Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in peanut sauce. Vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 14, 2024
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I tend to keep to myself, especially in yoga class. It’s not a very social form of exercise, you know? Last year, when I walked into my usual Tuesday evening yoga class and my instructor shouted, “COOKIE AND KATE,” I froze. Kim, a regular in the class, had learned about my blog through her co-worker, and she said, “I know her! I go to yoga with her!”
Then Kim told Kristina, the teacher, and then everyone found out. Including Amie, one of my favorite instructors, who is great friends with Kate Kasbee of Well Vegan. Kate lives in Chicago and was working on a cookbook called Frugal Vegan at the time.
Through the Amie-Kate connection, I got a sneak peek at Frugal Vegan and wrote a blurb for the back cover. “Frugal Vegan offers an incredible array of fresh and simple vegan recipes. Every single one of them manages to be easy to make, affordable and accessible, too.”
Kate came to town for Amie’s birthday party, so I met her for drinks, and a giant green bug landed in her herbed green cocktail. Are you still following? I can’t make this stuff up.
Kate and I bonded over the trials and tribulations of cookbook-making, our love for our funny-looking pups (meet Rex), and the green bug experience. We practiced our half-moon poses at Amie’s backyard birthday party the next day. Maybe I shouldn’t be so shy about my work, since it opens so many fun doors.
Today, I’m sharing a delicious recipe from Frugal Vegan, featuring cabbage, carrots, green onion, snow or snap peas, and cilantro—all fresh, affordable, and loaded with nutrients and fiber. Toss all of that in an addictive homemade peanut sauce for a crisp, colorful, Thai-inspired salad. Enjoy it as a light summer dinner, and pack up the leftovers for tomorrow lunch.
The book’s recipe calls for millet instead of quinoa. I picked up all of the other ingredients at the store, while assuming that I had millet in my pantry at home. I did not, so I used quinoa instead. Millet is less expensive but quinoa has more protein, so take your pick accordingly. It’ll turn out great either way. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Kate and Katie’s book, Frugal Vegan!
Watch How to Make Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
Please let us know how the recipe turns out for you in the comments!
Craving more peanut goodness? You’ll love these recipes:
- Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
- Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Thai Mango Cabbage Wraps with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
- Thai Panang Curry
Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in delicious peanut sauce. This healthy salad is vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch. Recipe yields 4 salads.
Ingredients
Salad
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa or millet
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish
Peanut sauce
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
- ½ lime, juiced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool. (Here’s how to cook millet.)
- Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.
- This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days. If you don’t want your chopped peanuts to get soggy, store them separately from the rest and garnish just before serving.
Notes
Recipe minimally adapted from Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup (or agave nectar) instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free tamari, not soy sauce.
Recommended equipment: I used this mandoline to shred the cabbage (it’s dangerous; watch your fingers at all times!) and this julienne peeler to shred the carrots. (Those are affiliate links.)
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This came out great! I needed to use what I had on hand so I used green cabbage instead of purple and kale instead of snow peas. But, it was still delicious. Next time I will make it as written, and I’m sure there will be a next time.Just the right amount of dressing and very flavorable without being too sweet. you do a terrific job!
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Julie! I appreciate your review.
This was delicious and my husband and I loved it! This dish is now in our rotation of healthy salads :)
Is this 340 cals per serving or divide by 4?
Seems high for a healthy side Looks delish but calorie part is confusing to me
Julie, it says at the top serving size one salad so perhaps it’s 340 calories for the entire bowl?
This salad is so delicious! My husband and I love it!! Give enough time for the quinoa to cool completely. This salad is even better the next day. We sometimes use rice noodles instead of quinoa
Hooray! That’s great, Marlo. Thank you for your review.
This is sooo good! I’m obsessed! How long would you say it will last in the fridge after making?
Hi! This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days
Made this last night and it was spectacular! Topped mine with some mixed sprouts, chicken breast, green onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Outstanding… so healthy and so satisfying. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
This has become my family’s favorite salad. My daughter’s vegetarian and this has become a go to for us. Love the peanut butter dressing and thought of using it on other salads.
I love to hear that, Liz! Thank you for sharing.
Love this recipe. Have made it multiple times. It’s a family fave for sure!! Thanks.
You’re welcome, Jacie!
This recipe is AMAZING! I give it 5 stars hands down. I didn’t have a shredder or a mandolin. I made carrot ribbons with a peeler, sliced the cabbage very thin. I added picked red onion as a garnish. Was a show stopper. Thank you! Will make again and again.
Great to hear, Amanda! I appreciate your review.
I am living in mexico and I can’t find quinoa. Would it work to substitute couscous or rice noodles and if yes,how much would I use?
You could try couscous. Let me know what you think!
This was delicious! I used a cabbage slaw instead of the individual veggies but it was fantastic! The flavours are great together.
