Vegan Thai Chopped Salad

The star of the recipe is the medley of fresh vegetables like cabbage, carrot and cucumber. Baked tofu adds provides a satisfying protein element that complements the veggies and brown rice lends a chewy, hearty texture and makes this salad substantial enough for a meal.

For more meal prep-friendly salads, this Mediterranean orzo salad, edamame quinoa salad and roasted cauliflower salad are all delicious too.

Ingredient Notes

The complete list of ingredients with measurements is located in the recipe card at the end of post.

• Brown Rice: This salad can be made with or without brown rice. You can omit it for a lighter meal or side salad or swap it for white rice, farro, quinoa, rice noodles or even pasta.
• Cabbage: You can use purple or green cabbage or for a quick and easy option, use prepared coleslaw mix.
• Tofu: Use firm or extra firm tofu or swap it for edamame, tempeh or chickpeas (or add edamame or chickpeas in addition to tofu).
• Soy Sauce: Be sure to use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce for gluten-free.
• Peanut Butter: You can use almond butter for a peanut-free option or any other nut or seed butter.
• Sriracha: You can omit this if you’re sensitive to spice. Sambal oelek is a good substitute.

Variations & Additions

• Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
• Nut-Free Option: Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
• Veggies: Don’t need to be exact amounts, use what you have and feel free to sub in any color of bell pepper, zucchini, broccoli or chopped celery.
• Alternative Sauces: Try my almond satay sauce, sesame miso sauce, sesame dressing, miso peanut sauce or coconut peanut sauce.
• Fresh Herbs: Enhance the flavor by adding fresh herbs like Thai basil, mint or cilantro.
• Crunchy Additions: Mix in or top with roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds or cashews.
• Fruit: Some chopped mango would be good in this salad.
• Citrus: Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Press Tofu (Optional)

Pressing tofu is an optional step that helps remove excess moisture and improves the texture of the tofu. It is particularly beneficial when baking or frying tofu as it allows it to absorb flavors better and promotes a crispier result.

If you’d like to press it, use a tofu press or wrap a block of tofu in a kitchen towel or paper towel and place a heavy object on top of it. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes.

Step 2: Cook Brown Rice

If you don’t have cooked brown rice on hand, start that now as it will need up to 45 minutes to cook depending on the variety you use. Cook it according to the package instructions.

White rice is fine too and will cook much faster than brown. You could also swap the rice for quinoa.

For a lighter salad, you can skip the rice all together and just to the veggies, tofu and sauce.

Step 3: Bake Tofu

If you did not press the tofu, simply drain, and shake or pat it dry. Chop the tofu into triangles or cubes and gently toss it with the soy sauce, pepper and garlic powder.

Some optional ingredients for the tofu are 1 tbsp oil and/or 2 tsp cornstarch. The oil helps it get more crispy and the cornstarch creates a light, crisp coating.

Place the tofu a baking tray lined with parchment paper (optional but easier clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes until browned and crisp. I like to flip it after 20 minutes but its not required to do so.

I think this sweet chili tofu, Sriracha tofu or baked tempeh would be really good in this salad too!

Step 3: Make Dressing

Step 3. Make the dressing by blending everything until smooth and creamy or using an immersion blender in a suitable container. Slowly add water until its easily drizzles off a spoon but is still thick and creamy.

Quick Tip: If you don’t have a way to blend the sauce, use 1 tsp garlic powder instead of whole garlic or grate the garlic so its paste-like, and whisk everything together in a container until smooth and creamy.

Step 4: Prepare Veggies

• finely chop the cabbage, use a mandolin if you have one or use prepared coleslaw mix for a quick and easy option
• grate the carrot
• dice the bell peppers
• finely chop the red and green onion
• dice the cucumber
• finely chop the cilantro

Mix and match! Celery, snap peas, snow peas, jalapeno, and spinach all work well here too.

Step 5: Assemble Salad

You have a couple options for assembling your salad.

You can mix the veggies, dressing, tofu and rice in a large bowl or mix just mix up the veggies then plate those individually topped with rice, tofu and peanut sauce. I prefer to assemble each component individually and then drizzle each serving with sauce.

If you’re making this for meal prep, I recommend storing the dressing until serving.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Notes

• Dressing Consistency: If the peanut sauce is too thick, you can add a little water, one tablespoon at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. Conversely, if you prefer a thicker dressing, reduce the amount of water.
• Garnish: Before serving, garnish the salad with additional fresh chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or peanuts, or a wedge of lime.
• Flexibility: The vegetable amounts do not have to be exact so adjust as needed to what you have available or add anything else you like.

Storage and Prep

• All the components can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
• If storing the final dish, keep sauce separate if you can until just before serving.
• The assembled salad is best after 2-3 days as the veggie will start to get soggy.
• If storing for a grab-n-go meal prep, I’d recommend rice on the bottom of the container, then the tofu, then the veggies on top to help keep them fresh. You can either store the sauce separately or drizzle it over the rice at the bottom then mix it all up when you’re ready to enjoy.