This Thai peanut salad recipe is so tasty with fresh shredded cabbage, peanuts, chopped veggies, and tossed with a delicious Thai peanut dressing. Eat this healthy salad as a side dish or main dish by adding chopped cooked chicken. Bonus: it's a gluten-free, low carb, and keto salad too!
You Will Love This Salad!
It's Addicting
Warning! This Thai peanut salad recipe is addicting. 🙂 I tested multiple versions of this recipe, and we gobbled up every bit of it. The combination of the fresh chopped veggies, peanuts, and the slightly spicy, salty, sweet peanut dressing is what makes this so good. It's got some crunch from the peanuts and cabbage, so it is just so satisfying and GOOD.
Easy To Make
Simply shred/chop your veggies and toss them with the salad ingredients. Make this a Thai chicken salad by adding 12 to 16 ounces of chopped cooked chicken.
Healthy
Using coconut aminos and a sugar substitute like monk fruit or erythritol, this Thai salad with peanut dressing is a perfect low-carb, sugar-free, and keto salad recipe. It has so much flavor - it's filling and satisfying - all of which will help you stay on track!
If you want to lower the carbs even further, you could use half the peanuts and green onions. It will reduce the net carbs a couple of grams per serving and shouldn't compromise the taste too much.
Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make Thai Peanut Salad:
Salad
- Cabbage
- Cucumber
- Green Onions
- Salted Peanuts
- Red Bell Pepper
- Optional: make it a full meal by adding 12 ounces diced cooked chicken
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
- Peanut Butter - use all-natural peanut butter and adjust the quantity if needed (every peanut butter is different)
- Olive Oil
- Rice Vinegar - you can also you regular white vinegar
- Coconut Aminos, Soy Sauce, or Tamari Sauce - use the appropriate "soy" product for your dietary needs.
- Sweetener - granulated sugar substitute or regular sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger Paste - use can also use finely minced ginger
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt and Pepper
- Optional: Fresh Cilantro for garnish
Thai Salad Cabbage Variations
- Make it a Thai Peanut Chicken Salad! Yum. Just add about 12 oz of chopped cooked chicken. 🙂 Now it's a full meal and the perfect lunch recipe!
- Adjust seasoning to your liking. Add a little spice if you enjoy the heat.
- Feel free to add fresh cilantro or even a squeeze of lemon or lime to give it a little brightness.
How To Make Thai Peanut Salad
Make Salad
- In a large bowl, add cabbage, cucumber, green onions, peanuts, pepper, and chicken (if you're using it).
Make Creamy Peanut Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the peanut salad dressing ingredients - peanut butter, olive oil, vinegar, coconut aminos, sweetener, garlic, ginger paste, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Toss
- Pour salad dressing over the salad and toss until well coated.
Serve
- Adjust salt and pepper, and any other seasoning to your liking. Enjoy!
How To Serve It
- Serve this salad on its own or with cooked diced chicken. Garnish with cilantro or chives.
It pairs well with jasmine rice or riced cauliflower. - For a pretty presentation, serve it on a plate in a leaf of cabbage or lettuce.
How To Store It
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and eat within 1 day. Because the dressing will start to break down and soften the vegetables, it does not keep well for very long. For best results, make only what you think you can eat.
Kori's Top Tips
- If using tamari or soy sauce, increase the sugar (or sugar substitute) by a ½ teaspoon, for a total of 1½ teaspoons. Coconut aminos was used in this recipe, and it is sweeter than tamari or soy.
- Every peanut butter brand is different. All-natural peanut butter that has not been refrigerated can be quite runny. This is what we used in this recipe. You may need to adjust the quantity of peanut butter or add a little liquid to accommodate any differences.
Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later! 🙂
FAQs
Yes, you can lower the carbs slightly by using ¼ cup of peanuts instead of ½ cup. To make your peanuts "go farther," chop them before adding them to the salad. This will save approximately 1 net carb per serving. Reducing green onion to ¼ cup will also save 1 net carb per serving.
Yes, you can substitute broccoli slaw in place of the cabbage.
Yes, definitely! You can use a pre-shredded cabbage salad mix instead of shredding your own cabbage.
Coconut aminos is a gluten-free, msg-free, sugar-free soy alternative. It's a salty and sweet sauce that tastes very similar to soy sauce. It's very popular as in low-carb, gluten-free, keto, and paleo diets. It is made with coconut palm and sea salt.
If substituting coconut aminos for soy, keep in mind that it is sweeter than soy sauce. If a recipe calls for sugar (or sugar substitute), lower the amount of sugar added. Do a taste test and adjust as needed.
