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.
If you make this kale and cabbage pad thai salad please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other readers.
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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.
Ingredients
- 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!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 359
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 848 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 13 g
Keywords: pad thai salad, kale and cabbage salad, kale and cabbage pad thai salad, salad, vegan, gluten free, kale, cabbage, pad thai
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
Leslie says
February 4, 2014 at 6:57 pmThis looks yummy! What is the red veggie I see in the pictures, but not in the ingredients? I assume red bell pepper? Or tomato? Or maybe I’m mistaken? Thanks for the healthy recipes! 🙂
Eating Bird Food says
February 4, 2014 at 10:32 pmOops the red pepper got deleted from the ingredient list. Thanks for noticing. It’s updated now. 🙂
Francesca says
February 4, 2014 at 9:07 pmHoly Yum! So deliciously creative 🙂
Jillian D. says
February 4, 2014 at 9:32 pmThis looks so amazing!! Definitely going to try it as I’ve decided I want to focus on a more vegetarian way of eating 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
purelytwins says
February 4, 2014 at 10:22 pmlooks wonderful!!
Eating Bird Food says
February 4, 2014 at 10:31 pmThanks ladies!
Kira - The Healthable Old Soul says
February 4, 2014 at 11:07 pmThank you Thank you! I have been looking for more kale salad recipes for my lately cravings of kale!
taylor @ taylormade says
February 5, 2014 at 7:36 amwait, I’m obsessed with this recipe. all the flavors of pad thai but in a healthy salad?! genius. I think anything would be amazing with that dressing though… yum! can’t wait to try this one 🙂
Ted Wallof says
February 5, 2014 at 11:25 amYes, please!!!! This looks awesome, must have.
Ashlee@hisnHers says
February 5, 2014 at 1:36 pmI have a serious obsession with Pad Thai! I make it at least once every week. This would be a great option for times when I want something a little lighter!
Laura@ Fit Running Mama says
February 5, 2014 at 2:41 pmI am so excited– I bought this salad a couple of weeks ago from the food bar and loved it!!
Christine (The Raw Project) says
February 5, 2014 at 2:53 pmThis looks wonderful, great seasoning combination!
Brandy says
February 6, 2014 at 10:00 amOooh, this is right up my alley! I have been searching for new salad creations. I can’t wait to try this!
elizabeth e says
February 6, 2014 at 11:26 amas i sit here eating the very whole foods salad you’ve recreated, i can’t tell you how excited i am to try this recipe. the WF version is dangerously delicious, and i plan on making my own version next week!
Richard says
February 6, 2014 at 2:49 pmThis looks fantastic. I may have been late to the kale party, but I am definitely a fan now. I will be trying this recipe tonight.
Rachael says
February 9, 2014 at 10:57 pmi had a bag of trader joe’s new cruciferous slaw sitting in my fridge and this was the perfect way to dress it up. the dressing is super yum! great idea :).
Poame says
February 10, 2014 at 4:58 amHealthy and delicious!
Jennifer P says
February 11, 2014 at 2:58 amI made this last night for my hubby and I (with a back up plan for the hubs in case he didn’t like). He went for 2nds of this salad and didn’t even want the left over Chinese Food…GREAT salad! thanks for sharing!!
Susan says
February 20, 2014 at 8:03 pmFantastic! I made it for dinner tonight and we loved it. That dressing is killer. Thank you!
★★★★
John says
March 5, 2014 at 9:15 pmIt looks nice, but the name is extremely misleading. Not Thai by any stretch of the imagination.
Michelle says
April 16, 2014 at 3:05 pmThis is the most delicious salad ever devised! I added the fish sauce back in though. I love the crunchy vegetables and the fact that the dressing is the protein…
★★★★★
Margaret says
April 19, 2014 at 11:12 amRecently visited my friend who lives next to the Oso slide in Wash state. While it was hard not to look out her window to the devastation across the river, she served us this lovely salad for lunch. at that point, all we could talk about was how good the salad was. Took our mind off of the slide for a while. thrilled she sent me your link so I could make it too.
Reginald Sinevet says
August 6, 2014 at 8:36 pmI bought it from Whole Foods today and it was delicious. Now that I have the recipe, I’ll be making it at home and eating a larger serving 🙂
Brittany Mullins says
August 7, 2014 at 9:08 amYay! Enjoy. 🙂
Susan says
August 16, 2014 at 9:00 pmYESSSS !
The calories, fat, protein and carbohydrate content is important ! Thanks
Tricia says
December 18, 2014 at 3:49 pmThis really is delicious. Thank you Brittany! I made it for the 2nd time last night, though the red onion was very strong. Next time I think I’ll soak the onion pieces in ice water for ~15 mins. to mellow them out.
Brittany Mullins says
December 18, 2014 at 11:29 pmSo glad you liked it, Tricia. Sometimes red onion can be a little intense. I haven’t tried soaking it in red onion before but I’ve seen others do it. Hopefully it will help!
Rachel says
February 6, 2015 at 9:24 pmI made this today and adapted it to what I had on hand in my kitchen. I subbed soy sauce for Tamari/Liquid Aminos, subbed green onion for red onion, didn’t have any chick peas but the added protein would have been appreciated, and subbed honey for maple syrup. It was delicious, husband and toddler both loved it.
Lynn says
May 19, 2015 at 10:29 pmThank you for this recipe. I made a full recipe yesterday. My husband who doesn’t fuss kale loved it. He had some for supper last night and brought some for his lunch today. My teenage son ate half of the recipe to himself. I finished what was left for supper tonight. I had some kale and cabbage left, therefore, I made another batch tonight (for tomorrow) minus the chickpeas as I didn’t have any…. maybe I’ll stop by the store tomorrow. Instead of sriracha sauce, I put Frank’s hot sauce. Thank you.
Mikkel Magnuson says
February 10, 2016 at 8:49 amHi Brittany ! I am big fan of your personality and your recipes. This recipe looks so healthy and delicious. Surely I will this recpie for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing and making cooking so easy for us.
Malin Andersson says
March 23, 2016 at 7:12 amHello! Brittany, I love your post because it is looking very nice. This recipe is commonly used in our home. I am very happy to see this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
September 12, 2018 at 11:28 amI adore crunchy salads packed with lots of different textures! And savory peanut dressings…delicious! 🙂
Shannon says
September 16, 2018 at 7:55 pmAlthough the salad took me longer to prep then the recipe stated it was worth every minute! I have made this using the dressing, but preferred just using store-bought peanut sauce to drizzle. I’ve also added shrimp cooked Thai style. It makes a huge portion! Love it!
★★★★★
Jessica says
September 18, 2018 at 10:13 amI made this last night and absolutely loved it! This might be my new go-to detox salad. The dressing is especially yummy! Thank you for a delicious vegan recipe!
★★★★★
Tami T. says
March 3, 2019 at 2:06 pmDelish! Perfect salad for lunches or gatherings.
★★★★★
Mary says
March 24, 2019 at 9:24 amI’ve made this delicious salad twice this week. We love it, thank you! ELIminated the oil because we don’t eat it…..still great.
Christine says
May 22, 2019 at 9:18 pmYummmmmy! I amped up the garlic, ginger, and sriracha in the dressing a bit because we like a little heat. I substituted scallion for red onion, and added cucumber and avocado on top. I would give it 6 stars if I could!
★★★★★