Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Ginger Sauce
This Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad takes only 15 minutes and is a colourful vegan meal perfect for a light lunch or dinner! Loaded with Thai inspired ingredients and dressed with a divine peanut ginger sauce, it’s crunchy and full of flavour.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
This crunchy, incredibly flavourful full vegan salad is perfect for dinner but is also completely fuss-free for lunch. HELLO, perfection in a bowl!
Now, how about we get into this total dreamy rainbow effect of a salad?
Based on my Fresh Spring Rolls, I eliminated the wraps and noodles to make this quick meal. I switched up the lettuce for kale (so yummy and curly), added crunchy cashews, and plenty of quinoa for protein. This salad will leave you full and completely satisfied.
And can we talk about this peanut ginger dressing? It’s honestly the best sauce/dressing, one I would totally order over and over at any restaurant, and one I want to put on every single salad, forever. It also stores perfectly and is the perfect complement to this beautiful salad.
Notes on the Ingredients
For the salad:
Carrot – I like some sliced raw carrots in my salad for a bit of extra crunch and sweetness.
Quinoa – So protein-packed, quinoa makes this salad super filling. You can use pre-cooked quinoa or even frozen if you don’t want to make fresh. I like to pop my cooked quinoa in the fridge after cooking so that it’s cool when I make my salad.
Red cabbage – A bit earthier than green cabbage, red cabbage also gives a pop of colour to the salad.
Red and green bell peppers – While it may be surprising, red and green bell peppers are actually the same vegetable! A green bell pepper is at its least ripe and has more of a bite to it. Red bell peppers are the ripest (with yellow and orange in between) and more sweet. The combination of both gives this quinoa salad more complex flavour.
Kale – I used kale for this salad, but you could also use lettuce or uncooked spinach.
Cashews – The rich, nutty flavour of cashews pairs perfectly with the vegetables and the peanut ginger dressing.
Lime – I like to finish off my salad with a squeeze of fresh lime for a bit of citrusy brightness.
For the dressing:
Ground ginger – The combination of warm, aromatic ginger with sweet, nutty peanut butter is absolutely to die for.
Maple syrup – Maple syrup sweetens the dressing naturally.
Soy Sauce/Tamari/Liquid Aminos – Tamari is similar to soy sauce but is gluten-free. It gives the same umami flavour but is a bit less salty tasting. You can also use liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce.
Distilled white vinegar – For a bit of tang and balancing out in flavours.
Sesame seeds – I like sesame seeds for a little crunchy texture in my dressing.
Natural peanut butter – Natural peanut butter is typically made only of peanuts and salt, and the simplicity works will with the additional ingredients.
Red pepper flakes – Just a tiny bit of heat tops off the dressing.
How To Make Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a deep bowl until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
In a separate bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients. Squeeze half a lime over it if desired to add a touch of brightness.
Drizzle the sauce over the salad and mix everything in to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQ
- You can store your Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad in a Tupperware container in the fridge for 5 days. The dressing can be stored in the fridge and covered or in a small mason jar. Stir before using or bring to room temperature for 20 minutes since it may thicken a bit in the fridge.
- If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your tamari is wheat-free. Most brands are, but occasionally gluten is an ingredient.
- You can always switch up the ingredients of the salad based on what you have in the fridge or pantry. Try adding other veggies, like chopped celery or edamame, or change up the cashews for slivered almonds or peanuts.
Related Recipes
- The Best Kale Salad with Sesame Tahini Dressing
- Noodle Salad with Peanut Ginger Sauce
- Kale Apple and Chickpea Salad with Vegan Feta
- 5 Mason Jar Salads To Meal Prep for a Week of Lunches
Enjoy friends! If you make this Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Ginger Sauce, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
Thai Quinoa Salad:
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3 cups sliced Red Cabbage, (200g)
- 1 cup chopped Red bell pepper, (104g)
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper, (104g)
- 2 cups kale, removed from stems, washed, dried and chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews, chopped
- 1/2 small lime
Peanut Ginger Sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons tamari or liquid aminos, or (gluten-free if needed) low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Peanut Ginger Sauce
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a deep bowl until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Thai Quinoa Salad
- Add all the ingredients together in a bowl. Squeeze half a lime over it if desired to add a touch of brightness.
- Drizzle the sauce over the salad and mix everything in to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Definitely my kind of meal. I love that Asian inspired peanut ginger sauce.
Thanks so much Angie!! That sauce is my fav!
Hello Jessica,
I have been enjoying the recipes and will definitely try this salad. I am new to your blog so you may have already addressed this. Do you provide calorie information for the recipes? I have been trying a pseudo-fast diet (limited calories 5 days per month) and would need to know how many calories are in this well balanced meal.
Thank you for sharing your ideas!
Hi Pat,
So glad you’ve been enjoying it! I don’t know how many calories are in this salad, but if you’re on a limit you can remove the cashews and it will definitely be a lower calorie salad. The peanut butter will have a lot of calories too, so you can always swap it for PB2 powder. I hope that helps!! Also, you’re very welcome!
I would follow and share your blog if you provided nutritional information for your recipes.
Jessica, can you enlighten me about PB2? How does it taste compared to real peanut butter?
Hi Jane,
It tastes pretty close to be honest! You can spread it just like regular peanut butter, it’s maybe just a little bit thinner, so you can always add in more powder. I hope that helps!!
Yes, it helps thanks. I keep thinking I should buy it for when I want PB flavor.
What would the measurement be for the PB2 As opposed to using regular peanut butter? Thanks and can’t wait to make it!
Can you store the salad all mixed up with dressing in fridge for 5 days , or did you mean undressed ?
Thank you
Hi Lisa,
You can store is all mixed up, that’s what I did! Undressed it would last that long too!
I struggle making quinoa just right… Suggestions?
Hi Kelly,
I did a post all about cooking quinoa: https://jessicainthekitchen.com/how-to-cook-quinoa/
I find that covering the pot slightly with its lid helps it to get as soft as fluffy as possible, then when it’s finished I literally fluff it with a fork. By the way red quinoa takes longer to cook than white quinoa, so I prefer white quinoa. I hope that helps!
Can you omit the ginger in the sauce? My family members don’t love ginger (weird, I know!)
Hi Erin,
Yes you can omit! You can make it without, or even use garlic instead. My best friend is allergic to ginger (!!) so I totally get it! I hope you enjoy!
I am only three days into eating a more plant based diet and just made this salad today – YUM!! Thank you for the great salad and dressing.
You’re so welcome Heidi!!
What can I substitute the tarimi with. Just realize I don’t have any.
Oops! Here is the question again: What can I substitute the Tamari with?
Hey Madelyn,
If you aren’t gluten free, you can use regular soy sauce, just try a little less first because Tamari is very low sodium so the amount I used may result in a salty dip with regular soy sauce. Just taste test it a little bit, like one tablespoon first!
Not sure if the problem is on my end or yours, but I can’t “pin” this to my Pinterest board. All the images say “Can’t fetch image” 🙁
Hi Clare,
All fine over here! It should be working for you too! 🙂
Just made this. Very good. Lots of crunch! I love the peanut butter dressing/sauce, but found mine to be very thick, hard to toss with the salad. I had left it out at room temperature until ready to toss, hoping that would help, but it didn’t. Perhaps microwave it just prior to tossing to really liquify it? Suggestions? Thank you.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks so much!! The dressing definitely shouldn’t be that thick, so maybe your peanut butter is very thick? You could just add more water to thin out the dressing. The flavour is strong so more water wouldn’t affect the flavour much (you could add more tamari/liquid aminos if necessary). Hope that helps!