This crunchy Thai salad is loaded with shredded veggies, edamame, and fresh herbs, tossed in a light Peanut Dressing. A delicious, healthy side dish or make-ahead salad. Vegan & GF.
Here is one of my favorite meal-prep salad recipes! It’s packed full of shredded veggies – cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, or snap peas, and optional edamame. Loaded with fresh herbs and tossed in a bright citrus-infused Peanut Dressing – it is simple, healthy, and full of flavor!
This is an older recipe on the blog, but I reach for it whenever I need a burst of nutrition from cruciferous veggies, which is often! Brian loves this salad too, so it’s an easy way to have something healthy on hand during the week for both of us to snack on. Sometimes I’ll top it with avocado, or crispy tofu, or leftover chicken.
I have made this recipe several times for vegan and non-vegan guests, and everyone loves it! The flavors are delicious, everyone loves the crunch from the peanuts, and the vegetables that you include are flexible. A perfect summer recipe!
Why you’ll love this Thai Salad recipe!
It’s incredibly versatile. It’s a great way to use up all the stray farmers’ market veggies we have in our refrigerator drawers. I make this solely with vegetables, using shredded cabbage as the base, but it could easily be made with rice or soba noodles if you wanted to bulk it up.
The peanut dressing is not overly thick, sitting very lightly on the vegetables. It’s a salad that keeps well and tastes great for several days.
It’s so healthy! This veggie-packed Thai salad is high in fiber and protein, making it a nourishing, energizing lunch. For even more protein, add chicken or tofu!
Thai Salad Recipe Ingredients
- Cabbage: Use shredded green, purple, or Napa cabbage.
- Carrots: You can use shredded carrots or matchstick carrots.
- Bell pepper: Use both a red bell pepper and a yellow bell pepper.
- Edamame: Or substitute snap peas or cucumber, or use a combination of two or three!
- Chopped fresh herbs: Mint, basil, fresh cilantro, or a combo.
- Green onions: Add an aromatic bite that elevates.
- Crushed nuts: Crushed roasted peanuts or cashews add nice texture and flavor, but they are optional.
Peanut Dressing Ingredients
- Orange and lime: You’ll need both orange zest and orange juice. Zest the orange before juicing!
- Maple syrup: Or use honey, agave, or brown sugar for subtle sweetness.
- Fresh garlic and ginger: Adds fragrant, aromatic flavor.
- Olive oil and toasted sesame oil: Give the sauce its richness and depth.
- Soy sauce: If gluten-free, use Braggs Liquid Aminos. Tamari will make the sauce unpleasantly dark.
- Rice vinegar: Imparts a nice acidity and tanginess.
- Sambal (red chile paste): Or use sriracha, for subtle heat.
- Peanut butter: You can also sub roasted peanuts!
How to Make Thai Salad
1. Make the peanut sauce. Zest the orange and set the zest aside for the salad. Then, squeeze the juice and add to a blender (a food processor won’t get the dressing as smooth), along with the lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile paste, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the peanut butter and blend, adding more until achieving the desired thickness. Taste and adjust for salt.
2. Assemble the salad. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, edamame, green onions, and herbs to a large bowl and toss with the dressing, adding enough to coat evenly. Toss in some of the peanuts (only if serving immediately).
3. Season and garnish. Taste and adjust the salad for salt, pepper, and spice. If making this ahead, store and refrigerate. When ready to serve, garnish with the remaining herbs and peanuts.
Chef’s Tips
- Use any quick-cooking vegetables you have on hand. This recipe is a great opportunity to clean out the fridge! Feel free to switch it up.
- Serve with rice or noodles. If desired, add cooked rice, soba noodles, or rice noodles to the salad for something a bit heartier.
- Save some of the peanut sauce for another recipe. Depending on how many veggies you add to the bowl, you may not need all the dressing. So add gradually, then toss.
- You can also use the veggie base as a stir-fry, as a very helpful reader shared with me in the comments below! Love this idea!!! Serve warm over cooked rice or noodles and drizzle peanut sauce over top.
