Sometimes the simplest of recipes are the most difficult to develop. Take this slaw, for example. It totally got the best of me. It was supposed to be a variation on my honey mustard brussels sprout slaw, with flavors inspired by the “cabbage crunch” slaw at Whole Foods. I sampled that slaw from the Whole Foods buffet a couple of weeks ago after my stomach started growling at me. (You know what they say about grocery shopping while hungry.) Their slaw consists of shredded green cabbage, green onions and sesame seeds tossed in a simple apple cider dressing.
My plan was to trade shredded green cabbage for the shredded sprouts in my slaw recipe, adjust the dressing and be done. Sounds easy, right? Three grocery store trips and one photo shoot in the rain later, I can tell you that it was definitely not.
I blame the cabbage. Perhaps I bought the most waterlogged cabbage of all time. Not sure. All I know is that my shredded cabbage weeped water into that bowl so fast that my slaw was a defeated, limp, brownish-green pile of cruciferous sludge by the time I got back from my second grocery store run. I’m exaggerating, but I couldn’t send you all to potlucks with watery slaw. Oh no. My famous peanut-sesame slaw is so beloved by readers that I am called “slaw lady” in at least one American household. I can’t let my slaw fans down.
I read about a potential solution online. Apparently I could have sprinkled the cabbage with salt and sugar and let it sit for thirty minutes, then rinse the cabbage and squeeze out the excess moisture. That seemed like a lot of work for limp cabbage.
Then I recalled that my brussels sprout slaw never got soggy, so once I had the sauce part finalized, I decided to make a third grocery store run for sprouts. I needed to have this recipe done by 9 am on Thursday, so I drove to the store all groggy-eyed on Thursday at 7 am under stormy skies. I ran over a curb with an embarassingly loud ka-BOOM when I pulled out of the parking lot. The sky was even darker when I got home and I needed daylight for the photos, so I got right to work.
I started feeding sprouts through my food processor, which shreds them in seconds, and then used my handy julienne peeler, to transform the carrots into golden ribbons. (Head’s up: those are affiliate links!) After all that, I couldn’t get enough light inside, so I huddled over the slaw outside as it started to rain on me. That’s slaw dedication right there.
I believe that my hard work paid off with this slaw. It bears less resemblance to the Whole Foods slaw that inspired it, but that’s fine because this one is better. This slaw is light and crunchy with a bold soy-honey dressing, and it won’t go soggy at summer potlucks. It’s mayo-free, so it can sit outside longer than an eggy slaw (within reason, of course). This slaw would be a terrific complement to burgers and brats, but it’s plenty satisfying on its own, too!
Asian Brussels Sprout Slaw with Carrots and Almonds
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: Asian
Crisp and delicious Brussels sprout slaw with almonds, carrots, sesame seeds and bold honey-soy dressing. This simple, healthy, mayo-free slaw is perfect for potlucks.
Ingredients
Slaw
- 1 pound (16 ounces) Brussels sprouts
- 3 to 4 medium carrots
- ⅔ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
- ⅔ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves (optional), chopped
- ⅔ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Soy-honey dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or other soy sauce*
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (skip the salt if your tamari/soy sauce is not reduced sodium)
Instructions
- To shred the sprouts: First, cut off the tough ends of the sprouts and any browning outer leaves. Then shred them in a food processor using the slicing blade, pressing the sprouts against the blade with the provided plastic pusher. If you don’t have a food processor, slice them as thinly as possible using a sharp chef’s knife, then give them a few extra chops for good measure. Transfer the sprouts to a large serving bowl.
- To prepare the carrots: Either use a julienne peeler, a chef’s knife, or the grating attachment of your food processor to slice the carrots into skinny little strips. Transfer the carrots to your serving bowl.
- To toast the almonds (optional but recommended): In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring often, until fragrant and turning golden on the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the almonds to the serving bowl.
- Add the chopped green onions, cilantro (optional) and sesame seeds to the bowl. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, tamari and sea salt. Whisk until emulsified, then pour the dressing over the slaw. Toss well. For best flavor, let the salad marinate for 10 minutes or longer before serving.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Whole Foods’ cabbage crunch slaw. Recipe adapted from my honey mustard brussels slaw.
Make it vegan: Substitute agave nectar or maple syrup for the honey.
*Make it gluten free: Make sure to use tamari, which is gluten/wheat free. Other soy sauces are not gluten free.
