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This Thai steak salad has all of the flavor, texture, and color you’d expect from a traditional Thai dish. And it’s the perfect healthy option for a weeknight dinner when you need something that can be prepped ahead of time.
Looking for more hearty salad recipes? Try this CAVA honey harissa chicken bowl, barbeque chicken salad with cilantro lime dressing, or crispy chicken salad with honey mustard dressing next!
What Makes This Thai Beef Salad So Good
Authentic Thai cuisine strives for a balance of heat, tang, saltiness, and sweetness. And this Thai steak salad achieves just that.
Zesty lime and ginger, spicy sriracha, tangy vinegar, and sweet maple syrup and peanut butter all blend to create a dynamic dressing that pulls the whole salad together.
Similar to a lot of Thai food, this salad looks incredible, with vibrant colors and a bold mix of textures. Bonus: It’s high in protein and packed with veggies.
It features a fresh bed of lettuce, crisp cucumbers, red onion, and juicy tomatoes, topped with juicy slices of steak and crunchy peanuts, all finished with fresh herbs and a creamy Thai peanut dressing.
Did you know that traditional Thai restaurants use the entire cilantro stem? We’ve been taught to remove the step in modern Western cooking, but it’s actual very edible and authentic to use it thai salads.
Love making Asian-inspired recipes at home? Then you’ll love this ground turkey Teriyaki rice bowl, Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, and air fryer orange chicken.
How to Make Thai Steak Salad
Here are the basic steps, with images, for this Thai steak salad. Skip down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe.
Step 1. Marinade the Steak
Pat the steak dry and place it in a large bowl or plastic bag with the marinade ingredients, enclosing it and shaking it up to coat the steak in the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Success tip: use quality ingredients! Fish sauce is an important ingredient in Southeast Asian Cuisine. Learn how to choose fish sauce for this marinade!
Step 2. Prepare the Dressing
Place marinade ingredients in a lidded container or small bowl. Shake well to combine until the peanut butter is completely mixed in. Taste and adjust as needed.
Step 4. Cook the Steak
Sear the steak for 2-3 minutes on each for medium-rare. Let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes to finish cooking and seal in the juices. Check the recipe card for grilling temps and times!
Success tip: always use an instant-read thermometer to determine when steak is done. Pull it off the heat when it reaches 130-135°F for medium-rare steak.
Step 5. Assemble, Dress, and Serve
Assemble the salad while the steak rests then slice and top the salad with steak. . Garnish with chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and more cilantro. Drizzle dressing on top and serve right away.
Recipe FAQs
The best beef options for Thai steak salad are top sirloin steak or ribeye because they’re both tender and cook quickly. but I also love flank steak or skirt steak (they’re more affordable). You can also use a flank steak or skirt steak for a more affordable option. Follow our guide to different cuts of beef for all of your beef recipes.
Preheat the grill to high heat (450-500°F). Place the steaks on the hot grill and immediately close the lid. Sear the steaks with the lid closed for 4-5 minutes on each side for a 2-inch steak. For the best results, pull the steak off the heat at approximately 130-135°F for medium-rare steak. Read our full guide on how to grill ribeye.
Meal Prep and Storing Tips
Meal prep: This spicy Thai steak salad is a great make-ahead meal because the dressing and salad ingredients can be prepped a couple of days ahead of time and kept fresh in the fridge.
Storage: Allow the beef to come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the remaining dressing, salad fixings, and steak separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This recipe is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. Thank you to brands like theirs who believe in me and my recipes so I can continue to share them for free.
More Thai Food to Try
- Easy sweet potato curry is vegan and can be made in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop!
- Thai curry pho comes together all in one pot.
- This healthy chicken pad Thai recipe only takes 30 minutes to make!
- Beef satay with Thai peanut sauce is just like the kind you get in a restaurant.
Thai Steak Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1 pound ribeye steak or top sirloin steak (Note 1)
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated fresh ginger
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil plus more for searing
- Pinch of salt
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Juice from 1 lime 2 Tablespoons
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha optional
- Pinch of salt
Salad
- 3 heads romaine lettuce shredded
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 English cucumber sliced thin into rounds then half moons
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Thai bird chilies sliced (optional for heat)
- Garnish: Crushed roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Thai basil, or more cilantro
Instructions
- Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and place it in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag with all of the marinade ingredients. Close the lid and turn to coat the steak in the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- While it's marinating, prepare the dressing. Place all of the marinade ingredients in a small jar with a lid, like a mason jar. Shake well to combine until the peanut butter is completely mixed in. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Next, assemble the salad ingredients. I like to chop all of the vegetables while the steak marinades to save time. Arrange the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion in a large salad bowl or divide evenly into separate serving bowls. Sprinkle the cilantro and mint on top.
- To cook steak, drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot and rippling, remove the steak from the marinade and shake off any excess liquid. For a 2-inch steak, sear on both sides for for 2-3 minutes, or remove from the heat when the internal temperature reaches 130°F for medium rare. The target temperature for medium-rare steak is 140-145°F while it rests (known as carryover cooking). Transfer steak to a clean cutting board to rest for 5-10 minutes then thinly slice steak.
- Place the sliced steak on top of the prepared salad. Garnish with chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and mroe cilantro. Drizzle dressing on top and serve right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
