Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
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Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
This vibrant and fresh Thai Quinoa Salad is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. Similar to my Southwest-style quinoa salad, it’s a healthy eater’s dream: flavorful, chock-full of protein and veggies, satisfying, and low in fat. I usually make it as a light lunch, but you can also serve it alongside other Asian-style dishes for dinner—or make it a meal in itself by adding cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster.
“Delicious! This is a go-to recipe for my family. Great salad to pack and go.”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa: The base of the salad, quinoa is a high-protein seed that’s fluffy and slightly crunchy. Though it looks like couscous and is eaten like a grain, it’s actually related to leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard.
- Bell Pepper, Carrot, and Cucumber: A trio that adds sweetness, crunch, color, and crispness to the salad.
- Scallions: Contribute a mild oniony sharpness.
- Cilantro and Mint/Basil: Offers a fresh, herby flavor typical of Thai cuisine.
- Lime Juice: Adds acidity and brightness.
- Fish Sauce: Not fishy but savory and salty, this dark, pungent condiment is frequently used in Southeast Asian cooking. If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam. And don’t worry about buying a large bottle—it keeps forever.
- Vegetable Oil: The base of the dressing; blends the flavors together and coats the salad ingredients.
- Sugar: Counteracts the acidity and saltiness of the salad, adding a touch of sweetness.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Lends a spicy kick.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the quinoa. The key to success is not following the package instructions, which always call for too much liquid and result in mushy quinoa. The ideal ratio is 1 cup of quinoa to 1-2/3 cups of liquid. Simply combine the water, salt and quinoa is a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is done, about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the little white “tails” sprout from the grains.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the vegetables. For the cucumbers, I like to use English (or hothouse) cucumbers because the skin is edible and you don’t need to peel them. They’re sometimes called seedless cucumbers but you still need to seed them, otherwise, they’ll make your salad watery.
Slice the red pepper into bite-sized pieces, thinly slice the scallions and shred the carrot.
Next, make the dressing by combining the fresh lime juice (no bottled stuff!), sugar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and fish sauce in a small bowl.
Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Combine the quinoa with the dressing, vegetables and fresh herbs.
Toss the salad.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more fresh herbs, if desired.
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Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or pre-washed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint or basil (optional)
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, from 3-4 limes
- 2½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like heat)
Instructions
- Add quinoa, salt and 1⅔ cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. You'll know it is done when the little "tails" sprout from the grains. (If necessary add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the quinoa is not cooked by the time all the liquid is absorbed.) Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
- In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, fish sauce, vegetable oil, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the quinoa is cool, add the red bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, scallions, fresh herbs and dressing. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, sugar and lime juice if necessary (I usually add a bit more of all). Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 263
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Sugar: 10g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 603mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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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A friend made this today for our cookout and it was the most amazing compliment to my Thai Sticky Ribs! I wanted to dive into the bowl and roll around in it lol She used orange and yellow bell pepper to add some color and used just the mint and cilantro. Amazing recipe, thank you!
OMG…what is this voodoo magic! I tasted the sauce and thought it’s good. Mixed everything together and it transformed into something magically delicious! This was fabulous. I doubled the recipe and added both mint and basil. Just wow!
Made this according to the recipe early yesterday morning. Luckily I had mint, cilantro and Thai basil in my garden. To make this batch lean a bit closer to a salad than a starch, I added a large amount of shredded cabbage.
Served it – don’t laugh – last night alongside cheese tamales, Mexican rice and refried beans. Everything was well infused with the dressing, the cabbage was slightly wilted and it added the zingy, light touch the meal would have been missing.
Everyone loved this Thai salad, including a couple of kids (11 & 8). Will definitely keep it in my rotation to make according to the recipe or as a base to adjust as the need arises.
This recipe is a winner. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Jen. I’m thinking about making this as a side dish for a baby shower. Do you have any recommendations of what protein inspired dish that might pair well with it? Something for a large crowd that I could prepare at least a day ahead? Thank you!
I love all of your recipes and am forever sharing your website with so many people.
Hi Kim, These chicken lettuce cups would be nice. (I would serve the cups next to the chicken and let people assemble themselves.) If you make them, I hope everyone enjoys!
I need to make this for a large crowd…around 25 people as a side dish. Does it double, triple well?
Sure, Linnea, I think you could double or triple this without a problem. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thanks Jenn. I quadrupled the recipe and it turned out beautifully. I had many requests for the recipe which I happily shared as I do for so many of your recipes. Thanks again.
So glad it came out nicely — thanks for reporting back and for sharing the recipe! 🙂
I have now made this countless times for various functions and I get asked to share the recipe EVERY SINGLE TIME. It is the perfect make ahead salad as it is even better the next day. And who doesn’t love that! I’ve paired it with just about every leftover meat for work lunches and honestly, it tastes great with everything. Dresses up bland chicken, compliments BBQ, and shrimp are just divine. I find it lasts the better part of the week in the fridge, but it’s always been finished off so who can say how long it could really last. I tend to be pretty liberal with the amount of lime juice as I really like that fresh zing. Also, don’t skimp on the pepper, it’s not overwhelming at all, just gives the salad more depth. One of my all time favorite recipes.
Hi Jenn. This looks really good. Pearled barley is a great food for my body. Thoughts on substituting barley for quinoa? I don’t usually change anything in your recipes (other than avocado oil for vegetable oil) but I’m wondering if this might work?
Sure (just follow the cooking instructions on the box). I’d love to hear how it turns out with barley!
Jenn! This was so good with pearled barley!!! I served it with your Asian inspired chicken thighs and steamed broccoli. The kids got white rice with the extra sauce. This was a really good salad and I will be making it again. Thank you for making cooking so easy and fun!! Sunday was carne asada with the salsa from your shrimp tacos and a side of the cilantro lime corn! 😋😋😋
So glad it came out nicely — thanks for taking the time to report back (and so glad you enjoy the recipes)!
So glad it came out nicely — thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂
I made this for a December holiday office gathering using mostly red/green vegetables to make it look even more festive. Everyone raved about the fresh flavor and taste and many added it was a nice change from all the sweet desserts and heavy foods. At least 5 people asked for the recipe.
Oh my word!! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s so refreshing, light and most importantly, delicious! This is definitely a keeper! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I plan to make some of your recipes that contain quinoa, but wanted to check if it’s ok to use the tri-color quinoa? Will it make a difference? I don’t have any plain right now. Thanks Jenn!
Tri-color quinoa is perfectly fine to use. 🙂