Thai Beef Noodle Salad With A Ginger Peanut Dressing is the salad recipe you need when you want to keep it in the healthy salad territory, but want a bold-in-flavor meal that takes little time to prep and is simple to throw together. This salad doesn’t mess around and she’s ready to throw down!
Lean ground beef is cooked with garlic, onion, and a little Thai red curry paste and spooned over the top of a large, colorful plate of greens and fresh veggies. The dressing, it’s the stuff dreams are made of, is creamy and tangy and nutty and the perfect glue that brings the entire salad together.
Thai Beef Noodle Salad is gonna be a meal prep champion, an excellent mason jar salad contender, and your next favorite healthy salad recipe.
Let’s get started!
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thai beef noodle salad ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef
- Thai Red Curry Paste
- Fish Sauce
- Green Onions
- Garlic
- Tamari or Soy Sauce
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
- Peanut Butter
- Sesame Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Ginger
- Lime
- Rice Noodles
- Purple Cabbage or Radicchio
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Jalapeño
- Cilantro
- Peanuts
- Sesame Seeds
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
how to make thai beef noodle salad
This Thai Beef Noodle Salad Recipe is so simple, it will all come together in less than 30 minutes. Easy. Peasy.
The Thai Beef
First, let’s brown the beef. Because our dressing is so full of flavor, this step will be quick. Brown the beef with the whites of the green onions, garlic, and a little Thai Red Curry Paste. Once it’s fully cooked, drain any excess fat and set aside.
Note about the Thai Red Curry Paste: This is the exact brand I use. The label indicates that this is spicy and it is NOT. It’s amazing and so full of flavor that I hope you will try it. My children love this stuff and have no problem at all eating it. It really does transform the flavor of the beef.
The Peanut Ginger Dressing
The next step is to make the peanut ginger dressing. This dressing would make a moldy sock taste good. Seriously.
All you need for this part of the Thai Beef Noodle Salad recipe is a whisk and a mixing bowl. Measure the peanut butter, Tamari (or soy sauce), fish sauce, avocado and sesame oils, ginger and garlic into the bowl. Add the lime juice. Whisk, whisk, whisk, until combined. That’s it!
thai beef noodle salad assembly
Now, to the assembly. This can be a very personal journey, but this is how i construct my Thai Beef Noodle Salad masterpiece.
- Create a base layer with lettuces and greens
- Add a healthy scoop of the Thai beef mixture
- Add the crunch and the colors – cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeños
- Add the noodles – I used a gluten-free rice noodle
- Drizzle (or drench) the dressing
- Garnish with green onion tops, sesame seeds, extra peanuts
frequently asked questions
You can use any protein you like in the salad and it’ll be fantastic. Use what you have and what you love!
Chicken – Rotisserie or Ground
Shrimp
Fish – Salmon, Halibut, Sea Bass
Pork – Ground or Tenderloin
Don’t worry! I got you! You can substitute any of the following for the peanut butter:
Sun butter
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Tahini
If you use gluten-free noodles and tamari, this recipe is both gluten and dairy-free! Enjoy!
I used a gluten-free rice noodle, but use whatever you like. Here are some other ideas:
regular spaghetti noodles
bean thread noodles
ramen noodles
shirataki noodles
My children love the flavors in this Thai Beef Salad. However, they don’t really want a full-on salad situation. I make extra noodles, toss with the beef and dressing, and let them pick out any of the raw veggies they want. They absolutely love it!
Kitchen Essentials
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Thai Beef Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Thai Beef
- 1-1½ lb lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 bunch green onions, whites and greens separated
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Peanut Ginger Dressing
- ⅓ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut butter see above post for substitution ideas
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- juice of 1 lime
Salad
- lettuces and greens
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- sweet peppers
- radishes
- jalapeños
- rice noodles see above post for other noodle ideas
- cilantro
- green onion tops
- peanuts
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Thai Beef
- Brown the beef, Thai red chili paste, green onion tops and garlic over medium heat until beef is cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
Peanut Ginger Dressing
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside until ready to construct your salad.
Salad Assembly
- Create a base layer with lettuces and greens. Add a healthy scoop of the Thai beef mixture. Add the crunch and the colors – cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeños, etc.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Thai Beef Noodle Salad recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces! And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
–Rufus
Rufus for Real is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I may earn a commission, with no additional cost to you, if you purchase through those links.
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