Enjoy this Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad for any occasion! It is packed with crunchy vegetables, nutrient-rich quinoa, and topped with a sweet + salty peanut salad dressing.
Jump to RecipeEndless Reasons to Enjoy
This salad is a crowd pleaser! It is made up of nutritious whole foods and also packed with incredible flavor. The abundance of vegetables create a generous amount of crunch and the peanut salad dressing adds lots of sweet + salty + tangy flavors to the dish. You can make Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad for just about any occasion!
Impress your friends by bringing this dish over for an appetizer at your next get together.
Complete a meal by adding this flavorful salad as a side dish.
Serve the quinoa salad with slices of grilled chicken and call it lunch!
Another reason I’m a big fan of this salad: it saves well. You can store it (fully dressed) in your fridge for 3 days and it doesn’t get soggy or lose flavor. Continue to enjoy Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad all week!
If you like enjoy this recipe, check out this Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad!
Whole Food Ingredients
Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Red Pepper – sugar snap peas can be used or added
- Green Onion
- Cashews – feel free to substitute peanuts
Peanut Salad Dressing
- Peanut Butter – use natural, unsweetened peanut butter
- Coconut Aminos – tamari or soy sauce would work just as well
- Maple Syrup
- Apple Cider Vinegar – substitute rice vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- Ginger
Tips to Preparing Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
- To avoid spending a dramatic amount of time chopping vegetables, opt for pre-chopped bagged vegetables. It’s usually pretty easy to find shredded carrots and cabbage at any grocery store.
- Make the quinoa ahead of time. Quinoa will take about 20 minutes to cook, then you’ll want time for it to cool before combining all of the ingredients. So if possible, prepare it earlier in the day or the day before.
- The peanut dressing has lots of flavorful ingredients, so feel free to adjust the dressing to your liking. Add a touch more maple syrup, make it saltier with a little extra peanut butter, or spice it up with additional ginger.
Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 3 green onions
- 1 cup red cabbage chopped
- ½ cup cashews
Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp grated ginger
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. Should make about 2 cups. Allow time to cool.
- Chop cabbage. Dice the carrots, pepper, and green onions. Roughly chop the cashews. Add all to a large bowl.
- Then add cooled quinoa and stir everything together.
- In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut aminos, maple syrup, vinegar, oil, and ginger. Pour over salad.
- Stir until combined and enjoy!
