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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Pad Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

    Published: Aug 15, 2021 · Modified: May 12, 2023 by Dianne · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Pad Thai Salad with text overlay
    Pad Thai Salad with text overlay
    Pad Thai Salad with text overlay

    Pad Thai Salad is made with summer fresh vegetables, baked tofu, and spicy peanut dressing. Inspired by my favorite peanutty pad Thai, it's hearty enough to be a meal on its own. This easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

    Pad Thai Salad with text overlay

    Pad Thai Salad

    I originally created this recipe in Rouxbe’s Professional Plant-Based Certification program way back in 2015. The challenge I was given was to make a side dish, soup, or salad using a leafy green and a starchy vegetable. We had to use two different knife cuts and one cooking technique. I decided to make a salad inspired my favorite spicy peanutty stir-fry, using julienned vegetables and baked, cubed tofu. I’m happy to say that received 100% on the assignment – and I got to eat this tasty dish as my reward to doing well.

    close up of pad thai salad

    I altered the recipe a little a year or two later, after receiving a co-op share containing two large heads of lettuce, some carrots, a head of napa cabbage, and some tiny Japanese salad turnips. I added the turnips and threw some cabbage into the salad.

    two bowls of salad with pepper, radishes, lettuce, and peanuts

    The original salad was called Stir-Fry Salad. I later changed the name to Pad Thai Salad, because it reminded me of my favorite peanutty pad Thai. Pad Thai salads often include cold noodles, so feel free to add some, if you'd like.

    ginger, scallions, carrots, cabbage, radishes, lettuce, tofu, peanuts, peanut butter, limes, and spices

    How to Make Pad Thai Salad

    This recipe is super easy to make!

    • First you mix together the dressing ingredients in a blender.
    • Then you mix together all of the salad ingredients.
    • Next you toss in the tofu, drizzle on the dressing, and top your salad with sliced scallions and chopped peanuts.
    making salad collage

    Baked Tofu

    Home-baked tofu is about a hundred times better than store-bought baked tofu, so I like to use my favorite baked tofu in this recipe. You can use store-bought baked tofu, if you're pressed for time. You'll need two 7-ounce packages. If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure your tofu doesn't contain soy sauce, which is made with wheat.

    spooning dressing onto salad

    Spicy Peanut Dressing

    Oh how I love peanut dressing! This sauce is better than anything I’ve ever poured from a bottle. It's super easy to whip up a batch, especially if you have a high-speed blender like a Blendtec. If you'd rather use store-bought dressing, you can. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use sunbutter or almond butter.

    pad thai salads with radishes, limes, pepper, scallions, peanuts, peanut dressing

    How to Customize your Pad Thai Salad

    It's easy to make this recipe your own!

    • Instead of romaine lettuce, you can use any type of leafy green, including baby spinach or kale.
    • If you don't want to use baked tofu, you can use cooked chickpeas or shelled edamame.
    • You can add 4 ounces of cooked rice noodles, to give your salad more of a pad Thai feel.
    • I originally created this salad using salad turnips, which came in a co-op veggie share. If you can get your hands on some, use them instead of radishes.
    two bowls of salad with radishes, pepper, lime, and peanuts
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    pad thai salad with radishes, limes, scallions, pepper, peanut dressing, and peanuts

    Pad Thai Salad

    Dianne
    Pad Thai Salad is made with summer fresh vegetables, baked tofu, and spicy peanut dressing. Inspired by my favorite peanutty pad Thai, it's hearty enough to be a meal on its own.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 4 salads
    Calories 295 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the Dressing:

    • ⅓ cup natural creamy peanut butter
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons agave nectar
    • 1 tablespoon tamari sauce
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
    • 1 teaspoon garlic chili paste or sriracha

    For the Salad:

    • 6 cups romaine lettuce shredded
    • 2 cups napa cabbage shredded
    • 2 cups mung bean sprouts
    • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
    • 2 carrots shredded
    • 6 radishes thinly sliced
    • 1 recipe My Favorite Baked Tofu (or two 7-ounce packages store-bought baked tofu)
    • 2 scallions sliced
    • ¼ cup roasted peanuts chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender or in a cup with an immersion blender.
    • Mix the lettuce, cabbage, sprouts, bell pepper, carrots, and salad turnips or radishes together in a large bowl. Toss in the tofu. Drizzle the dressing on top and garish with the scallions and peanuts.
    Calories: 295kcal
    Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!
    salad with radishes and scallions

    Other Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:

    • Asian-Inspired Spicy Chickpea and Cabbage Salad 
    • Thai Noodle Salad
    • Chinese Tofu Salad from Wait, That’s Vegan?! by Lisa Dawn Angerame
    • Mandarin Orange Salad
    one salad overhead

    More recipes made with peanut sauce include:

    • Peanutty Thai Quinoa Salad
    • Carrot Noodles with Peanut Sauce from Vegan for Everyone by Laura Theodore
    • Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
    • Peanutty Pad Thai Zoodles
    two bowls of Peanutty Pad Thai Zoodles with limes, peppers, peanut sauce, peanuts, scallions, and cilantro
    « Cheesy Kale Chips
    Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad with Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing »

    About Dianne

    Dianne Wenz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Diet Nutrition Specialist, and Plant-Based Chef, as well as the author of Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lauren

      December 07, 2012 at 10:48 pm

      That sauce sounds so good! I love peanut butter based sauces! Do you think regular hot sauce would work in place of the sriracha/chili paste? That's just what I have on hand... 🙂

    2. Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)

      December 12, 2012 at 9:42 pm

      YUM, this sounds awesome. I love Asian inspired food! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
      I hope to see you again this week!

      Stop by this week to see if you were the winner of the Sugar and Spice Prize pack! We had a super great variety of recipes and entries this week!

      Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

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    Hi! I'm Dianne Wenz, a Board-Certified Health Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coach. I empower my clients to build new habits so they can reach their healthy living goals. I love to show others how easy it is to live a vegan lifestyle as well as how to cook deliciously easy plant-based meals. Contact me today to learn more and to schedule a complimentary breakthrough session!

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