Just look at that colour! Have you had a Thai mango salad? Although this version isn't authentic, I was inspired by the traditional to create our own go-to recipe. This mango salad is:
So Fresh
So Colourful
Sweet
Spicy
Tangy
And Has A Peanut Crunch On Top!
Does it get much better than that?
Ingredients
Traditionally, this salad is made with green mangoes but I like using ripe mangoes because I'm a sucker for the added sweetness! And I've yet to visit Thailand, but I understand that Green Papaya Salad is what you can find in nearly every restaurant. The green mango version seems to be more popular at Thai restaurants outside of Thailand.
Pai at Hot Thai Kitchen has a fantastic video tutorial for Thai Green Papaya Salad with lots of great tips!
The salad for our version is made up of:
- Ripe Mango
- Red Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Green Onion
- Cilantro
- Mint
- And Roasted Peanuts
And for the dressing...
Lime Juice for the sour
Rice Vinegar for the tang
Tamari or Soy Sauce for the depth and umami flavour
Maple Syrup subs in for the sweetness
And Thai Red Chilli for the heat!
Recipe Cost
For a big batch of 6 servings, our version of this sweet, sour, and spicy mango salad costs us CAD $6.00.
Toronto has great Thai restaurants and although we love their mango salads, they tend to cost us around CAD $10 for 1 serving purchased out.
That means our homemade version is our go-to for enjoying this salad on the regular!
Although there's some chopping involved, we love this quick and show-stopping thai mango salad. It's perfect for entertaining, it travels well (just keep the dressing separate until you serve), and it would make a wonderful addition to your outdoor picnics and events!
But... I'm writing this in January, and we just made it in the middle of a great Canadian snowstorm to accompany our favourite homemade Pad Thai... so it will surely bring you some sun anytime of the year!
Print
Thai Inspired Mango Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This sweet and spicy Thai mango salad tastes like summer! A refreshing appetizer for your favourite Thai dish or perfect for a summer picnic!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe (or green) mangoes, sliced*
- ½ red onion, sliced*
- ½ cup green onion, sliced*
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced*
- 1 cup cilantro leaves*
- ¼ cup mint leaves*
- ¼ cup roasted, chopped, peanuts
Dressing:
- 2 ½ tbsp lime juice
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoon tamari
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- ½ - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ red Thai chilli (or ½ tsp chilli garlic sauce)
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- If you have a mandoline that can help cut down some slicing time. Otherwise, thinly slice your mangoes, red onion, green onion, and bell pepper.
- Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a small dish.
- If you are serving the salad immediately, pour the dressing over the salad and top with cilantro, mint, and chopped peanuts!
- If not serving immediately, keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve.
Notes
*Approximate cost: CAD $6.00 ($1.50/serving) vs. approximately $10/serving if purchased from a restaurant.
*Feel free to omit the red onion for a sweeter salad. You can also omit the spice and add more maple syrup or sweetener of choice.
*If not serving immediately, keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve.
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Thai
Jeanie (Jeanine)
Worth the chopping. I'm slow with a knife and don't have any tools to make it go faster but I take my time. Traveled to Thailand years ago and enjoyed green papaya salad. I do like the sweetness and texture of the mango though. Off to enjoy it with my visiting relatives now.
Kathryn Alexandre
I'm glad you find that it's worth the chopping and this brings back memories of travel! I hope your relatives enjoyed it and appreciated the time you took to prepare it! Thank you so much for a lovely review Jeanie.
Anna
How far in advance can i prepare the salad, without dressing it?
Kathryn Alexandre
It should be fine to prepare the day before serving but you could always pour just a bit of the dressing on to coat the mango in a little bit of acid and reserve the rest of the dressing for when you are ready to serve it. This way the mango might stay a bit more fresh but the salad won't get too soggy. Enjoy!
Philip
I just made this and added an english cucumber and 3 thai chilis. It was fantastic. Great recipe!