Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Peanut Sauce- loaded up with healthy veggies! This vegan salad is great for potlucks and Sunday meal -prep, and lasts up to 5 days in the fridge. Gluten-free adaptable. Includes a 35-second video.
Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. ~Mary Oliver~
The other day I got a hankering for an old standby we used to have on the Mizuna menu, the vegetarian restaurant my friend Tonia and I started together way back when. Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce. Here it’s made with rice noodles and a boatload of crunchy veggies- cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and radish, then tossed in the most flavorful, balanced peanut sauce eeeeeeeeeever!
This Thai Noodle Salad is great made-ahead, and keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge -perfect for midweek meals and lunches, or potlucks and gatherings. Top this with flavorful Sesame Ginger Tofu or baked chicken for added protein if you prefer. So delicious!
How to Make Thai Noodle Salad! |30-sec Video
Yes I may be biased – I’ve had many versions of Thai peanut sauce, here and throughout Thailand, but this Thai Peanut Sauce is still hands-down my all-time very favorite! Not too sweet, perfectly balanced.
The secret ingredient is fresh orange juice, giving it a delicious brightness. I highly recommend making a double batch of the Thai Peanut Sauce to use with spring rolls or buddha bowls. If you are like me you will be eating it by the spoonful. It’s that good! ( Also know that this works with almond butter too!)
How to make Thai Noodle Salad
It starts with 6 ounces of dry noodles. So here again, the salad is actually, by volume more veggies than noodles! My kind of salad.
Use linguine, soba noodles, pad Thai-style rice noodles, brown rice noodles or seriously any pasta you have in your pantry. Toss the pasta with 4 cups of shredded veggies. Add scallions, jalapeño and cilantro (or basil) and toss with the flavorful peanut sauce. Top with toasted, crushed peanuts.
The salad gets more and more flavorful each day.
What veggies to use?
Use veggies like cabbage, bell pepper, carrots and radishes, that will stay crunchy in the salad, even over several days.
The light and creamy peanut sauce is a nice contrast.
Make this as spicy as you want. I love adding fresh, finely chopped jalapeño to the salad for a little added heat.
Toss it up and serve it in a serving bowl.
Garnish with the roasted crushed peanuts and chopped scallion at the end ( so they stay fresh and crunchy).
Peanut Allergy?
Substitue almond butter and toasted, slivered almonds!
Healthy, delicious and filling- I love having this Thai Noodle Salad on hand for a quick healthy snack too!
Here it is with the Sesame Ginger Tofu….so good!
A fridge full of make-ahead VEGAN salads, that’s what we’ve been feasting on at home this week.
Super handy and time-saving, these are easy mid-week meals! Make a batch on Sunday and have throughout the week!
More recipes you may like:
- MAKE-AHEAD VEGAN SALADS!
- Sesame Cabbage Noodle Salad
- Soba Noodle Salad with Smoked Salmon ( or Tofu)
- Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad w/ Pickled Vegetables
- Superfood Walnut Pesto Noodles!
- Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing (no noodles)
- Summer Pasta Salad w/ Cilantro Pesto
- Farmers Market Pasta Salad
- Rainbow Chopped Salad with Herbed Yogurt Dressing
Hope you enjoy this one and if you do, please pin or share!
xoxo
Sylvia
SHOP! Serve your beautiful salad in our Wooden Bowls or Ceramic bowls – both found at our Bowl and Pitcher Store!
Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Vegan, Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
A simple delicious recipe for Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce, loaded up with healthy veggies. Vegan and Gluten free, this make-ahead salad is perfect for midweek lunches or large gatherings. Add Sesame Ginger Tofu for added protein!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dry noodles (brown rice noodles, pad thai style rice noodles, soba noodles, linguini)
- 4 cups mix of cabbage, carrots and radish, shredded or grated
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 3 scallions, sliced
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped (or sub basil and mint)
- 1 tablespoon (or less, or more) jalapeño, finely chopped
- ¼–½ cup roasted, crushed peanuts ( garnish)
Thai Peanut Sauce ( tip! make a double batch and save the rest for another use)
- 3 thin slices ginger- cut across the grain, about the size of a quarter.
- 1 fat clove garlic
- ¼ cup peanut butter ( or sub almond butter!)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice ( roughly ½ an orange)
- 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice ( 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or GF Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (Note: Tamari will turn this unpleasantly dark)
- 3 tablespoons honey or agave
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ –1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( or a squirt of sriracha sauce)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sesame Ginger Tofu (Optional) Go to Link
Instructions
- Cook Noodles: Cook pasta according to directions on package. ( See notes for rice noodles) Drain and chill under cold running water.
