Colorful Rainbow Slaw with Sesame Ginger Dressing – a vibrant, crunchy veggie slaw loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell peppers & edamame in zesty homemade dressing.

A bowl filled with crispy rainbow slaw garnished with wonton strips.

The Dish Details

What Makes it Special: What a way to eat your veggies! Full of crispy cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and edamame, and tossed with a sweet and savory dressing, it’s colorful, crunchy and delicious!
Perfect Timing: Bring this Asian-inspired slaw to all your potlucks! Toss it just before you leave or make a show of drizzling that gingery dressing all over. Cool and refreshing, it’s a no brainer for summer gatherings, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying any time!
Serving Suggestions: Add the perfect protein to make this a complete meal. This slaw makes a great accompaniment for Grilled Miso Fish Skewers, Firecracker Shrimp, or Banh Mi Chicken Burgers!

Gather Your Ingredients

You’ll find the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.

Cabbage – Use both purple and green cabbage for visual interest. Purple cabbage can be more bitter, so feel free to use only green cabbage if that suits.
Carrots – These bring lovely sweetness and pops of orange!
Red bell pepper – Slice these thin to match the general size and shape of the other veggies.
Shelled edamame – You can often find shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable aisle…no need to shell them by hand!
Green onions + fresh cilantro – For additional layers of flavor and freshness.
Dressing ingredients – Rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, a neutral oil (I use avocado oil), low sodium soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic.
Fun garnishes – Toasted sesame seeds, toasted almonds, and crispy wonton strips.

Raw ingredients for making rainbow slaw with each item labeled.

Time Saver Tip

Don’t want to chop or shred all those veggies? Purchase bags of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, or a slaw mix instead!

Let’s Get Tossing

Assembling this slaw is easy!

Place all the vegetables in a large bowl.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss everything together.
Garnish with sesame seeds, almonds and wonton strips just before serving.

A three-photo collage showing the steps for making rainbow slaw.

Helpful Recipe Tips

Vegetable prep – Don’t get too hung up on getting the perfect julienne cut! To ‘shred’ the slaw, cut the head of cabbage in half. Place the flat side down, then make really thin slices to get ribbons of slaw. Use a box grater to shred the carrots. Halve and remove the seeds from the bell pepper. Make thin slices, then cut those slices in half to make them easier to enjoy.
Balanced dressing flavor – I prefer my dressings more acidic, but it’s not for everyone. Use the quantities as a starting point, then adjust the flavors by adding more vinegar, honey, soy sauce or sesame oil to get it just the way you like it.
No soggy slaw – Toss the slaw with dressing just before serving (or no more than 20-ish minutes early) for the crispiest veggies. Likewise, don’t add the wonton strips until just before serving.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make ahead tips – A few hours before enjoying, add your veggies to a bowl; cover and refrigerate. Store the dressing in a separate container. Wait to toss the slaw and add garnishes until just before serving.

Storage instructions – Transfer leftovers to a covered container and refrigerate for a day or two. The slaw will lose some of its crisp texture, but still be flavorful. Keep in mind that the wonton strips will get soggy…but you can always add a few fresh ones to your leftovers!

A bowl filled with crispy rainbow slaw garnished with wonton strips and sesame seeds.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes