Packed with crunchy veggies, edamame, rice noodles and a scrumptious garlicky, gingery peanut-lime dressing, this cold Thai Peanut Noodle Salad recipe is make ahead ready and simple to pull together in about 30 minutes!
Discovering Thai Flavors
When I transitioned to a vegetarian way of eating, it opened up a whole new world of flavors I hadn’t previously known. Thai flavors quickly rose to the top of my list of favorites including recipes like these Vegan Thai Lentil Lettuce Wraps and this reader favorite, Thai Veggie Fried Rice. What I love about Thai food is it’s fresh, umami packed and is easily plant focused.
While the crunchy veggies and slurpy noodles shine in this cold peanut noodle recipe, it’s the totally mouthwatering Thai noodle salad dressing/sauce that ties the textures and flavors together.
This Recipe Is
- crunchy
- peanutty
- so fresh!
If you love homemade Thai Inspired Recipes, you’ll enjoy this flavorful and hearty salad recipe.
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How to Make Peanut Noodle Salad
I use thin rice noodles for this recipe, soaking them in the hot water left after cooking the edamame. Keep a close eye on the noodles while soaking. They can turn from perfectly tender to much in a flash!
“This recipe exceeded all expectations! I loaded mine up with herbs– mint, green onion, cilantro, basil- yummy! The dressing made me lick the food processor it was that good. thank you!!”
Natalie
The peanut dressing is whipped up in a food processor to break down the ginger and garlic and create a smooth dressing. Thin with water as needed, but not too much or the dressing won’t stick to the noodles and veggies.
This salad can hang out in the fridge for days, however the fats in the peanut butter are softest (and most enjoyable) at room temperature. If sharing after the salad has been chilled, pull it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
Traci’s Tips
- How Spicy? For a spicier Thai peanut noodle salad, share with Sriracha on the side or include up to three teaspoons in the dressing.
- Leftovers: Depending on how much dressing you like on the salad, you may have some peanut sauce left over. It stores beautifully for weeks in the fridge. I’ve used it as a dipping sauce for summer rolls, tossed it into curry and have poured it over these Thai Lentil Lettuce Wraps.
- Herby or Not: This Thai noodle recipe calls for a hefty portion of herbs such as cilantro, Thai basil and mint. They add so much freshness to the salad. If you have particular (ie: picky) eaters in your house, share herbs on the side.
Thai Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe
Packed with crunchy veggies, edamame, rice noodles and a scrumptious garlicky, gingery peanut-lime dressing, this Thai Peanut Noodle Salad recipe is make ahead ready and simple to pull together! This recipe is vegetarian, vegan + gluten free
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Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) Cashews, or peanuts
- 1 cup (140 grams) Shelled Edamame, frozen
- 4 ounces (110 grams) Rice Stick Noodles
- 1-2 teaspoons Sesame Oil, optional, *see note
- 1 1/2 cups (155 grams) Red or Yellow Bell Pepper, about 1 large, I like to mix red and yellow
- 1 cup (45 grams) Carrots, shredded
- 3 cups (190 grams) Cabbage, green and purple mixed, shredded
- 1 cup (100 grams) Sugar Snap Peas, or snow peas, sliced into bite size pieces on the bias
- 1/2 cup (30 grams) Green Onions, sliced thin on the bias
- Herbs such as Thai basil, mint and cilantro, use to taste – I like a combo of all three, fine chop about 4 Tbs. Use whole leaves to garnish.
For the Dressing (makes about 1 C (260g))
- 1 inch (2.5cm) Nub Fresh Ginger, peeled
- 2 Plump Cloves of Garlic
- 6 tablespoons (100 grams) Peanut Butter, smooth, natural
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Lime Juice, from about one lime
- 3 1/2 tablespoons Tamari, **soy sauce may be used if desired (see note)
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup, or honey
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha, or 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 3-4 tablespoons Hot Water, to thin the dressing
Instructions
For the Salad
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and toast the cashews for 8-9 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Rough chop. Set aside 2 Tbs for garnish.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add the frozen edamame. Set a timer for five minutes and cook the edamame on high heat. The water should return to a boil. Set a strainer inside a large bowl to retain the water from the edamame. After 5-6 minutes of cooking and the edamame is tender, strain the edamame reserving the water in a large bowl. Rinse the edamame under cool running water. Set the edamame aside.
- Working quickly, into the reserved water, add the rice noodles. Allow the noodles to soak for 4-6 minutes in the previously boiled edamame water. Loosen with a fork and check on them every few minutes. They should be tender, not mushy, when ready. Strain and rinse with cold running water, tossing, until the water runs clear. Wipe the bowl dry and add the rice noodles to the bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil if using and toss. Otherwise, add the edamame to the rice noodles.
- To the mixing bowl add the cashews, peppers, carrots, cabbage, peas, onions and herbs. Set in the refrigerator while making the dressing.
