Home Meal Type Salad Recipes Kale & Cabbage Pad Thai Salad

Kale & Cabbage Pad Thai Salad

By Brittany Mullins

4.35

81

Published Sep 12, 2018, Updated Feb 20, 2023

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GFGluten-FreeDFDairy FreeVVegan

This kale and cabbage pad thai salad has all the flavors of pad thai in salad form! It is my take on the Sweet and Spicy Kale Pad Thai from Whole Foods. Vegan + gluten-free.

Whenever I’m shopping at Whole Foods I’m always tempted to grab something from the salad bar or prepared foods section for my next meal. Through this habit I’ve discovered quite a few salads from the Whole Foods bar that I absolutely LOVE.

The Sweet and Spicy Kale Pad Thai is one of those salads! It has all the flavor of pad thai and an awesome crunch, but no noodles! After purchasing this salad from the prepared foods section too many times to count, I decided I should probably try making my own version at home, which I’ve done with a couple other Whole Foods salads including the Garlicky Kale Salad and the Crackling Cauliflower.

So here’s my version of the Whole Foods kale pad Thai salad!

I haven’t done a side by side taste test to see if the flavor is spot on, but I do know that this homemade version is delicious.

Normal pad Thai is certainly tasty, but it’s pretty carb heavy. In this recipe we’re replacing the rice noodles with kale and cabbage for a veggie-loaded, fiber packed dish that you can feel good about loading on your plate. I don’t know about you, but I’m totally a volume eater so vegetable packed dishes like this are great. They allow me to eat a lot of food so I feel full and satisfied, but not stuffed or heavy.

I also like how bright and colorful this salad is. The orange carrots, green kale, red bell pepper and onions are so beautiful. Added bonus: filling your plate with colorful foods means your getting a ton of different nutrients, but it can also boost your mood! Win, win.

All of the veggies included in the salad are tasty on their own, but what really makes this salad is the dressing. It has all the flavors you’d expect from a Thai peanut dressing, but I used Bragg’s liquid aminos in place of soy sauce and skipped the fish sauce, which is a usual suspect in Thai sauces. So this dressing is soy free and vegan!

Yum! Isaac and I have been eating it as a side with lunch and dinner over the past couple days and absolutely love it. I can’t wait for you to try it as well.

PS – If you love pad Thai, I have two other veggie based versions you should try: zucchini noodle pad Thai and lightened up pad Thai with cabbage noodles.

More Kale Salads to Try:

• Garlicky Kale Salad
• Massaged Kale Salad
• Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
• Sweet Potato Kale and Quinoa Salad
• Detox Salad
• Kale Salad with Peanut Dressing

More Healthy Salad Dressing Ideas:

• Mexican Goddess Dressing
• Maple Dressing
• Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Lemon Vinaigrette
• Turmeric Tahini Dressing
• Avocado Caesar Dressing
• Chili Almond Dressing
• Zesty Tahini

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4.35 from 55 votes

Kale & Cabbage Pad Thai Salad

By: Brittany Mullins

This kale and cabbage pad thai salad has all the flavors of pad thai in salad form! It is my take on the Sweet and Spicy Kale Pad Thai from Whole Foods. Vegan + gluten-free.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/2 small head of green cabbage thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 bunch of kale thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 cup chopped red onion
• ▢ 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• ▢ 2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
• ▢ 1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ▢ 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Light Pad Thai Dressing

• ▢ 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• ▢ juice of 2 limes about 4 Tablespoons
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or low-sodium tamari
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 1/2 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sriracha or more depending on your taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions 

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar. Stir or shake until combined and smooth. It might be hard to stir the peanut butter at first, which is why shaking might be your best bet.
• Make sure all your veggies are chopped into bite-size pieces and toss in a large bowl to combine. Add chickpeas and top with dressing. Mix until all ingredients are well coated, serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 848mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: cabbage, gluten-free, kale, kale and cabbage pad thai salad, kale and cabbage salad, pad thai, pad thai salad, salad, vegan

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