Warm weather is here and nothing tastes better than a fresh and crispy noodle salad with Asian-inspired flavors!

Sesame ginger noodle salad is always a colorful favorite menu and easy to make. This recipe is great topped with grilled chicken or shrimp and keeps well for a couple of days making for great lunches.

close up of finished Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

Savory Sesame Salad

  • Fancy enough for company but easy to make!
  • Great as a side dish but hearty enough as an entrée salad! Perfect for workday lunches!
  • Swap out the cooked chicken for grilled chicken or shrimp if you’d like.
  • Use the homemade dressing below or swap for a store-bought sesame ginger dressing if you’re in a rush.
  • We love cutting our own julienne veggies but a fresh broccoli slaw or coleslaw mix can be added.

ingredients to make Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

What’s in Noodle Salad?

NOODLES Rice noodles are the light and delicate noodle we love best. You can sub in ramen noodles, angel hair pasta, or spaghettini. For a low-carb noodle salad, use zucchini zoodles!

VEGETABLES Bok choy is also called Chinese cabbage and it’s fresh and crisp. Regular cabbage (or mix with red cabbage for color) can also be used. Add or swap out any of the veggies you’d like in this recipe.

EXTRAS The sesame ginger dressing and the garnishes pull the whole recipe together. Fresh lime juice, cilantro, and crunchy almonds, cashews, or peanuts create an amazing palate.

VEGGIE TIP: 

  • This recipe involves a lot of cutting/chopping. This can be done in advance.
  • If you’re short on time, purchase washed chopped veggies or substitute your favorite prepared veggie mix or even coleslaw/broccoli slaw.
  • If you are planning for leftovers, swap out the purple cabbage for green cabbage. The purple can discolor if left in the dressing.

cutting vegetables to make Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

How to Make Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

  1. Cook, drain, & rinse noodles. Set aside.
  2. While noodles are cooking, chop veggies (per the recipe below).
  3. Place noodles in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
  4. Toss well & chill for at least 1 hour.
  5. Garnish with cilantro & chopped nuts.

close up of ingredients in a bowl to make Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

What to Serve with Noodle Salad

Keep in mind, this sesame ginger noodle salad is hearty enough to be an entrée on its own, here are some ideas that really make it stand out!

For appetizers, who doesn’t love Fried Wontons, Soy Ginger Steak Bites, or some Crab Rangoon (crab & cream cheese-filled wontons)?

Skip the cooked chicken and top it with any of the following:

Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad in bowls with dish full in the back

Recipe Tips

  • For extra flavorful and crunchy nuts, toast them in a dry sauté pan until they are barely browned.
  • To extract the most juice from the lime, soften it by rolling it across the counter a few times before cutting it.
  • Rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking.
  • Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb the dressing as it sits so add a bit of extra dressing.

Storing

Store sesame ginger noodle salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before serving, stir and season with a little lime juice or extra dressing.

Freezing noodle salad is not recommended as the noodles won’t thaw well, it’s just so much better to make a fresh bowl of this easy salad!

More Favorite Salads

Did you make this Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

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close up of finished Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad
5 from 16 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad

Bright, colorful, & flavorful, this Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad is the perfect option for lunch or dinner!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 8 ounces medium rice noodles
  • 4 cups bok choy and or cabbage, thinly sliced, or coleslaw mix
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 cup snap peas sliced
  • 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber cut into matchsticks
  • ¾ cup sesame ginger dressing or homemade dressing in the notes
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 carrot julienned or shredded
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds or cashews, toasted, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
  • Place noodles and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss well to combine.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Garnish with nuts and additional cilantro if desired.

Notes

If using store-bought dressing, stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon peanut butter for extra flavor.
Quick Homemade Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • For extra flavorful and crunchy nuts, toast them in a dry sauté pan until they are barely browned.
  • To extract the most juice from the lime, soften it by rolling it across the counter a few times before cutting it.
  • Rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking.
  • Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb the dressing as it sits so add a bit of extra dressing.
5 from 16 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 307 | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3137IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Pasta, Salad
Cuisine American, Asian
Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad ingredients in a bowl and plated with a title
close up of Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad with writing
Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad in a dish with writing
Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad in bowls with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Delicious textures and flavors and perfectly satisfying! I’m glad I made the full recipe so we could have leftovers for lunch I made this with shrimp marinated in Maggi, fish sauce, and brown sugar, cooked and chilled, and also added a few more ingredients to the dressing to taste. (Some spicy tamarind sauce, a spoonful of peanut butter, and extra garlic…I think that’s it.)

    It did take a looong time to make and the rice noodles, thin as the ones I have, just would not mix in correctly. They kept leaping to their deaths out of the bowl onto the counters and kept balling up in the salad. And that’s after cutting them up. Next time I will just serve the salad on top of the noodles I guess. I wouldn’t want to leave them out!5 stars

  2. This was delicious! BUt instead of noodles which I did not have on hand I used quinoa and it worked really well. The recipe makes a lot and is as good on day 3 as day 1..5 stars