For the Dressing
- Into the bowl of a food processor, add the ginger, garlic, peanut butter, lime, Tamari, maple and Sriracha. With the processor running drizzle in a few Tbs of hot water. Process until smooth. Check consistency. The dressing needs to be thick enough to stick to the noodles and veggies. If too thin, it'll sink to the bottom of the bowl. Add up to two more Tbs of water if desired.
To Assemble
- Pour the dressing over the salad, holding out about 1/4 C. Toss salad thoroughly so that all the noodles and veggies are covered. Add additional dressing if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle additional herbs and 2 Tbs of cashews over the top. Serve with lime wedges and Sriracha.
- Thai Peanut Salad holds well in the fridge for up to three days. If desired, set out at room temperature at least 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the fats to soften.
Notes
*Optional, but drizzling a bit of oil over the noodles after draining helps keep them from sticking while they cool in the fridge. If not used, the noodles will loosen once the dressing is poured over the salad and tossed. I will say, the sesame oil adds a nice dose of flavor!Â
**Tamari: The salty component in this recipe, and can be adjusted to taste. Start with 2 tablespoons as add as desired. Note the dressing will be distributed over the entire salad, so the dressing will taste salty before dressing the salad.Â
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Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2313IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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This is the second recipe I made this week from this blog, I made the chicken pea salad first. Thank you!!!!
Hi Nancy! Thank YOU for your note and review! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the blog :D
Wow! This salad is Amazeballs!! I love the burst of color and flavors! I’m so glad I didn’t skip the fresh herbs- they helped take the whole dish over the top! And that dressing! So good!! My Omni husband went back for seconds and then called dibs on the leftovers to take for lunch!
Wooo! Love hearing this, Colleen! Thank you for your note and rating! How fantastic is that? Your Omni hubs went back for more than called dibs! LOl – I love reading notes like that! Thank you for sending a smile!
It’s Winter here in Australia, this morning was a chilly 55 degrees F, so when I mentioned a salad for dinner I had a few weird looks.
This dish has it all. Appearance, texture and wow, the taste.
I’ve been told by all not to lose this recipe.
Hooray, David! Thank you for coming back, leaving a note and your five star review! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe!
Wonderful recipe. I have never used rice noodles but I’m always looking for different vegetarian options. I only had broccoli and shitake mushrooms but the flavor was fabulous. I used peanuts but might try almonds next time and there will be a next time. Thank you.
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for your note and five star review! I love the subs of broccoli and shitake. Thank you for your tips!
My meat and potatoes brother who is un-adventuresome with new tastes gobbled this up at a family gathering and went for seconds. This is one of those go to and repeat dishes to impress and make for friends and family. Lots of chopping but the results are so worth it! Thank you!!
P.s. I used the mung bean glass noodles they were great too
OMG! I love this, Donna! Thank you for your note, tip on the mung bean noodles and five star review. SO happy to hear you enjoyed the salad (and your brother too!)! Worth the chopping indeed!
For some reason, this recipe was outside of my wheelhouse. I didn’t have several of the ingredients on hand (enter:trip to the grocery store), I had never used rice noodles in this wvay (only in spring rolls) and I felt like there were a lot of prep steps and a ton of cleanup afterwards- but all that being said, it’s a fresh and yummy salad with a nice amount of crunch and spot on Asian flavor. I ended up with a HUGE bowl of the finished product – probably because I decided to just go ahead and use the whole 6oz pack of rice noodles instead of having those pesky two oz left in my pantry (🙄). I did increase the other ingredients to compensate and now I’ll be enjoying this treat all week! Thanks for another creative recipe Traci! Keep them coming!
So happy to read your note Sue, and in the end, it was worth the effort! And I guess the tradeoff is because it makes so much, there’s no mess to clean up for at least a few more nights :D The package of noodles I use is right at 8oz – so I just split it and have another pack of noodle for my next noodle making adventure. I’ve linked it above if needed. Thank you again for coming back, rating and leaving a note for us Sue!
Very good written yummy
So happy to hear Voyance! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note.
We made a version of this last night only with soba noodles and fresh spinach instead of cabbage. Such a great dressing recipe. Thanks Traci!
Hi Monica! Thank you for your note and tips on Soba (yummm!!) and fresh spinach! Hooray for peanut dressing! So happy to hear!
This was great. Made it exactly as called for except I forgot to get the nuts when I went shopping. I am sure it’s even better. My other half made appropriate noises in appreciation. Will be making this again as we head into the hottest part of the summer.
Hahhaaa!! Thank you for that Michelle! Much needed :D So happy to hear!
Such vibrant colors and flavors just beg to be eaten in this salad-just perfect for these hot days! I’ve got a bumper crop of Thai basil this year. Never had much luck growing it but I tried the Siam Queen variety this year and it has made all the difference. Enjoy your weekend, Traci!
Sooo good for hot days, Jean! A bumper of Thai Basil?! That is amazing! Like you I had trouble growing it for years, then one year, my persistence paid off and I got a good crop of it! It is SO flavorful. I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for Siam Queen when I plant again. Thank you for your tip, Jean!