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This salad has a delicious peanut dressing and packs some serious plant-based protein, fiber and flavor!
This Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing has a super savory and delicious sauce! If you have never tried black rice, you are in for a great surprise! It has a really nice texture; it’s slightly chewy and tender and is so very delicious! If you can find black rice, I highly recommend trying it but if not, use some brown rice or wild rice. I have made this salad with wild rice as well and it wad delicious!
This salad is a little more involved than most of my other salads due to having to cook the tofu. To save time, you could buy tofu or tempeh that is already seasoned and ready to go. This may be a great time saving option for you. I have seen these seasoned options in most grocery stores but have yet to try them. I’m such a creature of habit…so I always end up buying the regular tofu. I think because then I have more options as to what I do with it.
I highly recommend using a non-stick pan to cook the tofu. Cast iron or ceramic would be great. Tofu will stick to stainless steel pans and make a big mess, trust me, I’ve tried.
Anyways, on with this salad. This is one of my favorite salads! It makes a wonderful meal and great leftovers. If I want to have leftovers for my lunches for the week I make a double batch. Making a double batch does add to the work but sometimes it’s better to make a double batch of something versus 2 separate meals.
If you love this Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing, try this Honey and Ginger Tofu Stir Fry! It is a satisfying weeknight meal that you will love!
Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup black rice (or other rice)
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra-firm tofu
- 3 carrots, peeled and julienned
- 2 hearts of romaine, washed and chopped
- 2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup peanuts, roasted and salted
- 4-6 teaspoons avocado oil
Dressing
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt, stir before measuring)
- ¼ cup and ½ tablespoon Tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 ½ tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice per package instructions. I cooked it in an instant pot for 22 minutes, high pressure with 1 1/2 cups of water and I let it release for 1o minutes. After the rice is done cooking, fluff it with a fork.
- Drain tofu and press gently with a kitchen towel or paper towel. After pressing, set on a fresh dry towel.
- Chop all your veggies. Next slice your tofu in small bite size pieces that are 1/2 cm thick.
- In a non-stick pan, add 2 tsps of oil and turn the heat up to medium. Once the pan is heated, add the sliced tofu to the pan. Make sure they are separated and not touching. Add black pepper and cook until both sides are slightly browned and crisp. Add oil as needed to cook the rest of the tofu.
- As the tofu is cooking, add the dressing ingredients to a mini food processor or blender and blend thoroughly. Taste the dressing and adjust accordingly. You may like it spicy or more tart.
- Assemble your salad as one large salad or as individual salads. Top with dressing and enjoy! This salad stores well in the fridge and stays fresh for up to 5 days. If storing in the fridge, store the salad and the dressing separately.
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