Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in peanut sauce. Vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 14, 2024
I tend to keep to myself, especially in yoga class. It’s not a very social form of exercise, you know? Last year, when I walked into my usual Tuesday evening yoga class and my instructor shouted, “COOKIE AND KATE,” I froze. Kim, a regular in the class, had learned about my blog through her co-worker, and she said, “I know her! I go to yoga with her!”
Then Kim told Kristina, the teacher, and then everyone found out. Including Amie, one of my favorite instructors, who is great friends with Kate Kasbee of Well Vegan. Kate lives in Chicago and was working on a cookbook called Frugal Vegan at the time.
Through the Amie-Kate connection, I got a sneak peek at Frugal Vegan and wrote a blurb for the back cover. “Frugal Vegan offers an incredible array of fresh and simple vegan recipes. Every single one of them manages to be easy to make, affordable and accessible, too.”
Kate came to town for Amie’s birthday party, so I met her for drinks, and a giant green bug landed in her herbed green cocktail. Are you still following? I can’t make this stuff up.
Kate and I bonded over the trials and tribulations of cookbook-making, our love for our funny-looking pups (meet Rex), and the green bug experience. We practiced our half-moon poses at Amie’s backyard birthday party the next day. Maybe I shouldn’t be so shy about my work, since it opens so many fun doors.
Today, I’m sharing a delicious recipe from Frugal Vegan, featuring cabbage, carrots, green onion, snow or snap peas, and cilantro—all fresh, affordable, and loaded with nutrients and fiber. Toss all of that in an addictive homemade peanut sauce for a crisp, colorful, Thai-inspired salad. Enjoy it as a light summer dinner, and pack up the leftovers for tomorrow lunch.
The book’s recipe calls for millet instead of quinoa. I picked up all of the other ingredients at the store, while assuming that I had millet in my pantry at home. I did not, so I used quinoa instead. Millet is less expensive but quinoa has more protein, so take your pick accordingly. It’ll turn out great either way. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Kate and Katie’s book, Frugal Vegan!
Watch How to Make Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
Please let us know how the recipe turns out for you in the comments!
Craving more peanut goodness? You’ll love these recipes:
- Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
- Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Thai Mango Cabbage Wraps with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
- Thai Panang Curry
Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in delicious peanut sauce. This healthy salad is vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch. Recipe yields 4 salads.
Ingredients
Salad
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa or millet
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish
Peanut sauce
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
- ½ lime, juiced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool. (Here’s how to cook millet.)
- Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.
- This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days. If you don’t want your chopped peanuts to get soggy, store them separately from the rest and garnish just before serving.
Notes
Recipe minimally adapted from Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup (or agave nectar) instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free tamari, not soy sauce.
Recommended equipment: I used this mandoline to shred the cabbage (it’s dangerous; watch your fingers at all times!) and this julienne peeler to shred the carrots. (Those are affiliate links.)
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m a sophomore in college so eating healthy can be difficult with time and budget restraints. I made this salad on a Sunday and it lasted me until midweek. I loved this salad because it was 1) easy to make 2) super tasty and 3) healthy and light but still substantial enough to be a meal. In short, it’s been a success! From now on, I plan on making a salad like this (most likely from your website) every weekend to last me for the beginning of the week so that I can have access to a yummy, healthy meal in a pinch. Thanks Cookie and Kate!
I’m glad this met all of your needs, Lucy! If only I cooked this well early in college. Good for you! I appreciate your feedback. :)
You ARE the queen of salads! This is delicious….will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the title, Vonna! You’re so sweet. I’m glad you liked this one.
Do you eat this hot or cold?
It is really lovely either way! You can server right away or serve as leftovers.
I made this and subsituted a bag of tri-color cole slaw mix instead of the purple cabbage, carrot and snap peas. I added some finely chopped red pepper for color and omitted the cilantro since my husband doesn’t like it – and left in the green onions. I made the dressing as directed and it was wonderful. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Thank you for sharing your variation, Karen!
OMG! Kate you are really genius. All veggies and carrots slice is fine finished. I’m thinking how you have done this. I’ll try it tomorrow. I want to take this salad with my chines dishes. Thanks for sharing such type of value return presentation.
