Crunchy Thai Chickpea Salad with Peanut Sauce Recipe
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Jump to Recipe Watch VideoThis crunchy Thai chickpea salad with peanut sauce recipe is a simple, fresh, and tasty lunch. A delicious hearty plant-based meal prep recipe, ready in 15 minutes!
A quick side dish, appetizer, or lunch option made with fresh vegetables, canned garbanzo beans, and a bright fresh peanut sauce dressing. And it’s great to make ahead of time for entertaining.
Want more refreshing salad ideas? Try our cranberry orzo salad, farro and artichoke heart salad, and our favorite udon noodle salad.
We love easy and delicious side salads, and simple meal prep lunches. This Thai inspired chickpea salad with peanut dressing fits both categories. A big bowl of this Thai Chickpea Salad is great for meal prep lunches, a vegetarian side dish option, or just a quick weeknight meal at home.
I especially love this salad on summer nights, it’s super refreshing when it’s too hot to cook. Freshly shredded red cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, and chickpeas are smothered in a fresh lime peanut sauce and ready for your plate!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s light, crunchy, and super refreshing.
- Loaded with flavor from the creamy peanut dressing.
- Fresh vegetables and roasted peanuts give this dish a wonderfully crisp texture.
- It’s versatile – enjoy this as a meal, or add your favorite protein in.
- Ready in 15 minutes, and easy to make. Follow our step-by-step photos below to make this dish perfectly in you own kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Canned Chickpeas are the staple of this delicious salad! You can use canned chickpeas (I recommend a low sodium or no salt version), or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
Fresh vegetables like finely shredded red cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and green onions.
Fresh herbs – a little cilantro gives this dish a bright, and fresh flavor. If you don’t like cilantro see our substitutions section below. And fresh lime juice adds a wonderful flavor to the finished dish.
Lightly Salted Peanuts: for a yummy, nutty crunch! I like to use only unsalted or lightly salted peanuts when I cook.
Our delicious peanut sauce dressing is the perfect add-in! Made with peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a little water to thin in out.
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
Additions and Substitutions
- If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, you can try adding fresh chopped parsley instead for a wonderfully herby flavor.
- Want even more vegetables? Try chopped cucumber, sliced radishes, or thinly sliced red onions would also be tasty in this salad.
- For a soy sauce alternative, you can use tamari (which is gluten free) or coconut aminos as a substitute.
How To Make This Salad
Step 1: Open the cans of cooked chickpeas, and rinse under cold water in a strainer. Drain chickpeas and add to a large bowl. To the chickpeas, add the chopped carrot, red cabbage, bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
Step 2: Mix all the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl (or a mason jar with an airtight lid) and stir or shake well for 2-3 minutes until the dressing turns creamy.
Step 3: Pour the creamy peanut dressing over the salad.
Step 4: Mix the salad until well combined, each bite should be coated in the creamy dressing.
Step 5: Top the finished salad with roasted peanuts, and extra cilantro or green onions to garnish. Serve room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
Recipe FAQs
Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Yes, this recipe is fantastic to meal prep or make ahead! Since the hearty vegetables won’t wilt in the refrigerator, you can make this a few days in advance to prep multiple portions to enjoy throughout the week.
I would not recommend freezing this salad, as the vegetables are best when fresh, and the peanut sauce could separate in the freezer.
Dietary Modifications
For a nut-free version: If you are allergic to peanuts you can use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a tree-nut free version. Just make sure you also use a sunflower seed butter (sometimes called sunbutter) or tahini to replace the peanut butter too.
To make this recipe gluten free: ensure you use certified gluten free ingredients like tamari which is a soy sauce alternative.
This recipe is vegan & vegetarian, but if you aren’t meatless you can add a cooked protein of your choice.
More Hearty Vegan Salads
- Summer White Bean Salad
- Mediterranean Arugula Salad with Quinoa
- Avocado Black Bean Salad Recipe with Corn
- Cucumber Macaroni Salad with Dill
- Sour Cream Cucumber Salad
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Crunchy Thai Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chickpea Salad
- 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas
- 2 carrots shredded
- 3 cups red cabbage shredded
- 1 bell pepper I used yellow
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
For the Peanut Sauce Dressing
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or gluten free tamari
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 lime juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/4 cup water or more for a thinner sauce.
Instructions
- Open the cans of cooked chickpeas, and rinse under cold water in a strainer. Drain chickpeas and add to a large bowl. To the chickpeas, add the chopped carrot, red cabbage, bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
- Mix all the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl (or a mason jar with an airtight lid) and stir or shake well for 2-3 minutes until the dressing turns creamy. If you dressing is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches desired creaminess.
- Pour the creamy peanut dressing over the salad.
- Mix the salad until well combined, each bite should be coated in the creamy dressing.
- Step 5: Top the finished salad with roasted peanuts, and extra cilantro or green onions to garnish. Serve room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, you can try adding fresh chopped parsley instead for a wonderfully herby flavor.
- Want even more vegetables? Try chopped cucumber, sliced radishes, or thinly sliced red onions would also be tasty in this salad.
- For a soy sauce alternative, you can use tamari (which is gluten free) or coconut aminos as a substitute.
Nutrition
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Very colorful. Very delicious
Glad I’m not allergic to peanuts
Super Asian salad hat hits the spot