A deliciously crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad with colorful vegetables, hearty quinoa, and creamy cashew dressing using Thai red curry paste. It’s an easy recipe ready in less than 30 minutes! Vegan friendly, gluten free, and the best healthy quinoa salad for lunch, meal prep, picnics, and more.
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If you love Thai food, make sure to check out Loaded Thai Chicken Salad, Thai Tempeh Bowl, and Thai Turkey Meatballs, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- A Thai-inspired hearty salad that’s bold with so many savory flavors!
- Just the right balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and creamy for your taste buds.
- Super customizable depending on your choice of crunchy veggies, grains, and protein!
- Serve it for meal prep lunches, backyard BBQs, or a side dish with dinner.
Recipe Ingredients
This Thai flavored salad recipe is broken up into two parts – the quinoa salad and the dressing. Here’s a look at what we need:
Quinoa Salad
We only need 7 salad ingredients, including:
- quinoa – I like yellow quinoa for it’s consistency in texture, but you can also use tri-color quinoa. The key is to rinse it for a minute or two before cooking to get rid of the bitter flavor.
- red cabbage – or purple cabbage adds delicious crunch and color. Green cabbage is a good sub.
- carrots – for even more color, crunch, and fresh veggies.
- edamame – edamame add a nice dose of plant-based protein. You can swap them out for drained, rinsed chickpeas.
- red bell pepper – or green bell peppers, whichever color you have on hand.
- green onions – scallions add mild onion flavor to this delicious salad. Red onion is a good sub.
- roasted cashews – roasted cashews or peanuts (bonus points for honey roasted!) add crunchy texture and extra protein.
Cashew Dressing
I first started making my cashew dressing many years ago and it has made its way into some of my favorite FMK dishes since then. Here is the list of dressing ingredients:
- creamy cashew butter – creamy cashew butter (either raw or roasted) provides a nice base that creates the ultimate creamy dressing. You could swap it out for natural peanut butter to make a peanut Thai dressing.
- red curry paste – this is the secret ingredient! Thai red curry paste is a blend of red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, shallot, cilantro, and Keffir lime peel. Thai Kitchen is a great brand. If you don’t have Thai red curry paste on hand but you have everything else, the dressing will still taste delicious. Crushed red pepper flakes is a good sub if you still want the heat.
- coconut aminos – coconut aminos give us that umami bite. Swap it out for soy sauce or tamari if gluten-free.
- honey, agave, or maple syrup – any liquid sweetener will work, so use your favorite.
- rice vinegar – rice vinegar provides a nice pop, but you can use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar instead.
- minced garlic & fresh ginger – garlic gives us the punchy bite and ginger provides a refreshingly spicy kick.
- lime – fresh lime juice is the way to go. Make sure to have an extra lime wedge or two on the side for serving.
- milk or water, to thin as needed – coconut milk, almond milk, or water is needed to loosen up the dressing to the right consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons, then add more as needed.
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How to Make this Crunchy Quinoa Salad
Nothing says easy quinoa salad more than a quick simmer, whisk, and toss. Here’s how I like to make it in just a few easy steps:
Cook Quinoa
Rinse quinoa under cold water in a fine mesh strainer, stirring around with your fingers. Cook according to the package directions in water or vegetable broth, then allow the fluffy quinoa to cool in a separate bowl.
Prep Veggies
While the quinoa is cooking, chop all of the veggies and place in large bowl.
Make Cashew Dressing
In a small blender or food processor, add the cashew butter, red curry paste, coconut aminos, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk or water. Blend until smooth, adding more milk or water to thin, as needed.
Note: Dressing should be somewhat thick and creamy, but not thin. Start with the smaller amount of milk or water then check before adding any additional liquid.
Assemble Salad
Combine cooked quinoa into the large mixing bowl with chopped veggies, add half of the dressing, and toss.
Add more dressing as you stir and toss to combine. Serve immediately at room temperature or chill in fridge.
Customize It
Have fun with this recipe and make it your own with unique twists and spins, such as:
- Colorful Veggies: In all honesty, you can use any vegetable you have on hand. Chopped broccoli, shaved brussels sprouts, or fancier Bok choy would be a great addition.
- Vegan Thai Quinoa Salad: Keep it vegan by using agave or maple syrup in the cashew dressing.
- Different Grains or Grain Free: Swap out the quinoa for rice, orzo, farro, couscous, or rice noodles! Or, omit the grains altogether and replace them with more veggies like riced cauliflower or shredded brussels sprouts.
- Protein Boost: Add more plant-based protein like tofu, or if not vegan, go for chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
- Fresh Herbs: Give it tons of flavor with fresh herbs like Thai basil (or regular basil), fresh cilantro, or fresh mint.
- Sesame: Add just a touch of sesame oil to the dressing to give it a deeper flavor, or sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
How to Make Ahead & Store
This quinoa salad can be made ahead of time, whether only parts of the recipe or all of it. Here are my best make-ahead and storage tips:
- Make Ahead: Prepare the quinoa, veggies, and dressing 1-2 days in advance. Store in three separate airtight containers in the fridge.
- Storage: This quinoa salad stores well and is a great meal prep salad. You can make the entire salad, toss in the dressing, and place in an air-tight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe Tips:
Here are my expert tips on how to make the best Thai quinoa salad recipe:
- Instant Pot quinoa: Place 1 cup rinsed quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water in Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Seal lid/vent, set pressure to HIGH, and cook on MANUAL for 1 minute. Allow pressure to release for 10 minutes, unlock lid, fluff, and transfer to heat-proof bowl.
- Save on prep time: While the quinoa cooks, chop the veggies and make the sauce.
- Clean up tip: Use a second large bowl as a “garbage scraps” bowl so as you’re peeling, seeding, and dicing, anything you don’t need can go right into the bowl and it helps with cleanup.
- Nut free: Sun butter would work if looking for a nut-free option. Tahini would be quite strong but if you know you like tahini already, then you could sub with that, too.
Recipe FAQs
Can I adjust the spiciness of the salad?
Yes! Simply omit or reduce the red curry paste. Or, if you prefer it spicier, increase the red curry paste 1 teaspoon at a time.
Is there a substitute for nuts for those with nut allergies?
Absolutely! Replace the cashews with toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds, or roasted chickpeas for the same crunchy texture. Use sun butter or stronger tahini for the dressing.
How long does the dressing keep?
The dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a good shake before using to remix all the ingredients that may have settled to the bottom.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Yes, the flavors actually get better the next day as they have a chance to marry together. This easy quinoa salad recipe is best enjoyed within 4 days.
More Quinoa Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Thai Quinoa Salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 ½ cups chopped red cabbage, about 1/2 medium head
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into thin strips
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 6 green onions, cut into 1/4"
- ⅔ cup roasted cashews
Cashew Dressing
- ¼ cup cashew butter
- ½ tablespoon red curry paste, see notes
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos, soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey, or agave or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, can sub apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1" cube fresh ginger, grated
- juice of 1 lime
- 2-4 tablespoons non-dairy milk or water, plus more to thin as needed
Instructions
- Cook Quinoa: Rinse quinoa through fine mesh strainer and cook according to package instructions. (Notes on Instant Pot method below). Allow quinoa to cool in separate bowl; set aside.
- Prepare veggies: Meanwhile, chop all of the veggies and place in large bowl.
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to small blender or food processor; blend until smooth, adding milk or water to thin as needed. Dressing should be somewhat thick and creamy, but not thin.
- Assemble Salad: Combine quinoa with chopped veggies, add about half of the dressing, toss and continue adding more dressing as you stir and toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill in fridge.
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