This Thai Steak Salad is filled with loads of vegetables, juicy grilled steak, and then topped with a spicy sesame dressing for the ultimate satisfying bite—and it’s done in just 20 minutes!
One of my most popular recipes on this site is my Grilled Ribeye Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, and this salad follows in its footsteps, but with a fresh Asian spin! This Thai Steak Salad is loaded with crisp veggies, jazzed up with sweet mango and cashews, topped with juicy, perfectly seasoned steak, and then covered in a sesame dressing that you will want to bathe in it’s so good!
Why This Thai Steak Salad Is the Bomb
This recipe is perfect for a quick lunch to fix up for work or an easy dinner to make on a school night. It’s colorful, refreshing, and satisfying!
- Fresh, bold flavors. Sweet mango, tangy and spicy dressing, savory steak, and crisp veggies create the most flavorful salad you’ve ever had!
- Satisfying yet light. With tender seared steak and a hearty mix of vegetables, this salad eats like a full, nourishing meal, even though it comes in at under 400 calories.
- So easy to make. Sear the steak, prep the veggies, whisk the dressing and put it all together. Simple!
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this Thai steak salad. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- New York strip – My favorite for salads! It’s flavorful and tender, and it slices beautifully. You could use flank steak or top sirloin instead if you’d like.
- Salt & pepper
- Avocado oil – Or another high smoke point oil for searing the steak.
- Gem lettuce – Can’t find it? Butter lettuce or even romaine could be used instead.
- Red bell pepper – Or another sweet pepper variety like orange or yellow.
- Mango – When fresh mangoes aren’t in season, you can use thawed frozen mangoes.
- Red onion – A sharp, pungent contrast to the sweet dressing and mango. You can tame the bite a little by soaking the onions in ice water.
- Cucumber – Any variety you like.
- Raw cashews – I just love buttery, crunchy cashews in a salad! Peanuts would also work well.
- Green onion
Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- Soy sauce – For a gluten-free Thai steak salad, you can use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Rice vinegar – This is sometimes also labeled as rice wine vinegar.
- Cilantro – Adds a fresh flavor to elevate the dressing.
- Fresh ginger and garlic – I love the warm, zippy flavor ginger adds to the dressing! When combined with garlic, it makes the dressing super flavorful.
- Raw honey – For some natural sweetness.
- Sesame seeds – You can use white, black, or both.
- Sriracha – You can add as much or as little as you’d like to adjust the heat level.
- Sesame oil – For a rich, nutty flavor that finishes the dressing by adding some more depth.
How to Make Thai Steak Salad
I’ll show you how to make this recipe step-by-step below!
- Make the dressing. Whisk together all of the ingredients until emulsified.
- Sear the steak. Heat a cast iron skillet, add the avocado oil, and sear the seasoned steak for 3 minutes per side.
- Finish in the oven. Transfer the steak to a 450°F oven and cook 2–3 minutes more; rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble the salad. Add lettuce, red pepper, mango, onion, cucumber, cashews, and sliced steak to a large bowl.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle with the sesame vinaigrette and serve.
Variation Ideas
If you want to put a different spin on this recipe, I have a few ideas for inspiration!
- Make it a composed salad. A composed salad is like a Nicoise and Cobb salad, where the ingredients are arranged in rows instead of tossed together. It’s a fun little variation on this Thai steak salad that can make it prettier for serving!
- Add noodles. Mix in cooked rice noodles to make the salad more filling.
- Make it a rice bowl. You could also skip the lettuce and add brown rice (or cauliflower rice) to transform this recipe into a meal bowl.
- Use peanut sauce for the dressing. I’ve made this Thai steak salad with peanut sauce and it’s also fabulous! (My kids especially love it—they could eat peanut sauce with a spoon.)
Serving Suggestions
I love this Thai steak salad on its own as a light meal, but it’s also great with Thai Chicken Noodle Soup for a more filling meal. Or serve it with Thai Vegetable Curry and steamed jasmine rice for a bigger family-style dinner.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store the dressing, steak, and vegetables in separate containers for up to 3 days. If you’ve already assembled the Thai steak salad, it will last about a day in the fridge, but the greens will wilt.
- To reheat: Warm the sliced steak in a skillet over low heat for best results. The microwave also works, but you’re more likely to end up with tough meat that way.
More Meal-Worthy Salad Recipes
Thai Steak Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
This fresh, flavorful Thai Steak Salad is loaded with crisp veggies, sweet mango, and bold sesame ginger dressing. An easy 20-minute recipe!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. new york strip (or you could use flank steak or top sirloin)
- salt & pepper to season both sides of steak
- 1.5 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 cups gem lettuce, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup mango, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced red onion
- 2 cup cucumber, sliced into thin coins
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Instructions
- Make Dressing: to a small bowl add all dressing ingredients. Using a whisk mix everything togher until the oil and tamari no longer separate and dressing is emulsified. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet high heat.
- Add avocado oil to the pan along with seasoned steak.
- Sear each side for 3 minutes, until you have a nice browning.
- Immediately put the steak in the oven and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the steak is your desired temperature. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slices.
- In a large bowl add lettuce, red pepper, mango, red onion, cucumber, green onion, and sliced steak. Drizzle dressing over top and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 1127 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
