Thai Quinoa Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing

This easy Thai Quinoa Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing is a great light Asian-inspired dinner, meal prep lunch, or crowd-pleasing side dish recipe for picnics and parties! Gluten-free, dairy-free and can easily be made vegan! 

Add this Thai Quinoa Salad recipe to your meal prep rut!

Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food 👵🏻. Words of wisdom, I mostly agree with...But there are exceptions - like quinoa! A superfood I seriously can't do without anymore, especially when it comes to putting together meal prep lunches!

Lunch for me is mostly salads as those don't weigh me down and I don't feel like having to nap for 2 hours afterward. Now, eating salad as a main can be a pretty boring affair. With this quinoa salad recipe, I was going to try and get as many flavors packed in as possible! The result is a filling salad that is incredibly colorful and fun to eat with all those different, exciting textures!

There’s just so much goodness in here: carrots, scallions, red cabbage, quinoa, cilantro, peanuts, red pepper, and more. Prepping all the veggies may take a little bit of time but it is SO WORTH IT! I DEFINITELY feel like this is a "no-nap-needed" Power Salad that will keep you satisfied until dinner!

The crunchy fresh veggies, the nutty quinoa, and the creamy dreamy peanut dressing all meld together perfectly and somehow the salad just works fantastically! Plus it is super filling so you can absolutely have it as a main! If you want to amp up the protein, or are just really really hungry, add some chopped chicken, edamame or chickpeas.

I also love that this quinoa salad can easily be made vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.

This Asian-inspired quinoa salad is a fantastic make-ahead dish to prepare as a healthy office lunch or light weeknight dinner, but let nothing hold you back from serving it as a side dish with some grilled chicken or broiled or glazed salmon.

 Creamy Thai Peanut Dressing - my new OBSESSION!

So I know that quinoa salad is not exactly a classic Asian salad. I still named it Thai Salad - not only because it feels fresh and light like all Asian salads but also because of the allover Asian flavor profile.

The Asian feel mostly comes from the creamy peanut butter dressing that features classic Thai cuisine ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger, and Sriracha. Can I just say that it is absolutely TO DIE FOR? I could put in on everything and I do recommend you make a big batch of find some cool ways to incorporate it into your meals throughout the week.

How to make Thai Quinoa Salad:

How to cook quinoa perfectly:

Prep: Rinse the quinoa: Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander and rinse under running cold water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Drain it well. This step is important as it removes any bitterness on the outside of the quinoa

Step 1 & 2 - In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and cover with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer on low heat and cover for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Step 3 - Add to a large mixing bowl, fluff with a fork and let cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

How to make Creamy Peanut Dressing:

Step 4 - In a medium bowl, add peanut butter and honey. Microwave 30 seconds to soften – it will be easier to work with.

Step 5 & 6  - Add soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger, and Sriracha, if using.

Step 7 & 8 - Whisk to combine. The texture will be very thick.

Step 9 - Gradually stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach a smooth consistency you can easily drizzle (I used about 3 ½ tablespoons)

How to assemble the quinoa salad:

Step 9  - Once quinoa has cooled, add bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, scallions, cilantro and half of the peanuts to the bowl. Toss to combine.

Step 10 & 11 - Add ⅔rd of the sauce to the salad, reserving about ⅓ cup for serving. Toss again. To serve, drizzle each plate with reserved dressing, top with remaining peanuts, a few cilantro leaves, and a lime wedge. Enjoy!

How to make this quinoa salad recipe for meal prep?

This is a great easy salad recipe to make in advance if you’re entertaining a big crowd or you simply want something healthy yet filling to bring in your lunchbox to work or school. You can prep the quinoa salad and store the peanut dressing on the side if you want to eat it throughout the week!

For meal prep, prepare the recipe as written until step 3 and pack the reserved dressing + other toppings separately.

 Can I make my quinoa in advance and keep it in the fridge? 

Yes! Properly stored, cooked quinoa will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. To maximize the shelf life of cooked quinoa, refrigerate the cooled quinoa in shallow airtight containers or resealable plastic bags.

Tips for making this Thai Quinoa Salad recipe:

• This salad is actually better the next day when it has had time to rest in the fridge and all the flavors have developed
• Other veggies that would taste great in this salad: edamame, avocado, and mango. I recommend you add the avocado and mango when you’re ready to eat or they will get mushy.
• Up the protein by adding some chopped chicken, edamame or chickpeas.
• Make this quinoa salad recipe vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.

5 from 1 vote

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Thai Quinoa Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing

This easy Thai Quinoa Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing is a great light Asian-inspired dinner, meal prep lunch, or crowd-pleasing side dish recipe for picnics and parties! Gluten-free, dairy-free and can easily be made vegan! 

Course Appetizer, lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Keyword Asian salad recipe, quinoa salad recipe, thai salad with peanut dressing

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 411 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

Salad

• ¾ cup quinoa - uncooked
• 1  red bell pepper diced
• 3 cups purple cabbage thinly shredded
• 1  cup carrots about 2 carrots, shredded (packed cup)
• ⅓ cup scallions chopped
• ⅓ cup cilantro packed cup + more for serving
• ½ cup roasted peanuts
• 1 lime cut into 4 wedges, to serve

Creamy Peanut Dressing

• ⅓  cup  creamy natural peanut butter
• ½ tbsp honey
• 1  tbsp less sodium soy sauce - tamari for gluten-free
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1  tsp grated ginger
• 1  tsp  Sriracha sauce - optional more or less to taste
• Hot water to thin

Instructions

For the quinoa:

1. Rinse the quinoa: Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander and rinse under running cold water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Drain it well. This step is important as it removes any bitterness on the outside of the quinoa.

2.  In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and cover with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer on low heat and cover for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Add to a large mixing bowl, fluff with a fork and let cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

For the dressing:

1. In a medium bowl, add peanut butter and honey. Microwave 30 seconds to soften – it will be easier to work with. Then add soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger and Sriracha if using and whisk to combine. The texture will be very thick. Gradually stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach a smooth consistency you can easily drizzle (I used about 3 ½ tablespoons)

For the salad:

1. Once quinoa has cooled, add bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, scallions, cilantro and half of the peanuts to the bowl. Toss to combine. Add ⅔rd of the sauce to the salad, reserving about ⅓ cup for serving. Toss again.

2. To serve, drizzle each plate with reserved dressing, top with remaining peanuts, a few cilantro leaves and a lime wedge. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• This salad is actually better the next day when it has had time to rest in the fridge and all the flavors have developed
• Other veggies that would taste great in this salad: edamame, avocado, and mango. I recommend you add the avocado and mango when you’re ready to eat or they will get mushy.
• Make this quinoa salad recipe vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.

Nutrition Facts

Thai Quinoa Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing

Amount Per Serving (1 /4)

Calories 411 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Sodium 498mg22%

Potassium 826mg24%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 7195IU144%

Vitamin C 85.6mg104%

Calcium 94mg9%

Iron 3.3mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Asian Quinoa Salad Recipe with Thai Peanut Dressing, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy quinoa recipes you will love:

• Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties 
• Warm Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash & Kale
• Bondi Harvest Quinoa Salad
• Gordon Ramsay's Quinoa Salad