Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad
This Thai Vegan Quinoa Salad recipe is a simple and delicious salad that is full of flavor, easy to make and perfect for meal prep! It’s loaded with fresh, crisp veggies, fluffy quinoa and a peanut sauce you’re going to want to put on everything!
Whether you cook for one or are cooking for a party, this Thai vegan quinoa salad has your name written all over it. It’s fresh, flavorful, easy to make and served cold so it’s perfect for on the go meals!
Quinoa is a versatile gluten free seed, complete source of plant protein and has a deliciously nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the peanut sauce in this recipe.
Salads, in my opinion, are the best way to eat quinoa since you can add so many different flavors and textures and they are so good for you!
While this salad is delicious exactly as it is, I love to pair it with some salmon, baked tofu, or grilled chicken for extra protein.
This recipe is naturally gluten free, vegan, easy to make and a total crowd pleaser. While traditionally served cold, you can easily turn it into a stir fry by adding some tofu or sesame chickpeas! Try my kale caesar pasta salad or vegan broccoli salad next!
How to make a vegan Thai quinoa salad
The first step is to cook the quinoa. I find following the package instructions leads to mushy quinoa, so follow these instructions for perfect quinoa.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all veggies. I like to use a mandoline for the cabbage to get it very thin, but you can also just chop it small.
When the quinoa is done, let it cool before adding to a large mixing bowl. Add in all the veggies to the bowl once they’re chopped/diced.
To prepare the dressing, simply whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
You can also add all of the dressing ingredients to a small mason jar and shake well until smooth.
Add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss to combine. Top with crushed red pepper flakes and peanuts and enjoy!
Key Ingredients
- Quinoa: We’ll be using cooked then cooled quinoa as the base of this salad. Quinoa adds lot of protein and fiber and is naturally gluten free.
- Carrots: You will need about 1-2 large grated carrots. I suggest grating yourself instead of using store bought grated carrots.
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- Cabbage: Red cabbage adds a nice color and crunch to the salad. I suggest using a mandolin to slice it very fine. I should note: red cabbage is not in fact red, it’s purple!
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you can sub for fresh mint or fresh chopped basil. You can also use both of those in addition to the cilantro.
- Red Pepper: Any type of bell pepper works well, but red adds a nice pop of color and compliments the other flavors.
- Edamame: You can sub the edamame for chickpeas, or use both! This adds a nice dose of protein and makes the salad much more filling.
- Peanut Sauce: This is a super simple peanut sauce made from a base of peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and lime juice. Make it spicy by adding some red pepper flakes!
Variations
Add more veggies. If you don’t like any of the veggies included in the recipe, you can leave them out or swap for chopped cucumber, broccoli, chopped kale etc. This recipe is very versatile!
Swap for almond butter! This vegan quinoa salad calls for peanut butter, but any nut butter will work well. My personal favorites are almond and peanut butter, but if you have any allergies, sunflower butter is great too!
Add protein. This salad can easily be made into a full meal with the addition of a more hearty protein source. I like tofu, chicken or salmon. It’s delicious with my air fryer tofu, teriyaki salmon or some simple shredded chicken!
How to store
Once prepared, this quinoa salad will store in the fridge for about 5 days. Keep it in an air tight container for best results.
You can freeze quinoa salad, but I don’t necessarily recommend it. If you do want to freeze it, I would recommend turning it into more of a stir fry by reheating it up on the stove.
The textures of the veggies won’t be the same when you defrost it, so it will work best as a stir fry!
Try these salads next!
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Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 ½ cup finely sliced red cabbage
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup edamame
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1-2 green onions chopped
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts for garnish
Dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
- 1-2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2-4 tablespoons warm water
- Juice from 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to these instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all veggies. I like to use a mandoline for the cabbage to get it very thin, but you can also just chop.
- When the quinoa is done, let it cool before adding to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in all the veggies.
- To prepare the dressing, simply whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Start with 2 tablespoons of water and add more as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss to combine.
- Top with crushed red pepper flakes and peanuts and enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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This recipe is colorful, full of flavor and texture. It makes ALOT and works well for a potluck or family meal. A bit of siracha adds a bite to the dressing. The green onions can get a slimy in leftover salad so I top the serving with them vs. mixing them in the bowl. Double the dressing recipe.
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This is really good but next time I will leave out the red onions. I love red onions but it’s too much with red and green onion…
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So delicious and full of the good stuff! I added just a touch more lime and fish sauce (since I’m not vegan) to the dressing – but otherwise did everything just as written and it was scrum-diddily-umptious! Topped with some hemp hearts for extra crunch. Have the next 2-3 lunches for both me and my husband waiting for us in the fridge now!
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Delicious, I used celery instead of red bell pepper, added pan fried tofu, a little chopped arugula and spinach mix, and topped with micro greens. Thank you for the recipe, I really enjoyed it.
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I made this today for my lunches next week. I had a few bites today and it was delicious. I did make double the dressing. Wasn’t sure if it would dry out if sat in fridge for couple days. I will definitely make it again.
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Always nice to have extra dressing on hand!
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Would you make double the dressing again, or do you think it was too much?
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This was amazing and easy! I used farro instead of quinoa and left it a little warm. I also didn’t have all the vegetables and just added the red bell pepper, green onions and cilantro because it was what I had on hand. I will be making this again with different vegetables and adding a protein also.
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Wonderful flavor s! Great for summertime meals. This salad is a keeper, Thank you
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I could live off this salad. Yum!
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So yummy! Just made it and will definitely make it again.
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Easy and quick, yummy and tasty week night dinner! The peanut sauce was a big hit! We doubled the recipe on the sauce, and still don’t have enough leftover sauce for the leftover salad for tomorrow’s lunch! Looking forward to trying more recipes-thanks so much!!
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I can’t get over how amazing and delicious this recipe is! The dressing is perfection and the heart of all the bursting flavors. The veggies are perfect and an excellent pop of color. I added a drizzle of sriracha on top and topped with some Thai curry roasted cashews. Thank you for this recipe!!!
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Love the sound of those cashews!! So happy you enjoy it, thanks for the feedback Marlena!
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This salad is amazing!!! I think this is going to become my new go too when I have to bring something to a party. Thank you for such a great recipe!
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Thank you Mandi! So happy you’ve enjoyed it!!
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If there were 100 stars I would give this 100 stars. It was absolutely delicious. My dad is recently trying to eat more raw as he is diabetic and trying to lower his blood sugars by diet instead of tablets/injecting so I thought I’d try and support him and make him a vegan dinner. This was a humungous success and will definitely be saving it to make again!
Thank you
Betty x -
I’m new to cooking, and I made this last night and it was unbelievably DELICIOUS!!! One of my new absolute favorite recipes! And if I can make it, so can anyone!!! Posted it on my Instagram story and have had so many friends tell me they’re going to make it too! 🙂
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Thank you Sara! I’m so happy to hear that, hope your friends enjoy 🙂
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Made this for lunch yesterday and it was the best! So much flavor! Fills you up and easy to make!
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Thanks Hillary! So glad you liked it. If you don’t mind leaving a star rating on future reviews, it really helps!
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I made this today and it was delicious! I omitted the cilantro as a few of us are unable to stomach it but it was still so tasty. I will definitely be making it again soon.
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Glad you made it work! Thanks for the feedback, so happy you enjoyed it!
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Just made this salad and I love it. Feels so fresh and the peanut sauce is delicious!
Also, my quinoa came out Perfect. Thank you for The recipe!-
Thanks Nancy! So happy to hear that, this peanut sauce is my favorite 🙂
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