Kimchi slaw is a fusion of traditional coleslaw with Korean kimchi flavors. It is a bold, tangy and spicy twist on a classic slaw. You get all the amazing flavor of kimchi with the crunch of a coleslaw. It's quick and easy too!
When we travel, I loving trying street food and going to street markets. When we were in South Korea, you could get kimchi made from all different kinds of vegetables and in lots of different flavors. The fresh kimchi sold in the street markets was incredible. Where I live, we don't have a lot of choices for kimchi. However, most grocery stores carry at least a couple of options in the refrigerated section of the produce department. For convenience, I buy the Jongga brand from Costco. It's a medium spicy kimchi, tastes really good and, of course, you can't beat Costco prices. Jongga is a well known brand in South Korea too. The ingredients for this kimchi slaw make it an easy fusion of cabbage kimchi with crunchy cabbage coleslaw.
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Kimchi Slaw Ingredients
- Coleslaw mix
- Kimchi
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce or tamari
- Garlic
- Miso paste
- Maple syrup
See recipe card for quantities.
What is Kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish, most commonly made with cabbage as the main vegetable. It is seasoned with ingredients like garlic, onions, ginger, red pepper, fish sauce and fermented shrimp and then left to ferment. Fermented foods develop probiotics which are good bacteria. The probiotics give kimchi that tangy, slightly sour flavor and can also help with gut health and digestion. I'm always trying to find new ways to eat more probiotics.
How to Make the Sesame Dressing
Step 1: Combine all the sesame dressing ingredients into a small bowl.
Step 2: Whisk until all the sesame dressing ingredients are incorporated.
How to slice the Kimchi
Step 1: Using a slotted spoon, place the kimchi on a cutting board.
Step 2: Cut the kimchi into pieces smilier in size to the coleslaw mix.
Substitutions
- Vegan - kimchi is not typically vegan. If you want to make this kimchi slaw vegan, make sure you buy special kimchi that is labeled vegan.
- Gluten free - use tamari sauce instead of regular soy sauce. They are both made from soy, but they are processed differently. Tamari sauce is almost always gluten free, but check the label.
- Broccoli slaw - you can easily substitute a broccoli slaw mix for the coleslaw mix.
- Mayo - you can substitute flavored mayo for the sesame dressing. I would recommend a Korean (or Japanese) mayonnaise as they usually have vinegar and other seasonings added.
Variations
- Spicy - I usually go with a medium spicy kimchi. If you want the kimchi slaw to be spicy, you can use a spicy kimchi or you can mix in some gochujang or sriracha into the dressing to make it spicier.
Storage
Store kimchi slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Next Level Tips
- I almost always have red cabbage on hand for my everyday salad, so I add more red cabbage for some color pop. There's never enough red cabbage in the premade bag of coleslaw!
- I also like to add cilantro and black sesame seeds as garnish. Both are completely optional but add another layer of flavor to the kimchi slaw.
FAQ
Absolutely! Thinly slice enough green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots to fill 8 cups. You can add as much or as little of each ingredient to fill the 8 cups. I rarely ever buy premade salad mixes, but for this recipe I do. The main flavor of kimchi slaw comes from the kimchi and the sesame dressing. The coleslaw mix is for crunch. So you can certainly make your own coleslaw mix, you could also make it easy and buy the premade coleslaw mix for this recipe. I won't tell. It will be cheaper too.
You can use peanut butter or almond butter in place of the miso paste or doenjang. They don't have the same flavor, but both can add thickness to the dressing and another layer of flavor just like the miso paste or doenjang does.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Kimchi Slaw
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon miso paste or doenjang
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Slaw Mix
- 8 cups coleslaw mix*
- 2 cups kimchi chopped
- salt to taste optional
- extra red cabbage or carrots for color optional
- black sesame seeds or garnish optional
- cilantro leaves or microgreens for garnish optional
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
- Add the coleslaw mix to a large bowl.
- Scoop the kimchi out of its container with a slotted spoon. Chop the kimchi into similar sized pieces as the coleslaw mix. Add to the coleslaw mix and mix well.
- Mix the dressing into the kimchi and coleslaw mixture.
- Optional: salt to taste. I don't typically add salt as the soy sauce and kimchi usually adds enough salt.
- Optional: garnish with black sesame seeds, cilantro or cilantro micro greens.
Notes
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