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 made this dish for a dinner party and had rave reviews from my guests! I made it to accompany a chicken satay dish. Since then I have made this recipe multiple times and have been asked to share the recipe. This recipe was simple to follow and absolutely delicious!
This recipe is AMAZING. Easy and delicious! Thank you!
This salad is amazing! I make it every week for lunches. For a heartier meal I add shredded rotisserie chicken. If napa cabbage isn’t available I use kale instead and I always add red cabbage for crunch and colour!
I love this salad. The dressing is delicious and it’s easy to switch up/add veggies you have on hand. I like that the dressing is freezer friendly. I double it and freeze half (is really good on noodles/stir fry too!). Thank you Jenn!! 🙂
I’ve made this salad many times and it’s absolutely delicious. I make it as a side when I have guests but normally I make a big batch on Sunday and eat it for lunch, on its own, throughout the week. I omit the sugar–it’s pretty sweet without it. And I sometimes add avocado or grilled chicken when eating it as a main course. A go to recipe for sure!
Amazing dressing!! Is there a way to make several batches ahead of time ? Maybe make a recipe and freeze it? Or prepare the ingredients in a bag and freeze those until ready to blend? It just takes me a while to make the dressing and I want to enjoy this often!
Hi Jessica, Glad you like the dressing! I’ve never frozen it and it would never occur to me to do so, but a few readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. If you try it, please report back and let me know how it turns out!
The salad is very good. I made it twice; the first time as the recipe (except with regular cabbage instead of napa, since napa is more expensive), and it was very tasty. And while making it, I noticed there was no fish sauce in it, which just seemed like a huge omission for a Thai recipe, so I re-did it with some alterations: I reduced the amount of salt and added about 2 tea. of fish sauce, and then I substituted half of the veg. oil with sesame oil, and half of the honey with Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce). I also added a minced serrano with most of the seeds removed. It didn’t change the flavor of the dressing much; but a fish sauce is a must in a Thai dish. I’m going to continue to play with it until the subtle Thai elements really shine. Storing the dressing separate and adding it when you eat it really helps with keeping it from getting soggy.
Vegetarians, add ripe avocados to the veggies for extra creaminess and content.
Another fantastic recipe! Makes lots and lots. Excellent flavour and texture, just a touch of heat. Fabulous!
I made this dish but the peanut dressing was thick and more of a paste. How can I make it more runny like a dressing?
Hi Lorraine, It shouldn’t be that thick – is there any chance you made a measuring error? Regardless, you can use a little water or coconut milk to thin it out. Just go easy so you don’t water it down.