Crunchy Asian Salad-No Mayo Dressing

Make this quick and crunchy Asian Salad in under 8 minutes; it’s ideal for outdoor dining as it contains no mayonnaise.

Start with a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce and add crunchy ingredients such as water chestnuts and and crisp green onions. Complete the dish by lightly drizzling a sweet and tangy dressing, and garnish with a topping of crispy Asian noodles. The result is a restaurant-quality Chinese salad!

Light, flavorful and refreshing with simple ingredients and no additives, preservatives or yucky stuff!

I first tried this crunchy Chinese salad recipe many years ago at a family reunion.

Of course, there was plenty of the typical Southern foods-fried chicken, macaroni and cheese , baked beans, potato salad and so on…but this crisp, crunchy noodle salad really got my attention!

It’s one of my “go-to” salads in the summer and it’s a great picnic summer salad because it has no mayonnaise!

Yield

One large head of iceberg lettuce yields about 4 cups of chopped salad. The dressing recipe makes about 1 cup which is plenty for this crisp salad.

Here’s what you’ll need

This crunchy Asian Salad recipe is relatively easy to make! Start with crisp iceberg lettuce (you can add some shredded cabbage into the salad mix as well) and a drained can of chopped water chestnuts.

Salad Dressing ingredients: brown sugar, oil (vegetable oil or canola oil),  rice wine vinegar, green onions, dry roasted and salted sunflower seeds.

For the crunchy salad topping, you’ll need Chow Mein noodles. I use La Choy™ crunchy chow mein noodles, but you can use any brand you prefer. Or, you can use crunchy ramen noodles.

Here’s how to make it

Rough-cut or chop salad into bite sized pieces; place in large bowl with sliced water chestnuts and green onions; cover and refrigerate while the salad dressing cooks

In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the brown sugar, rice vinegar and oil; cook until sugar dissolves;allow to cool a little before pouring over salad

Pour cooled dressing over lettuce; add water chestnuts, scallions and sunflower seeds; toss well, garnish with crunchy Chow Mein noodles and serve!

The light, sweet and tangy salad dressing is what really gives this crunchy Asian salad it’s personality! The sweet and tang flavors pair well with the green onions, water chestnuts and salty sunflower seeds! 

Variations for crunchy Asian salad

If you want to increase the protein in this crunchy Chinese salad, feel free to add cooked chicken (I cut it into cubes) or cooked salmon.

For the crunchy Asian salad toppings, consider adding slivered almonds, dry roasted peanuts, shredded carrots or crunchy wontons!

Storage and make ahead

You can prep the crisp salad up to three days in advance. Chop the iceberg lettuce and wrap it in paper towels, then store it in an airtight container. As for the salad dressing, you can make it in advance and store it in a sealed jar for up to three days. 

When you’re ready to serve this crunchy Asian salad, simply let the salad dressing come to room temperature. Shake the jar of dressing to combine the ingredients after refrigeration. 

Related recipes:

• Sweet and Sour Shrimp
• Chinese Sticky Ribs
• Wonton Soup
• No Mayo Coleslaw
• Cantaloupe Prosciutto Fruit Kabobs
• 2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

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