Crunchy, flavorful Thai-inspired quinoa salad filled with rainbow veggies and tossed in a creamy peanut ginger dressing. This easy Thai quinoa salad is delicious as-is and great for customizing with your favorite proteins! Perfect for meal prep lunches, picnics or parties. This salad is a crowd-pleaser!
2cupsshredded red cabbage, depending on how much crunch you like
1red bell pepper, diced
1/4cupdiced red onion
1cupshredded carrots
½cupchopped cilantro
¼cupdiced green onions
½cupcashew halves or peanuts (honey-roasted is good)
Optional: 1 cup edamame or chickpeas
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang
For the dressing:
¼cupall natural peanut butter
2teaspoonsfreshly grated ginger
3tablespoongluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
1tablespoonhoney (use agave or pure maple syrup if vegan)
1tablespoonrice vinegar or red wine vinegar
1teaspoonsesame oil
1teaspoonolive oil or more sesame oil
Water to thin, if necessary
Instructions
To cook quinoa: In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.
Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. I always start out with a little bit of dressing and usually add more to suit my taste preferences. Alternatively you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat; however the flavors of the dressing usually soak into the salad so I love adding it to the quinoa first.
Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges, if desired.
Recipe Notes
See the full post for tips, tricks & ways to customize this salad!
To store: store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days. This salad can easily be made the day before, too, and will be delicious served the next day!