You’re so sweet, Rita!
This is one of those recipes I can eat (minus the snap peas). I am currently on the FODMAP diet. All my life I’ve been able to eat whatever and whenever. I now have this annoying gut problem. I was wondering if you could use that creative mind of yours and help me along? In the meantime I have full intentions of scouring all of your recipes and looking thru my purchased cookbook/Love Real Food.
Hi Charlotte! Sorry to hear that. I’m not an expert there, but I hope you can find recipes that work well!
Charlotte, sorry to hear about the stomach trouble, and no special expertise (just another follower of Cookie and Kate with a sensitive stomach), but I will say that all of Kate’s recipes that I’ve tried have been amazingly resilient as I’ve substituted things in and out based on food allergies/sensitivities. So if you are still on the FODMAP, I suggest getting creative with the substitutes and trust that most of the recipes here can handle it! (Things I’ve had to use with delicious results: blueberries for apples in salads, zucchini and tomatoes for red peppers in cooked dishes, broccoli for cauliflower, kale for Brussel sprouts, sunflower seeds for nuts, olive oil for coconut oil, water for broth in soups).
Thanks for tips! My troubles have gone from annoying to worst. Now a days I nibble here and there only. Very little in any given time.
I just made this and it’s DELICIOUS. Wrote it on a recipe card for my recipe box to make sure I never lose it!
I love hearing that, Rachel! Thanks so much for your review.
So delicious and easy to prepare !!!
Wonderful, Nathalie!
I made this and it’s SPECTACULAR! I will make this again and again. It’s SO GOOD. OMG
Love it! It’s so good!
This is OMG so good. This is the first recipe of yours I have tried. Since I am retired now, I will spend hours today looking through yours recipes for the ones I want to try next. Thanks for a go to recipe, love it!
I’m glad you loved it, Leessa! thanks for your review.
I wanted to make this salad due to all of the raving reviews. Well, I wasn’t disappointed! This salad is amazing. It’s going to be in rotation for sure from now on. Love love love a thai peanut salad!
Wonderful, Chelsea! I’m glad it lived up to the review!
Do you serve this hot or cold?
Either way! I’ve had it both and it’s delicious.
I made this recipes into spring rolls and it was delicious! Just added sriracha and it’s perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Lauren!
great recipe family loved it! Nice and light and flavorful.
thanks again
You’re welcome, Quinton!
My boyfriend and I have been following along with you since the new year looking for new recipes! We are loving them all! This recipe is our constant GO TO! Thank you so much for sharing Kate!
You’re welcome, Gaby! I’m glad this is a go-to.
Just made this salad and made a double batch for my family. It is soooo good! I’m letting it sit overnight so that the dressing can really soak in. That dressing is amazing! Thinking about other ways to use it.
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Lisa.
Made this for a potluck and my friends absolutely LOVED it! I made a bit more of the dressing and ended up using tahini because I was out of peanut butter – worked well!
Great to hear, Hazel! Thanks so much for your review.
I made this yesterday for dinner with some friends and EVERYONE loved it!. Thank you for sharing this. I was so easy to make and delicious! I omitted cilantro because I don’t care for the taste but it still turned out fantastic!
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was such a hit with everyone, Nneka!
Another perfect salad. Quick and easy to make, fantastic texture and amazing depth of flavor. So, so, so, so good. Yum.
Thank you, Rebecca!
I made this, and have to say, I was skeptical as I am not a quinoa lover, but it turned out great, very satisfying and crunchy. I used a nut butter blend instead of peanut butter. Makes lots though if you are only cooking for two, lots for leftovers. Served it with a bowel of the Best Lentil Soup recipe (also a great recipe) my husband loved both.
I forgot to fill in the stars, definitely a 5 star.
I’m glad you tried it, even though you were skeptical! Thanks for sharing, May.
This salad is delicious! I didn’t have snow peas so added a little more cabbage. I also used two teaspoons of ginger. The dressing is really yummy. I had to put it in the fridge before I ate it all!
I love it, Erin! Thanks for your review.
