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!
Why this recipe works
Crisp greens and the homemade No-mayonnaise dressing are the secret to this crunchy Chinese salad.
Use iceberg lettuce, crispy romaine lettuce or a combination of both with some shredded cabbage for extra crunch
There's no MSG or additives in the sweet and tangy Asian salad dressing
The sweet salad dressing is not your typical "Chinese salad dressing ingredients" - there's no soy sauce, no sesame oil and no fish sauce or oyster sauce- just simple ingedients you probably already have in your kitchen!
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!
Recipe Tips
If you're taking this Asian crispy salad to a potluck, family reunion or picnic, simply put the salad dressing in a jar and pour it over the crisp greens right before serving. Add the crunchy noodles and other topping last. Cut lettuce into bite-size pieces or rough-chop it
- Allow dressing to cool a little before pouring over lettuce/water chestnuts
- Add crunchy noodles and sunflower seeds last; if you add them in when you add the dressing, they get soggy
- If you're taking this to a picnic, put the dressing in a jar and pour it over the lettuce, water chestnuts and green onions at the last minute; garnish with sunflower seeds and Chow Mein noodles and serve!
- Serve with slotted spoon or tongs
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.
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- Wonton Soup
- No Mayo Coleslaw
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📋 Recipe
Crunchy Asian Salad (No Mayo Dressing)
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce large
- 2 green onions , chopped
- 8 ounces water chestnuts , sliced and canned
- 1 can Chow Mein noodles , large can or 2-3 small cans
- sunflower seeds ,dry roasted and salted
- salt and pepper , to taste
Dressing Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup oil , vegetable, canola or olive oil
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on medium low heat, add brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, oil and a pinch of salt; cook until sugar is dissolved; set aside to cool⅓ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup oil, ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- Rough cut lettuce into bite sized pieces; place in bowl1 head iceberg lettuce
- Drain water chestnuts; add to lettuce (you can slice them in half if you prefer)8 ounces water chestnuts
- Add chopped green onion to lettuce2 green onions
- Cover lettuce with plastic and refrigerate
- When ready to serve, pour dressing over lettuce mixture; combine well; season with salt and peppersalt and pepper
- Plate and sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crunchy Chow Mein noodlessunflower seeds, 1 can Chow Mein noodles
Notes
- Use crushed peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans
- Use chopped celery, green bell pepper
- Use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Nutrition Estimate
♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Sandra says
One of the aides at work used to bring this to all our potluck lunches, and if you were in the back of the line, it would be gone!!! Of course, I made sure I got some by saying stuff like “Girls first!” Haha
Anecia says
Thank you! This Crunchy Asian Salad is a summer favorite of mine!