Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Broccoli Ramen Salad
Broccoli slaw, cashews and broken ramen make a salad with plenty of crunch to enjoy. The cranberries add little sweet bites among the tangy dressing. You can dig in straight away or give the noodles a chance to soften, depending on the texture you fancy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes
- Dish type
- Salads · Noodles
A few quick notes
1. Shake until the sugar dissolves
Put the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well before you begin combining the salad.
2. Break up the ramen
Use your hands to break the noodles into smaller pieces; they don't all need to match.
3. Choose your crunch
Eat right after tossing for firmer noodles, or let the dressed salad stand while they soften.
Get to know the ingredients
Discard the flavor packets
Keep the ramen noodles for the salad and discard their seasoning packets before breaking up the noodles.
Toasted sesame oil
Use toasted sesame oil; its flavor differs from regular sesame oil.
Roasted cashews
Use roasted cashews in the salad bowl with the broccoli slaw, cranberries and chopped scallions.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Broccoli Ramen Salad
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Shake again, then toss
Give the jar another shake before pouring the dressing over the salad, then toss until everything is coated.
A little more help as you go
A vinegar alternative
You can use white or cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, starting with less and adjusting to taste.
Leave the noodles uncooked
The broken ramen goes directly into the slaw mixture and softens after dressing; no boiling stage is included.
A few questions you might have
How long can I let the noodles soften?
The directions suggest at least fifteen to twenty minutes, with longer standing allowed if you prefer them softer.
Do the ramen pieces need to be uniform?
Uneven pieces are fine. Break them by hand into smaller pieces before adding them to the salad bowl.
Does the brown sugar get sprinkled into the slaw?
Shake it into the dressing until dissolved first, then pour the dressing over the combined salad ingredients.
When do I add the cranberries?
Combine the dried cranberries with the slaw, broken noodles, roasted cashews and scallions before adding dressing.
Is the salad served hot?
Everything is combined in a salad bowl without cooking; the noodle texture changes as it sits in the dressing.
Any more cooking tips?
Toasted sesame oil isn’t the same thing as regular sesame oil. It has a very distinctive flavor. You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores. If you don’t want to use rice vinegar (also found in the Asian section of most grocery stores), try white vinegar or cider vinegar. I’d start with 2 tablespoons and work my way up from there since rice vinegar tends to be a bit more mild.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: saltandlavender.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
