A colorful veggie packed meal, this easy-to-make Thai beef salad will be a new favorite! It’s made with skirt steak (or flank steak) and fresh veggies. Cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and cucumber add all the right crunch, flavor and color. Plus, some juicy mango adds the perfect amount of sweet to balance out the savory notes in the cashew butter based sauce.
What’s in the Thai beef salad dressing?
The dressing is a Paleo friendly version of a peanut sauce. We used cashew butter and some other basic Paleo staples. All you do is mix it all up in a bowl. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Creamy cashew butter – or peanut butter if you don’t mind legumes
- Sesame oil
- Coconut aminos – or our DIY Coconut Aminos Substitute works great
- Apple cider vinegar – or rice vinegar
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Water
- Sea Salt
What if I can’t grill my steak?
No worries. You can cook it on the stove in a cast iron skillet. Here are the simple steps for skillet cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add in some avocado oil. Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to cut your steak in half and cook it in two batches.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes, or until the steak is cooked to your liking.
Why the mango in this Thai salad?
Trust us. You’re going to love it. It’s the perfect bit of sweetness to balance out all the savory flavors in the steak and cashew sauce. If you can’t find mango, here are some ideas for substitutes.
- Peach
- Papaya
- Nectarine
- Apricot
Some other healthy Asian inspired recipes
- HEALTHY SWEET POTATO CHICKEN PAD THAI RECIPE
- KOREAN BEEF BOWL
- HEALTHY CASHEW CHICKEN
- EASY THAI CHICKEN SALAD
- SPICY PORK BOWLS
- KOREAN BEEF BULGOGI
Your turn to make this easy Thai beef salad
Eat colorfully, and enjoy this healthy version of a Thai beef salad! Leave a comment below to let us know how it goes. And take a pic to share on Instagram. Tag us @realsimplegood, so we can check it out. We love to see what you’re making!
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Easy Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1.5 lbs skirt steak, (or flank steak)
- 6 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced, (medium sized, or half of a large one)
- 1 mango, cubed
- 1 lime, juice of
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup creamy cashew butter
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, (or rice vinegar)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Water, to thin, (add 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches your desired consistency – we used about 2 tbsp)
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat your grill to high heat (450-500° F). Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Prep all of the salad ingredients as noted, and place in a large bowl and toss. Also prep ginger and garlic and set aside.
- Add the steak to the grill and grill for 3-4 minutes and flip. Grill for another 2-4 minutes, or until the steak is cooked to your liking. Remove and place on a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes. See notes below for cooking in a skillet on the stove.
- While the steak is grilling, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
- Pour the sauce over the salad and toss.
- Once steak has rested, slice the steak against the grain and top the salad with it. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add in some avocado oil. Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to cut your steak in half and cook it in two batches.
- Once the skillet is hot and shimmering, add the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes, or until the steak is cooked to your liking.
Can you use peanut butter in this for a Thai peanut feel? Or is almond butter the only substitute for the cashew butter? Love love love all of the recipes that I’ve tried from you guys!!! Thank you!
Hi Katie – You could absolutely use peanut butter, it would work great. So glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying our recipes and we hope you like this one 🙂
This is hands-down the best Thai dish I have ever made! So flavorful and healthy. This recipe is definitely going in my rotation! Thanks Real Simple Good 🙂 Wish I could give you 10 stars! (Also their Tuscan Chicken is the DIE for!)
Thanks, Jenny!! So happy you love this one so much, and the Creamy Tuscan Chicken too! Thanks for your support and for also sharing Instagram! 🙂 🙂
So you think subbing almond butter for the cashew butter would throw the whole flavor profile?
Almond butter would work just fine. Enjoy!
What is there about this salad not to love, except possibly longer prep time because there are so many delicious vegies in it! The melding of contrasting flavors, the crunch, the beauty of bright colors against the neutral of cabbage and dark of beef, the tang of the distinctly Asian-style dressing — this is a one-bowl meal that is worth the effort! I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, when the dressing will have had time to fully infuse the shredded vegetables.
So happy you love this one, Debi! Your pic on Instagram was great! Thanks for sharing there and for coming back here to leave a review! We’re so grateful we get to be a part of your cooking and healthy lifestyle! 🙂
Yummers! I especially enjoy the dressing. Having leftovers of it right now!
So glad you like this one! Thanks for giving it a try! 🙂
Do you have a calorie count for this recipe?
We don’t have the nutrition info for this recipe but you could use an online calculator like myfitness pal if needed.