This Thai-inspired beef salad is, quite literally, the lunch recipe of your dreams! Marinated, tender, perfectly-cooked steak gets nestled into a bed of salad greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and then topped with crushed peanuts, fresh mint, Thai basil, spicy serrano peppers, and the most delicious Thai-inspired peanut (or almond) dressing you’ve ever had.
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Meal prep lunches are the ultimate weekday hack – a little extra time of prepping on the weekend results in so much less thinking during the week! This Thai-inspired beef salad recipe takes the idea of meal prep lunch and totally levels it up.
Picture this: a bed of mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers topped with marinated, tender, perfectly-cooked steak. Crushed peanuts, fresh Thai basil, fresh mint, spicy serrano peppers (if you wish), and a tasty dressing get loaded on top of the steak, and voila!, the most delicious meal prep lunch you’ve ever had.
Looking for more healthy lunch recipes? We’ve got a bunch! These garlic parmesan chicken skewers are insanely delicious and really well-balanced when paired with a serving of fluffy quinoa, these harissa honey chicken bowls are inspired (but even tastier) by Cava’s beloved menu item, and this beef gyro recipe is unbelievably easy and delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s extremely flavorful – with ingredients like ginger, garlic, coconut aminos, and lime juice in the steak marinade and the tastiest peanut (or almond) Thai-inspired dressing you’ve ever tasted, this Thai-inspired beef salad is knock-your-socks-off delicious.
- It’s ideal for meal prep – both the flavors and textures in this salad hold up SO well in the fridge, making it the perfect meal prep lunch candidate.
Thai-Inspired Beef Salad Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for the steak marinade, the steak itself (of course), a handful of fresh veggies, and a handful of ingredients for the homemade Thai-inspired dressing. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Coconut aminos – if you aren’t familiar with coconut aminos, you’re in for a treat. Coconut aminos come from the sap of the coconut plant and make for the yummiest, sweet, sticky sauce. We love using coconut aminos for our homemade teriyaki sauce and other Asian-inspired dishes. You can find coconut aminos in either the health aisle of the grocery store or, if it’s not there, by the sauces, near the soy sauce.
- Fish sauce – the marinade in this recipe calls for 1/4 cup of fish sauce. While that may seem like A LOT, the amount is correct and intentional! Fish sauce adds a delicious, salty, umami flavor to the marinade that helps to counter the sweetness of the coconut aminos. If 1/4 cup is too much for you, feel free to reduce it by half (2 tablespoons).
- Flank steak – feel free to substitute the flank steak for skirt steak here if you need to.
- Nut butter – we used almond butter for this recipe, but peanut butter will work equally as well. Use whichever you have hanging out in the pantry!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Top with toasted rice – a lot of Thai beef salad recipes call for toasted rice as the crunchy topping (vs. crushed peanuts). We went for crushed peanuts because they’re easier to find at the local grocery store, but if you know of a specialty market that sells toasted rice (or you want to make your own), feel free to use that instead!
- Serve over rice or quinoa – want to add more starch to this recipe? Swap the mixed greens for fluffy white rice or nutty quinoa!
- Cut the spice – serrano peppers are pretty spicy, so if you need to lower the spice level of your salad, go for it! A jalapeno pepper will also work beautifully, and if that’s too spicy, use mini bell peppers to get all of the crunch with none of the spice.
How to Make Thai-Inspired Spicy Beef Salad
This recipe is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below.
Step 1: Whisk the marinade ingredients together until smooth, then add your flank steak. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to 1 full day).
Step 2: Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, add the steak, and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side. Flip the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Remove the steak from the skillet, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Make the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisking them together. You can also use a blender or immersion blender to get the dressing smoother, faster.
Step 4: Assemble the salads with a base of mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Top with the sliced steak, followed by the dressing, crushed peanuts, thinly sliced mint, Thai basil, and slices of spicy peppers. Enjoy right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Tips
Don’t overcook your steak – grab a meat thermometer if you don’t have one already (we love this thermometer that can be used WHILE you cook vs. having to manually check the temperature every so often). Using a thermometer will ensure that your steak is perfectly cooked and not tough or dry.
How to Serve
Serve this Thai-inspired beef salad as pictured (over mixed greens) or over white rice or fluffy quinoa.
How to Store
If you’re meal prepping these salads for the week, you can go one of two routes when it comes to storing:
- Assemble right away – assemble the salads and store them in separate food storage containers in the fridge. This allows you to QUICKLY grab a lunch and head out the door.
- Assemble the day of – if you choose to go this route, simply marinate and cook the meat, slice it, and store it in its own large container. Wash all of the fresh veggies (if needed), prep them, and store each in a separate container. Then, each day that you plan on enjoying a Thai-inspired beef salad, you can simply assemble and dig in.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve got a really delicious Thai-inspired peanut dressing on the website already that has ingredients like peanut butter, honey, coconut aminos, and lime juice. The Thai-inspired dressing on this salad, though, also includes fish sauce, which helps to add a bit of umami and saltiness to counter the sweet coconut aminos and honey.
More Thai-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Thai-Inspired Beef Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Thai-Inspired Spicy Beef Salad
Ingredients
For the Steak
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1½ pounds flank steak
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup almond or peanut butter
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Salads
- mixed greens
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 mini cucumbers, sliced into half moons
- ½ cup fresh mint, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Thai basil
- 2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together until smooth, then add your flank steak. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to 1 full day).
- Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, add the steak, and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side. Flip the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Remove the steak from the skillet, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain into bite-sized pieces.
- While the steak rests, make the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisking them together. You can also use a blender or immersion blender to get the dressing smoother, faster.
- Assemble the salads with a base of mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Top with the sliced steak, followed by the dressing, crushed peanuts, thinly sliced mint, Thai basil, and slices of spicy peppers. Enjoy right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
-
- Cut the spice – serrano peppers are pretty spicy, so if you need to lower the spice level of your salad, go for it! A jalapeno pepper will also work beautifully, and if that’s too spicy, use mini bell peppers to get all of the crunch with none of the spice.
- Top with toasted rice – a lot of Thai beef salad recipes call for toasted rice as the crunchy topping (vs. crushed peanuts). We went for crushed peanuts because they’re easier to find at the local grocery store, but if you know of a specialty market that sells toasted rice (or you want to make your own), feel free to use that instead!
- Serve over rice or quinoa – want to add more starch to this recipe? Swap the mixed greens for fluffy white rice or nutty quinoa!
- Don’t overcook your steak – grab a meat thermometer if you don’t have one already (we love this thermometer that can be used WHILE you cook vs. having to manually check the temperature every so often). Using a thermometer will ensure that your steak is perfectly cooked and not tough or dry.
Nutrition
