Whenever a friend asks me what they should serve at a dinner party, this Thai salad with peanut dressing is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s incredibly flavorful and easy to prepare, and it usually leaves everyone begging you for the recipe.
What makes this recipe special is the contrasting textures and ridiculously(!) delicious peanut dressing. Sometimes, when I revisit this recipe, I question whether I could make the dressing even simpler, but then I taste it and realize it’s too perfect to mess with.
So, I hope you’ll try it as written before making any tweaks.
While I suggest serving the dressing over a combination of tender romaine lettuce, crunchy cabbage, and shredded carrots, you can also use this dressing as a dip for crispy baked tofu or baked chicken.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“This salad is a 10 out of 10! I have made it 6 times in the last couple of weeks. My family and I can’t get enough!! So yummy! I could drink the dressing it is so good.” – Diana
Thai Salad Ingredients
- Peanut Butter. I use all-natural peanut butter as the base of the dressing, which adds creaminess and flavor. Buy the kind you need to stir when you first open the jar. (Salted is best!)
- Tamari. This is gluten-free soy sauce, but you can use regular soy sauce if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe. I don’t buy low-sodium, so if that’s what you have on hand, the dressing might need an extra pinch of salt for flavor.
- Honey. This natural sweetener balances out the tangy lime juice and vinegar.
- Rice Vinegar. This variety of vinegar is less acidic than other varieties, but you can use champagne, apple cider, or white wine vinegar instead.
- Lime Juice. Using freshly squeezed lime juice will give you the best flavor in this dressing. When shopping for a lime, make sure you can squeeze it— that will make it more likely to be juicy inside! (Limes with a smooth outer skin also tend to be juicier in my experience.)
- Red Pepper Flakes. These add a hint of spice to the dressing, without making it “spicy.”
- Olive Oil. This dressing doesn’t need much oil, since the peanut butter already helps it emulsify. You can use avocado oil or another neutral option if you prefer.
- Veggies. Shredded romaine lettuce, cabbage, green onion, carrots, red bell pepper, and freshly chopped cilantro make the base of the salad. If you’re missing one of these, your salad will still be delicious, so no need to be perfect here.
- Cashews or Peanuts. These toppings add a nice crunch! I like to use salted nuts for a flavor boost, too.
How to Make Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
Step 1:
To prepare the dressing, add the peanut butter, olive oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic, ginger, honey, salt, and red pepper flakes to a glass jar with a lid. (The one I’m using is 14-ounces in size.)
Use a small whisk or spoon to stir well. The dressing won’t look creamy at first, so be patient and keep stirring. Once it looks well-mixed, add a tablespoon of water and stir again. You can add another tablespoon of water and stir again, if a runnier consistency is desired. (I don’t recommend using more than 2 tablespoons of water, or the flavor might get diluted.)
Set the dressing aside while you chop the veggies. If you want to make this ahead of time, secure a lid on the jar and store the dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, but will become runny again when you let it come to room temperature.
Note: Finely mince the garlic and ginger into the dressing with a microplane (affiliate link). You can mince them directly over the jar of dressing so they fall right in, without extra chopping.
Step 2:
Use a sharp knife to shred the romaine lettuce and cabbage; add them to a large bowl as you go. Next, shred a large carrot and add it to the bowl. Then, chop a red bell pepper (removing the seeds and white pith), the green onion, and fresh cilantro, and add them to the bowl, too.
If you’re going to serve this salad soon, go ahead and drizzle about half the dressing over the veggies in the bowl. Toss well, then taste the salad to see if you need more dressing. You can drizzle more as needed, or serve the extra dressing on the side so you can add more to each portion.
Top with chopped cashews or peanuts for crunch, if desired.
Serving Tips
This salad can remain dressed for about 1 hour before serving; after that, some of the veggies will release liquid, and the bottom of the bowl will look a little watery. It’s still delicious, just not quite as visually appealing.
So, I recommend dressing this salad right before serving, just so it looks as fresh and crisp as possible.
Thai Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup peanut butter (68 grams)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (12 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (27 grams)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (31 grams)
- 1 tablespoon tamari (18 grams; or soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoons honey (57 grams)
- 2 garlic cloves (8 grams)
- 1-inch fresh ginger (5 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (2 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water , as needed
Thai Salad
- 1 romaine heart , chopped
- 2 cups red or green cabbage , shredded
- 1 large carrot , shredded
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped and seeds removed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- ¾ cup chopped peanuts or cashews (optional; for topping)
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To prepare the dressing, add the peanut butter, vinegar, oil, lime juice, tamari, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of water to a 14-ounce jar and whisk well to combine. If you’d like a runnier consistency, add another tablespoon of water and mix again. Note: I use a microplane to finely mince the garlic and ginger into the mix, so there won’t be any large chunks in the final dressing.
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Add the shredded romaine, cabbage, carrots, green onion, bell pepper, and cilantro to a large bowl. When you’re ready to serve the salad, drizzle half the dressing over the veggies and toss well.
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Taste the salad, and add more dressing as needed. (You might not use it all; I like to serve the extra on the side.) Add the chopped nuts, if you’d like extra crunch, then serve right away. Leftover dressing will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make-Ahead Tips: Prepare the dressing up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge. The dressing will thicken when chilled, but will become runny if you let it come to room temperature again. The veggies can all be chopped up to 24 hours in advance, and then you can assemble this shortly before serving, to retain the maximum crunch. (Dressed salad will still taste good the next day, but it looks soggy and unappealing, so I don’t recommend storing it dressed, especially if you plan on serving guests.)
Make it Vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of peanut butter.
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 417mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 6699IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
More Recipes to Try
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