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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Hello, would this work with almond or cashew butter, or would that completely change the taste of the dressing?
Hi Alicia, either will work and the dressing will have a slightly different flavor, but will still be delicious!
The sauce was wayyy too acidic. Will be passing on this sauce recipe.
This was delicious! I was in such a rut and this met all my cravings – sweet, tangy, a little spicy, crunchy, salty and just yummy overall. I didn’t have edamame so I swapped it for blanched and salted snow peas and left out the garlic and shallots (to avoid a migraine). This recipe is a keeper!
I made this delish salad for lunch today. My husband and I both loved it. I had a little cooked quinoa in the refrig and put that in the bottom of the bowls, then the veggies. The only other addition was salted peanuts to the top of the bowls. Will make again soon.
I made this dressing and it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Best. Salad. Ever! I didn’t have fresh ginger so I skipped it. Dressing was still incredible.
I make this salad often and am always asked for the recipe. It has great flavor and depth! Also had sliced radishes for extra crunch.
Thanks for sharing.
This!! This salad is one I could literally eat once a week and never tire of. My husband lovingly tells me I could “slather the dressing on a shoe” and he’d eat it. It’s that good. The variations of the salad are endless: I’ve added thinly sliced steak, chicken and a myriad of fresh crunch veggies, or I’ve gone the route of using the dressing as a dipping sauce, alongside other sauces with wings and even tofu!
Love this salad and the dressing crazy delicious!! I sometimes shred leftover rotisserie chicken breast and add.
This salad is colorful, crunchy, healthy and yummy. The dressing makes it even more fabulous. Sometimes I make a mixture of plain ramen noodles and slivered almonds cooked in melted butter till browned. I let that cool spread out on paper towels and then sprinkle on top of the salad. If we are wanting protein with this, I marinate 1# chicken tenders in 6 tsp. Hoisin sauce and 3 tsp. sesame oil for 15 minutes. Then dredge each one in a mixture of Panko and sesame seeds and cook in oiled skillet until golden brown. Because of all the colors of the vegetables, it really makes a nice presentation. With or without the chicken, it is a meal in itself.
Thank you, Jenn.