Do you love Thai food as much as I do? Try this Spring Roll Bowl, Fresh Spring Rolls, or Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)!
Why I love this recipe:
Healthy – This Thai Quinoa Salad is just as delicious as it is healthy! I like to make a big batch for meal prep lunches during the week. Fresh – All of the vegetables make the salad not only beautiful but so fresh and delicious. The combination of red bell pepper, purple cabbage, onion, carrots, edamame, cilantro, and green onion bring so many delicious flavors together.Flavorful – The homemade peanut sauce blends all the flavors together and really makes this the best quinoa salad!
How to make Thai Quinoa Salad:
Cook Quinoa: Prepare quinoa according to package directions. You should have a little over 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Make Sauce: Add peanut butter and honey to a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 10-20. Stir until smooth. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and sriracha and stir until smooth and creamy. If necessary, thin the dressing by adding a little more olive oil or some water. Taste and add more hot sauce, if desired. Pour Sauce on Quinoa: Drizzle half of the Quinoa salad dressing over the cooked and cooled quinoa. Toss to combine. Chop Vegetables: In a large bowl combine the red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, edamame, and cilantro. Combine: Fold the quinoa into the vegetables. Add as much of the remaining dressing as you’d like (to taste). Serve: Add cashews and garnish with green onions right before serving this healthy quinoa salad. Enjoy!
Tips for Success:
A great tip to make this Asian quinoa salad recipe even easier is to chop all of the veggies the day before. Also, cook the quinoa the night before so it can cool in the fridge. You can also make the peanut dressing several days in advance, if you want. Store it in an airtight container, in the fridge. Add the dressing to the salad gradually, to taste. You may not want to use it all. Also, I wouldn’t add the dressing until right before you’re going to serve the salad. And my last tip: save the cashews until the end, right when you’re ready to serve, so that they stay crunchy.
Make Ahead Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The veggies, quinoa, and peanut sauce can all be made in advance to make this quinoa salad even more effortless! Store everything separately in airtight containers in the fridge.
Recipe Variations:
Chicken Quinoa Salad: To make it even more filling, feel free to throw in some chopped grilled chicken or air fryer tofu.
More Favorite Salads:
Pomegranate and Pear SaladLentil SaladBrussels Sprout SaladThree Bean SaladSouthwest Quinoa SaladCucumber Onion SaladBurrata Salad
I originally shared this recipe January 2017. Updated January 2023.
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