Make it nut free: Skip the almonds.
Storage suggestions: This salad is best consumed within a few hours but will keep for a day or so. Store leftovers in the fridge, covered. The edges of the sprouts might brown lightly over time. Wake up leftovers with a tiny splash of tamari.
Make it quick: Buy pre-shredded brussels sprouts and/or carrots. Trader Joes sells shredded sprouts (you’ll need one and a half 10-ounce bags). Skip the toasting the almonds step.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my honey mustard brussels slaw, peanut-sesame slaw with soba noodles and soba noodle & raw veggie salad.
▸ Nutrition Information
P.s. This slaw is part of Self.com’s 3 Epic Picnic Salads feature! Check it out here.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Erica @ In and Around Town
This slaw looks delicious – love the sesame addition.
Sara @ Cake Over Steak
I admire your dedication! It definitely blows when you’re working on a schedule and then the recipe-testing doesn’t work out. But then again, no one ever said that food blogging was necessarily “easy.” Can’t wait to try this one!
Kate
Food blogging is harder than it looks, that’s for sure! Hope you love the slaw, Sara.
Kathryn
Love the flavours in this and the crunch of those veggies and nuts – it sounds like a winner!
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats
Can very much relate to the frustration of multiple grocery store trips and failed recipes for posts. Last week bought a bunch of parsley thinking it was cilantro for a guac recipe and after much deliberating if anyone would notice in the picture / wanting to avoid a third trip to the store that week just went with a different recipe altogether….:/
Love brussel sprouts in this. Happy to see all manner of roasted brussel sprout recipes everywhere but raw brussel sprouts are so yummy too and seem to maintain their crunchiness better than anything !
Kate
If it makes you feel any better, I realized AFTER photographing my chana masala recipe that the “cilantro” I had on the side was actually parsley. No wonder it tasted funny. No one called me out for it, though.
Farah @ The Cooking Jar
I totally get what you said about the simplest of things being the hardest sometimes. Funny how that works. 3 grocery trips! That’s dedication :)
emily (a nutritionist eats)
I love asian slaws like this, beautiful!
Katy
Cabbage can be tricky sometimes, I’ve tried that salt and sugar trick with other veggies but not cabbage and it does seem to work quite well. I love that you used brussels though it’s a great way to keep eating them in the summer, and beautiful pics!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven
Wow, that’s some slAWESOME dedication right there. This looks great!
Kate
Haha! Thanks, pAL. See you tomorrow.
Barbara
hi Kate:) Thank You for this recipe – I always look forward to new ways of incorporating Brassicaceae to my diet (mostly due to their anti cancer properties). Today I made it easy way – I juiced red cabbage with beets and ginger and lemon. But sometimes it’s nice to make something different – especially that Brussels Sprouts don’t taste good in juices.
I just checked nutritional values of this recipe at happyforks.com ( I switched to this one from cronometer after I realized that it has recipe analyzer). From one serving of this slaw I get only 10% of my daily calorie requirement but at the same time 74% vit. C RDA, 149% vit. A RDA, 148% vit. K RDA & 22% of my daily magnesium!:) That’s a great deal for my body. And it looks yummy:)
Have a nice day
★★★★★
Kate
Barbara, thanks for sharing the nutrition facts! Sounds like I got tons of vitamin A and K in my lunch today. :)
Five O'clock Shallots
I normally don’t love slaw, but this one looks delicious. No mayo! Thank you!
Emma
I’m a slaw fanatic too! Not those soggy mayo types though but bright and fresh ones like these. Perfect for a potluck.
Ella
Slaw Lady strikes again! HAHA I laughed out loud when I read that! We actually haven’t made the Slaw in over 2 weeks now… might be a record for this family. Can’t wait to give this one a shot, Slaw Master! ;)
youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
★★★★★
Kate
Ha, glad you caught that, Ella! Hope your family loves this slaw, too.
Courtney @ The Fig Tree
Beautiful. Looks delicious! I have always hated cooked brussels sprouts, but have a new found love for them shredded in salads. Yummy! The dressing sounds perfect.
Kate
Shredded sprouts are great in salads, aren’t they? If you’ve never tried halved and roasted sprouts, you might be missing out on your new favorite thing. :)
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
I am a slaw addict for sure and I appreciate your efforts to bring this post to us Kate. I’m also super glad that it isn’t mayo packed because that means I can eat way more :)
Thanks Kate.
