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This crunchy cashew Thai quinoa salad is loaded with good-for-you ingredients, color and tastes so fresh. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and easy to adapt to be vegan-friendly which makes it a delicious option for those with different dietary restrictions.
Salad is my go-to lunch choice, so I knew this quinoa salad would hit the spot! We love making this easy Thai quinoa salad for a potluck as well as prepping it for healthy lunches all week long.
If you’re chopping and making each element yourself, this recipe can take some time. So throw on a podcast, or a favorite playlist and get chopping. But you can also easily use a few shortcuts that make this salad come together much faster (see below).
This crunchy cashew Thai quinoa salad can also easily be kept vegetarian. Just skip the chicken and you’re good to go! Quinoa packs some major protein, plus it’s filling so you really don’t need the chicken if you don’t want it.
Explore even more delicious salads by trying my favorite healthy salad recipes you can eat for any meal!
Table of Contents
Why I ADORE This Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad Recipe
There are so many reasons I love this crunchy cashew Thai quinoa salad salad, but mostly because it’s…
- Gluten-Free (be sure to use a GF brand of soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos)
- Dairy-Free
- Vegetarian/Vegan (omit the chicken)
- Protein-packed (thanks to the quinoa, edamame and chicken!)
- Filling
- Fresh
- CRUNCHY
The Best Thai Peanut Dressing
This Thai peanut dressing is SO good, it’s nearly impossible not to lick the spoon. Just the right amount of heat, sweet and tang, plus that delicious peanut goodness.
This peanut dressing comes together super quickly in a food processor and can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To make the salad dressing, you’ll need creamy peanut butter (or natural peanut butter), soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili paste, sugar, fresh ginger, garlic, and water.
Ingredients for Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad
Use these simple and fresh ingredients packed with nutritional value to make your new favorite healthy salad.
- Quinoa: for extra flavor, cook your quinoa in broth instead of water.
- Purple and Green Cabbage: we love to use a combination of both types of cabbage (red cabbage and green cabbage) for a more colorful salad. Cabbage holds up well in the fridge making this a meal prep friendly salad.
- Carrots: adds more color and a nice crunch to this salad. If you want to add even more color, you can also add some thinly sliced red bell pepper.
- Cilantro: fresh cilantro adds lots of flavor. You can also add some thinly sliced green onions or Thai basil.
- Edamame: adds plant-based protein to this delicious salad.
- Cooked Chicken: chicken makes this hearty salad more filling.
How to Make Thai Quinoa Salad
I love prepping this crunchy cashew Thai quinoa salad on the weekend for a quick lunch option during the week.
Make the Quinoa: Rinse the uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cold water. Add rinsed quinoa to a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water (or broth). Bring to a simmer and cover; cook for 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside.
Prep the Fresh Ingredients: Combine shredded cabbage, carrots, cilantro and edamame in a large bowl.
Make the Ginger Peanut Dressing: Place all ingredients for the peanut dressing in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Combine & Serve: When ready to serve, toss the fluffy quinoa, shredded slaw blend, and cooked chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with peanut dressing and top with peanuts, cashews, and a big squeeze of fresh lime.
Shortcut Tips
If you’re short on time or just looking to make this recipe come together a bit faster, here are some great ways to do so:
- Buy shredded cabbage and shredded carrots pre-packaged
- Buy ready-to-eat microwave quinoa
- Buy pre-cooked chicken
If you’re making this recipe for a crowd, it’s more cost-efficient to make each element yourself rather than buying many bags of shredded cabbage and carrots.
Using a food processor to shred cabbage, carrots and cilantro makes quick work of what would be a long time spent with a knife in hand.
Tools You’ll Need
Here’s what we used to make this Thai-inspired quinoa salad – our new favorite work-from-home lunch:
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Mason Jar
Tips for Meal Prep and Storage
This crunchy Thai peanut salad is a GREAT recipe to make ahead/meal prep. We love to prep certain elements of this recipe on Sunday and then store them separately in the fridge to combine for lunches all week long.
- Cook quinoa in your Instant Pot or on the stove
- Shred cabbage, carrots, cilantro and toss together
- Cook chicken and chop
- Make peanut dressing
Be sure to store each item separately in their own airtight container to keep things fresh.
Other Healthy Main Dish Salads
- Healthy Chicken Cobb Salad
- Teriyaki Salmon Salad (Easy 15-Minute Recipe!)
- Asian Salad with Pulled Pork
Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked (yields 3 cups cooked)
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
- 2-3 large carrots, shredded
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup cooked edamame, steam-in-bag mukimame is so easy!
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
For The Peanut Dressing:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce, gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 knob ginger, peeled
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- Water to thin, we usually about 2 tablespoons or so
For Serving:
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Cashews, or peanuts
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cold water. Add rinsed quinoa to a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water (or broth). Bring to a simmer and cover; cook for 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside.
- Combine shredded cabbage, carrots, cilantro and edamame in a large bowl.
- Place all ingredients for the peanut dressing in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- When ready to serve, toss cooked quinoa, shredded slaw blend, and cooked chicken (if using) in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with peanut dressing and top with cashews, sesame seeds, and a big squeeze of fresh lime juice.
add a few handfuls of fresh spinach for a greens boost. i also threw in trader joe’s sriracha baked tofu for additional protein – say what?! yum!
Looks like a recipe I would like to share with my kids❣
How far in advance could I make the dressing?
Probably a day or two!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I didn’t realize I was out of quinoa and it was so good I ate it without! Only other substition was that I added raw broccoli. Would definitely recommend adding the beans which added to the nutty flavor.
This made a Lot! Definitely enough for 4+ people ( or 4 meals if you’re like me and made it for yourself). Yum!
I have not made a recipe with quinoa and not cooked it first. How does that work out in this recipe? Does it soften up due to the dressing?
Hi Sherry – if you click on the green circle it brings you to the full directions where it tells you how to cook the quinoa 🙂 You definitely do want to cook it first!
Can I substitute quinoa for cauliflower rice?
Hi Debbie! Sure, that seems like a fun idea!
Can I substitute quinoa with cauliflower rice ?
Hi Debbie – I don’t see why not!
Thank you so much for your response . One more question . What is the serving size? And how many servings does it make ?
Hi Debbie – this serves about 6 people. The serving size on the recipe author’s recipe is 1/6th of the recipe.
I am nut free and wonder if I could use Wow Butter for the dressing instead of peanut butter. Wow Butter is a peanut butter substitute made with soy. Do you think this would work? It has the texture and taste of peanut butter…
Hi Lauren – we haven’t tried that before but I’m sure it would work!
good for lunch . thanks