This rainbow Thai salad recipe is loaded with a spectrum of veggies and drizzled with a zingy dressing. It's crunchy, fresh, and perfectly spicy.
All of the crunch. All of the colors. All of the mega bold flavors. This rainbow Thai salad is about to be your new favorite summer staple.
This is one of those recipes that has been on our "must-make" list for a LONG time. I mean, it is a LONG list. But it's one of those recipes that took a long time to get just right. Sometimes you even end up with a completely different recipe when you're busy testing the original, which isn't a bad thing at all. But you gotta keep your eye on the prize.
Especially when that prize is a restaurant-style Thai salad. We wanted it to taste just like the crunchy, spicy-sweet salad that you can order at your favorite Thai spot and achieving that flavor is no easy feat.
I'm convinced that some sweet little grandma is lovingly cooking behind the scenes at every good Thai restaurant. And that's what makes the food so hard to re-create the same way. Lots of testing. Lots of almost-got-it-right. And finally, success.
The thing I love most about a good Thai salad is the texture. There's such perfect crunch. Big veggies and small veggies in every color. And ultimate freshness. But the real secret is in the sauce, or the dressing, I guess I should say. It's a delicate balance of a few key ingredients. It's so good I could drink it. It also comes together in a mason jar for easy cleanup and/or storage.
There are a lot of salad recipes on the blog that I love. I meeaaaannn... asian kale salad? And 10-minute bok choy salad? And zucchini noodle caprese salad? How does a recipe maker and lover like me choose one over any other? All I know is this salad is my new favorite and you have to make it to understand why I've been snacking on it about 10 times a day. Open fridge, pull out huge bowl, take several embarrassingly large bites, put back in fridge. Repeat in 1 hour.
PS – you're gonna need a batch of this salad on hand for the next recipe we post. With this salad on top, it's gonna blow. ya. mind.
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Rainbow Thai Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Description
This rainbow Thai salad recipe is loaded with a spectrum of veggies and drizzled with a zingy dressing. It's crunchy, fresh, and perfectly spicy.
Ingredients
Salad
3 cups red cabbage
2 cups romaine (chopped)
1-½ cups carrot (spiralized)
1 cucumber (spiralized)
1 cup red bell pepper (spiralized)
¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
2 green onions (finely chopped)
Dressing
2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon honey or agave
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ tablespoon lemongrass paste
½ tablespoon red chili flakes
Instructions
Prepare all ingredients as listed in the ingredient list and add to a large bowl.
In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients and mix.
Add dressing to the large bowl of salad and toss.
Notes
If you aren't a fan of spicy food you can leave the chili flakes out or decrease the quantity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 42
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
This recipe is delicious. I cheated and used a chopped salad kit with cabbage and romaine in it- added more carrots/cucumber and red bell pepper. It is refreshing and flavorful. The leftovers were still delicious and crispy the next day. YUM!!! Thank you so much for sharing :-)
Good thinking! I always love a good time-saving hack. So glad you enjoyed the recipe – thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! :)