Meredith
How do you get your carrots so perfectly sliced? My food processor shredder does not have the same effect…just curious…It looks delicious!
★★★★
Kate
Hey Meredith! I used my Kuhn Rikon julienne peeler to slice the carrots. It’s a handy tool to have!
Sophie
True dedication! You’re so awesome, Slaw Lady. Thanks for sticking with it — this sounds absolutely wonderful! Father’s Day Cookout Accompaniment!? Yum
Kate
:) Thanks, Sophie. This would be a terrific Father’s Day cookout side—thanks for the idea!
maria tadic
This looks so delicious! I love theres no mayo in this! My mom makes something similar and she adds slightly crushed ramen noodles (not the seasoning) to it! It’s a fun crunch!
Rebecca
Brussel Sprouts are my best friends! This looks delicious and light, perfect for a summer salad.
kristie @ birchandwild.com
The combination of flavors looks so good! I love the idea of Brussel sprouts in a slaw. I must try this now, although, I don’t think I can find any at this time of year where I live (British Columbia). Regardless, this salad combined some of my favorite ingredients in a bowl, and I will try it one day!
Lauren @ Farm Casual
This looks amazing! I love your blog — definitely my favorite recipe blog right now. Everything is so beautiful, delicious, and healthy!
Kate
Wow, thanks Lauren! I’m glad you found my blog. :)
Danae @ Recipe Runner
Such a great looking slaw! I’m glad you ended up using brussels sprouts instead of the cabbage. The colors are beautiful and the dressing sounds delicious!
She
This sounds amazing, I love to eat light in the summer.
laurasmess
I really love brussels sprouts. I know they’re much maligned in many households but I really do think it’s because people don’t know how to prepare them properly. I love the look of this gorgeous slaw bowl. Crunchy greens, seeds and nuts, soy dressing… yum! Glad that it was worth the early rise, kerb-knocks and effort that you put into it! Amazing job yet again, slaw lady!! xx
Kate
Totally agree, it’s a shame that those delicious sprouts were boiled until bitter in so many households! I think sprouts make the best slaw. :)
dishing up the dirt
Girl, I am so behind on blog reading and I am drooling my way through these past few posts. This slaw has my name written all over it! Pass me a fork!
Joanne
I actually love brussels sprouts WAY more than cabbage, so I’m super thrilled you swapped them out in this slaw. Though, BOO for having to remake it and head to the store so many times!!
Rachael
Aw man, this makes my day. I’m obsessed with my mom’s asian slaw. Then I helped make it last weekend and realized I was eating my weight in oil, sugar and all kinds of other junk. No bueno.
I was going to play around with the recipe, which probably would have ended up unsuccessfully. Thanks for doing the experimenting for me. ;)
Kate
Rachael, I hope you enjoy this slaw just as much! It might take some tinkering to make it taste like your mom’s. Hope we run into each other in KC sometime!
Tess
I had a bunch of leftover cabbage and was so excited to see a slaw recipe on your blog the other day! Despite your caution against using cabbage for this, I went ahead with it and the slaw turned out crunchily delicious…not sure what I did differently. Anyways, I loved it so much I made it for lunch 3 days in a row and have been eating the dressing on everything. So yummy! Thanks!
Kate
Hmm, maybe my cabbage really was waterlogged! So glad your salad turned out great! Thank you for letting me know, Tess. :)
Barbara
Made this slaw last weekend for a BBQ- it was delicious and a bit hit! Also made your pickled radishes – genius!! Love them!!
Kate
That’s so great! Thank you for commenting, Barbara!
Kim
I made this for my cookout this weekend and all I heard were “MMMMs” and “YUMs”. It’s beautiful, healthy and different. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Kate
Hooray! Sounds like the slaw was a success. :)
Tricia
I made this for The Fourth and it was all the rage! So delicious and EVERYONE was asking for the recipe! I like having an oil based slaw the can sit out and brussels sprouts- why not!?! My taste buds (and everyone elses!) thank you, yet again!
★★★★★
Kate
Yesss! Happy to hear that you and your friends enjoyed the slaw. Thank you for commenting, Tricia!
Anna
As I was making the dressing for this delicious salad, I spotted the sambal oelek in my fridge, I put about a tablespoon in and it made a wonderful spicy addition to the salad. I also added some toasted sesame oil since I didn’t have any sesame seeds on hand.
