Whoever says that salads are BORING has never tried this Korean Lettuce Salad! The flavor of the gochugaru dressing is out of this world!
I'll be adding a few more SALAD recipes this summer since we started our Spectacular Summer Salad Extravaganza over in my BNV Support Group. Our new challenge is to eat a BAS (big a$$ salad 🤣) at least once a day.
But how many people think salads are BORING? Or that a "salad" is that scrawny piece of lettuce on their cheeseburger? Or a tiny bowl of iceberg lettuce drowned in ranch dressing?
Well, I want to prove them WRONG! One of MY goals for this challenge is to make salads SEXY again! Salads can be AMAZING and I hope this first new salad recipe of the summer proves just that.
This Korean Lettuce Salad recipe, also known as Sangchu Geotjeori, was inspired by a variety of recipes while searching Google for Korean Salads.
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Why I LOVE This Korean Lettuce Salad
100% Vegan, Oil-Free, and Gluten-Free: Like all of my recipes, this recipe is made without any animal products or bottled oils and can easily be made gluten-free as well.
Super EASY to make: Seriously, you add stuff to a bowl and mix. Easy peasy 🤣.
No Cooking Involved: No stoves, no air fryers, no instant pots, not even a microwave. Just you and a salad bowl (and maybe a whisk).
Real Food Ingredients: Fresh salad greens along with a few everyday pantry ingredients make this delicious salad. No ultra-processed junk food here!
It's FRESH & Healthy: Another reason for eating salads is their low-calorie density - so fill that tummy! And leafy greens produce nitric oxide which helps open up those arteries and reduces blood pressure.
You know what Dr. Esselstyn says: Eat Those Greens!
Korean Lettuce Salad Ingredients
Greens
Sangchu is the Korean word for lettuce, so naturally any kind of lettuce will work. But I like lettuce with a crunch, so I used red leaf lettuce and Romaine. But if you want to try any other kind of greens, go for it!
Maple Syrup
White sugar is often used for this recipe, but I wanted something less refined so I used maple syrup. Feel free to sub with your favorite sweetener.
Tahini
Sesame Oil is also often used in this recipe, but to keep it oil-free I used tahini instead. Tahini is just a ground-up sesame seed paste and still has all the fiber. If you are on a strict fat-free diet you can simply omit.
Tamari
I used low-sodium tamari to reduce the sodium and keep it gluten-free. Feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce if you don't have any problems with gluten, or try coconut aminos.
Gochugaru
Gochugaru is dried Korean Chile Pepper Flakes and is the signature flavor of the dressing, so I would not try to substitute it. I have found it at Whole Foods but if you have a local Asian Grocery nearby, check there. Of course, there is always Amazon. I'll drop my affiliate link below and I do earn a few pennies with every purchase but at no additional cost to you.
Gochugaru - https://amzn.to/3KA9SgB
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities and detailed cooking directions.
Making The Korean Lettuce Salad
Step 1
Preparing The Greens
Rinse & dry your greens thoroughly and tear them into bite-sized pieces. Also, add your chopped scallions and carrots. A large salad bowl works great.
Step 2
Make The Dressing
Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. I used a 1-cup glass measuring cup.
Step 3
Mix and Toss
Pour your dressing into your salad and mix well. I like to use my hands and massage that dressing into the leaves so everything is coated. Note: If you do use your hands, wash them well afterward as you do NOT want chile flakes in your eyes!
Top Tip
A nice wooden salad bowl and a good, sharp knife will make your salad experience so much easier. I love my 14" cherry bowl and Ulu Knife from Holland Mill. Look for imperfect bowls which are usually a lot cheaper.
Serving Ideas
If you love the flavors of Korean Food as much as I do, be sure and try these Korean Brussels sprouts, Gochujang Potatoes, or these amazing Kimchi Fries!
Recipe FAQs
My spice-hating wife gave it 2 enthusiastic thumbs up and proceeded to eat half the entire bowl. There is a little kick - but not much. Feel free to use less gochugaru if you want. Or more!
This recipe makes 4 average-sized side salads or 2 BIG salads.
Not long before the greens start to wilt. So try to finish it within a day or 2.
Related
Looking for other Asian-inspired recipes like this? Try these:
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Korean Lettuce Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Whoever said that salads are BORING has never tried this Korean Lettuce Salad! The flavor of the gochugaru dressing is out of this world!
Ingredients
The Greens
- about 8 oz. of fresh lettuce, red, green, or romaine
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup shredded carrots
The Dressing
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 Tbs low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 Tbs tahini
- 1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Tbs gochugaru Korean chile flakes
Instructions
- Rinse and completely dry your greens
- Tear greens into bite-sized pieces and place into a big salad bowl
- Add chopped scallions & carrots
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and then pour into the salad
- Toss until everything is coated in the dressing and serve
Karen
This is more a review of the dressing than the salad. As soon as I saw the email, I had to try it. Your stuff is usually too spicy for me and it takes me a few tries to tone it down so I can enjoy it. If your 'spice-hating' wife liked it, I had to make it! So I ordered the Gochugaru flakes off Amazon immediately (full disclosure -off your affiliate link) and waited for them to arrive. Tonight while preparing dinner (roasted radishes, beets, and tofu in a peanut sauce), my Amazon package came. I couldn't wait to make this dressing so I steamed broccoli and coated it with the dressing and sesame seeds and served it with the rest of my veggies. OMG! Every single plate was clean and I got to enjoy it straight out of the gate. I am beyond thrilled. I can't wait to find other uses for this dressing. It's going to be a staple around here. As always, thanks so much for sharing your talents with us!
Brenda Schnell
This dressing is so good, I ate the whole thing and called it lunch!