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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This is the salad I take/make when I want to impress my friends. It is perfect as is. To make the prep work easier I use shredded cabbage and carrots from the grocery store. I’ve also discovered I can use frozen edamame cooked for one minute in the microwave and cooled and it’s 1/4 the cost of fresh and every bit as good in the salad.
Was very sour and thick. I added more oil and little more sugar.
How long will the dressing keep?
Heading to cottage and don’t want to bring all the ingredients with me.
Thanks!
Hi Connie, it should last nicely for about 7 days in the fridge.
I use this dressing on spaghetti for my family’s new favorite version of sesame noodles. It’s a real crowd pleaser!
Is this salad okay if you make it a day or two in advance?
Hi Penny, You can make the dressing in advance and prep the vegetables but I wouldn’t toss it all together until the last minute.
If you love Thai food, you will love this salad. It’s refreshing and will be a hit with friends and family.
I made this salad last night for my spouse and me, and we both loved it. I’m looking forward to the redux tonight. I used broccoli slaw,which was tasty and crunchy, and added some dry roasted peanuts. The dressing was wonderful, and I will use it on other salads, also. I look forward to making this salad for my vegetarian daughter. Thanks for this
and the other summer salads!
Kate in Jax
This salad is amazing! I made it twice in one weekend. I brought it to a BBQ at a friend’s house and everyone asked for the recipe. I would definitely make the dressing alone to top other salads with. A definite winner at my house!!
This recipe is heaven in a bite! I made it just as the recipe recommends and it was delicious. I made the cabbage salad, and added basil and mint to that mix, it was a nice surprise bite every once in a while. I also have since made this recipe as a dipping sauce for fried shrimp…it was spectacular. The seasoning is just right. I plan to try in on chicken k-bobs, brushing this sauce on after they come off the grill. Excellent, versatile recipe.
Love, love, love this salad! We have eaten it as a side salad, 3X this week. I added some corn to the salad – I think I will often keep a jar of the dressing made up in the refrigerator.
I made this for the first time recently and it is so easy, refreshing and a “show stopper”. I cheated by using a prepackaged coleslaw mix which also had carrots in it. I found the frozen edamame in the store and that was that. I basically keep the rest of the ingredients in my stock of food and that was that. It was a breeze to whip up and I used my immersion blender to blend everything. For me it is an easier clean up! This can easily become a meal with added protein!