Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing is packed with plant based protein. You will love every drop of this healthy, filling, flavorful dish!
“I made the mistake of making the dressing way ahead of time, and now I can’t stop sneaking a small taste of it (just for quality control, you know…). Next time, I’d better make double!”
Grab a napkin because you’re going to want to lick your bowl clean after the last bite of Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing!
Between the spoon-drink-worthy peanut dressing, and fresh and healthy ingredients its drizzled on top of, this salad is dream from the first bite to the last.
Thai Quinoa Salad is light, yet hearty and filling, and the combination of flavors, textures, and ingredients are so delicious you’ll be making this dish year round.
Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
In Thai Quinoa Salad, cooked then cooled quinoa is combined with lettuce plus lots of fresh and crunchy herbs and vegetables, then drizzled with my signature Peanut Dressing. If you’ve tried this recipe before then you know how INSANELY delicious it is.
The result is a salad that eats like a true meal, and seriously, literally, you will want to lick your bowl clean at the end!
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Pin ItQuinoa Salad Ingredients Needed
- Quinoa: I like Bob’s Red Mill quinoa which I cook in chicken or vegetable broth for max flavor. Whatever brand you buy, be sure the package says “pre rinsed” as quinoa has a bitter coating that needs to be rinsed off prior to cooking.
- Lettuce: whatever you’ve got in the fridge — spring mix, baby spinach, romaine, etc.
- Red bell pepper: brings flavor, crunch, and color to this salad.
- Shredded carrots: I buy a bag of pre-shedded carrots every week because they’re so easy and convenient to add to soups, stir fries, and salads.
- Edamame: adds plant-based protein to the salad. I keep a bag of frozen shelled organic edamame on hand at all times to toss into stir fries, or thaw in a bowl of water to add to salads.
- Green onions: provide a crisp and crunchy zip to the salad.
- Peanuts: add more craveable flavor and crunch.
- Fresh cilantro: brings a burst of freshness to each bites, plus it pairs super well with the peanut dressing.
- Peanut Dressing: Raid the cupboard for the everyday ingredients needed to shake up this easy yet mind blowing dressing, outlined below. It will immediately become your new favorite salad dressing!
Make Once, Eat Twice
The recipe for Thai Quinoa Salad makes enough for two big salads so it’s great for meal prep. Eat one serving for lunch, then pack the second serving in a glass dish, or layer the ingredients in a mason jar (lettuce on top), and drizzle with dressing just before serving a day or two later.
Or Serve it as a Side
Thai Quinoa Salad also makes for an excellent side dish to pair with grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, Air Fryer Chicken, Baked Chicken Breast, or Chicken Meatballs! Truly, the leftover dressing is fabulous drizzled over any cooked, hot protein.
SO healthy, SO delicious, let’s get to it!
Try This Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe
How to Make this Salad
Step 1: Cook the quinoa.
Start by cooking quinoa in chicken broth or vegetable broth for max flavor, or simply in water. Follow the package directions though, in general, add 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid then bring to a boil in a pot, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork then let it cool slightly. You can also make it up to several days ahead of time – it doesn’t become hard like cooked rice in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Combine the salad ingredients.
When it’s time to eat, add the cooked quinoa – warm or cold – to a bowl with mixed greens, shelled edamame, green onions, fresh cilantro, red bell peppers, shredded carrots, and minced peanuts.
Step 3: Make the Peanut Dressing.
The dressing recipe makes enough to generously coat the entire recipe with a little leftover. Use it to dress other salads, dunk into with fresh veggies, or drizzle over cooked chicken or shrimp.
To a jar with a tight fitting lid, or bowl, add:
- Peanut butter
- Honey (or pure maple syrup to keep the recipe vegan)
- Gluten free Tamari (or soy sauce — dish will not be gluten-free if using traditional soy sauce)
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sesame oil
- Ground ginger
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Fresh lime juice
- Salt and pepper
- Hot water
Shake or whisk the dressing until it’s smooth and creamy. Done!
