This spicy Thai noodle salad is fresh and delicious! Not only is this salad fresh and colorful, but it’s also bursting with flavor too! If you like summer rolls you will love this salad! It’s essentially an inside out summer roll with Thai chili sauce for dressing! Yum!

You will LOVE this Thai noodle salad because it’s…

vegan and gluten-free.

full of colorful fresh vegetables.

served either warm or cold.

perfect for summer picnics or potlucks.

bursting with flavor from the spicy chili sauce and fresh herbs!

Are you always looking for that perfect vegan summer salad to take to picnics and potlucks?

Me too! Bringing a dish to pass is always a stress for me. I feel like we are known as the family who eats weird food, so I just want to bring something that’s “normal” yet delicious. This salad works perfectly for all those summer events.

Beautiful, delicious and fresh, this may be your new go-to dish all summer.

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

You can eat it freshly made and slightly warm or you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. My husband I debate which is best, he likes it fresh, and I like it the next day after the veggies have soaked up the dressing and started to pickle a little.

How do I make a vegan Thai noodle salad?

To make the Thai chili salad dressing:

Put rice vinegar, garlic chili sauce, and a little vegan sugar (optional) in a little saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.

To make your rice noodle salad:

Chop your cabbage, carrots, and cucumber and place them in a large salad bowl. (To make the salad even quicker and easier, I buy a package of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, so the only thing I have to chop is the cucumber). Then pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. (This will allow the veggies to get well coated and start soaking up the flavor of the dressing). Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions and drain and rinse well with cold water. (If you want to read more about how to cook rice noodles read this). Toss the noodles with the veggies and combine to coat the noodles with the dressing. Chop up some fresh mint, basil, or any other fresh herbs that you like. (Mint is my favorite in this salad, but any will work). Just make sure that they are fresh herbs!

Adding crispy tofu:

If you like tofu, crispy tofu is the perfect addition to this salad!

Just before serving, coat tofu with cornstarch and fry until perfectly crispy! See my recipe on how to make crispy tofu for perfect tofu every time!

Note: If you bring this dish to a picnic or a someplace where it won’t be eaten immediately, simply pan fry the tofu without the cornstarch coating. The cornstarch makes it super crispy and delicious, but it also soaks up the dressing and gets mushy if it is left to soak in the dressing.

Want another easy vegan salad recipe?

Check out this easy and delicious vegan chickpea salad with garlic vinaigrette!