This crunchy vegan Peanut Quinoa salad is loaded with healthy flavors; sweet potato, beans, quinoa, peppers, and avocado, drizzled with a delicious Thai-style peanut dressing.

You can never say no to a beautiful salad which is so full of color and flavors in the middle of summer! And with an Asian-inspired (Thai-style) salad dressing, you'll be taking it to another level 🙂

This salad is made with quinoa, Adzuki beans, avocado, roasted sweet potatoes and red peppers and topped with a peanut dressing which is so simple to make! Don't be fooled though; this salad is very filling and is therefore ideal as a main course on its own. In smaller portions, this Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad makes a great starter or side-dish.

How to Make Peanut Quinoa Salad (Step by Step)

This salad is very simple to do and everything can be made at one go! First, you'll need to bake the vegetables. In the meantime, cook the quinoa and prepare the salad dressing. Cut the remaining vegetables and you're ready to serve!

We'll be splitting this recipe into two parts; the salad itself and the dressing. You can easily prepare the salad dressing whilst the vegetables are in the oven or you can make it ahead and chill it; it's totally up to you!

Ingredients for Quinoa Salad

For the salad, you will need the following ingredients:

• Sweet Potato: This will be roasted along with the red pepper. This is the "main" vegetable ingredient for this salad. Of course, you can choose whichever vegetable you prefer 🙂
• Red Bell Pepper: You can use any color bell pepper you wish, I prefer red for its sweeter taste, and because it provides more color to the salad 🙂
• Olive Oil: Used to drizzle on top of vegetables before roasting
• Quinoa: You can also use rice, but quinoa has less calories and more protein!
• Adzuki Beans: You can use any type of beans you'd like, or eliminate them altogether especially if making this salad as a starter/ appetizer or side which is not so filling. Chickpeas are also a great alternative.
• Lime: Sliced lime for salad topping. Lime juice will also be used for the dressing 🙂
• Avocado: Remember to slice/cut this right before serving as it will otherwise brown and taste bitter.
• Fresh Parsley: For topping. This is optional.
• Peanuts: For a crunchy topping

For the salad dressing, you will need the following ingredients:

• Peanut Butter: This can be crunchy or smooth; I prefer crunchy!
• Water: You can add more or less to make it more or less runny!
• Sriracha: Optional, but will give a slightly spicy flavor
• Sesame Oil
• Tamarind Sauce: Make sure this does not contain fish sauce if you'd like a vegan version. Otherwise, eliminate altogether
• Maple Syrup: You can also use honey (not vegan)
• Minced Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Lime Juice

Making Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad

To make this salad, first start by roasting your vegetables. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the meantime, wash, peel, and cut the sweet potato into cubes and slice the red pepper. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Whilst the vegetables are in the oven, cook the quinoa according to package instructions (usually boiling for around 15 minutes). Drain and set aside. Wash and drain your canned beans.

Making the dressing is super easy! Just place all ingredients (except for the water) in a medium sized bowl, add the water 1 tbsp. at a time and mix well until you achieve the desired consistency. It should ideally be runny and thin 🙂 If you'd like a sweeter dressing, add more maple syrup. If you'd like a more spicy dressing, add a bit more sriracha.

Once baked, take the vegetables out of the oven, place in a large bowl and toss with quinoa and beans and mix well. Top with sliced lime, peanut dressing, fresh parsley, and roast peanuts. Right before serving, peel and slice avocado and mix with salad.

Making Ahead and Storing

This Thai-style Peanut Quinoa Salad can be made ahead and chilled for up to 2 days. However, I suggest you peel and cut the avocado right before serving. Once peeled, the avocado tends to brown quite fast, and browned avocado may taste slightly sour.

The dressing can also be made ahead and chilled, covered, for 2-3 days.

Have you tried these yummy Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to rate the recipe! Also, don't forget to follow Baked Fig on Pinterest, and Instagram to stay updated with any new recipes! Also, check out these other great Asian-inspired recipes.