My Thai spaghetti salad is a fun mashup between an American potluck classic and a refreshing Thai-style noodle salad ~ this one’s a summer winner!
I get some of my best recipe ideas from the deli counter at my favorite market. They make surprisingly good salads and we like to pick 2 or 3 and call it dinner during the summer months when it’s too hot and sticky to cook. I chose three last week and I loved them so much I’m recreating each one for the blog. This Thai spaghetti salad is a twist on a potluck staple, spaghetti salad.
Readers love this Thai spaghetti salad
🌟 This Thai spaghetti salad recipe is on REPEAT in my house!!!!
🌟 Wonderful flavor, easy to put together! We are having a heat wave and this was ideal for dinner.
🌟I used GF pasta (celiac husband) with perfect results.
🌟 This was such a hit I was asked to make it for my daughter’s graduation party ~ for 100 people!
Ingredient notes & substitutions
This is a mash up between American spaghetti salad and a Thai noodle salad. It’s a true hybrid!
- spaghetti
- I like to use regular spaghetti, not thin nor thick. It’s just the right consistency for this salad.
- red cabbage
- make sure your cabbage is thinly sliced, and the shreds aren’t super long for best eating experience.
- veggies & herbs
- shredded carrotsgreen onions
- cilantro leaves
- basil leaves
- roasted peanuts
- sesame seeds
The peanut dressing is a simple rice vinegar, veg oil vinaigrette with smooth peanut butter, garlic, and a touch of cayenne for pop.
You asked
YES this salad can be made ahead of time: the flavors actually benefit from hanging out in the fridge.
YES it’s a great choice for outdoors: there’s no mayo to spoil outdoors, either.
YES you can serve it as dinner, just add extra protein in the form of shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp.
Thai flavors are incredibly refreshing
While this is not an authentic Thai recipe, the famously refreshing Thai flavor profile is represented. The Thai flavors make it unique but the salad is still familiar. It’s a great ‘starter’ Thai recipe for newbies or kids.
Fresh basil and cilantro are essential for this salad, so make sure you have some on hand. Better yet, buy small herb plants at your local nursery and keep them on the windowsill or back porch so you’ll always have fresh herbs available.
tips for making Thai spaghetti salad
➡ For the best texture, shred your carrots in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade. A box grater can make wet, mushy shreds.
➡ I slice the red cabbage on a mandoline set to 1/8 inch. You’ll get fine, crisp shreds that hold their texture. If the shreds are very long, slice them in half.
➡ Use regular spaghetti, not thin or thick. Thin spaghetti can turn mushy, while thicker spaghetti can feel too starchy and overpower the vegetables.
➡ Cook the spaghetti just to al dente. It will continue to soften a bit after you dress and chill the salad.
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Spicy Thai Spaghetti Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half, cooked in plenty of salted water to al dente and rinsed well with cold water
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bunch (about 6-8) green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 handful basil leaves, thinly sliced, use Thai basil if you can find it.
peanut dressing
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp (heaping) smooth peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
make the dressing
- To make the dressing put all the ingredients in a small bowl and use an immersion blender to process into an emulsified dressing. Thin with more oil or vinegar, if necessary. Taste to adjust any of the flavors.
make the salad
- Make sure your pasta is fairly dry (not dripping wet) and add to a large bowl. Toss with a little of the dressing.
- Then add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss well with more dressing.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with extra peanuts and fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
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This was delicious! Love the kick of the cayenne (I went with almost a teaspoon). Also I love that you can sub in what you have on hand. Didn’t have any cabbage today, but did have fresh mung bean sprouts. Thank you!
This was quite delicious!!! I had plenty of sauce and I thought the cayenne added the perfect amount of bite. This recipe is a keeper!!!
The dressing was so thick I added more vinegar and oil but my salad was very dry and hard to mix.
It has been soooo hot lately as we are in an extreme weather spell….I needed a nice recipe for a cold meal!
Well …. Did I pick the winner!😋
Family of four “ critical “ eaters …. Loved it hands down!!!
I was told NOT to lose the recipe! ♥️
Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere! Stay cool 🙂
This was well received at a potluck. But personally I would reduce the cayenne pepper or start out slower.
Fantastic recipe! I’ve made it a few times and used GF pasta (celiac husband) with perfect results. Also, it’s cheating, but I used a bag of pre-shredded cabbage/carrots (intended for coleslaw) and it worked fine. Yum!
Could use gluten free pasta instead of making it vegan for gluten free
Yes, for sure.
If I make this a day ahead, will the greens get soggy? I’m thinking of using fresh spinach instead of cilantro, and the fresh basil might also get soggy? Should I leave off the dressing until right before eating? Some commentors have said it tastes even better the next day, so it sounds like they didn’t wait to pour in the sauce. Thank you so much, this looks delicious!
I would hold off on the dressing until the day you want to serve, I think it will have best texture that way.
What do you think about using tahini instead of the peanut butter? I have it on hand and need to use it.
That will totally work!
I think it sounds wonderful. My only thought is that there is one thing that can spoil in it from being outside and unchilled. The green onions will absorb bacteria.
If you put a peeled onion in a sick room it is supposed to pull the illness away. Then throw the onion away. The onion turns black from the bacteria around it. The recipe sounds wonderful to me though.
Seriously??
Old wives’ tale