What to serve with Thai Crunch Salad
Platter the salad and scatter fresh herbs, scallions, chives, and crushed roasted peanuts over top. Crunchy, flavorful, healthy, and delicious!
If desired, add a protein or serve alongside a main dish.
- Indonesian Grilled Sambal Chicken
- Asian-Style Baked Tofu
- Thai Chicken (or Tofu) Satay
- Instant Pot Thai Curry Chicken
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Thai Turkey Burger Recipe with Asian Slaw
- Thai Turkey Meatballs
STORAGE
The salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. If planning to store and enjoy throughout the week, keep the dressing separate and add as needed to keep the veggies crisp.
Other Salads you may enjoy
- Easy Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad for a Summer Party!
- Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf)
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Everyday Kale Slaw (Vegan)
After you try this Thai Salad recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Thai Salad Recipe with Peanut Dressing
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: gluten-free, meal prep, salad, Side Dish, vegan
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American, Thai
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Low-Carb, Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
This crunchy Thai salad is loaded with shredded veggies, edamame, and fresh herbs, tossed in a light Peanut Dressing. A delicious, healthy side dish or make-ahead salad. Vegan & GF.
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded cabbage ( green, purple or napa)
- 1 cup shredded carrots or use matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups edamame, snap peas, or cucumber (or a combo)
- 1 cup chopped fresh herbs- mint, basil, or cilantro ( a combo is nice)
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- optional: 1/2 cup crushed roasted peanuts (or cashews)
- 1 orange, both zest and juice (1 tablespoon zest, 1/3 cup-1/2 cup juice)
- 1 lime, juice (1/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons maple, honey, agave or brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 thin sliced disks of ginger (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (GF)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2– 1 teaspoon sambal (red chile paste) or sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste.
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (or roasted peanuts)
Instructions
- Make peanut dressing: Zest the orange and set aside, then squeeze the orange juice into the blender. Add the lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, sliced ginger, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile paste, and salt, everything except the peanuts (or peanut butter) into a blender. Blend until smooth. Finally, add peanut butter (or peanuts) blend again, adding more to the desired thickness. Taste, adjust salt, adding more if you like.
- Salad. Place cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, cucumber or edamame, green onions, and herbs in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing, adding enough to coat well. If serving right away, toss in the peanuts, saving some for garnish.
- Season. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and spice level. Refrigerate the salad if making ahead.
- Garnish with remaining herbs and peanuts.
Notes
Click on the Peanut Dressing link in the recipe for the nutritional info the dressing only.
Serve with the optional Sambal Chicken or Baked Ginger Sesame Tofu.
Salad will keep up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 265
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 114.2 mg
- Fat: 18.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.2 g
- Fiber: 4.9 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
We love Thai food, and I was excited to try this salad. It is incredible! The crunchiness, the colors, and the satisfying umami flavors… Yum!
Have you tried the dressing as a baste for chicken or fish? I could practically drink the dressing on its own!
Yes Janet! I love it baked with tofu. It is great on all sorts of meats.
Do you think I could sub cashew butter for the peanut butter in this dressing? Is there anything else I should add?
Cashew butter sounds good! Roasted cashew butter will give a deeper flavor but I bet raw would be yummy and rich too. Let us know what you try.
I decided to make this into a stir fry and it was excellent! I cooked the peppers first, then added the remaining veggies. When everything was cooked, I added the sauce, adjusting the seasoning with extra soy sauce and sriracha. A generous handful of herbs (Thai basil and mint for me) and the citrus in the dressing kept this bright. Including shredded chicken made this a complete meal, perfect for meal prep. Can’t wait to make this again!
What a brilliant idea Stephie! So glad you enjoyed.
Such a fabulous dressing. This will become a favourite. Thank you for a great recipe.
Glad you liked this Anne!
