I love a tasty and colorful salad. A salad that has a crunch in each flavorful bite is so refreshing. Lately I’ve been drooling over Thai recipes. I find them to be such a great late summer dish to share. If you feel the same way, then you will love trying this Thai turkey salad recipe with delicious peanut lime sauce dressing.

Thai Turkey Salad With Peanut Lime Sauce

Thai salad is full of flavor with: cabbage and carrot slaw, tender ground turkey, red bell pepper, crisp green onions, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, and simple peanut lime sauce dressing.

Another Name for a Thai Meat Salad

If you are an avid Thai cook, you may know this type of salad has also been referenced as Larb.

For those of you who are not familiar, essentially larb is another name for a meat salad dish that is seasoned with fresh herbs. This could be beef larb, tuna larb, or even duck larb.

It is believed to have originated within the Laos culture, but is also found in the Northern regions of Thailand. This dish is also very popular among Thai restaurants all around the globe.

So next time you venture to a Thai restaurant, check the menu to see if they serve any delicious larb dishes.

Is This Salad Garnished With Peanuts?

Typically these meat salads infuse bitter, sweet, and salty flavors. Thai salads are a colorful blend, which includes garnishing with peanuts or crisp Thai noodles for a salty crunch.

There are so many delicious toppings you can add to a Thai meat salad. Pickled papaya, shelled edamame, Lebanese cucumbers, organic sesame seeds, or sliced fresh mango are a few you could add.

For this particular Thai turkey salad recipe, I used diced red bell pepper, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and of course the chopped peanuts!

What Is Thai Salad Dressing Made Of?

There are many different types of Thai inspired salad dressings. However, this Thai turkey salad is made with a peanut lime sauce.

While this is not your quick 3 ingredient peanut sauce recipe, I do think it is easy to make!

The dressing recipe consists of: peanut butter, freshly squeezed lime juice, soy sauce, honey, splash of olive oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, and water.

This sauce just takes an ounce of patience when slowly adding in water to create the right consistency. I will explain more about this in the below instructions.

Can This Thai Turkey Salad Be Prepped Ahead?

What is great about this recipe is that you can prepare it ahead of time!

You can certainly cook the lean ground turkey the day before and reheat or serve chilled the next day. All you need to do is brown, then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Chop up the red bell peppers, green onions, and even the cilantro and place in an airtight container. Having pre-cut vegetables and herbs makes it easy to create a healthy grab-and-go meal.

Perfect for a make-ahead lunch, simply add the coleslaw mix and top with all the prepared cold toppings.

Add the chopped peanuts, or just whole salted peanuts themselves if you are in a hurry.

Only add the peanut lime sauce once you are ready to eat this delicious dish.

Can I Make the Peanut Lime Sauce Ahead Too?

Yes you can!

If making the day-before, pour into your best salad dressing container or sauce container and store in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to serve, take out the sauce and reheat in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between.

You should really only need to do this twice. This will make the dressing easy to pour again. Just top your salad with a plentiful drizzle and be on your way!

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What Could I Serve With Thai Turkey Salad?

Thai turkey salad makes a great one-dish meal on its own. However, you can certainly pair this with additional sides.

Steamed white rice seasoned with salt and pepper is one good option.

You could even offer a side of warmed soft tortilla shells and use the mixed salad as a filler. For a healthier option, use crisp leaves of lettuce and roll it all up into a fresh crunchy lettuce wrap!

How to Make Peanut Lime Sauce

Peanut Lime Sauce Ingredients

5 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 Tbsp honey
½ Tbsp olive oil (or substitute with sesame oil)
¼ Tsp garlic powder
1 ½ Tsp ground ginger
¼ Cup water (or more as needed to get the right consistency)

Step 1. Start by measuring out all the ingredients and add to a medium glass bowl.

Step 2. Whisk together until fully combined, slowly adding additional room-temperature water if needed. You are aiming to get the best consistency for an easy-to-pour salad dressing.

Note: You can make this peanut lime sauce ahead of time! If making the day-before, pour into your best salad dressing container or sauce container and store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, take out and reheat in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between. You should really only need to do this twice. This will make the dressing pourable again.

Making The Salad

Thai Turkey Salad Ingredients

1 lb coleslaw mix
3 cups ground turkey
¼ cup green onions
1 red bell pepper chopped
½ cup chopped peanuts
Small handful fresh chopped cilantro

This Thai turkey salad with peanut lime sauce is quick and easy to make. I personally love all the fresh ingredients, and the option to substitute the protein to switch it up.

Step 1. Cook the ground turkey. I like to brown mine in a large skillet on the stove with just a drizzle of olive oil. Once your ground turkey is cooked through, you can set it aside to cool.

Step 2. Next, wash and cut up your toppings. I start with dicing the red bell pepper, followed by the green onions, and cilantro.

Step 3. After the fresh toppings are prepared, rinse and dry your cutting board and knife. Once your cutting board is dry, chop up the peanuts.

Note: If you prefer to serve your turkey warm on top of the salad, you could swap the order and cook the ground turkey last.

Step 4. Once all the toppings are prepared, place a handful or more of cabbage and carrot slaw into a bowl. Any brand will do, but I used Dole coleslaw mix. Then top with the ground turkey, followed by each fresh topping and the chopped peanuts. Then simply pour your peanut lime sauce over the top and enjoy!

Thai Turkey Salad With Peanut Lime Sauce

Name: Thai Turkey Salad With Peanut Lime Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients: 5 Tbsp creamy peanut butter; 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 1 Tbsp lime juice (fresh squeezed); 1 Tbsp honey; ½ Tbsp olive oil; ¼ Tsp garlic powder; 1 ½ Tsp ground ginger; ¼ Cup water; 1 lb coleslaw mix; 3 cups ground turkey; ¼ cup green onions; 1 red bell pepper chopped; ½ cup chopped peanuts; Small handful fresh chopped cilantro

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Thai turkey salad recipe with delicious peanut sauce dressing. This Thai salad is full of flavor with: cabbage and carrot slaw, tender ground turkey, red bell pepper, crisp green onions, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, and simple peanut lime sauce dressing.

Ingredients

Peanut Lime Sauce Dressing

5 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice (fresh squeezed)
1 Tbsp honey
½ Tbsp olive oil
¼ Tsp garlic powder
1 ½ Tsp ground ginger
¼ Cup water