Crunchy, fresh, and chock full of veggies, this Thai Cabbage Salad with peanut dressing makes a fresh and nutritious dish! Serve it as a side or toss in chicken for a high protein lunchtime salad.
Plus - I've included a tried and tested nut free version!
Quick Look: Thai Cabbage Salad
⏲️Ready In: 20 Minutes
🍽Servings: 6
🥗Nutrition: 197 Calories
🥘Main Ingredients: Cabbage, Red Bell Pepper, Carrots, Red onion, Cashews, Basil, Peanut butter OR Sunflower seed butter
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free, optionally Nut free
⭐Why You'll Love It: Loaded with veggies and wonderfully crunchy with a light, nutty dressing to make this a healthy, nutritious side dish!
Have a Question? Want a Summary?
Ask AI to summarize or ask a question about this specific recipe!
Disclosure: these buttons are meant to be helpful but I am not responsible for how AI answers.
This has to be one of my favorite salads of all time! With several different herbs and crunchy raw veggies, this salad delivers loads of texture and variety - and that's before tossing with the light Thai-inspired dressing!
I'm a big fan of flavorful, toasty salad dressings. If you have that same affinity, check out Wild Rice & Arugula Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette or Orange Pecan Kale Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing, both using tahini for nut free dressings!
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
All the different vegetables and herbs make this salad a treasure trove of flavors and textures! Here are the highlights:
Cabbage: A small head of cabbage is enough for this salad. But if you can only find larger cabbage and end up with half a head, make Buttery Balsamic Roasted Cabbage or Sautéed Cabbage with Leeks & Seeds with the leftovers!
Carrots: Save on time and grab pre-shedded carrots.
Red Onion: Just enough to add a little bite without overpowering the salad. If you're worried about the onion being too strong, macerate (essentially means marinating) the onions in the rice vinegar for the dressing before adding to the salad.
Red Bell Pepper: These tend to be a little sweeter than green bell pepper and I love the color it adds to the salad! Feel free to use green or yellow peppers, though.
Cilantro: I love cilantro and the fresh flavor it lends to this salad! If you don't like cilantro, feel free to substitute fresh parsley.
Toasted Cashews: The nutty, creamy flavor of cashews is gold in this salad. For a nut free salad, though feel free to omit or use sunflower seeds instead.
Basil: Fresh basil really can't be beat for this herby, flavorful salad.
Sunflower seed butter or creamy peanut butter: Originally, I made this recipe with sunflower seed butter to keep the dressing peanut free. I've since made it with peanut butter and both are fantastic!
Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a little flavor to the dressing that just can't be replicated through ground ginger. Tip: don't bother peeling the ginger. Just grate away!
Honey: Adds just a little sweetness to the dressing. If you'd rather not use honey, use a teaspoon of sugar or omit entirely.
How to make Thai Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing
Step 1: Combine sunflower seed butter, ginger, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Step 2: Stir dressing ingredients until smooth.
Step 3: Combine thinly sliced cabbage, shredded carrots, red onion, red bell pepper, basil, cilantro, scallions, and toasted cashews in a large bowl.
Step 4: Drizzle on dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
How to make a nut free peanut dressing
Need a nut free version of the dressing?
While peanut dressing is common for cabbage salad recipes, I actually PREFER the nut free version - using unsweetened sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
To make the entire recipe nut free, swap out the cashews for toasted sunflower seeds.
While you could leave the cashews out entirely, I love the nutty flavor they add, so I wouldn't skip adding toasted sunflower seeds as an alternative!
Top Tips from Chelsea
Make it a meal. You can easily add some leftover Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken, Crispy Cast Iron Chicken Thighs, or Blackened Crispy Skin Salmon to add some protein and make this Thai cabbage salad a meal on its own!
Prep ahead. This salad is best served within 24 hours of tossing with the dressing. But you can still prep ahead by chopping the vegetables and herbs, toasting the cashews, and preparing the dressing in advance!
Variations and substitutions
- Swap green cabbage for red cabbage (also makes a super colorful salad).
- Any bell pepper can be used in place of red bell pepper.
- Afraid the onion will have too much bite? Macerate the onions by letting them sit in the rice vinegar you'll use for the dressing for 15 minutes or so. This helps soften the onions and take out some of the overwhelming flavor.
- Cilantro hater? Just use parsley.
Thai Cabbage Salad FAQs
Yes, you can, adding in the fresh herbs, cashews, and dressing. But the salad will be better if you prep it all yourself so the ratios are correct!
Yes, you sure can! It'll make a super colorful salad. I will note that I prefer the salad with green cabbage or a mix of the two rather than all red cabbage.
Chop the vegetables up to 1 day in advance. You can also prepare the dressing up to 3 days in advance. This salad is best eaten within 24 hours of dressing, so toss everything together right before serving.
I will happily eat the leftovers, but the cabbage will soften as it sits in the dressing.
More phenomenal salad recipes to try
Hearty, delicious salads have become a backbone of high protein lunches and weeknight meals for me!
Did you try this Thai Cabbage Salad recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
Print📖 Recipe
Thai Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
With lots of different veggies and herbs, this gluten free salad recipe is FULL of flavor. Add in toasted cashews and a light, nutty dressing, and this side dish definitely becomes a winner.
To make nut free, use sunflower seed butter for the dressing and swap the cashews for toasted sunflower seeds!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 3 medium to large carrots, shredded
- 5 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ¾ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup toasted cashews
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter OR creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2-3 tablespoons water to thin
Instructions
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth. Add more water to thin if necessary. The dressing should be fairy thick, but pourable!
- Combine the basil, carrots, cabbage, red onion, cilantro, green onions, and red bell pepper in a large bowl. Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss until all the veggies are coated. Sprinkle on the toasted cashews and dig in!
Notes
This salad is best served immediately. You can prep the ingredients in advance and toss in the dressing just before serving. It will get a little soggy if kept in the fridge for longer than a day, but still tastes great.
For a well-rounded meal, add some leftover chicken breast or crispy cast iron chicken thighs!
