This summer serve Asian Coleslaw with Peanut Dressing beside any plain grilled meat or fish, as part of a picnic or with burgers. Coleslaw is a classic summer salad and gluten free cooks can mess with the classics like anyone else. The addition of cilantro and salted peanuts along with a peanuty-ginger dressing gives this coleslaw a refreshing Asian twist.

Big Bowl Salads
I call this Asian Coleslaw a big bowl salad. It’s the kind of salad that’s too big to make for an everyday meal yet when you half the recipe it seems like too much effort for a small salad. You can make short cuts, omitting ingredients you don’t have or don’t like, but then it’s just okay. To take a big bowl salad to a party it’s got to be amazing!
I think everyone needs a few big bowl salads in their recipe collection, even if you only make them all once a year. I think that is part of what makes these salads memorable.
One tip I’ll share is to potion a few smaller containers of your salad as soon as you make it. I do this to label it gluten free for a large party but you can also do this and give some salad to a friend or neighbour. In my experience you must do this right away because in three or four days it’s just going to be a good idea that didn’t happen.
PIN for later...
Coleslaw Mix vs Cabbage
A store bought coleslaw mix is almost white with just enough carrot and purple cabbage that you can tell it’s supposed to be coleslaw. It also has a food label. Some days that’s good enough and I add extra shredded carrot to perk it up. For this post I wanted all the colours of the rainbow so I bought whole cabbage and three different colours of peppers. I didn’t need to read any labels but I did need to think about how I’d use up the leftover produce.
Rotating fresh produce in your kitchen is a skill that most of us can improve on. The “stay at home” recommendation during the pandemic has caused me to be more thoughtful about grocery shopping. I think about buying vegetables that last longer in the fridge like cabbage and carrots, and what recipes I can make to use up ingredients like bean sprouts that won’t last long. I even bought frozen, shelled edamame beans just for a change.
Organize For Success
Any little step done in advance most often makes a recipe seem easier on the day you make it. Create a habit of thinking like that and see what works for you.
- make the salad dressing one or two days in advance (and label it!)
- shred a few carrots for this recipe and to use in other salads
- cook up more edamame beans than you'll need and toss the extra into a cold salad or a vegetable stir-fry
Equipment
To make a big bowl salad with a homemade dressing you need a beautiful big bowl and maybe some Mason jars for the dressing.
- All sizes of Mason jars and I love my Dymo label maker (but it's still up to me to make that label and get it on the jar).
- A beautiful wooden salad bowl, a classic glass bowl with wavy edge or a clear, acrylic bowls for outdoor parties.
Big bowl salads like this Asian Coleslaw can be made all year long. If you’re a salad person then make a point of looking for new salads to add to your list and over time you’ll have the kind of recipe collection everyone else just wishes they had.
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Asian Coleslaw with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
COLESLAW
- 8 cups coleslaw mix* (see notes to make your own)
- 1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup frozen, shelled edamame beans, cooked
PEANUT DRESSING
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1-2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Sriracha or Sambal Oelek)
- ½ teaspoon salt
FINISHING
- ½ cup salted peanuts
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients in a pyrex measuring cup or a Mason jar.
- Microwave for 30 seconds then whisk until peanut butter is evenly mixed in.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Can be made a day ahead to this point.
- When ready to serve add peanuts and cilantro. Pour almost all the dressing on and toss to combine.
- Let salad sit 15-30 minutes to absorb the dressing. Taste and add remaining dressing if desired. Best served the day it's made.
Cinde Little
I love this Asian take on a simple coleslaw. Yum!