Noodle Salad

It’s no surprise this Noodle Salad has been one of the most popular recipes on Funky Asian Kitchen for years. Light, refreshing, and packed with flavor, it’s the kind of dish that just works—whether you’re meal-prepping, packing lunch, or trying to stay cool in a summer heatwave. I’ve updated the photos and instructions to make it even easier to follow, but the recipe is exactly the same. Because when something’s this good, why mess with it? (updated 8/5/25)

Do you have a go to item that works for any occasion? My Noodle Salad is that kind of dish. Potluck night with friends? Check. Sunday Bbq? Check. Light Luncheon? Yup. A last minute side dish for dinner? Gotcha again. I’ve got nothing in the fridge and I need to eat something now?! We’ve got you covered.

This Noodle Salad is incredibly versatile, goes well with almost anything else you might be serving, but can be served by itself in a pinch, can be made ahead of time, can sit out at room temperature, makes great leftovers, and it’s lightning fast to make. Plus the only cooking required is to boil some water, it can be made with whatever veggies you have on hand, it’s vegetarian, and also gluten free. If that doesn’t tick most of your boxes, you need new boxes. So what are you waiting for?

Noodle Salad Dressing

Cold noodle salads are very popular in Vietnam. They can include all kinds of grilled meats, seafood, veggies or tofu, and feature addictively tangy dressings. This salad is more pan-Asian, combining several different influences. The origins of the salad may be Vietnamese but the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in the dressing are definitely more East Asian. It’s a delicious mishmash I think you’ll enjoy. The dressing comes together in minutes, and you can make it ahead of time and keep in the fridge.

Mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar and minced garlic:

Grate the onion and add to the dressing:

Add the oils and mix to combine:

Noodle Salad Veggies

With the dressing done, it’s time to prep the veggies. Meal preppers-you can chop everything before hand and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. I picked these vegetables because they are the ones I usually have on hand. You can feel free to substitute the veggies for whatever you like. Sturdy vegetables such as edamame, snow peas, baby kale, cucumber, or radishes would all work well in this salad.

Slice the carrot on the diagonal:

And then stack the slices and cut into matchsticks:

Then it’s time to move on to the green veggies. Start by shredding the green cabbage:

Then roughly chop the spinach:

Finely chop the cilantro:

And slice the scallions, both green and white parts:

Once the veggies are cut, it’s time to make the noodles. I use rice vermicelli noodles. They cook really quickly and they are a delicious gluten free noodle. To cook them, just drop them in a pot of boiling water, turn off the heat, and let them sit for 2-3 minutes. It’s a good idea to check the suggested cooking time on the package, since there are tons of different brands available.

Rinse the noodles under water to cool them down and remove some of the exterior starch. Let them thoroughly drain.

I like to chop them so they are more manageable and you can have noodles and veggies in every bite. I know… it’s sacrilege to cut noodles in Asia but practically speaking, Italians have a million different pasta shapes to choose from and we’re mostly stuck with long strands in Asia. What’s a girl to do? Cut, cut, cut!

Then I add the veggies and noodles to a bowl and mix it all up.

Finally, I dress the noodle salad,  garnish with the fried shallots, and dig in! Don’t leave out the shallots, they add welcomed crunch and flavor.

Noodle Salad is a bright and vibrant meal, or a quick side, and leftovers make an excellent lunch. Give it a try and let me know what you think; leave a comment and rate the recipe, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Noodle Salad

★★★★★ 4.8 from 4 reviews

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Vietnamese

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Ingredients

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Dressing :

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons grated onion

For the Salad: 

• 4 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles
• ¼ green cabbage (if you can find taiwanese cabbage use it) shredded, about 2 cups
• 1 medium carrot julienned
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 scallions finely sliced
• ½ cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons fried shallots

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Instructions

Make the dressing:

1. In a jar or small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, neutral oil, sesame oil, minced garlic, and grated onion.
2. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the Salad:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop the noodles in and stir.
2. Turn off the heat and let the noodles sit 2-3 mins.
3. Drain under cool running water.
4. Set aside in a colander to drain off all water. You can also lay the noodles on a paper towel or spin it in a salad spinner to remove the water.
5. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, the cabbage, carrots, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and the dressing.
6. Toss to incorporate all of the ingredients.
7. Top with the shallots and serve.

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Keywords: noodles, gluten free, vegan, vietnamese