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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Crunchy bright and satisfying. So good! Thank you!
This salad is delicious! My two kids even went back for seconds!!! Wonderful combination of veggies and a very tasty dressing. Looking forward to making this again soon.
Simply amazing! Texture! Flavors! The absolute perfect salad. Due to a peanut allergy in our house, I omitted the peanut butter, and it’s still every bit of wonderful. This will become a go-to for potlucks.
Could you make this with another nut butter?
Definitely!
I love, love, love this salad! I first made it last summer for dinner guests. It is great paired with Honey-Lime-Sriracha Chicken Skewers also on this site. The salad is crisp, fresh and oh so delicious. I’ve made it many times now. When you mix dressing with just enough salad for each meal you can store the remainder in the refrigerator and have it readily available for meals all week. Toss in some poached chicken, steamed shrimp or shredded pork to make an entree salad.
I’ve made this a number of times and everyone raves about it. TO’Day I didn’t have fresh ginger but did have galangal and substituted that for ginger. Very good, similar flavor to what we’ve had before bit more complexity. It’s just such a good recipe you can’t go wrong with it.
Made this Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Sauce for a last minute get-together with friends the other evening…..got rave reviews! It was so easy to put together and the peanut sauce was sublime. I double the salad, peanut sauce, and added oven roasted chicken to make a complete meal in bowl.There was a small bowl leftover and my husband enjoyed it for lunch today. The peanut sauce stayed nice and nothing seem to be watered down. Absolutely delicious and I plan on making it frequently to enjoy in the hot summer.
I sent this recipe to my teenage son who was home before me. When I got home, I found the dressing in the blender. Easy! I’m always looking for an alternative to the creamy cole slaw recipe, and love Asian-inspired dishes, especially cold salads. This recipe was easy to prepare and delicious. I used a little more lime than the recipe called for, but that was because my teenager probably overdid it with the peanut butter. What teenager doesn’t? : )
I have made this salad twice in the last 3 weeks. It’s absolutely delicious 😋! I made it exactly as written! This will be my go to summer salad this year!
This salad is incredible! The flavors come together beautifully. I usually omit the oil and sugar in the dressing, but otherwise I make it exactly as is. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
This salad was so good, and everyone who I’ve served it to has asked for your recipe, so I’ve happily passed along the recipe, the link to your website, and told them about your cookbook which I had pre-ordered before it came out — thank you for so many wonderful recipes!