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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I actually had all the ingredients on hand but decided to try using powdered peanut butter and powdered honey instead. (Been experimenting with dehydrated foods lately…)Turned out a bit tangy because I might not have gotten the proportions just right but delightful nonetheless. Since I practically live on chopped salads with chicken this is a nice change from my normal dressings.
Made this while traveling with limited ingredients. I substituted white wine for rice vinegar, omitted the soy sauce and used green onions in place of the cilantro. I did not have a blender handy so I chopped everything very finely. It came out great! Would definitely make this again.
SO easy, especially when I used bagged slaw mix and precut veggies! Sautéed shrimp and added cashews. This was one of two recipes I made from your website-the other was your more kid friendly turkey, spinach and cheese meatballs. Able to make both with minimal fuss and maximal appreciation from the diners. These were my first two recipes from Jennifer, but they won’t be my last!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I used a bagged coleslaw mix with carrots, so it came together quickly. I added some chopped grilled chicken and leftover Thai basil I had on hand. The peanut dressing is SO YUM! This is my go to salad for the Summer. Thank you!
I’m thinking if making your Thai crunch salad with your honey lime chicken skewers for a cookout. What 3rd dish would you suggest adding to the menu? I feel I need one extra dish. Thanks.
Hi Beverly, this jasmine rice would be a nice third option here. Hope you enjoy!
Just made this recipe this weekend and it’s amazing! The dressing is fantastic and my family LOVED it!
Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
So incredibly good. Made a few small changes due to what I had on hand, apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, no edamame, and adjusted flavors slightly at the end (more vinegar and soy sauce). I was skeptical about the amount of honey and sugar, but the sweetness was sooooo good with the crunchy vegetables! Kept the dressing separate, so I will be able to have crunchy leftovers today.
Made this Salad and dressing today for the first time and love it!! My boyfriend who is not a big salad guy also loved it! Everything about this salad is just perfect! I would definitely recommend making and trying this!!
This salad was amazing! I’ve made it several times since I saw it in your newsletter. Ingredients were perfect together and the peanut sauce made me want to cry it was so good.
I love this one! It’s May & Michigan is starting to warm up, so I’m thinking about salads… this one in particular. It was on the table a lot last summer.