Made this tonight and LOVED it! So crunchy and satisfying. Added about an 1/8 of a cup of fresh chopped mint and it really took it over the top. Great recipe!
I’m glad you loved it, Jessalyn!
I love every recipe on your site. I never have to worry about meal planning again. thank you Kate
You’re welcome, Yvette! I’m glad you love the blog.
This salad is incredilbe!
I used wild rice instead of quinoa for a heartier texture and omitted the cilantro. It’s a showstopper! Definitely on our menu every other week!
I’m glad you love it, Andrea!
I work outside, and travel a ton. This is an easy salad to prep to take for the week and an easy in the field meal! I’ve made this dish many times and it never disappoints!
This is yummy. I have left over balsamic rice, do you think it would hold up and taste good in this salad? I only had on hand regular soy sauce, any way to make my already made sauce less salty?
You can try it. Let me know what you think, Vicki!
Soooo good! My peanuts were rancid, so I subbed pepitas. Delicious!
Great to hear, Jen! I appreciate your review.
Also great with tahini and brown rice fsubstitutions and hot sauce
Very satisfying my chef has been making versions of this for years at our vegan micropub portal brewing co oregon
Simply delicious. I had leftover quinoa and a head of green cabbage I needed to use. I added red onion and yellow bell pepper, was out of cilantro so used fresh basil and ground ginger in place of fresh. I didn’t have the peas so just left them out. Topped with sesame seeds. The peanut sauce is amazing. I will definitely make again.
I love to hear that, Traci! Thank you.
This is damn delicious! I was recently complaining to my partner that my Asian stir fries always turn out boring and bland no matter how many sauces I see to use. Now, I know this isn’t a stir fry per se, but the Asian flavour really hit the spot. Finally! Plus, holy heck this was so easy and clear how to make – love it. Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome, Vertiy!
I just made this. It’s delicious! I used cashews because I didn’t have peanuts, otherwise pretty much as written, except I wasn’t too exact on any measurements.My husband can be picky, but he likes Thai food, especially summer rolls. He said that’s what it tastes like, and suggested putting it in rice paper next time. Maybe I’ll try that!
Thank you for sharing, Veronica!
Too much quinoa, but otherwise very good. I had nearly double the recommended cabbage, but 2/3 of the quinoa made it so I tasted more of the quinoa than the peanut butter, ginger, or any of the vegetables.
Just made this – so delicious. There’s something so satisfying about salads like this in which everything is chopped up really small.
Planning to make a big batch for a Christmas party with a group that includes folks who are vegan, gluten-free, and low-sodium. I used coconut aminos instead of tamari to lower the sodium. Love that everyone can enjoy this dish safely!
Hi Kate,
I love your lifestyle, your recipes and your DOG! I am dog crazy. They are the best things in this world. My email and license plate are K9CRUSH if that tells you anything. : )
I have been divorced for over 10 years now and reading your recipes wants to make me improve my self care. It can be hard to cook for one, but I get inspired reading your recipes.
Cannot wait to try this one. I picked up a premade Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad in the co-op in Keene, NH this evening. It was pricey, but it looked so good. I wanted to taste it and have the ingredients so I can make for myself and change up the tastes a bit. Then I googled and found your recipe. So excited to try with more crunchy veggies in it. I know it will be better.
Thank you for all you do!
Jacquie J.
This was so good. We had a hard time not licking the bowl.
Absolutely delicious!
Not sure what happened to mine..it was abit soggy? I made with the exact measurements?
Did I overcook the quinoa?
Hi Rabbit, I’m sorry to hear that. It could have been over cooked. Was all the water out of the quinoa?
Hi Kate, yes made it the 2nd time & still soggy..all the water was gone?
Would it be because of a little too much peanut butter?
Delicious! I added baked tofu from this recipe: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-and-crispy-baked-tofu-with-honey-sesame-glaze. Also, I think snap peas are much better cooked … halved them crosswise and sauteed for 3 minutes. Yum!
Great lunch for 4 days! I used peanut butter powder because I always have it on hand. Forgot to get purple cabbage so I added celery for crunch and more carrots that I chopped instead of grating. Agree about loving ginger so I also added more! Very adaptable recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Jill!
The salad and dressing are so delicious!!
I made the mistake of not using low sodium soy sauce. Do NOT make the same mistake!
One of my favorite recipes to make! I eat it solo as my main dish, but am having people over and am wondering what pairs well served with this? They’re meat eaters.
I don’t have a meat suggestion as I’m a vegetarian, sorry!
Mmmmmmm!!! Just delicious and perfect exactly as written. I didn’t change a thing. Every bite was gobbled up at 4th of July BBQ. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, LGP! I appreciate your review.
I don’t usually comment, but I just wanted to say thank you. This salad has been in my rotation for a year or two- I double the veggies part, and we love it! Hubby too, and he’s not much of a salad person.
Alternate veggies for this salad??
I recommend this best as written. If you try something else, let me know what you think!