Recipes Cuisine Asian Thai 12 Refreshing Thai-Inspired Summer Salads By Carl Hanson Carl Hanson Carl Hanson is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating content that informs, entertains, and assists busy home cooks get nourishing meals on the table for their families. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on February 16, 2021 Close Photo by Buckwheat Queen. Here are some of our favorite Thai-inspired salads. They're light and refreshing main dish salads, combining fresh veggies (and sometimes fruit) with sweet, tangy, somewhat spicy Thai-inspired sauces and dressings. These delicious salads are perfect for summer picnics and barbecues. 01 of 13 Thai Beef Salad View Recipe Thai Beef Salad. mommyluvs2cook This colorful salad brings out the very best of Thai cuisine. Featuring lemon grass, cilantro, mint leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, and spicy chili sauce, it's tangy with a touch sweetness and a little bit of spicy heat. "We love this recipe," says LAGIRL. "It's just like the beef thai salad we order in our favorite thai restaurant." 02 of 13 Thai Rice Noodle Salad View Recipe Photo by Buckwheat Queen. Toss rice noodles with romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, red and green onions, cucumber, garlic, ginger root, jalapeno pepper, and fresh basil and cilantro. "With these noodle bowls, the real clincher is the sauce, and this one is quite good," says Buckwheat Queen. "Delicious." 03 of 13 Raw Pad Thai View Recipe Eroshound Here's a no-noodle pad Thai that loads in the fresh veggies (carrots, cabbage, red bell pepper) and substitutes zoodles for noodles. Yes, long, thin strips of zucchini stand in for the traditional rice noodles. This refreshing, no-cook dish is ready in 30 minutes. "The sauce is delicious," says Griffin. "So even if you don't love veggies, it's an easy way to get them in!" 04 of 13 Thai Noodle Salad View Recipe Photo by CJ. "I love the peanut dressing with the pasta, the crunch of the veggies, and fresh cilantro," says Cajuela. "Takes a fair amount of prep time, but it comes together quickly after that." Says Yakuta Rasheed: "A quick recipe for a salad with an Asian flair that is elegant and good enough for the fanciest party. It's not only a healthy alternative, but tastes fantastic." 05 of 13 Thai Tuna Salad View Recipe Thai Tuna Salad | Photo by SunnyDaysNora. A fresh, not canned tuna salad with tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro, dressed up with a spicy-sweet Thai-style vinaigrette. 06 of 13 Thai Cucumber Salad View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine "This sweet and tangy summer salad of cucumber, cilantro, and peanuts with just a hint of heat is always a hit at picnics and potlucks," says camp0433. "It doesn't need to be refrigerated and you're pretty much guaranteed to be the only one bringing this dish!" Lighthouse Mom loves it, too. "It's crunchy, sweet, hot, and tangy all at the same time," she says. "And the jalapenos give it just the right kick." 07 of 13 Carrie's Pad Thai Salad View Recipe Photo by Erica Brown. You'll combine rice noodles with tamarind, lime juice, fish sauce, and scrambled egg; and serve it over fresh greens garnished with cilantro, sprouts, and peanuts. It's ready in less than 45 minutes. "Have all the ingredients prepped and ready before cooking," recommends Erica. "It comes together quick!" 08 of 13 Thai-Inspired Confetti Salad View Recipe Thai-Inspired Confetti Salad. Green beans, tomatoes, and cucumber get the Thai treatment, combining with fresh papaya, Thai (or Serrano) chile pepper, and a sweet and tangy sauce. "Gorgeous, healthy, and delicious," raves J. "The flavors in this salad are phenomenal." 09 of 13 Larb Gai Nikki-Style View Recipe Larb Gai Nikki-Style | Photo by Soup Loving Nicole. Here's a Thai-style salad with ground turkey, mint, basil, and a rice vinegar and fish sauce-based dressing. "Serve with any type of greens or lettuce...romaine, Boston, endives, arugula, etc.," says yobodish. "You can even serve it with rice. I prefer brown." 10 of 13 Thai-Style Rice Salad View Recipe "This recipe occurred semi-accidentally," says Tastyeatsathome. "I was studying various Thai recipes and examining the flavors, and went home to stare at my fridge, and out came this recipe. A wonderful condiment to eat with this dish, and many other asian dishes, is Sambal Oelek, a garlic-chili paste you can find in the asian section of most groceries and asian specialty stores. It's quite spicy, and quite tasty." 11 of 13 Thai Shrimp, Chicken, Grapefruit, and Coconut Salad View Recipe Thai Shrimp, Chicken, Grapefruit, and Coconut Salad. Shrimp, chicken, grapefruit, and coconut feature in this salad dressed with fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and sugar. "This is my combination of 'Thai Yam Som-O' and a marinated-shrimp and coconut salad I had at Bellagio's," says NUKA1. "If pomelo is available in your area, use it in place of the grapefruit." 12 of 13 Potsticker Salad View Recipe Potsticker Salad | Photo by Soup Loving Nicole. Vegetable potstickers are tossed with peanut sauce, water chestnuts, baby corn, straw mushrooms, and egg noodles. "Sooooo tasty," says ralybuch. "I substituted sweet potato noodles for the egg noodles. And I had some leftover chicken that I included. This will be a recipe that will be used again." 13 of 13 More Inspiration Kim Cornelison Find more deliciously healthy recipes in our collections of Salads That Eat Like a Meal, Cobb Salad Recipes, and Top-Rated Creamy Salads for Summer Picnics. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit