The Best Crunchy Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
This Thai peanut quinoa salad is the perfect vegetarian grain salad. With crunchy peppers and carrots, nutty quinoa, and a zippy peanut dressing, this Thai peanut quinoa salad is full of big flavors that will keep your lunch game interesting.
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Hi! I’ve got spring and summer lunches for you covered!
I am all about easy throw together lunches in the summertime.
You know, the kind that hold up well at the pool. The ones with no mayo, that are light and full of flavor and texture.
Well say hello to my new summer lunch favorite that checks all those boxes, this crunchy Thai quinoa salad.
It’s full of flavors, crunch, and color.
Plus there’s not a drop of mayo in sight so it holds up well during long days at the pool or beach. An absolute must.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need a couple sets of ingredients.
For the quinoa salad you’ll need:
- Quinoa- Cook it according to instructions on the package or shortcut it by making using my Instant Pot Quinoa
- Veggies- Shredded cabbage, diced bell pepper, chopped carrots
- Peanuts– Chopped
- Herbs– Scallions and cilantro. They are optional but add so much flavor!
For the dressing you’ll need:
- Peanut butter– Use smooth peanut butter and stay away from the natural kinds that you need to stir.
- Honey– To keep it vegan, sub maple syrup or even use a little brown sugar instead.
- Lime juice– Fresh
- Soy sauce– We use low sodium soy sauce, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Ginger– 1 inch freshly grated ginger
- Sriracha- Adjust the amount to suit your heat preferences.
How to Make
- Cook the quinoa.
You can cook it according to the directions on the package or use an Instant Pot to make it effortless. - Prep the veggies.
While the quinoa cooks, dice the pepper and chop the cabbage and carrot. Set them aside. - Make the peanut dressing
To make the peanut dressing, add the peanut butter to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger and siracha. Whisk until smooth. - Assemble the salad.
When quinoa is done cooking and cooled slightly, pour it into a big bowl. Add the veggies. Top with peanut dressing, chopped peanuts and cilantro and scallions as desired.
Peanut Ginger Dressing
Look, lots of flavors would work well with this.
Sriracha lime vinaigrette for example.
Or even this Creamy Orange Ginger Dressing.
But Thai peanut dressing.
It hits all the notes: savory, sweet, spicy, tart.
Yes, please.
Plus it has this nice fresh ginger background.
And it’s super easy to make, a little peanut butter, some honey, lime, some siracha, and soy.
You are whisking your way to dressing perfection my friend.
How to Store
This salad holds up very well in the fridge- even with the dressing added to it.
To store it, just put it in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
If you do plan to serve it for lunches all week, I do recommend keeping the peanuts on the side until you are ready to eat it.
If stored in the fridge with dressing for too long, the peanuts will get weirdly soft.
Tips for Making the Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
- While I used quinoa to make this salad, if that’s not something you often have on hand substitute another grain. Brown rice would work well.
- Feel free to get creative with veggies and add what you like.
- To up the protein, add a cup of edamame.
- If you are planning to use this as lunch for several days, don’t add the peanuts. Instead add the peanuts just prior to serving
Looking for other Thai inspired recipes? Try these:
- Thai Chicken Satay Skewers
- Chili lime noodles
- Easy chickpea curry
- Thai pumpkin curry with butternut squash
- Thai chicken salad
- Easy Thai Sweet Potato Soup
- Thai Pork Ribs with Coconut Rice
- Spicy Thai vegetable soup
Ingredients
- For the salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa about 2.5 cups cooked
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup of chopped carrots about 1 large carrot
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- scallions and cilantro for garnish if desired
- For the dressing
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbs honey
- juice of two limes
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 inch freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbs siracha*
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package.
- While the quinoa cooks, dice the pepper and chop the cabbage and carrot. Set aside.
- To make the peanut dressing, add the peanut butter to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger and siracha. Whisk until smooth.
- When quinoa is done cooking and cooled slightly, pour it into a big bowl. Add the veggies. Top with peanut dressing, chopped peanuts and cilantro and scallions as desired. Enjoy now or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
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