Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad – plant-based on a budget

This Easy Thai Peanut Salad (Peanut Salad) combines fresh, crunchy veggies with a creamy, tangy, sweet, savory peanut dressing in just 10 minutes – perfect for pairing with a vegetable protein and enjoying as a main or side dish at picnics, potlucks, BBQs or any meal during the week!

Fresh and creamy Thai crunch salad with peanut dressing

If you or someone you know isn’t a fan of salads, we think you just haven’t tried the right one. Sure, limp lettuce and a few chopped tomatoes aren’t going to inspire much. But have you ever tried a recipe like this Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad?

If anything, this Thai coleslaw is closer to a coleslaw than a traditional salad, with a combination of shredded, crispy veggies like cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. The difference is that it’s topped with a super creamy peanut butter dressing for a crunchy, flavorful, filling, nutritious, and satisfying Thai crunch salad.

Not only is this recipe made with simple, inexpensive, highly nutritious ingredients and easy to put together in minutes, but the addictive creamy, flavorful, slightly salty, slightly sweet peanut salad dressing will have you coming back for more.

All of the ingredients come together to create a salad packed with flavor, color, and texture, along with tons of fiber, plant-based protein, antioxidants, and multiple vitamins and minerals in every bite. So enjoy it as a light dinner tonight and save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow – you won’t regret it. Did we mention it’s gluten-free, low-carb, vegan, and can be made keto-friendly and nut-free too?!

Do you have any leftover peanut sauce? It’s ready to make almost any dish 100x better. Pour over buddha bowls, noodles, other salads, baked tofu, and more! Also try more flavorful salads like Mediterranean quinoa salad, tossed bean salad, or sweet potato salad.

The ingredients

Just 10 frugal yet nutrient dense ingredients is all it takes to put together this Thai Peanut Salad recipe.

The peanut salad

• The vegetable: This salad uses a selection of
  • Grated romaine lettuce (or iceberg lettuce/ shredded kale)
  • Shredded red cabbage (or kale/ a combination of both)

You could use pre-packaged bags Mix coleslaw to save time, but the Thai peanut salad won’t be as fresh or crunchy.

• Coriander: Use fresh cilantro and adjust the amount as you like, or use 50/50 cilantro and scallions.
• The plant protein: (optional) We used edamame for this version, but you can also use chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, seitan, or a store-bought vegan chicken alternative.
• Peanuts: (optional) Add some chopped peanuts for a crunchy topping, raw or roasted, but unsalted works best. Sesame or chopped almonds also work.

The Thai peanut salad dressing

This creamy peanut salad dressing really takes this vegan Thai salad to the next level, so you’ll want to keep coming back to it.

• Peanut butter: Use a creamy peanut butter. Almost butter works in a pinch, but taste changes.
• Garlic and Ginger: Fresh is best, but you can also use garlic and/or ginger paste.
• Soy sauce: Use regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce. If you are gluten free, use tamari or coconut aminos.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: For cones. Alternatively, you can use unseasoned rice vinegar. Add depth by using 50/50 vinegar and lime juice.
• maple syrup: Or another sweetener like agave or even brown sugar (although liquid sweeteners work best). To make a keto/sugar-free version, use a sugar substitute like sugar-free maple syrup or erythritol.

You will need some too Water to achieve the right dressing consistency.

Optional add-ins

• pasta: A cold peanut pasta salad is one of the most popular variations. You can use any of your favorite noodles like thin or flat rice noodles, soba noodles, etc.
• Andean millet: Instead of pasta, adding quinoa is another popular option and helps add extra fiber and plant-based protein. Millet would work too.
• Avocado: For more heart-healthy fats and creaminess.
• Other Vegetables: You can experiment with lots of crunchy veggies, like thinly sliced ​​bell peppers, cucumbers or snow peas and shredded Brussels sprouts or broccoli.
• Mango: Thinly sliced ​​to add succulent sweetness to Thai cabbage salad.
• lime slices: To serve with the Asian Peanut Salad for extra brightness.
• Chili: Use chopped red chili/jalapeño (remove stem and seeds first) to add spiciness to Thai peanut salad. Alternatively, you can add red pepper flakes or sriracha to the dressing.
• Sesame oil: Add a small amount to the dressing for a toasted, nutty depth.
• Fried shallots: To garnish for crunch.

How do you make Thai Peanut Salad?

• 1) First chop the garlic and ginger, mix all the ingredients for the Thai Peanut Dressing in a small bowl, beat until smooth and creamy and set aside.

Alternative, Place everything in a mini food processor/blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Start with a little water and increase the amount until you get a good salad dressing consistency.

• 2) Meanwhile, prepare all the salad ingredients by chopping up the lettuce, cabbage, and carrots and adding them to a large bowl with the cilantro and your vegetable protein of choice.

• 3) Toss the Thai cabbage salad with the dressing, then serve, optionally sprinkling the salad with chopped peanuts for garnish. Enjoy!

Preferably add the dressing just before serving for the crispiest peanut coleslaw/salad.

frequently asked Questions

recipe notes

• For a balanced meal: Be sure to include an extra vegetable protein. For a heartier meal with carbs, add pasta or quinoa as well.
• To save time: Use pre-shredded ingredients or use a food processor’s shredding disc to get the job done in virtually seconds.
• Let it marinate: We recommend preparing the dressing in advance to allow the flavors to combine. An hour is great, but overnight is even better.
• taste: Feel free to customize any of the ingredients for the peanut dressing.

Storage Instructions

If you want to make this Thai Cabbage Peanut Salad ahead of time, you can prepare the veggies and peanut sauce separately and store in airtight containers in the fridge 2-3 days in advance.

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing tastes best when melted for at least an hour, but it’s even better overnight and keeps up to 5 days in the fridge.

Once fully set up, it is best enjoyed immediately. However, keep any leftovers in an airtight container Fridge for 2-3 dayssoftening over time.

Because of the many fresh vegetables, we do not recommend freezing this Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad.

Serving recommendations

This peanut salad is already a hearty and balanced meal. But you can also serve it in smaller portions, like peanut salad, or as a side dish:

More vegan Thai recipes

Photos by Alfonso Revilla