Asian Zoodle Salad – Zucchini noodles are tossed with cilantro, peppers, carrots, red cabbage, peanuts, and a homemade Asian dressing.
I was a little hesitant to jump on the zucchini noodle bandwagon. In my mind, nothing could replace the deliciousness of carb-filled noodles.
But then I tried them in a “pasta” salad recipe and loved them! They add a slight crunch while still maintaining the integrity of the noodle. My mind was now open.
Flash forward to today and I’ve included zucchini noodles in another yummy recipe. I’ve found that zucchini noodles are, in my opinion, best served raw and in cold dishes because they can get mushy when cooked. Therefore, I’m showcasing them in a salad. Not just any salad, but a tangy, crunchy, flavorful Asian Zoodle Salad.
Check it out below!
How to make this salad
Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you – this recipe is actually incredibly easy to make! After you’ve prepared all the ingredients and the dressing, you simply toss them all together and voila! The salad is ready!
Speaking of ingredeints, lets talk about them a little more.
Ingredients
This salad is made with all the flavors you’d expect in a typical Asian dish but served cold and with zucchini noodles instead of Ramen or rice noodles. Edamame is added to give the salad some protein, while all the veggies give this salad crunch and flavor.
My favorite ingredient is, surprisingly, the peppers. Since we’re using red and yellow peppers, their flavor is more mild than a green pepper but still add a little something distinctive to the salad to make it particularly unique.
The dressing
This dressing is made with traditional Asian ingredients that you’d use in almost any Asian dish – hosin sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. These ingredients, plus a little ginger, garlic, and honey, result in a tangy dressing that isn’t too overpowering and really ties this whole salad together.
Tips & tricks
As always, I have a couple tips and tricks to help you get this recipe exactly right:
- If your zucchini noodles are wet, dry them off as much as possible to ensure the salad isn’t soggy
- Don’t make this salad too far ahead of time. If you need to prepare in advance, make the dressing and salad separately but do not toss together until it’s time to serve.
Asian Zoodle Salad
Ingredients
- 28 ounces zucchini noodles raw
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup edamame
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- sesame seeds for garnish
- 1/3 cup peanuts chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup hosin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl. add zucchini noodles, diced peppers, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, edamame, ad green onions. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together. Add to zucchini noodles mixture. Toss to combine.
- Top with sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Notes
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Asian Steak Skewers
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This looks like a fantastic zoodle recipe. I have an abundance of zucchini and have been looking for tasty ways to use them. This looks like a keeper to me!
This looks so delicious and fresh! We’re still having hot weather, the kind that’s just too hot to turn on the stove for, so I’m loving salads. Can’t wait to give this one a try!
That is one gorgeous looking salad! Loving all of the fresh veggies and colors you have in this recipe. I bet the peanuts really give a nice crunch. Delish!
Love this salad! All of the flavors blend so well together, it’s one of my favorites!
My mouth legitimately began to water when I looked through this recipe. I love all of the flavors in this gorgeous Asian zoodle salad and the texture look incredible. I can’t wait to try it!
I love everything about this recipe! I love pasta but it always doesn’t like me. This looks like such a great way to use up my farmers market finds!
I’m like you, nothing can replace noodles, but zoodles are fun, crunchy, and nutritious. Here they make a pretty salad, and I’m sure it tastes delicious with the Asian spin!
I love the flavors in the Asian dressing for this salad. Delicious! I agree with you. I have been hesitant to jump on board with the whole zoodle thing. Seems like allot of zucchini to me. But I’d definitely eat this salad. What a great idea. Great blog by the way!
This is awesome with all the amazing combinations of ingredients. Flavorful dressing is the icing too.
Oh my gosh! Aren’t zoodles the best?!? This salad looks more than amazing! YUM!
I am extremely fond of zoodles. This recipe looks nutritious and has all my favorite ingredients. I am heading to the grocery right now to get all the stuffs required for this zoodles.
This looks really good. I really like salads with the asian flavor pallet. This looks perfect for zoodles.
Love this recipe! Such delicious flavor and it’s so easy to throw together!
This looks like the perfect summer salad – it looks absolutely delicious.
Love using zoodles as an alternative to pasta! This looks great!
I love zoodles! Looks so delicious and low carb! Can’t wait to try this for dinner ♥
Such an awesome name to this salad and amazing combinations too. Healthy and makes me happy too.
What an absolutely gorgeous salad! Loving the flavors.
I LOVE zoodles and regularly make them as spaghetti with marinara sauce. But why oh why have I never made an Asian zoodle stir fry?? Thanks for this zoodle recipe – I can’t wait to try it.