Both satay and peanut sauce are similar. However, satay sauce typically contains a blend of spices like turmeric, garlic, and chili, as well as peanuts and coconut milk. On the other hand, peanut sauce is made with ground peanuts, a mild chili pepper, garlic, and other spices. The variations in the ingredients and the spiciness of the sauce are what make them distinct. While both sauces are delicious and versatile, satay sauce is more likely to be found served with grilled proteins, while peanut sauce is commonly served with stir fry dishes like noodles and vegetables, or as a dressing for salads.
Yes, you can eat raw cabbage salad. It’s quite delicious. Try not to shred your cabbage too thick, thinner is better. The ingredients contained in cabbage salad will often break down and soften cabbage as well.
Can I ask you a favor?
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📖 The recipe.
Thai Peanut Dressing Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups cabbage (shredded)
- ½ cup cucumber (peeled and chopped)
- ½ cup green onions (sliced)
- ½ cup salted peanuts
- ½ cup red bell pepper (if you want spice use ¼ cup hot red pepper, diced)
- optional: make it a full meal by adding 12 oz diced cooked chicken
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
- ⅓ cup peanut butter (use all natural peanut butter)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or regular vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (tamari, or regular soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (or regular sugar)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl add cabbage, cucumber, green onions, peanuts, pepper, and chicken (if you're using it).
- In a small bowl mix the Thai peanut salad dressing ingredients.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Video
Kori's Tips
- If using tamari or soy sauce, increase the sugar (or sugar substitute) by a ½ teaspoon, for a total of 1½ teaspoons. Coconut aminos was used in this recipe and it is sweeter than tamari or soy sauce.
Nutrition
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Thai peanut salad is packed full of your favorite Asian flavors! This Thai salad recipe has everything - a creamy Thai peanut sauce, crunchy cabbage and peanuts, sweet and a little spice. Add cooked chicken to make a perfect Thai peanut chicken salad for lunch or dinner. A low carb and keto salad recipe that everyone will go "peanuts" over.
Dawn
I made this for a potluck last night and it was delicious, everyone asked for the recipe. Thanks so much!
seekinggoodeats
Thank YOU for trying the recipe out! I'm so glad everyone loved it - this is one of my all-time favorite salads!
Debi
It's addictive. I ate this for 2 days straight! My cousin made it and did the same thing. It will stay
fresh in the fridge for several days if you don't add the dressing. I used purple cabbage and it was gorgeous. Add any crunchy vegetables celery, carrots, cukes, etc. So healthy and tasty. Thank you.
Lisa
What a wonderful, delicious, tasty recipe! I made this with added leftover rotisserie chicken and got two dinners out of it (with a little left over for a lunch)!
I don’t follow Keto or WW but I do use ingredients/foods that are lower in fats/calories as much as I can, so in this recipe, I used my PB2 Crunchy powdered peanut butter, reconstituted, along with everything else. Turned out perfect!
This will stay on the top as one of my favorite “go-to’s”. THANK YOU!!
seekinggoodeats
Awwww, thank you!! 🙂 PB2 peanut butter is a GREAT idea. I am so happy you suggested this and I'm actually going to use the next time I make this salad.
Meg
I made this as a weeknight meal with rotisserie chicken. My husband stuffed himself on it! 3 days later I needed a dish for a potluck and spouse loudly proclaimed I should take this! It was such a hit. Everyone is asking for the recipe! I made it with oven baked chicken I chopped and cooled (I was out of rotisserie chicken) and without nuts for the party to accomodate dietary needs and it was great.
It is definitely in the meal rotation!
seekinggoodeats
Awww! Thank you so much. I'm so happy everyone has loved this salad. Thanks so much for making it. I love it with chicken too! 🙂
Sallyjojo
Absolutely loved it! I added some lime juice and sesame oil to the sauce as well as some water, mostly because I forgot the olive oil :). I also squirted some fresh lime over the salad after tossing, Made Air Fryer Chicken Satay to have with it. YUM!!
Patricia
This Thai peanut salad was delicious! I followed the recipe, plus added chicken and made it a complete meal. Everyone in my family loved it. We even ate it again two days later and will definitely be eating it again in the near future. This will be one of my usuals. Thanks!
Kori
Awww thank you so much! That sounds so good, and I love that you added chicken. It really is so good!!
Doris Bailey
How many serving is this there are only two of us.
Kori
I serves 6 to 8, I would halve or quarter the recipe for just two of you. Enjoy! 🙂
Alana
THIS is a WINNER! You know a SALAD is good when a TEENAGER goes back for 3 portions! 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣😋
Kori
Yay!! Thank you so much!! Super happy you loved it!! Oh boy do I know what you are talking about - I have 3 teens now and I test a lot of my recipes out on them! LOL 🙂
renise
what kind of red pepper are you using?
