Say goodbye to boring, soggy salads – forever. My Cabbage Carrot Salad with Tangy Peanut Dressing is a crispy, crunchy, veggie-packed salads that maintains its crunchy texture for days. Make this salad as the perfect side dish to any Asian-inspired meal, or eat it on its own, straight out of the container – I won’t judge! This recipe also happens to be gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-friendly, and vegan, so it’s sure to satisfy almost anyone!

A bowl of the cabbage carrot salad with tangy peanut dressing, on a cutting board with ingredients scattered around it. A long serving spoon sits in the bowl.

Friends, have you ever tried to meal prep a salad, only for it to be soggy, wilted, and boring by the next day? I know I have. Even without the dressing, there’s something so sad about a meal prepped salad. Luckily, we’re changing the game with this recipe.

My Cabbage Carrot Salad is the perfect solution to those soggy salad woes! By using “harder” veggies like cabbage and carrots, we’re ensuring that our salad stays crispy and fresh for days on end. But, don’t let the idea of cabbage and carrots bore you. With my homemade tangy peanut dressing, this salad is instantly transformed into a wondrous bowl of flavors, colors, and textures!

A wooden cutting board topped with different bowls containing the ingredients needed to make the tangy peanut dressing. A knife rests along the left side of the cutting board, and a towel rests to the right.

What Makes a Good Salad

Everyone’s definition of what makes a good salad may be different. After all, no two salads are exactly the same! But in my book, there are three keys steps to making the perfect salad:

Pack the salad full of veggies! In my opinion, salads are one of the easiest ways to get more veggies in (aside from my beloved smoothies, of course). When I get a salad, I want to see lots of vibrant and colorful veggies inside, and feel like I’m truly eating the rainbow!
Make sure there’s a variety of flavors! While I want my salads to have vegetables in them, I don’t want them to taste just like veggies. Instead, I want them to be bursting with flavor, from both the ingredients and the dressing. One-dimensional salads just don’t do it for me.
Keep ’em light, yet filling! It’s a delicate balance crafting the perfect salad, and in my opinion, the perfect salad keeps me full and satisfied, without feeling like there’s a brick in my stomach. I don’t want to feel like I just ate Thanksgiving dinner, after finishing my salad.

If you’ve yet to try any of my salad recipes yet, then in addition to this one, you have to try my Ultimate Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Lemon Dressing (fun fact: it’s my most popular recipe of all-time!) Or, try out my Hillstone Macho Salad with its unique cornbread croutons, or my Strawberry Arugula Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing. Either way, you can’t go wrong when you make a Kalejunkie salad recipe, if I do say so myself. 😉

A cutting board topped with a big bowl of the tangy peanut dressing. A spoon rests aside the bowl, and a smaller bowl of maple syrup and some garlic rest to the side.

What You Need to Make This Perfectly Crispy, Crunchy Salad

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this salad and its tangy peanut dressing!

Cabbage: Cabbage is full of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and antioxidants, making it an underrated super food! I love cabbage because it’s similar to lettuce, but keeps its crispy texture over time!
Carrots: Carrots are rich in Vitamin A and add the perfect crunchy texture to this recipe! You can buy your carrots pre-shredded or shred them yourself with a cheese grater – it’s up to you!
Peanut Butter: After all, we need peanut butter in order to make a peanut sauce! My favorite peanut butter is from my friends at Georgia Grinders, and you can use my code KALEJUNKIE20 for 20% off your order.
Water: A little water will help to thin out the dressing!
Coconut Aminos or Low Sodium Soy Sauce: You can use coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce in this recipe. Both work just as well!
Sesame Oil: A splash of sesame oil adds a nutty, toasty flavor that perfectly compliments the other ingredients.
Honey: Honey adds sweetness without the refined sugars. Woohoo!
Lime: A squeeze of lime juice adds brightness and acidity!
Garlic: Fresh garlic is always best, and adds the most amazing flavor to this dressing! I recommend using 2 fresh garlic cloves in this recipe.
Toppings: If you want to add some more dimension to this salad, I recommend topping it with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, or even some shredded chicken for some extra protein!

A large plate of the cabbage carrot salad with tangy peanut dressing. A smaller bowl of used limes and chopped scallions sits to the side, as does a smaller bowl of sesame seeds.

How to Make This Delicious Cabbage Carrot Salad

Making this salad consists of two main steps: one, preparing your veggies, and two, making the dressing! To make the salad, simply shred your cabbage and carrots, or add your pre-shredded veggies to a bowl.

Next, make the dressing. Whisk all of your dressing ingredients together in a bowl, and pour them over the veggies. Toss to coat well.

Add your toppings, if desired, and your Cabbage Carrot Salad with Tangy Peanut Dressing is ready to go! You can serve right away, or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days!

I hope you guys love this recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you post to Instagram, I repost your remakes on my IG stories! xx