Think salads can't be crave-worthy? This Thai salad with peanut dressing says otherwise. Packed with crunch, bold flavor, and that creamy peanut finish, this Thai peanut salad hits that perfect balance of fresh and satisfying. It's healthy, low carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free, and ridiculously easy to turn into a full meal.
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The video.
The backstory.
Most salads fall into the "fine, I'll eat it" category. This one doesn't. It's built to be crunchy, bold, and actually satisfying - the kind you crave, not just tolerate.
xoxo Kori
It's a must-make.
Big crunch, bold flavor, and just enough richness to keep things interesting - everything you want in a salad shows up here.
- Crunch you can hear. Cabbage, peppers, and peanuts bring that crisp, satisfying bite.
- Flavor that hits. Creamy, salty, slightly sweet, with a little heat in the background.
- Healthy that satisfies. Light, low-carb keto-friendly ingredients that still feel filling.
- Easy to up the protein. Add chicken or bacon and you've got a full, protein-packed meal. Plant-based eaters can add chickpeas.
If it's crunchy and covered in peanut dressing, I'm already going back for more.
Let's talk texture and flavor.
First bite? All crunch. Then comes the creamy peanut coating that pulls everything together. Fresh cabbage, cool cucumber, and sweet bell pepper keep it light, while the peanuts add a salty pop and the dressing brings that sweet-savory balance with just a hint of heat.
What you'll need.
Fresh, simple ingredients come together to make this Thai peanut salad anything but ordinary:
- Cabbage: The crunchy base that holds up to the dressing.
- Cucumber: Cool, crisp, and refreshing.
- Green onions: A mild bite with a little sharpness.
- Salted peanuts: Crunchy, salty, and essential for texture.
- Red bell pepper: Sweet and vibrant for balance.
- Cooked chicken (optional): Turns it into a hearty, satisfying meal.
For the dressing:
- Peanut butter: Creamy, rich, and the star of the show.
- Olive oil: Smooths everything out.
- Rice vinegar: Adds brightness and tang.
- Coconut aminos, soy sauce, or tamari: Brings savory depth.
- Sweetener: Balances the flavors.
- Garlic: Bold and aromatic.
- Ginger paste: Warm, slightly spicy kick.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional heat.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
- Fresh cilantro (optional): Fresh, herby finish.
If you're loving the bold flavors in this Thai salad with peanut dressing, there's more where that came from. Try this Thai-Style Crab Fried Rice for a savory, satisfying dish, drizzle extra flavor with my creamy Thai Peanut Salad Dressing, or keep things easy with Slow Cooker Thai Basil Chicken for a hands-off dinner that still delivers big flavor.
Customize it your way.
A few simple tweaks can take this Thai salad with peanut dressing in a whole new direction:
- Add chopped cooked chicken or bacon to turn it into a hearty main dish
- Toss in shredded carrots for extra crunch and color
- Add edamame for more protein and texture
- Swap peanuts for cashews for a slightly sweeter flavor
- Finish with a squeeze of lime for extra brightness
Flexible dietary swaps.
Adapting this Thai peanut salad to fit your needs is easy and still keeps all the flavor:
- Make it vegan by using coconut aminos or tamari. Use chickpeas and toasted nuts for texture and crunch
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce to keep it gluten-free
- Swap peanut butter for almond butter if needed
- Use monk fruit or erythritol to keep it low carb or keto
How to make Thai salad with cabbage and peanuts.
Four quick steps stand between you and a seriously good Thai salad:
- Add all chopped veggies (and chicken if using) to a large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing until smooth and creamy.
- Pour over the salad.
- Toss until everything is evenly coated and ready to serve.
How to serve it.
Keep it simple or turn it into something more - this salad plays well either way:
- Serve as a fresh side with grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu
- Add chicken and make it a complete meal
- Pair with jasmine rice or cauliflower rice
- Spoon into lettuce wraps for a crunchy bite
- Top with extra peanuts and herbs for more texture
Kori's tips.
- Use natural peanut butter and make sure it's well stirred before using
- If your peanut butter is too thick, let it come to room temperature (or soften in the microwave) until soft or add a little water to loosen it
- Taste and adjust the dressing before tossing
- Start light on dressing and add more as needed
FAQ's
This salad is best eaten right away. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Prep everything ahead, but wait to toss with dressing until ready to serve.
Can I ask you a favor?
If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!
📖 The recipe.
Thai Peanut Salad
Ingredients
To make the 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 ounces diced cooked chicken or bacon. Keep it plant-based with chickpeas.
To make the 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!
Kori's Tips
Nutrition
© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™
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.