Kori
I'm using red bell pepper, enjoy!
Jayme Olson
Excellent! I made it as it's written (without chicken). So balanced. No flavor overpowers another. Even better the next day. Really holds up well. We've enjoyed it over 4 days. Flavor and texture fantastic. We eat a lot of cabbage. This recipe will go in our rotation because I always have the ingredients. Btw cilantro is a must!!
Kori
Great! Thank you for trying the recipe! Super happy you loved it. I am a cabbage lover too and make this recipe A LOT. 😉 I agree cilantro does taste amazing!
Beth Benefiel
My dressing is too thick. What might I thin it with?
seekinggoodeats
That can happen sometimes depending upon the type of peanut butter. Some are thicker than others. I usually use use a little water to dilute. It doesn't take much. Adjust the seasoning after if you need to. Enjoy!
Stacy M
I’m making salad and dressing ahead of time. Do I need to refrigerate the dressing?
Kori
It kind of depends on how far ahead, if it's a couple of days I would refrigerate. The peanut butter and olive oil will thicken in the fridge so you may want to bring it to room temp before serving. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Samantha
One of the best salads I have ever had!! Just made this for dinner tonight. Delicious
Kori
Awwww. Thank you so very much! One of the best compliments EVER 🙂
CJ
Delicious! We also added finely diced apple to the mix. We usually add it to cole slaw and love peanut butter and apple, so we figured we'd give it a try. Yum!
Kori
Thank you! You are the first person to mention they added apple and I think that is a fantastic idea! 🙂 I think the sweetness from the apple would go amazing with this salad.
Emily
Do you think you could use tuna fish instead of chicken on this recipe?
Kori
You know I've never tried it. Tuna is fairly mild it might work. Maybe try a bite before mixing it all in? Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Debra
I just made this. It's so yum! I did a couple of adaptations. I used a bag of tri-color coleslaw, roasted edamame in place of the peanuts, a tbsp of chili garlic sauce instead of red pepper flakes and garlic, only 1 tbsp of olive oil to cut down on the cals, and I just threw in about a cup of chopped cilantro. Oh, and I only had two tbsps left of rice vinegar, so my third was champagne vinegar. Anyway, I can barely stop eating it. Great recipe. I'll be writing about it on my cooking blog and will # you on Instagram.
Kori
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Shannon Rich
Can I replace chicken with white fish instead?
seekinggoodeats
I have not tried it, but I bet you could! If you do make it, let me know how it turns out! 🙂 I'm a fish lover!
Reiko S.
Great recipe! I added 1T of fish sauce for extra umami to the dressing. Actually doubled the dressing recipe since I added chicken to it.
Kori
So glad you loved it! 🙂 I'm going to add fish sauce next I make this - that sounds delicious!!
Kimber
My family loves this recipe!!!
Thanks for sharing it, it’s so crunchy and delicious!!! ❤️
Kori
Thank you! I'm so glad your whole family loves the salad!! 🙂
Élise
Love it! Used apple cider vinegar since that’s what I had in the house, as well as coconut aminos/nectar, and finely cut little less Spanish Onion since I didn’t have green onions on hand . Mixed in some chicken once in our plates. Was a big hit with my husband and my 10 year old son as well!
Thank you for this great recipe
Kori
I love your substitution ideas - sounds delicious! I add chicken in all the time and it is wonderful! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and I'm super happy your whole family loved it 🙂
brandi
how much peanut butter
seekinggoodeats
Hello 🙂 1/3 cup. I see the technical glitch. Will get that fixed!
Frances
This looks yummy! I am doing weight watchers and need to know amount of “saturated” fats per serving. You have total fats listed but that would be too much...usually the saturated amt is much less.
seekinggoodeats
Hello! It has approximately 2.3g saturated fats
Jessica Gazzard
Can you keep this in the fridge for a couple of days?
Kori
I think you could, but if you put the dressing on it it will start to get soggy. Maybe you could only put dressing on the part that you plan to eat then save the rest for your next serving? Have a great day! 🙂
Rose
We loved it. I doubled the peanut sauce and think I must have put too much vinegar is there a way to neutralize it. I did add a little more sugar and tastes better
Kori
Great so glad you loved this salad! Differences in brands and kinds of vinegar, coconut aminos vs soy or tamari, can alter the taste of the salad slightly so good job adjusting it to your liking! 🙂
Nadia
Really yummy!!! It was a hit, especially with the boiled chicken!
Kori
Great! I'm so glad. Thank you for giving it a try! 🙂 I love adding chicken to it too, it's quite delicious!
Ruby
Legumes are not on Keto, peanuts and peanut butter are legumes, no? They are on “dirty” keto and low carb though.