Thai Peanut Edamame Chickpea Crunch Salad
By Better Plate RecipesA big crunchy slaw of green and red cabbage, carrot, cucumber, scallion, and cilantro, loaded with edamame and chickpeas. The dressing blends peanut butter with Greek yogurt, lime, soy, and ginger, so it clings like a peanut sauce but carries real protein instead of just fat and sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Peanut dressing normally comes loaded with oil and sugar. Blending peanut butter with Greek yogurt, lime, tamari, maple, and a full tablespoon of grated ginger gives you the same creamy cling with real protein behind it, so this bowl reaches 25 grams without any meat. Underneath is a proper crunch salad: green and red cabbage, shredded carrot, julienned cucumber, red pepper, scallions, and cilantro, plus edamame and chickpeas for substance. Roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds go on at the end. Best of all, cabbage does not wilt, so this is still crunchy on day three, which almost no other dressed salad manages.
What Makes This Recipe Work
The dressing technique matters more than the ingredient list. Peanut butter seizes when it meets cold liquid, so the recipe whisks it with yogurt and citrus first and then loosens it with warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until it falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Tossing for a full minute is the second key step, since a thick dressing needs time to reach every shred of cabbage. The cabbage softens just past raw during that minute, losing its squeak while keeping its structure, which is precisely why the salad survives days in the fridge.
Before You Start
Use natural peanut butter with no added sugar so you control the sweetness. Grate the ginger and garlic on a microplane rather than chopping, so they disappear into the dressing instead of leaving fibrous threads. Shake the chickpeas and edamame very dry after rinsing. If you own a food processor with a shredding disc, this is the recipe to use it on; otherwise a bagged slaw mix is a legitimate shortcut.
Ingredient Notes & Easy Swaps
Peanut butter: Use natural creamy peanut butter with no added sugar, so you control the sweetness. It seizes in cold liquid, so thin the dressing with warm water.
Greek yogurt: This is what turns a peanut sauce into a high-protein dressing. Nonfat keeps it thick enough to cling to shredded cabbage.
Shelled edamame: Boiled briefly and rinsed cold so they stay bright and snappy. Along with the chickpeas, they are the protein backbone of the bowl.
Chickpeas: Rinse and shake very dry. Wet chickpeas will thin a thick peanut dressing into a puddle at the bottom of the bowl.
Cabbage: Green and red together for color and crunch. Cabbage is the reason this salad is still crisp on day three, unlike leafy greens.
Fresh ginger: A full tablespoon, grated on a microplane. Ground ginger is not a substitute; it tastes dusty and flat in a fresh dressing.
Roasted peanuts: Add them at serving, not before. They soften within an hour once they hit the dressing.
Maple syrup: One tablespoon balances the lime and tamari. Honey works the same way if you are not keeping the dressing vegan-friendly.
Thai Peanut Edamame Chickpea Crunch Salad
Description
A big crunchy slaw of green and red cabbage, carrot, cucumber, scallion, and cilantro, loaded with edamame and chickpeas. The dressing blends peanut butter with Greek yogurt, lime, soy, and ginger, so it clings like a peanut sauce but carries real protein instead of just fat and sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shelled edamame, frozen
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 cup julienned English cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 2 to 3 tbsp warm water, to thin
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1Equipment: a small saucepan, a colander, paper towels, a box grater or food processor with a shredding disc, a julienne peeler or sharp knife, a cutting board, a chef's knife, a microplane or fine grater, a very large mixing bowl, a medium bowl, a whisk, tongs, measuring cups, measuring spoons, 4 meal-prep containers, 4 small covered cups for the peanut dressing, and 4 small covered containers for the peanuts and sesame seeds.
- 2Bring a few inches of water to a boil in the small saucepan. Add 2 cups frozen shelled edamame and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and tender-crisp. Drain in the colander, rinse briefly under cold water, and shake well to remove excess water.
- 3Drain and rinse the 15-ounce can of chickpeas until the water runs clear. Shake them well in the colander and pat them dry if needed so they do not thin the dressing.
- 4Shred 4 cups green cabbage and 1 1/2 cups red cabbage, shred 2 medium carrots, julienne 1 cup English cucumber, thinly slice 1 red bell pepper and 4 scallions, and chop 1/2 cup cilantro. Place all of the vegetables and cilantro in the very large mixing bowl, then add the drained edamame and chickpeas.
- 5Finely grate 1 tablespoon fresh ginger and 1 small garlic clove. In the medium bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter, 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, the grated ginger, and the grated garlic. The mixture may look very thick at first.
- 6Whisk in 2 tablespoons warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the third tablespoon only if needed, continuing to whisk until the dressing is smooth, glossy, and thick but pourable.
- 7Toss the vegetable, edamame, and chickpea mixture until evenly combined, then divide it among 4 meal-prep containers without adding the dressing. Divide the peanut dressing among 4 small covered cups. Roughly chop 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, combine them with 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, and divide the mixture among the topping containers. Cover and refrigerate all components promptly. Use the refrigerated components within 3 to 4 days.
- 8To serve, stir the refrigerated dressing until smooth, pour one portion over one salad, and toss with tongs for about 30 seconds. Let the salad stand for 5 to 10 minutes so the cabbage softens slightly, then add one portion of peanuts and sesame seeds. Serve chilled.
Tips and Tricks
- 1
Thin With Warm Water: Cold water makes peanut butter seize. Warm water loosens the dressing into a smooth, pourable sauce in seconds.
- 2
Toss for a Full Minute: Peanut dressing is thick and needs time to distribute. Short tossing leaves half the cabbage dry.
- 3
Dry the Chickpeas: Shake them hard in the colander. Water is what turns a clingy peanut dressing into a puddle.
- 4
Add Nuts at the End: Peanuts and sesame seeds go soft within an hour in the dressing, so keep them on the side until serving.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 of 4 bowls
Calories: 519kcal, Protein: 25g, Carbs: 49g, Fat: 24g, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 16g, Sodium: 726mg.
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredient brands, product sizes, preparation methods, and substitutions. It is not intended as medical or dietary advice.
Recipe Guides
This recipe appears in
15 High-Protein Bean Salad Recipes for Lunch and Meal Prep
Bean, chickpea, lentil, and edamame salads where the legume is the main event and every serving carries at least 20 grams of protein.
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