This is the only slaw that my teenager frequently requests. I love that it provides her with more than her five a day of fresh fruit and veggies and healthy nut oils.
So happy she enjoys this one- yes packed full of healthy veggies!
This is special becase of the multiple layers of flavor;
tart lime, sweet honey, bright orange zest, spicy sambal. what a way to go!
THANKYOU Sylvia!
thanks Megan!
I have made this recipe several times for vegan and non-vegan guests, and everyone loves it! The flavors are delicious, everyone loves the crunch from the peanuts, and the vegetables that you include are flexible. A perfect summer recipe!
Thanks so much Rebecca!
Once again thank you for the great recipe. I made this salad
For potluck everyone loved it. Just yummy 🤤.
Great to hear!
This Thai Crunch Salad was delicious! Thank you so much for these great recipes.
Thanks, Elizabeth! Glad you enjoyed this!
Delicious salad, very flexible, and makes enough dressing for several salads for 6, in my opinion. Very colorful! It did take quite a while to chop up all the veggies and fruit, even using a food processor for some, so allow ample time. All the tips and suggested alternatives were very helpful. The perfect summer salad!
Great to hear Karen!
OMG, I made the peanut dressing tonight, just a trial, thought I’d make the salad and chicken for lunch on Sunday, but I’d better give the dressing a run in case it’s not what I was expecting. Honestly I could have sat down with a spoon and eaten the lot with no salad. It’s spectacular. Thanks so much. Really looking forward to the meal on Sunday now. Marie, Melbourne, Australia
Thanks Marie! Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made a similar salad with napa cabbage. Does it matter what kind of cabbage used in this recipe?
Plan on trying this tonight.
Thanks, Karen
Hi Karen, Any cabbage will work here!
Very tasty, and absolutely gorgeous! Eat the rainbow!!
This salad is EPIC ! I am trying a lot of raw vegan recipes and this salad has been a staple, I’ve made it for lunch with friends and for myself over and over. The flavor of the sauce is unbeatable !
This is delicious! Quick question – how long do you think the dressing lasts in the fridge?
4-5 days.
Thank you!
Thank you for including the nutritional facts for this recipe. I was wondering how much dressing is included in these calculations or if any?
I included all the dressing.
Super flavorful and yummy. Loved the combination of the chicken and salad.
I made this today and it was delicious! I have never commented on any other food blog prior to finding this one, and this is my second comment. I love your recipes! For this recipe I used soba noodles as a base, but I think cabbage would have been fine. I left out the mango, but decided the salad was asking for it, so bought one on my way home. I used dried mint from my summer garden, and it was fine, along with cilantro. The dressing is so good. I’ll make this again.
I’m so happy you are enjoying the Blog!
This salad is an absolute winner!
I love this salad, and I love that it keeps well. I like to make a big batch and then use it for lunches for a couple of days. I do like to add just a splash of rice vinegar to the peanut dressing for extra tang.
Thanks so much for the rating and comment Katy!
I am a great fan of your recipes and this is one of my favourites!. I prepare the vegetables and store in the frig and eat from it all week. One day it is a salad with baked tofu and peanut sauce, the next a stir fry with chicken, and the next another salad with a different one of your dressings!
Versatile, tasty, and stays fresh for a few days. Quite a winner. I have made it with and without the mango, have added avocado, apple, broccoli,or grapes …what a wonderful base! Thanks so much for your great recipes.
Thanks so much Bonnie! Love how you are using it and adapting it to your needs. Thanks so much for sharing and showing others how they can use it too!!! Love it!
i made this the other night. Guilt free dressing:)
This Is an excellent recipe. Grilled a chicken breast basting while on the grill with the dressing. Everyone loved it!
Thanks Teri, that’s a great idea…I’ll have to try it!
Love it! Thanks for recipe! These look incredible…
Yum!! This looks so fresh and flavorful! I’m a big fan of anything with peanut sauce.
Thanks..it’s a good one for summer!
yumm looks amazing!! I love to eat food with so much color 🙂
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