This Vegan Thai Peanut Pasta Salad is loaded with crunchy veggies, best al dente vegan noodles, and a nutritious drizzle of gingery peanut-lime Thai-inspired peanut dressing to make everything finger-licking good! It’s crunchy, creamy, vibrant, and nutritious which makes it the best make-ahead ready and simple to pull together pasta salad recipe. Thai peanut pasta salad is the ultimate salad recipe which is great for lunch or meal prep!
This peanut pasta Salad recipe has been a regular staple in my kitchen since last summer, but it has morphed over time. When I developed this Thai noodle salad it was sort of a heavy meal option, loaded with rice noodles and rich & creamy Thai sauce.
However, over time I’ve brightened it up with the various type of crunchy veggies, protein, and a bit of light sauce that makes it a healthy salad recipe, that you can have it any day!
What I love about Thai food is that is packed with fresh flavors and can easily be plant-focused. The crunchy veggies and slurpy noodles shine on the top of this Thai peanut noodles pasta, it’s totally finger-licking delicious!
This Thai noodles salad comes together quickly and can easily make ahead of time. I love it as a one-bowl lunch, but it can be a great side dish to grilled fish or chicken kebabs. You can make this for your next potluck, BBQs, or family dinners!
Why you’ll love Thai Peanut Pasta Salad
- It’s a perfect vegan, dairy-free, and naturally gluten-free meal option
- A great one-bowl lunch or dinner option, or as a side dish to grilled chicken or fish (basically any grilled protein!)
- It’s great for meal prep
- Perfect refreshing summer pasta salad
- It’s so quick, easy, and budget-friendly
Ingredients for Thai Peanut Pasta
The Thai Peanut Pasta salad is loaded with colorful and crunchy Thai-inspired veggies.
For the salad:
- Noodles: rice vermicelli or noodles (you can use any kind of pasta, noodles, or vermicelli)
- Frozen peas
- Bell pepper
- Snow peas
- Onions
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Cashews, almonds, peanuts, or pine nuts (optional)
- Fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, or mint
For Thai Inspired Peanut Dressing:
The Thai-inspired peanut dressing is easy to whip up! Thin with water as required but not much as the dressing won’t able to stick to the noodles.
- Peanut butter
- Ginger (minced)
- Garlic(chopped)
- Lime juice
- Honey or maple syrup
- Soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- Water
- Hot sauce or sriracha
How to Make Vegan Thai Peanut Pasta Salad
This Thai Peanut Pasta salad recipe is quite easy & quick to whip up anytime, everything comes in under 20 minutes! Great for make-ahead meals, it stays good in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. Toss the salad with the Thai peanut dressing just before serving to get the great texture.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. Toss the cooked pasta in olive oil and add a couple of pinch of salt and black pepper. Set it aside.
- Now, gather all the ingredients for the Thai peanut dressing. It’s super easy to make, just combine all the ingredients and whisk it until it’s creamy. Add a few tablespoons of water if required.
- Now take a deep bowl, add cooked pasta, bell pepper, peanuts, carrot, shredded cabbage, and fresh herbs like cilantro, mint, or parsley. Drizzle half Thai peanut dressing over it and toss perfectly to combine.
- Drizzle some more peanuts sauce and add some roasted sesame seeds, & peanuts for extra crunch. And finish with a dash of lime juice, and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Cook the pasta just until al dente, once the pasta is just al dente – bit tender but still has a toothsome bite, take out and strain it.
- Do not forget to toss the cooked pasta in olive oil (any vegetable oil) and sprinkle a pinch of salt & pepper. Then set it aside to cool.
- The Thai peanut dressing will thicken up as it sits on the pasta salad. So make sure to add the dressing just before serving the salad. You can also loosen up the dressing just by adding a few tablespoons of lime juice or soy sauce.
- To make this Thai peanut pasta salad recipe more spicer you may add more sriracha to the peanut dressing.
- This Thai peanut salad calls for fresh herbs like mint, parsley cilantro, or even basil. They add freshness to the salad.
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