I’ve made this recipe a number of times and it is a winner. Over time I perfected the dressing by using tahini instead of peanut butter, tripling the amount of lime juice and adding half a seeded jalapeno or Serrano pepper. Fabulous!
Thanks for sharing, Dave! I’m glad you love this one.
I’m trying to find ways to include quinoa in my diet. This is definitely a winner! The slightly bitter flavor of the quinoa blends perfectly with the Asian influence of this salad. I’ll be making this again soon!
Happy to hear this was something you were looking for, Karen! Thanks for the review.
Kate, my hero! You’ve done it again! I made this last night and brought it for my lunch today and IT IS SO GOOD! I was debating adding the dressing as I worked my way through the salad, but I added it all at once, and the salad is still crunchy and the dressing flavored everything wonderfully! I added in the peanuts when I was ready to eat so they wouldn’t get soggy. Next time, I’m thinking I’ll add more pepper flakes or some siracha for a little more spice.
You’re so welcome! I’m excited you are loving this one.
Yessss love it. I never leave comments but iloved this recipe. I substituted parsley for cilantro and edamame instead of snow peas. I also added some jalepeno. Delicious and would add this to my go to recipe. Love rhe sauce- so versatile. I had some leftover carrots and dunk it in the sauce- had to stop myself!
Recipes usually take me over an hour bc im slow but this was very quick. Thank you!!
Thank you for commenting and letting me know you loved it, Jessica!
Yum! This was delicious. I find myself constantly craving Thai food and scrounging through random bits of lime/ginger/peanut butter/soy sauce/sesame oil/crunchy things in the kitchen to try and whip up something to satisfy. This was easy to put together and super yummy! The quinoa adds a nice texture to the dish.
I subbed the soy sauce for liquid aminos and added an extra squeeze of lime to my bowl after serving. Now I’ll have to exercise self control to keep myself from eating the entire salad at once…
Thanks for sharing, Kendall!
Such a great peanut sauce for a quinoa salad!
Thanks
Thanks for the review, Pernille!
Made this tonight and it was great! The nutrition information isn’t listed, do you by chance know about how many calories per serving? Thanks!
Hi Dawn! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you liked it! It appears to be working for me. Make sure you allow cookies as this is a plug-in on my blog. I hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious! Made it for my lunches, but the SO can’t stay away from it. And he hates Cilantro. Definitely a keeper.
Great, Linda!
Is this still good if you make it a few days ahead? Going to make it for a dinner party.
This salad is a great leftover option, so should do fine. Let me know what you think!
Today was the second time I prepared this salad. Since I ran out of quinoa, this time I added rice noodles. Hands down, this is one of my favorite salads. This is a very delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Tanika!
Kate, This is delicious, beautiful and satisfying! I will definitely make it again…and again. My vegan son is home from college and I served this salad as our dinner tonight, with a bowl of blackberries for dessrt. It was a hit for us both. I added some cubed baked tofu and topped each portion with a squeeze of sriracha – I may try some finely diced jalapeno next time for some extra heat. Leftovers will be eaten tomorrow, I’m certain. Thanks for a great recipe! I love your blog.
I’m happy you are so excited about it and that it was a hit! Thanks for your review, Rhonda.
This recipe is a home run for me. Took this to a potluck and got rave reviews. My husband, more of a meat and potatoes guy, thought it was delicious. I like that I can make in advance without peanut garnish and it keeps for days. I’m new at cooking without dairy and wheat; your vegan recipes are so helpful to me.
I modified recipe by using:
– Quinoa
– Reducing Cilantro to 2 Tablespoons (I don’t generally like Cilantro)
– Increasing the fresh ginger to 1 1/2 teaspoons
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
So quick and easy. I didn’t have quinoa so I just added some extra vegetables. It is supposed to be my packed lunch this week but I snuck a taste test and it’s delicious. Will definitely be adding this to my rotation :)
Great, Melissa! Thanks for sharing.
I’m not a huge fan of snow peas, so I used a diced red pepper instead. I needed 3 tablespoons of water for my dressing. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. It’s my new favourite lunch salad!