Drizzle the quinoa salad with the peanut dressing then add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and dig in. I am telling you this is the most fresh, most flavorful and crunchy salad of your life. SO GOOD! Enjoy!
More Healthy and Filling Salad Recipes
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta
- Berry Quinoa Chicken Salad
- Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Spicy Tuna Roll Bowls
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Steak and Potato Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, warm or chilled
- 2 big handfuls mixed greens , OR baby spinach
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons peanuts, minced
- handful fresh cilantro, chopped
For the Peanut Dressing:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon heaping ground ginger
- 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- juice of 1/2 lime, other half sliced into wedges
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons hot water
Directions
For the Peanut Dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a bowl or mason jar with a tight fitting lid then whisk or shake well to combine. Set aside.
For the Salad:
- Divide remaining salad ingredients between two bowls then drizzle with dressing and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Cook quinoa in chicken or vegetable broth to give it more flavor.
- Feel free to add protein to bulk this salad up – I like sauteed or roasted shrimp, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Nutrition information includes the entire dressing recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
This salad is perfect!! I had leftover quinoa and searched for a salad recipe and this is what I found. I had all ingredients on hand so I was quick and easy! Comes together in a snap! I only added a TBS of chili garlic paste for some zing! I wil definitely make this again, thanks for sharing!!
Oh this salad was meant to be for you then, Lauren!! So glad it came together quickly with stuff you already had on hand. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was very good. I would make it again. I did some things differently though. I added more veggies (cucumber and celery) and chicken because I didn’t have edamame. The dressing was a little too watery for me, so next time I would use less water. I also added more lime juice.
I’m so glad you were able to make this recipe your own, Lindsay! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Delicious! I didn’t have any peanut butter, so I substituted creamy almond butter, and I used agave in lieu of honey. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe and was able to make it with what you had on hand!
Just made this a few days ago and YUM! Left out cilantro, but everything else as noted. Leftover for today’s lunch, still amazing! I think I’d like to add some water chestnuts for added crunch but not needed.
Love the idea of adding water chestnuts! So glad you enjoyed as is. :) Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Added a tiny bit of red pepper flakes to the peanut sauce. Yummy! I will use the extra over lo mein noodles.
YUM! Sounds awesome, Rebecca!!
A family member can’t do sesame so I was wondering what adjustments I could make for flavor and I will definitely be taking the red pepper advice. Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! You can swap the dressing with any asian-style dressing that doesn’t contain sesame!
Since being diagnosed with Celiac disease, I’ve been looking for meals I can pack to take to the many places there is not safe food for me! Specifically things that are delicious enough to feel (at least mostly) not sad that I’m not eating the delicious and easy gluten food everyone else is having! This is a winner! Good hot or cold and easy to pack up to take anywhere! I packed it for lunch today and it was honestly maybe even better cold than warm like the first time I had it.
I’m sooo glad this was a winner for you, Molly! And I can relate to your feelings. This salad truly feels special – so glad it was a hit!
This is so fantastic! Try ir for lunch this week everyday. Rotisserie chicken and big batch of quinoa made this quick and delicious. So wonderful
SO glad you loved it, Adrian!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This salad and dressing is amazing! I’m so glad I made it. I used 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and a few cups of mixed greens. I left out the chopped peanuts. The dressing was enough for the larger portion of quinoa I made. I will be making this again.
So glad it’s a repeat-worthy recipe, Sherry! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I made the mistake of making the dressing way ahead of time, and now I can’t stop sneaking a small taste of it (just for quality control, you know . . .). Next time, I’d better make double!
Relatable! I could spoon drink it, it’s so good! Thrilled you loved it too, Gale!
So good!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Karin!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe is outstanding!! No joke- the dressing is DELICIOUS!!! This is a great lunch idea – I prefer mine a bit on the room temperature side as opposed to cold right out of the fridge – but easy and so very tasty!!
SO glad you loved the dressing, Julie! I so appreciate your feedback and recipe rating!
This was yum! And easy to make as well!
So glad you enjoyed!
I tried adding some local herbs and ingredients and it was still wonderful. Thanks
Love that!! So glad you enjoyed, Tommy!