Vegan Thai Chopped Salad
This vegan Thai chopped salad with brown rice, tofu and peanut sauce is easy to make and highly nutritious thanks to a colourful array of fresh veggies.
Recipe Features
- dietary needs – vegan, can be gluten-free, can be nut-free
- customizable – swap the tofu, veggies and brown rice as needed, see below for substitution ideas
- side or main dish – this hearty salad can stand alone as a main dish as 4 large portions or serve 6-8 as a smaller side salad (I prefer it as a meal)
Ingredient Notes
- brown rice – I like it for a heartier salad but you can omit for a lighter meal, swap for white rice, farro, quinoa, noodles or pasta
- cabbage – red or green both work
- tofu – use firm or extra-firm, can be swapped for edamame, tempeh or chickpeas
- soy sauce – sub with gluten-free tamari to keep gluten-free
- peanut butter – swap for almond butter for a peanut-free recipe or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free recipe
- sriracha – omit if you don’t like spice, can be subbed with red pepper flakes or cayenne
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. 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. White rice is fine too and will cook much faster than brown.
Step 2. Make the tofu by mixing everything up in a bowl and baking for about 30 minutes until browned.
Step 3. Make the dressing by blending everything until smooth and creamy or using an immersion blender in a suitable container.
Quick Tip: If you don’t have a way to blend the sauce, use garlic powder instead of garlic and whisk everything together in a container until smooth and creamy.
Step 4. Prepare all the fresh veggies:
- finely chop the cabbage (use a mandolin if you have one)
- grate the carrot
- diced the bell peppers
- chop the red and green onion
- died the cucumber
- chop the cilantro
Finally, assemble your beautiful salad by mixing the veggies with the rice, tofu and peanut sauce.
Quick Tip: I like to mix up the veggies in a large bowl, plate those indivually then top the each serving with rice, tofu and sauce.
Notes and Tips
- 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 or miso peanut sauce
Storage and Prep
- Brown rice and peanut sauce can be prepared up to 4 days in advance.
- Tofu can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.
- Veggies can be chopped ahead of time and stored separately for up to 4 days.
- If storing 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 sauce, then the tofu, then the veggies on top to keep fresh (store sauce separately if possible).
Related Recipes
If you like this one, you might enjoy these too:
- Vegan Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Roasted Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Cold Asian Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Tofu Kale Salad
- Tofu Pad Thai
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Chopped Salad with Peanut Sauce and Tofu
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy, vegan Thai-inspired chopped salad is nourishing, satisfying and delicious. Throw in some cashews for some crunch!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup cooked brown rice (add up to 2 cups if desired)
- 4 cups packed, finely chopped red cabbage (green cabbage is fine too)
- 2 carrots, grated (approx. 1.5 cups)
- 1 large or 2 small red peppers, finely diced (approx. 1.5 cups)
- 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup lightly packed, chopped cilantro
- 1/2 a cucumber, diced (approx. 1 cup)
- 1/2 a medium red onion, diced (approx. 1 cup)
For the Baked Tofu
- 1 package medium, firm or extra firm tofu, cut into cubes or triangles
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the Spicy Peanut Sauce
- 5 tbsp natural peanut butter (75 g, sub almond butter or sunflower seed butter)
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce (omit if you don’t want it spicy or use more if you like it spicy!)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- If you don’t have brown rice prepared, start cooking that now as it will need about 45 minutes to cook. Use white rice for a faster option, or sub with whole-grain pasta, noodles, farro or quinoa.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Chop the tofu into triangles, slabs or cubes then toss with the tofu ingredients. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (optional but easier clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes until starting to brown and crisp. I like to flip it after 20 minutes but its’ not totally necessary to do so. For extra crispiness, see notes on pressing the tofu first.
- To make the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor, or use and immersion blender and mix until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a blending method, sub the garlic with 2 tsp garlic powder and whisk everything together until smooth and creamy. You may need a little water to adjust the consistency of the sauce. If so, add water 1 tsp at a time until you have a thick but pourable sauce.
