similar to my peanut lime dressing, which I could easily eat with a spoon. So good!
- Peanut butter - Look for real, natural peanut butter with no added salt or sugar.
- Sweet chili sauce - This ingredient is more sweet than spicy and helps add just enough sweetness.
- Soy sauce - Use low-sodium soy sauce to keep the salt in check.
- Rice vinegar - For a sweet brightness and a little acidity.
- Lime juice - Fresh lime and peanut butter are a perfect match and really bring this sauce to life.
- Sriracha - For heat. Adjust the amount to taste.
- Maple syrup - Adds a little depth of flavor and extra sweetness.
How to Make the Best Coleslaw with Peanuts
This recipe is incredible quick and easy. It involves zero cooking which is always a winner! Simply chop the veggies and make the dressing and mix. It's so easy!
- First, defrost the edamame by leaving overnight in the refrigerator or by running under water while preparing the vegetables. Drain well before adding to salad
- Make the dressing by adding to a bowl: peanut butter, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sriracha and maple syrup. Mix until well combined.
- Add cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, edamame, peanuts, mango, mint and cilantro to a bowl. For the dressing and mix well.
- Eat within 4-5 days for best quality. This recipe is ideal for meal prep.
Tips for Making the Best Asian Slaw Recipe
- Chop the cabbage by hand. Some of my readers noted that shredding the cabbage with a food processor made it too find. For enough crunch, it's best to cut by hand.
- Don't skip the fresh herbs. I know it costs more and takes more time to add the fresh herbs, but the mint really makes this Asian coleslaw come to life. A little goes a long way, too!
FAQs
Yes! Although mango is absolutely lovely, sometimes we just don't have it on hand. Commenters below shared that they used apple with good results.
I know many folks are limiting their intake of soy. Fortunately, several reviewers noted using chickpeas instead with great results!
Although I haven't tested this recipe with different nuts or seeds, I've had comments below about using almond butter. Any seed or nut butter should do, and I recommend trying tahini paste and sesame seeds sometime. Cashews would be outstanding!
Love this recipe? Drop a comment below to share your experience with others!
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More Delicious Vegan Salad Recipes
As you can see, slaws are one of my favorite foods. I love them because the cabbage makes it possible to mix in advance and the salad still stays crunchy unlike lettuce salads. These types of salads are perfect for meal prep!
- Street Corn Slaw
- Creamy Tahini Lime Slaw
- Crunchy Edamame Green Salad
- Zesty Rainbow Cole Slaw
- Creamy Summer Cucumber Slaw
Power Slaw with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 cups edamame shelled and defrosted
- 1 cup red cabbage
- 2 cups green cabbage shredded
- 2 carrots peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- 4 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 Persian cucumber cut in half moons
- 1 cup peanuts roasted and unsalted
- 3 baby bell peppers multicolored. Seeded and sliced.
- 2 scallions white and green parts sliced
- 1 mango peeled and sliced
For the Dressing
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp peanut butter heaping
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 fresh lime juiced
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- First, defrost the edamame by leaving overnight in the refrigerator or by running under water while preparing the vegetables. Drain well before adding to salad
- Make the dressing by adding to a bowl:peanut butter, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sriracha and maple syrup. Mix until well combined.
- Add cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, edamame, peanuts, mango, mint and cilantro to a bowl. For the dressing and mix well.
- Eat within 4-5 days for best quality. This recipe is ideal for meal prep.
Mary
You might have received a comment already: in the ingredients list, soy sauce is not listed, but it's referenced in the recipe.
This looks amazing and I will be making it!
Sara Tercero
Hello Mary, low sodium soy sauce is listed in the ingredients, it says 2 tbsp! Perhaps just skimming you did not notice because it is low sodium. I hope you try it! It has gotten rave reviews on instagram!
Jane
Hello,
This looks delicious! Are the nutritional facts for the entire recipe or for one serving?
Thank you!
Sara Tercero
per serving!
Meredith
This looks delicious! One note - there's mango in the ingredient list but no mention of it in the instructions. I'm making it now and am sure it's good with or without (I'm going to throw it in).
Sara Tercero
Oh Meredith I am a hideous typo person! I will go back in and check it. Thanks for letting me know. Just throw it in and mix up. It will be fine. Let me know how you liked it!