I’m happy it’s a new favorite and red pepper sounds delicious! Thanks for the review, Hayley.
I can hear my husband groan when he sees me cooking quinoa but he LOVED this and almost looked like he couldn’t believe these words of appreciation were coming out of his mouth. I did have to alter it due to what was on hand, so, I didn’t have the peas but threw a lot of that ready cut coleslaw into the quinoa and fluffed it up with finely chopped kale. The sauce was fabulous but I had to substitute lemon for lime and I’m sure the lime would be even better! It’s a keeper. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
That’s too funny! But, I’ happy he liked it, Angela. Thanks so much for sharing and for your review.
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make. Great flavors and texture. I prepped the salad ingredients and sauce earlier in the day, then put it all together at dinner time with the peanuts and cilantro on top. One of the best salads I’ve ever had.
One of the best! I agree it’s so good. Thanks for your review, Meredith.
I just made these for lunch for myself and my husband and they were absolutely delicious! I have never used raw brocolli in a recipe but it worked perfectly, adding some crunch to the texture. Each mouthful was a wonderful explosion of the freshest flavours.
Thanks for sharing, Jill! I’m glad you were able to enjoy another one.
Looks Awesome… Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Thank you for the review!
Hi Kate! I love your recipes. Do you have any suggestions for making this recipe less crunchy? (gasp) I have bad jaw pain, but this looks so good! Maybe I could super quickly cook some of the ingredients & chill them, or leave the sauce on the salad overnight in the fridge? Thinking of adding some kind of noodle to this! Thanks!
Oh no! I’m not sure this one would be for you, unfortunately. I’m sorry to hear about your pain. That doesn’t sound fun!
Made with green cabbage and red quinoa, and subbed celery for snow peas, and we loved it! Thanks for great recipe!
I’m glad you loved it, Cindy! Thanks for your review.
I tried this recipe the other night (and a few of your others over the past few months, which I have all loved) and it is such a bliss! I served it with some crispy marinated tofu for a little extra protein (and because, why not?) and it was amazing! Can’t wait to have the leftover for lunch tomorrow. Love love love your blog.
Crispy tofu would be great with this! Thanks for sharing, Margot.
Absolutely a delicious combo of crunchy, savory and sweet. This tasted better than similar salads we´ve had in restaurants. Will make this again and again.
Amazing recipe! I made this with 3 changes, I didn’t use peanuts as I didn’t have any, I added spicy samba and I used twice as much lime juice. I will be making a second batch tomorrow!
This is fantastic!! I altered the recipe slightly based on ingredients I didn’t have or wanted to change… Apple Cider Vinegar instead of Rice Vinegar, Crunchy PB instead of Smooth, Agave instead of Honey, Regular Soy Sauce instead of Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, and Radiccio instead of Red Cabbage. I’m very grateful for your website. I have learned to love the process of cooking, not just the finished product. Thank you!!
An excellent recipe! East to prepare, economical, colorful and flavorful beyond measure. Also easily adaptable to various tastes and ingredients on hand. A bookclub hit!
I’m happy to hear you love it and so did your bookclub!
Perfect! I found this recipe on Pinterest when I noticed the 5 start rating. I have made many “5 star” rated recipes from Pinterest, only to discover they were rated BEFORE making the recipe. I made this one exactly as stated and it was fantastic. Very full of flavor, fast, stores well for days… I cannot give it enough compliments. You won’t be disappointed!
I’m glad you loved it!
Have made two separate batches/weeks of lunches out of the ingredients to this recipe – it lasts really well and the dressing is amazing!! A+ overall, have recommended it to everyone I know.
I’m so glad you loved it and will recommend it, Sandy!
Yummy!!
Thank you, Andrei!
This was so good that I felt compelled to comment for the first time even though I have made several of your recipes already and all have been fantastic! This peanut sauce absolutely makes the dish! I used white cabbage and soba noodles because that’s what I had on hand and added some broccoli because why not! I feel like this recipe is very versatile in terms of what can be used. This was so good, I made it again last night! Thanks so much, Kate!
Thanks for commenting, Natalia! I’m glad you liked it.