• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Seasonal Eats
    • Spring
    • Fall
    • Summer
    • Winter
    • Monthly Guide
  • Recipes
    • Drinks and Sides
    • Soups and Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Fresh Coast Eats
    • Privacy Policy

Fresh Coast Eats logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Appetizers
  • Soups and Salads
  • Drinks and Sides
  • Main Dishes
  • Desserts
×

May 13, 2021 By Karen Leave a Comment

Thai Inspired Salad

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Ready to break lunch time boredom? This Thai inspired salad is made with types of cabbage, shredded carrots, edamame, red bell pepper, green onions, cucumber, and peanuts and is anything but boring!

Each bite is loaded with two types of cabbage, red pepper, cucumber, edamame, green onion cilantro and peanuts. Sounds complicated but it's super easy!

An overhead image of thai-inspired salad in a grey bowl with a side of dressing

For more salad recipes, check out healthy spring salad, brussels sprout salad, and beetroot salad.

Craving Thai food? Me too! My family loves Thai takeout dinners. The classic flavors of authentic Thai cuisine are always so satisfying. I wanted to come up with a healthy salad recipe that would allow me to enjoy the spices and seasonings I love so much, in a light and healthy way. This Thai Salad is the perfect solution when you want takeout but need something lighter. The best part? It's quick and easy to make.

What's in a Thai Salad?

There is a rainbow of color in this Thai Salad!

  • Shredded Cabbage and Carrots: This recipe calls for bagged to make things super easy, but you can also shred your own. Using both green and red adds nutrient variation and color to the final dish.
  • Cucumber: Cucumber adds a cool and crisp bite of texture against the shredded cabbage. I prefer the English or Japanese cucumbers.
  • Red Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper not only adds a beautiful red color, but it adds a complex sweetness that really stands out against the other veggies.
  • Green Onion: If you don't care for green onion, you can skip this but it really takes the salad to the next level and keeps each bite interesting.
  • Edamame: A sweet and buttery addition to the salad with a nice gentle texture.
  • Cilantro: I love the fresh flavor and fluffy texture that cilantro adds to this salad. You can also substitute it for parsley.
  • Peanuts: One of my favorite Thai ingredients and the star of this salad!
Overhead ingredient image with vegetables to make Thai Salad.

Thai Salad Dressing Ingredients

Even with all those wonderful ingredients, this dressing is hands down the best part! To make the dressing, you will need:

  • Peanut Butter: A creamy, nutty way to bring in classic Thai flavor
  • Rice Vinegar: Adds a sweet and sour tang
  • Olive Oil: For smooth consistency that allows the dressing to coat each and every bite
  • Soy Sauce: Gives the dressing a deep, rich salty burst of Asian flavor.
  • Ginger: Provides a fresh zip of flavor and subtle spice. Fresh is best, if you only have dried then you can skip it.
  • Garlic: Don't skip the garlic! Just a couple of cloves gives this dressing a subtle spice and slightly nutty flavor.
  • Lime Juice: The acidity of lime juice cuts through the rich peanut butter and adds a fresh and zesty finish to the dressing.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: Brings some heat to the dressing. You can add more or less depending on your preference.
  • Honey: Adds a bit of sweetness.
Overhead image of ingredients to make peanut dressing for Thai inspired salad.

How to make Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Start by combining all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. This salad is very forgiving, so if there is a particular ingredient you don't care for, you can leave it out and the salad will still come out just fine. Chop all of the veggies roughly the same size.

Overhead image of ingredients to make Thai salad in a white bowl.

Next prepare the dressing by adding all the dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender. Again, don't hesitate to adjust ingredients to suit your preferences. You can adjust the red pepper flakes to control the spice and the honey to control the sweetness. Use more or less olive oil until you reach the desired consistency.  I do find each time I make this, it's a little different. Just give it a taste and adjust as necessary.

Creamy peanut dressing being pulsed in a food processor to make easy Thai Salad

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. I like to drizzle a little extra on top before serving.

Storage Suggestions

If you don't think you will be enjoying this thai salad in one sitting, I recommend serving the dressing on the side instead. While most of the ingredients are pretty sturdy, the salad will still get soggy if you store it with the dressing on it.

Store the dressing separately in an airtight container and give it a shake before adding it to the salad. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

If you are meal prepping, I would even suggest storing each salad ingredient separately, or at least separately in the bowl. That would really help keep things nice and fresh for you.

Creamy peanut dressing being drizzled onto a thai salad.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is complex and filling enough to serve on its own. If you're looking to serve as more of a side dish or starter, try some recipes with similar flavors. Asian Inspired Turkey Meatballs are excellent choices for a main course.

More Salad Recipes

  • Three Bean Salad
  • Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
  • Spring Salad
  • Brussel Sprout Salad
  • Beetroot Salad

This post was originally seen on Yellow Bliss Road, where I am a contributor.

Thai Salad in a grey bowl with dressing on the side.

Thai Inspired Salad

A healthy cabbage based salad packed with veggies and topped with a creamy peanut dressing
4 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 305kcal
Author: Karen

Ingredients

Salad

  • 5 cups shredded coleslaw mix with carrots
  • 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 cup red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup cucumber chopped
  • 1 cup edamame shelled, cooked, and cooled
  • ½ cup green onion sliced
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts chopped

Dressing

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter creamy
  • 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • ¼ cup red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients and set aside.
  • In a food processor or blender, combine the dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth.
  • Pour dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Alternatively, you can serve the dressing on the side.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

This salad is very forgiving. You can omit any ingredients you don't like and make adjustments as needed. 
 
Add more or less oil to the dressing until the desired consistency is reached.
 
If meal prepping, it is helpful to store salad ingredients separated and serve dressing on the side. 

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 3891IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
Pin It and Save It for Later!!Mention @FreshCoastEats or tag #freshcoasteats!
« Summer Chili (Farmstand Chili)
Easy Air Fryer Pineapple Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Karen! I’m a food stylist, photographer and recipe developer living in the Great Lakes area with my husband and four kids. I can’t wait for you to try my simple, clean, produce driven recipes inspired by the four seasons 

Learn more here! →

Trending Recipes

  • Nut Free Pesto
  • Pink Champagne Cupcakes
  • Halloween Mimosa #HalloweenTreatsWeek
  • Persimmon Butter

Fall Favorites

  • Air Fryer Mini Apple Pies
  • Apple Cider Doughnuts Recipe
  • Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
  • Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
  • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake
  • Apple Crumble Pie

Holiday Sweet Treats

  • Eggnog Waffles Recipe
  • Fresh Cranberry Bars
  • Eggnog Cupcakes
  • Cranberry Smoothie Bowl

Holiday Dinner Table

  • Vegan Green Bean Casserole
  • Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin
  • Beef Wellington
  • Whole Roasted Rainbow Carrots
  • Hasselback Potatoes
  • Green Beans Almondine
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All photography and written text on this site are Copyright of Fresh Coast Eats © 2019, unless otherwise noted. Material may not be duplicated, published or re-written without permission. All rights reserved. Please send all inquiries to [email protected] For all legalities, please see our Privacy and Disclosure for more details!