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Thai Quinoa Salad is a delicious, easy and protein rich with a delicious Thai peanut sauce. Lots of color and crunch!
Quinoa is so versatile. It works well in salads, side dishes and even main dishes. One of my favorite quinoa dishes is BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad and I love using it in a bowl instead of rice like in this Korean BBQ Beef Quinoa Bowl. Find all my quinoa recipes here.
What is Quinoa?
We have been on a bit of a quinoa kick at our house lately. Quinoa is an ancient seed that has been around for thousands of years but has only recently, the last ten years or so, become popular in the culinary world It is an amazing source of protein and so versatile. It is a nice healthy alternative to pasta or white rice.
My favorite way to cook quinoa is in the Instant Pot and you can find all the details for Instant Pot Quinoa here.
How to Make Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa It cooks just like rice and can be done in the Instant Pot or on the stove top. I use a ratio of two cups of water to one cup of quinoa on the stove top and a 1:1 ratio in the Instant Pot. After it has cooked just fluff it up with a fork and then you are ready to add in whatever you’d like. See this post for complete instructions of cooking quinoa.
- Sauce This Thai Quinoa Salad has a delicious peanut butter Asian flavored sauce. In addition to peanut butter it calls for soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, honey, and vinegar. Stir to coat your quinoa in the sauce.
- Veggies I love all the colors the vegetables give in this dish. The combination of red cabbage, carrots, red onion, red pepper, green onions and cilantro are not only pretty but so delicious! Feel free to add in any of your favorite veggies.
- Crunch Add in cashews or peanut to give the salad a great crunch.If you wanted a little heartier fare you could add some shredded chicken to the dish too.
Can I Make Quinoa Salad Ahead of Time?
Quinoa salad holds up really well in the refrigerator and will last for 3-4 days. The peanut sauce does absorb into the quinoa as it sits and sometimes I like to add a little bit more sauce on the second or third day to give it a bit more flavor.
For other delicious salad and Thai inspired recipes try:
Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup green onions diced
- ½ cup cashews or peanuts
Dressing
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter creamy
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in a medium pan. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add quinoa, stir and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool.
Dressing
- Place peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl and heat for about 25 seconds.
- Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oils. Stir until smooth.
- Add dressing to quinoa to taste.
- Add in remaining ingredients.
- Garnish with nuts
- Chill or serve at room temperature
Nutrition Facts:
Originally posted August 22, 2013
Tracy says
Made this for my teenage girl’s lunches. We all absolutely loved it! Yum, yum, yum!
Leigh Anne says
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Michelle says
I thought this was a bit heavy on the peanut butter. Made the dressing and then had to cut it in half and make it more of a vinegar/lime based dressing. It was just a personal preference. I like a sour and sweet flavor
foody schmoody says
Thanks for sharing this recipe and your yummy dessert recipes at Tuesday Tastings last week. I have a new obsession with quinoa so this recipe comes at the perfect time. Just when I was running out of things to do with it! So a super special thanks for this!
Don’t forget to come back Tuesday to see if you get a feature.