Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
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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
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- 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.
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This salad dressing is amazing!! A little bit goes a long ways if you are trying to watch calories too. I used the napa for the salad which was good but the next time I will use cabbage. I prefer the crunch of the cabbage. I also added cooked chicken and ate the salad as my main meal. Top the salad off with chopped peanuts for some extra crunch! Delicious!
made this last weekend for lunches. great flavour!
i added grilled chicken breast on top – excellent!
Found your site while looking for healthy dishes; so glad I did. This is absolutely one of the best salads I have ever eaten!! It is truly a marvelous blend if flavors and textures. The only change I made was to increase the amounts of ginger and lime juice a smidge. I could seriously eat this every day and can’t wait to try the dressing in other ways. Your site is fun to read and directions are easy to follow. I’m sure I’ll be making many more if your creations in the near future. Thanks for a terrific blog!!
I was looking for a peanut dressing at the grocery store and just couldn’t fine one that caught my eye. I found this recipe and it is the best. I had to use apple cider vinegar as I didn’t have the called for one. It is one of the best dressings I have ever tasted. This is a keeper.
Hi Jen I only have seasoned rice vinegar in my pantry and your recipe for Thai Crunch salad asks for unseasoned rice vinegar. Can I use what I have?
Hi Joan, That’s fine, just reduce the sugar by a 1/2 teaspoon or so.
This salad is fantastic!
Dressing is amazing!!!
I stumbled upon this recipe about a month ago and have since made it 4 times. I absolutely love it and so has everyone I have made it for. I have followed the recipe for the dressing exact and usually double it. I have varied the veggies each time depending on what is available. I love adding chicken and wonton strips!
Thank you!!
I really can’t speak highly enough about this recipe. The dressing is just fantastic! And, becuase Jenn is amazing, I didn’t adjust a single thing!!! I’ve made the salad as it, I’ve used the dressing for a cold noodle salad with chicken, scallions, carrots, snap peas and sesame seeds, i’ve used this dressing for chicken wings!! I prefer organic or some type of grass fed, the flavor and size are jsut so much better. I grill the wings until they are nice and crispy and toss the dressing and some scallions on the hot chicken, your football fans will thank you! perfect game day treat!
Thanks, yet again Jenn!!!
This is THE BEST new recipe I made this year. I served it to guests three times and that sentiment was shared. Last time I made it my husband said, we should really make that more often. The combination of flavors is truly fantastic. YUM!!