Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
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Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s recipe, this Thai crunch salad with peanut dressing always satisfies.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This recipe was inspired by 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’s excellent with my 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!”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Crunch Salad With Peanut Dressing
What You’ll Need To Make The Peanut Dressing
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Provides the rich, nutty base essential for the dressing’s flavor and texture.
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar: Adds tanginess and helps balance the richness of the peanut butter.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Introduces a zesty citrus note and a bit of tang, enhancing the overall freshness of the dressing.
- Vegetable Oil: Helps emulsify the ingredients and provides a smooth consistency.
- Soy Sauce: Contributes savory depth and a touch of umami flavor.
- Honey and Sugar: Sweeten the dressing, balancing out the acidity and saltiness.
- Garlic Cloves and Fresh Ginger: Infuse aromatic and pungent notes, adding complexity to the flavor profile.
- Salt: Enhances other flavors and helps balance the sweetness.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Provide a subtle heat and depth of flavor.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds a bright, herbaceous flavor and a pop of color to the dressing.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
What You’ll Need To Make The Salad
- Chopped Napa Cabbage or Shredded Coleslaw Mix: Forms the base of the salad, providing crunch and freshness. (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color.)
- Shredded Carrots: Add sweetness and color, enhancing the visual appeal of the salad. Buying the bagged shredded carrots at the supermarket saves time!
- Red Bell Pepper: Contributes vibrant color and a crisp texture.
- English Cucumber: Also known as hothouse cucumbers, offer a refreshing and crunchy element to the salad.
- Cooked and Shelled Edamame: Provides plant-based protein, a subtle nutty flavor, and adds substance to the salad.
- Scallions: Impart a mild onion flavor and a pop of green color, enhancing the overall freshness.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds a fragrant and herbaceous note, elevating the flavor profile of the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the dressing. Simply combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. It’s best to roughly chop the garlic and ginger beforehand, as most blenders aren’t able to process large pieces.
Add the cilantro and process for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. (If you add it in the beginning, it will completely blend into the dressing and give it a greenish hue.)
It will look like this.
Next, make the salad. I typically use a blend of Napa cabbage, cucumbers, red bell peppers, shredded carrots, shredded purple cabbage and edamame, but you can use any crunchy vegetables that you like.
If you use cucumbers, be sure to remove the seeds, as they can make the salad watery.
Combine all of the vegetables in a bowl along with the chopped spring onions and cilantro, and toss to combine.
If you’re serving the salad right away, drizzle the peanut dressing overtop and toss; otherwise serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! The dressing keeps nicely refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
While you can make the dressing and prepare the veggies ahead (the veggies can be prepped up to 2 days in advance), wait until you’re ready to serve the salad to toss everything together.
Sure, you can use almond butter in place of peanut butter.
You can replace the cilantro with flat-leaf parsley. The salad and dressing will still be delicious!
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Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s recipe, this Thai crunch salad with peanut dressing always satisfies.
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.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
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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Move over Greek salad — you’ve been replaced. This is now my favorite salad; sometimes I eat it as is or top with shrimp. I also appreciate that you show the exact products you use to create the recipe. Nice touch!
I went to CPK every week for this salad! Your peanut dressing was spot on! My new vice is Cheesecake Factory, Thai Lettuce Wraps and use this dressing as one of the sauces they serve. But they also serve a sweet red chili and a tamarind-cashew. Any suggestions how to make those? Love every one of your recipes❤️
So glad you like the dressing, Kristen! I don’t have recipes for red chili or tamarind-cashew dressings — I’ll have to add them to my list of recipes to potentially develop! 🙂
This is delicious!! I make a couple changes. I don’t use Edamame, Napa Cabbage or Coleslaw mix, I use Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce to make it more of a “salad” but still gives it the crunch. My husband and I don’t like cilantro, so I omit that but use some dried cilantro in the dressing (a couple good hard shakes – it’s not as powerful as fresh cilantro) I also use a little more garlic than suggested in the dressing, 3-4 cloves instead of 2.
This Thai Salad was the hit of the women’s Bible study potluck! Everyone wanted the recipe, so I told them about your blog and book. You are a beautiful lady who makes beautiful, tasty food. Many blessings!
❤️❤️
This is amazing! My husband and son just devoured it with the chicken she links with this recipe! Great for summer. Thank you!!!!
I didn’t have all of the salad fixings on hand but I made the dressing and really the only thing you would need to put it on is a spoon. 😋 It’s wonderful! I put a bowl together with chicken, rice, carrots and cucumbers and topped it with the dressing and it was delicious. I can’t wait to try it on the crunchy salad. This might be my new favorite salad dressing. How long do you think it will keep in the refrigerator?
Glad you enjoyed the dressing! It will keep well for about a week in the fridge.
My wife, who is a big fan of your recipes, made this salad for our dinner tonight. It was superb! The colors of the ingredients and the wonderful dressing really makes this dish stand out. Can’t wait until we have it again. Dan Albee, Escondido, CA 92026
Made this salad and my husband and I really liked it. I have just been diagnosed with a fatty liver and have changed my diet
Draftily. Jenn, we are enjoying many of your healthy recipes. Thank You
I made this last night. I have to say I wasn’t sure about this recipe. The smell bothered me as I’m not a big vinegar fan. Husband grumbled as he helped me put the salad together “We used half the kitchen for a salad?” Then he ate two big bowls, so you made another new fan. We loved it! Reminds me of the great Asian salads Pei Wei used to make years ago. Great texture with lots of crunch and big flavor. I left off the edamame as I am a hormonal cancer survivor but I didn’t miss it.
Hi Jenn, I made the Thai Crunch Salad last night, and my husband who normally eats a scant half cup of salad, devoured a huge bowl! It is so good I am going to make it again and serve it for Father’s Day. Keep the recipes coming, they are always very good!
Hi Jenn! I’ve made this salad countless times and it’s always a hit! I’d like to bring this to a potluck next week, but I’d like to make it peanut free. Any suggestions ? Will almond butter work instead?
Glad you like it! Yes, almond butter will work here. 🙂