Ginny
So delicious. Great crunch and the dressing is amazing
Sara Tercero
Thanks Ginny, I appreciate the feedback. So pleased that you enjoyed the salad. I agree the dressing is so yummy!
Adele
Made a big batch of it yesterday for a friend and we both loved it! I wonder if some of the previous comments related to missed ingredients is because the sauce ingredients aren’t separated out from the salad ingredients.
Sara Tercero
Hi Adele! Thanks for the feedback. I will check it out.
Gen
This was delicious. I used what I had, so an apple rather than mango worked fine. A winner.
Sara Tercero
I bet apple was great! Apple and peanut butter is a classic!
Fran
Absolutely delicious! I’ll try it with apples like someone else mentioned next time too!
Sara Tercero
Thanks Fran I appreciate the feedback
Pam Britton
Made this today and it was soooooo delicious! I shredded the red & green cabbage in my food processor which I think made it a little too fine. Next time I’ll chop it up by hand. Thanks for the recipe!
Sara Tercero
Hi Pam, so glad you liked it! Yes I think food processor would make the cabbage very fine and possibly get watery. I much prefer chopping or if you wanted to save time and energy, you could also buy packaged shredded cabbage. Hope you try it again!
Lynda
This was amazing. Your salad recipes not only look great but they are so flavoursome…gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘salad’. Brightened up a dull day in the UK!
Sara Tercero
So happy it made your day brighter! Thanks for the feedback!
Denise
Just made this and it was delicious! I substituted the edamame beans for chickpeas- just because I could not find any but I will be making this again!
Thanks for sharing the recipe
Sara Tercero
Hi Denise! I bet chickpeas were a wonderful sub here! Thanks for trying my recipe, the feedback and the 5 star rating. It really helps tell google that my recipe is worth sharing with more people.
Ann
Great salad! Only change is I doubled the peanut butter.
Sara Tercero
Wow you like it peanutty! Thanks for the feedback and trying it!
Julia
We made this salad once a few weeks ago and loved it. Making it again for our Father’s Day cookout.
Sara Tercero
Making it on Father's Day is a great endorsement! Thanks so much!
Emily
So delicious! I made this twice. The first time I forgot the mint. Second time I remembered and WOW!
I did sub chickpeas for half the edamame bc I need to watch my soy intake. So good though.
Sara Tercero
The mint makes a HUGE difference. Great idea on the chickpeas!
Veronica Galarza
Delicious, just like all your other flavorful salads. I was so excited to finally find shelled edamame at my local Trader Joe's so I could make this salad (they were out of them for months). I made this today for a friend and her family. They are vegetarian and she is also a dietician. They loved it, so I even sent some home with them.
I did notice that the ingredient list includes scallions they are not included in the instructions (I just added them to the salad). It would also be helpful and easier to follow if the dressing ingredients were separate from the salad ingredients.
Sara Tercero
Hi Veronica, thanks for the feedback. I will certainly review the recipe to see what I can do. So happy you found the edamame!
Debby Taves
We absolutely loved the power Cole slaw I made for dinner last night.it was so satisfying and flavorful. Not having a mango, I used an apple like one other reviewer did. And I added thawed frozen peas since we like their sweetness in a salad. I almost didn’t add the mint since I’m not a big fan of mint (except in mojitos!) but I am happy I did. The mint added a lovely depth of flavor and freshness and did not scream mint. I should have known you put that in there for a reason! My hubs can’t have peanut butter ( banned by his cardiologist) so I subbed in almond butter to the dressing and it was so delicious. It had just the right amount of sweetness and heat. Really this recipe was so worth making and will be on repeat in my home. Keep up the great work Sara!
Sara Tercero
Thank you Debby you did an excellent job of jazz cooking and making this your own. I truly appreciate the feedback. SO happy to hear it works with almond butter! And I bet apples taste great in this, especially with that wicked fresh mint.
Barbara J Appell
If I left out the chili sauce and siracha would it be too unbalanced? I have reflux and don’t use spicy condiments.
Sara Tercero
I do not think so, but you may have to add a little sugar. Chili sauce is actually more sweet than spicy. Let me know if you try it!
Monica L Lyons
How much is a serving?
Sara Tercero
One fifth the recipe.
Cindy Grinnan
Love, love, love, this salad!! Doesn't even "feel" like you're eating an extremely healthy salad, feels like a delicious treat!!
Sara Tercero
That is wonderful Cindy. I am so happy you like it!