Salads Free

Thai-Inspired Crunchy Peanut Salad

Shredded cabbage, carrot, and crisp bell pepper tossed in a punchy peanut-lime dressing, finished with crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. Big crunch, big flavor, and no cooking required beyond the quick dressing.

25 minPrep

5 minCook

30 minTotal

4Servings

MediumDifficulty

⭐ 4.4Rating

Ingredients

4 cups green cabbage, very thinly shredded
2 cups red cabbage, very thinly shredded
2 large carrots, julienned or grated
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 to 4 tbsp warm water, to thin
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, roughly crushed

Instructions

Toast the roasted peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan often, just until they smell fragrant; skip this if using peanuts that are already freshly roasted. Let cool, then crush with the flat side of a knife or in a sealed bag with a rolling pin.
Shred the green and red cabbage as thinly as possible with a sharp knife; thin shreds are essential here so the cabbage stays crunchy but is still easy to eat in one bite with the dressing clinging to it.
Julienne or grate the carrots into thin strips.
Core the bell pepper and slice it into thin strips about the same width as the carrot.
Combine the cabbages, carrot, bell pepper, and scallions in a very large bowl; you want enough room to toss without spilling.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, grated ginger, and minced garlic. The mixture will look thick and clumpy at first.
Add warm water one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until the dressing turns smooth and pourable, similar to heavy cream; you will likely need 2 to 4 tablespoons total.
Taste the dressing and adjust: more lime juice if it needs brightness, more soy sauce if it needs salt, more honey if it tastes too sharp.
Pour about three-quarters of the dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly with tongs until everything is evenly coated.
Add the crushed peanuts and half the cilantro and toss once more, briefly, to distribute without crushing the peanuts further.
Plate the salad and drizzle the remaining dressing over the top, then finish with the remaining cilantro.

            Highlights
            Bold peanut-lime dressing with real crunch
No stove needed except for optionally toasting peanuts
Naturally vegetarian and easy to make vegan

          

Tip: Slice everything thin and roughly the same size; uneven cuts mean some bites are all cabbage and others are all pepper.

Tip: Dress the salad just before serving; the salt in the dressing will pull water out of the cabbage over time and dilute the coating if it sits dressed too long.