- Blend the Peanut Sauce: while noodles are cookig, blend the peanut sauce ingredients together using a blender until smooth.
- Toss: Place shredded veggies, bell pepper, scallions, cilantro and jalapeño into a serving bowl. Toss. Add the cold noodles to the serving bowl and toss again. Pour the peanut sauce over top and toss well to combine.
- Taste: Adjust the salt (to you liking), add chili flakes if you want and serve, garnishing with roasted peanuts and cilantro and a lime wedge.
Notes
If cooking pad thai style rice noodles, add the noodles to a pot of boiling water. Turn heat off, stir and let steep 2-3 minutes until tender, drain and run under cool water.
Keywords: thai noodle salad, thai noodle salad recipe, thai salad, best peanut sauce, peanut sauce recipe, vegan thai noodle salad recipe
Amazing! The dressing is delicious. I used the dash of sriracha instead of cayenne (as suggested) and added shredded chicken to make it a meal. The entire family loved it. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
★★★★★
Really really good! I will make it again.
I made this salad to use up the leftover veggies, tofu and dressing from the Fresh Spring Rolls recipe, and I liked it even more than the rolls!
★★★★★
This is fresh and fabulous! So easy too. Delighted to find such a delightful vegan dish. 🙏🏼 I’m so excited to look through your other recipes. Difficult sometimes when there’s one vegan in the family, even my carnivorous husband adored this. Can’t wait til we are allowed to see friends again after lockdown and I can serve this salad.
★★★★★
Glad you liked Vanessa! Make sure to check out the “adaptable” category on the recipe page- there are lots of ideas for mixed households where some eat meat and some don’t. 🙂
Hi Sylvia, I’ve made peanut sauces before but they’ve always turned out tasting… “chalky” for some reason. Turned me right off. I was hesitant to try yours, but after reading all the amazing reviews you received for this recipe, I decided to go for it one last time. I’m so glad I did! I used the same natural peanut butter as always, but for some reason, your sauce is AMAZING! Puts all others I’ve tried to shame. Maybe it’s the orange juice, I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s just so, so delicious. Thanks for making me a believer in peanut sauce again. Magic!!
★★★★★
I made this last night, next time I’ll use less ginger. Other than that it was delicious.
Do you add the peanut sauce if you make the salad a few days before serving or just before serving ??
I think you could do it either way. 🙂
Delicious! Didn’t know I could make something that was even better than takeout!
★★★★★
Here we are again! Another birthday and this was once again requested, but this one is a very special milestone birthday. My daughter loves this recipe, it’s her favorite meal. Thank you for making her 18th birthday that much more special.
We so appreciate you sharing your gifts and talent with us. Please know that you share memory makers!
★★★★★
Glad she enjoyed!
Yummy!! This will be my summer picnic go-to for sure. I gently pulsed the cabbage in a food processor to hasten the shredding labor. I think the results were much better than store-bought shredded veggies. The colors, textures, and flavor are very satisfying. Thank you, Sylvia!
★★★★★
Thanks, glad you liked!
Great flavours!
★★★★★
This was excellent! Would be a great dish to serve for a dinner/lunch party. Simple but delicious!! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
This was very good but I used peanut sauce I bought at a Korean grocer (they make their own). I skipped the hot peppers and added hot sauce instead. Otherwise, this was an absolute mess to make. Might consider getting one of those salad bags with carrots and cabbage instead of shredding everything myself.
★★★★
Wow. New staple!
I plan on making this for family get together for lunch butsomeone has allergy to oranges, should l just add more lime juice?
Yes you could ( but add to taste, and add a little more sweetness too if needed) or try Meyer Lemon. I will say, the orange juice is what makes the dressing so good.
I’ve made this a few times now, usually using whatever veg I have left over (fennel is particularly good!). It’s always delicious, and the dressing is heaven.
★★★★★
This is so good! I’m making it now. The sauce is not at all too sweet. I used organic peanut butter with no added sugar so the addition of the honey was good to balance the acid in the lime juice. I also used coconut aminos and it did need a pinch of salt for me. It is really easy to make to your taste. I also sautéed the peanuts, sesame and rice noodles to give them toasted flavor.
★★★★★
Perfect Alli!
Delicious! I added more noodles so my household could have extra for leftovers. It was a hit with all of us!
★★★★★
Hiya, this is a delicious recipe! Can the sauce be frozen or how long do you think it would store in the fridge? Thank you
★★★★★
I think the sauce would freeze fine. Or keep up to 5 days in the fridge.
i always makes a double batch of sauce and freeze in 1/4 cup containers. thaws quickly on the counter. just needs a good stir.