• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Garden Grazer

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Matcha
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Fresh Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce

April 23, 2018 By Kaitlin McGinn 18 Comments

Colorful, crunchy Thai-inspired Quinoa Salad tossed in the most amazing homemade garlic-ginger peanut sauce! (Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free)

Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad in a bowl with spoon

This salad is bursting with bright rainbow colors, delicious Thai-inspired flavors, plenty of fresh crunch, and awesome plant-based nutrition. I’m continually surprised at how pleasantly filling it is. The key component for me is really the peanut sauce. Delicious, savory, and so full of flavor. Plus it’s a great choice for make-ahead meals & lunches. (It still tastes awesome the next day after the flavors get a chance to mingle.)

Peanut dressing being poured on ingredients for Thai Quinoa Salad

I’ve made versions of this salad with quinoa as seen here, but also the more typical rice noodles and enjoy it both ways. So feel free to substitute the quinoa for your own favorite noodles/rice noodles as well. I find myself trending more towards the quinoa option for both the nutrition boost and sometimes the delicate rice noodles break apart on me creating a bit of a mess. (But a happy, delicious mess nonetheless!) For more notes and detailed instruction on the sauce, see my full post here for the Easy Peanut Sauce. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

PS – come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and share a photo if you make this! (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated – thank you!)

Bowl of Thai Quinoa Salad with peanut sauce
Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad in a bowl with spoon
Print Pin
5 from 5 votes

Fresh Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce

Colorful, crunchy Thai-inspired Quinoa Salad tossed in the most amazing homemade garlic-ginger peanut sauce!
Author: Kaitlin – The Garden Grazer
Prep Time:30 minutes
Total Time:30 minutes
Category: Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Thai, Vegan
Servings:5 medium bowls

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 3/4 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1 1/2 cups red cabbage
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 green onions
  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 cup cashews (or peanuts, or a combo of both)

For the peanut sauce:

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use creamy, natural)
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup (more/less to taste)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 3/4 tsp. fresh grated ginger (or more to taste)
  • Hot water (to thin to desired consistency)
  • Optional: red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Rinse and cook the quinoa according to package instructions.*
  • Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: mince garlic and grate ginger. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except water. Heat about 3/4 cup of water to just under boiling. Slowly add water, a couple tablespoons at a time, and whisk. Continue adding water and whisking until sauce reaches your desired consistency. (I usually end up adding roughly 1/2 cup water.) Set aside.
  • Prepare veggies: thinly slice or shred cabbage, grate carrot, thinly slice or dice bell pepper, slice green onions, and roughly chop cilantro (stems removed). Place in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add cashews (and/or peanuts) and cooked quinoa.
  • Add dressing and toss well to combine.
  • Top with more nuts or cilantro if desired.

Notes

*I simmer 3/4 cup quinoa in about 1 1/4 cup water or veggie broth covered for about 20 minutes. (I use water for this recipe since it has plenty of other flavor going on, but otherwise I like to use veggie broth to cook my quinoa for a nice flavor boost.)
This salad keeps well covered in the fridge for about 3-4 days, making it a great choice for take-along lunches, picnics, etc.!
For gluten-free, use tamari.
Other additions: snow peas, edamame, tofu, cucumber, broccoli, fresh Thai basil, sesame seeds, bean sprouts, shredded kale, spinach, etc.

Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Potassium: 586mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3201IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thegardengrazer on Instagram and hashtag it #thegardengrazer. I love seeing your recreations!
Photo collage of Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad

Enjoying this Thai-inspired Quinoa Salad? Check out the full “Vegan Salad” archives on the site for more inspiration! (Or this ultra-fresh Quinoa Tabbouleh.)

Filed Under: Asian-Inspired, Gluten-Free, Main Dish, Recipe, Salad, Vegan, WFPBNO Tagged With: bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, cashews, cilantro, garlic, ginger, lime, peanut butter, peanut sauce, plant protein, quinoa, take-along lunch, thai, weeknight

Previous Post: « Easy Peanut Sauce
Next Post: Curried Orange Rice Salad »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa McGlinn

    April 24, 2018 at 10:56 am

    Looks delicious and I want to make it this week. Are the cashews raw or roasted?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      April 24, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Hi Lisa! I used raw cashews but feel free to toss in whatever you have on hand 🙂 Hope you enjoy it – have a beautiful week! -Kaitlin

      Reply
    • Lisa McGlinn

      April 30, 2018 at 12:58 pm

      Thanks Kaitlin! Hope to make this today. I bought all the ingredients last week and never got around to it.

      Reply
  2. CK

    April 25, 2018 at 9:33 pm

    This was an amazing recipe. So colorful and nutritious. I'm afraid it won't last long! Thank you thank you. A real winner

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      April 27, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      So great to hear you enjoyed! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

      Reply
  3. Lisa McGlinn

    April 30, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    I made this today for lunch for my husband and myself and wow! it was delicious. I added edamame to my serving and my husband ate his in lettuce wraps. So good!!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      May 29, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Hi again Lisa! Thanks for your sweet and helpful feedback – edamame & lettuce wraps are fantastic ideas! Thrilled you and your husband enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Kat

    May 29, 2018 at 6:00 am

    I made this for a family gathering. It was so delicious! Loved it!! It was devoured, I'll definitely be making this again. I like the other commenters suggestion to use in lettuce wraps.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      May 29, 2018 at 4:15 pm

      Hey Kat! So great to hear – thanks for the kind feedback 🙂 (And yes to trying this with lettuce wraps! Such a great idea.) Have a beautiful week!

      Reply
  5. Margaret Esplin

    July 25, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    This was delicious! The peanut sauce was my favorite part. We used crunchy peanut butter

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      September 5, 2018 at 4:22 pm

      Hi Margaret! Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed this – thanks for the feedback. Glad it worked well with the crunchy PB too (I like the sound of some added texture!)

      Reply
  6. Unknown

    September 19, 2018 at 1:05 am

    How do I download ur recipes?

    Reply
  7. Judy

    February 24, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    This salad is so delicious!! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      February 24, 2019 at 4:19 pm

      Wonderful to hear you’re enjoying it Judy! Appreciate your feedback 🙂 Have a beautiful week!

      Reply
  8. Aliya Gardea

    August 10, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    If I am going to make this for the week, it best to mix in the sauce initially or right as I am about to eat it?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      September 16, 2019 at 9:24 am

      Hi Aliya! Apologies for my delayed response! I love it both ways but it’s all about personal preference 🙂 It will be a bit softer & creamier if you leave it separate and mix right before eating. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try! Have a lovely week!

      Reply
  9. Sophie

    January 6, 2020 at 11:54 am

    So flavorful and delicious! I have made this for lunch several times now, and it never disappoints.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      January 21, 2020 at 10:03 am

      Hi Sophie! So great to hear you’ve enjoyed this for lunch! Thanks so much for the kind feedback – very appreciated. Wishing you a lovely week! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it! (Thank you!)




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Kaitlin! I share easy vegan recipes that are mostly whole food, plant-based, oil-free, & gluten-free. Learn More About Me →

Join 200,000+ followers!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 · thegardengrazer.com

Privacy Policy