Rainbow Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad | Get Inspired Everyday! (2024)

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This Rainbow Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles Salad is my go-to recipe in the summer! It’s a no-cook recipe where the zucchini is spiralized and added to the salad raw. It’s a great way to use up lots of zucchini, and if you’ve never had it raw before, you’re in for a treat. You can add your choice of protein to make this a full meal. It’s also naturally vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and dairy free making it a great recipe for most diets.

Can you ever get enough of Pad Thai? I’m thinking not, as it hasn’t happened to me yet! Today’s version of Pad Thai is far from the classic but stick with me because Pad Thai is delicious in all its forms.

I’ll admit to being of the school of thinking ‘Why mess with a good thing’, but over the years I’ve begun to branch out with my recipes. And today’s salad version of Pad Thai is just such a recipe. With the warmer weather of summer coming, I wanted to create all the same comforting flavors, but in the refreshing form of a salad.

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So I pulled together a rainbow of veggies along with zucchini noodles and topped them with a flavorful Pad Thai dressing. And despite it being a departure from the classic, it’s been a huge hit. So if you love Pad Thai, but want something bright and refreshing for the summer months, I’ve got you covered!

I kept the recipe 100% vegan which makes it great to take to any potluck because it fits so many different diet restrictions, (paleo, clean eating, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian to name a few). Sometimes though I do add a bit of fish sauce to the dressing, and top it with grilled chicken/shrimp for protein. With a bit of added protein, it makes a substantial meal, with no need to turn the stove on – which is a big bonus in my book!

Traditional Pad Thai sauce never has peanut butter/cashew butter in it. But I feel this super creamy sauce with the touch of cashew butter really makes this salad!

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After you’ve blended up the dressing, it’s on to the spiralized zucchini and cucumber noodles. I used the 6mm blade on the Paderno 3-blade spiralizer because it creates a thicker noodle that I love in this salad.

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Finally, you chop up all the veggies along with fresh mango. I love using the Champagne/Ataulfo variety of mango, (recognizable by its yellow/orange skin) because it’s extra sweet with a silky smooth texture.

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Finally, a sprinkling of chopped cashews, and a little fresh cilantro is the perfect finish. If you want to pack some of this for lunch the next day, keep the cashews and dressing separately. The salad without the mango and avocado will keep up to 4 days. But the mango and avocado do tend to brown after 24 hours, so be sure and add it in fresh.

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Rainbow Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad | Get Inspired Everyday! (8)

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5 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Get Inspired Everyday!
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 46 servings 1x
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Ingredients

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Pad Thai Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos
  • 1 Teaspoon tamarind paste
  • 1 Teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup cashew butter, (or almond/sunflower seed/peanut butter)

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, spiralized into noodles, 7 cups
  • 18 ounce cucumber spiralized, 3 cups
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 1 1/2 cups cubed mango, 10 ounces, from 1-2
  • 2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper, 8 ounces, from 1
  • 1 ripe avocado, cubed

Garnishes:

  • 1/2 cup toasted chopped cashews
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready to serve, or up to 4 days.
  2. Spiralize the zucchini and cucumber into noodles using the spiralizer of your choice. I used the Paderno 3-blade spiralizer with the 6 mm blade for a slightly thicker noodle.
  3. Then place the spiralized noodles along with all the chopped veggies and mango into a serving bowl, or pile them onto a larger serving platter.
  4. Garnish the salad by sprinkling the cashews and cilantro over the top. Then serve the salad with the dressing on the side.
  5. If you’d like to keep the salad for more than 24 hours, keep the dressing and cashews separate, and add the mango and avocado fresh when you’re ready to eat it. I often pack this salad into meal prep containers, with small containers of dressing alongside. Then I add the mango and avocado fresh so they don’t brown.

Notes

The dressing makes about 1 1/2 cups. You may have leftovers which are great on regular leafy green salads as well.

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
Rainbow Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad | Get Inspired Everyday! (2024)

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