- Chop all the veggies and either divide between 4 containers or bowls and top each with equal amounts of rice, tofu and peanut sauce or mix everything together in a large bowl and serve mixed. I like to mix the veggies in a large bowl then plate the mixed veggies individually, topping each serving with with the rice, tofu and sauce.
- Serve with right away with fresh lime and if desired, chopped cashews or peanuts.
Notes
Pressing Tofu: To press your tofu before baking, fold a dishcloth over it and place something heavy on top of it for 20-30 minutes. If you’re crunched for time, it’s not absolutely necessary but it helps to press out extra water so it can absorb more flavor and get a little crispier.
Meal Prep and Storing: If meal prepping this recipe, I’d suggest storing the veggies and rice in one container and keeping the sauce and tofu separate until serving or the day you plan to eat it if you’re packing it up an individual container. Brown rice and peanut sauce can be prepared up to 4 days in advance. Tofu can be baked up to 3 days in advance. Veggies can be chopped ahead of time and stored separately for up to 4 days. The assembled salad is best after 2 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 sauce, then the tofu, then the veggies on top to keep fresh (store sauce separately if possible).
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.
Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
Nut-Free Option: Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
Alternative Sauces: Try my almond satay sauce or miso peanut sauce
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 362
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 13 g
Keywords: Thai chopped salad, vegan thai salad
Originally published on June 1, 2015.
This is just amazing! Lots of prep, but once it’s done, I have it in the fridge for days. The peanut sauce is like no other, and the tofu is so good with such a small amount of ingredients. One of my favorites for a healthy meal!
★★★★★
Deryn,
What a fantastic recipe! The flavors came together so well. I made it exactly how you had it posted. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks for trying it! Glad it was enjoyed.
My whole family loves this. Yummy comfort food and I feel great after eating it! I added roasted sweet potato and mixed edamame into the rice just for fun made a good little addition.
★★★★★
Perfect! So glad it was enjoyed by all. Thanks for letting me know!
I do this dish as a stir-fry, and it is soooo good. I prepare everything like normal (chop veggies, bake tofu) and then I fry all the veggies, adding the tofu and peanut sauce at the end! DELICIOUS (I don’t fry the cucumber, I put slices on the side at the end!)
★★★★★
This was sooooo good!! Made it pretty much as is! I find baking extra firm tofu makes the texture kind of tough and chewy so I opted to pan fry medium firm tofu in a cast iron with some coconut oil. Served 2 hungry adults for dinner (with 2 cups of rice). So satisfying and the sauce was amazing. Could drizzle that over everything. Will definitely make again with some extra sriracha to kick up the heat.
★★★★★
Great idea for the tofu! I can come out on the chewy side sometimes…I’ve actually been air-frying it a lot lately! But pan-fried is a great option too. So glad you guys enjoyed it and you’ll be making it again! Thanks for the review.
Awesome. You can’t mess this up. Definitely will make again.
★★★★★
Holy smokes! Made this as a quick weeknight dinner and it blew our tastebuds off! Can’t wait to eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow 😀
★★★★★
What are the macro breakdowns for this salad?
The nutrition facts are listed just below the recipe. Thanks!
Hi, I can’t locate the macros anywhere on the page. Can you share please?
They’re located just under the recipe at the bottom of the post. Thanks!
I lOVE this salad!! The peanut dressing is divine, all the fresh crisp veggies and tofu all go so well together. Never enough cilantro too! 🙂 I just piled so much of it on at the end. Will make again and again
★★★★★
I am obsessed with with recipe!! I make it when I entertain all the time. The peanut sauce is so bomb. I’ve even used it for dipping sauce for spring rolls. Will make over and over again
★★★★★
Good concept to make a healthy Asian slaw like salad, However, it so so hot. I can’t really eat it. There are a lot of hot stuff in it, so maybe omit or decrease something. Ginger, garlic, sriracha and two types of onion is overkill.
Yay! Asian food is always so good!
LOVE peanut sauce! THIS is perffff