My husband and I loved it! Thank you so much for posting the recipe :-)
Kate
Thanks, Anna! I think I added some chili garlic sauce to my leftovers (love spicy foods!).
srlavora
Delicious! I love the almond and sesame combination! Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Kate
Yay! Thank you for commenting!
Kathy
Wow! This is a great recipe! Thank you!
Kate
Thank you so much, Kathy!
Ellie
I absolutely loved this recipe! I actually added some Sesame Oil for a little added taste. So yummy! :)
★★★★★
Julia barnard
Hello Kate, Making this slaw this morning for lunch… What are the little black seeds in the picture? ..some sort of sesame seeds I’m not familiar with?
Lindsay
Another great recipe! I’ve had this one pinned for ages and finally made it alongside sliders for a family cookout. It was the perfect light, bright, nutritious side salad. This and your herbed potato salad are summer barbecue game changers for me. Thanks, Kate!
Caron
ermagherd this was DIVINE. I added purple cabbage and deep fried crispy noodles for some extra colour and crunch, and subbed rice malt syrup in for honey to veganise it and it was truly perfect.
18/10 will make again and again.
★★★★★
Kate
Haha! Sounds delicious and crunchy, Caron.
Jose
This was really enjoyable! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve only ever roasted brussels sprouts before, but I was looking for something a little more developed. This was really nice. Next step is to try that pizza recipe you have.
★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jose! And definitely try the pizza, I think you’ll like it.
Rachel
I’m a little late to this party but I’m glad I came. Assuming you have a food processor, this is very easy. I added some sliced red cabbage for extra color. I also topped with siracha to serve. Next time I would include some garlic chili sauce in the dressing for some kick. Keep these slaw recipes coming.
Kate
I enjoy slaw recipes that’s for sure! Thank you for sharing how you made it your own, Rachel.
Cary Pou
I made this for my brother-in-law’s birthday dinner. Everyone loved it and wants the recipe! I added one package of pre-shredded slaw mix, 1/4 cup more slivered almonds, and 1/2 cup craisins. I made it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours before we served and it was definitely more flavorful once it had marinated. Overall it was a big hit and I will definitely be using this recipe again!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Cary. I really appreciate it.
Constancemcfarland
I would love to try all your recipe they look so good Connie mcfarland
Kate
Please do! Let me know what you think when you try it.
Lauren
Love this salad! I’ve made it a number of times. I often sub shredded cabbage and it has worked out well.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Lauren! Thank you for your feedback.
Sarah
LOVED making (and eating) this recipe!! Goes extremely well on vegan seitan bahn mi sandwiches and as a side salad. I had extra-large brussels from my Hungry Harvest box and had no idea what to do with them until finding this recipe. Didn’t use the sesame seeds, but I did toast the almonds which was a great choice. It made such a difference for the flavor! I also added a splash of rice vinegar and a 2 tsp sugar to make it more “pickled”. Will be making this again!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
Kim
Delish! So easy. I can’t stop eating it!
★★★★★
Sue
Delicious recipe! Thanks Kate.
★★★★★
Peggy
During stay at home orders I made this with what I had in fridge/pantry so adjusted and mixed brussels sprouts and cabbage and lightly toasted the sesame seeds. Also had to leave out the almonds due to family allergies, but still yummy yummy. Highly recommend! Looking forward to making it again!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing how you were able to make this work with what you had on hand, Peggy! I appreciate your review.
Ruthie
Another winning recipe! I love this combination of flavors. A trick: To make it last longer, I don’t dress it all at once. I keep the dressing in a jar and dress the amount I’m going to eat at a time and let it sit like the recipe says. I’ve had this for lunch every day this week and it was healthy and light for summer.
★★★★★
Sarah Johnson
Wow, this was a wonderful side to heavy summer meal! I made with what I had on hand, maple syrup instead of honey (personal preference) and white onion diced super-duper thin and with black cumin seeds instead of sesame. Used same quantities of each and it turned out A-mazing!!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Elaine
This looks divine, and I have a strong urge to add a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime, sub seasoned rice vinegar and a tablespoon of mirin in place of honey to make it vegan. What do you think?
Kate
Sure, you can use lime juice. Will vary slightly, but they tend to be good substitutes for one another.
Erin Myers
This was delicious! I substituted one third of sesame oil for the oil and it added a great extra flavor level!
Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Erin! Thank you for your review.