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 have so many feelings about this salad! I took the advice of other reviewers and made double the dressing and boy am I happy I did that. It is so good I wanted to just put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon. Not gonna lie, it’s an intimidating recipe. So many ingredients! BUT, most of them you really do have in your pantry. I added grilled chicken that I let sit in the dressing for a couple hours until it was time for dinner. I added more onion, as I do with most things, and probably more ginger as I wasn’t sure how to measure it. I loved it so much I brought some over to my daughter this morning so she coud have it for lunch and she is crazy about it, too. I will defiinitely make it again. It’s not hard to make, it just takes time like most delicious recipes do. Highly recommend.
Made the salad dressing without the cilantro since we didn’t have it. Tossed the dressing over a salad with baby lettuce greens, roasted beets, carrots, chopped peanuts, and leftover thai satay chicken. I wished I had more greens in my lunch for dressing.
Beyond delicious! Had all the texture and crunch and sweet but tangy and spicy- this was such a hit at my dinner party – even with the kids!!
Intoxicatingly delicious! your recipes are fool proof perfection. i dont bother with any other sites or cookbooks. you ROCK!!!
🙂
Wonderful warm weather salad. I made it twice in two weeks for guests, all of whom loved it and wanted the recipe. The second time I replaced one of the three tablespoons of vegetable oil with a tablespoon of sesame oil to amp up the peanut flavor and would do so again.
I have tried this recipe few days ago and i couldn’t believe it was the most delicious salad i have ever had. I didn’t have peanut butter at home that day so used roasted peanut instead. I think it was kick which gave it a nutty crunch. Thank you chef
Delicious salad!! Absolutely love the dressing! I added shredded chicken and it was just perfect!
I’ve come back to this dressing (and salad) many times now. It’s heaven!!!! Sure way to get my boy to eat his salad. Thank you.
I needed a summer dinner recipe quick! I ended up making a thai bowl with what I had on hand…couscous, sliced brussel sprouts, sliced carrots and fresh pea pods all covered in peanut sauce as written.
As usual, Jen’s recipe was full of flavor – just maybe a tiny bit think, nothing a little water and whirl in the blender couldn’t cure.
Husband loved it and licked the spoon.
I just made this the other day for dinner and the dressing is truly just the best, it’s a keeper and pairs well with the shrimp tacos.
Thank you very much
This salad is exceptional!!!! 10 ⭐️ . I also left out the sugar and had to use seasoned rice wine vinegar because I was out of the unseasoned.