Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s famous version, this Thai crunch salad recipe is a colorful, satisfying mix of fresh veggies and creamy peanut dressing. It’s pretty much what salad dreams are made of.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This recipe is a nod to the popular Thai crunch salad served at California Pizza Kitchen. It’s made with crisp Napa cabbage, crunchy vegetables, and edamame, but it’s the creamy peanut dressing that makes it so good. I guarantee you’ll want to put it on everything!
Serve this salad as a light lunch or pair it with grilled chicken or steak for a more substantial meal. It also pairs nicely with chicken satay or honey, lime and sriracha chicken skewers. This is one of those recipes with a long list of ingredients but don’t let that deter you; you can use many of the prepared vegetables available at the supermarket, and the dressing is quickly puréed in a blender.
“This salad was such a big hit at dinner last night that my guest requested seconds. It’s so over-the-top delicious that it’s insane!”
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Chopping the garlic and ginger first prevents the dressing from being gritty or uneven, especially if your blender isn’t super powerful. Add the cilantro.
Blend for just a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. (Adding it at the end keeps the dressing a creamy, natural color instead of muddy green.)
Step 2: Combine the veggies. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, edamame, scallions, and cilantro. Seeding the cucumbers is key for keeping the salad crisp and avoiding excess water that can dilute the dressing.
Step 3: Dress and serve. If you’re serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss to coat. Otherwise, store the chopped veggies and dressing separately—the veggies will keep for 2 days and the dressing for up to a week. The peanut dressing may thicken slightly as it chills, so give it a good stir (or a quick whisk) if you’ve made it ahead.
More Asian-Style Salad Recipes You May Like
Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
Modeled after CPK’s Thai crunch salad, this salad has bright veggies, bold flavors, and a dressing you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.
Ingredients
For the Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
For the Salad
- 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)
- 1 cup prepared shredded carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
- 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.
- Here's some easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: Approximately 2 cups
- Calories: 282
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 505 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I found your blog last Friday and have since tried three recipes. Each have been fantastic and so unique. This salad is so good and really so easy. I made it two nights in a row since my husband loved it so much. I served it with the honey, lime, siracha chicken kebabs and they were excellent as well. Now that I have the siracha sauce in my frig, I want to make more and more things with it. And finally, last night I made the white bean ragout to go along with some baked chicken breasts since it was a rainy night. I made myself use the fresh mint even though I was wary of the flavor. I like mint in mojitos but thats about it. So glad I did it though because the mint/basil combo gave the broth the most unique flavor. Restaurant quality for sure.
So keep the recipes coming. I already know Ill be making your beef stew on the first cold Sunday in October.
Ps, I didnt use the edamame but chopped up some baby arugula and it gave it such a nice peppery flavor.
Loved the dressing and having it on all those raw veggies made it super healthy. I added some chopped blanched peanuts and crunchy chinese noodles as a topping.
Enjoyed every mouthful!
This is the 2nd recipe I tried from your site and ever since then I’ve tried 1-2 recipes each week and hooked on your site. I didn’t have edamame, but used broccolli slaw instead and was so delicious. I ate the salad everyday that week with a different main dish. Then I brought this salad to a potluck and people asked for the recipe. I look forward to your newsletters. All your recipes are practical, easy to follow, but absolutely delicious
I made this tonight for supper and it was a HUGE hit with my family! Reminded us of Vietnamese dishes that we love. I’ll be looking for more recipes from you. Thanks for taking the time to share.
As always w/ OUAC, I followed the recipe exactly and the result was so so good! The dressing is so tasty and the veggie mix is great. The dressing seemed thick but once I mixed it around it was fine. If I have sliced almonds or those little crunchy noodles I may toss them in next time. Definitely a keeper (third ‘keeper’ in three days from this website! Thai chicken skewers and apricot cous cous, yum!)
So Delicious! I find I can’t go wrong with your recipes!
The crunchy Thai salad is perfection. I served it a few weeks ago to a huge crowd having tripled the recipe, and it was a huge hit!
I want to try to make the Thai crunch salad but cannot find red pepper flakes anywhere. What can I use as a substitute ? Would pink pepper work?
I’m surprised you can’t find them — have you looked in the spice section of your regular supermarket? If you can’t find them, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more to taste if desired).
Its a little thick for a dressing. Any suggestions to thin out?
Hi Frances, You could thin it with a little water but honestly I’d leave it as is; when you toss it with the vegetables it will thin out on its own as the vegetables release water.
Simply delicious and will even hold well for lunch the next day IF you have any leftovers!