Name: Mandarin Orange Salad with Thai Crunch Salad Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 (15-oz) can mandarin oranges, juice drained; 16 oz fresh greens (spinach, baby spring mix, arugula, or your favorite); 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter; 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar (*see notes); 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime); 3 tablespoons neutral oil (*see notes); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 2½ tablespoons sugar; 2 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

This Mandarin Orange Salad with Thai Crunch Salad Dressing may remind you of California Pizza Kitchen. It’s an incredibly delicious quick and easy salad with little to no chopping. It comes together in minutes with sweet oranges, greens, and a zingy dressing you will love.

Sideview of Mandarin Orange Salad with Thai Crunch Salad Dressing on a blue and white plate with roasted peanuts

It’s a delightfully peanutty, citrusy, fresh, sweet and tangy dream of a salad.

And a salad you’ll love all year, perfect as a side or even a complete meal when you add protein like chicken or salmon.

Thai Crunch Salad Dressing

Oh my word. Seriously, this may be an all-time favorite dressing… or even dip. It’s so incredible with this simple salad. But it’s also wonderful as a dip or sauce with veggies like carrots and celery, sweet cherry tomatoes, or slices of cucumbers, which is my preferred snack!

But it’s also delicious with chicken tenders, used for a grilled chicken satay, or as a sauce over just about anything that pairs well with peanuts.

Here’s the ingredient list for the dressing: exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

Creamy peanut butter
Rice vinegar: if you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can substitute apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar.
Lime juice
Neutral oil: vegetable oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or even unrefined light olive oil (see more ideas in the recipe card below.
Soy Sauce
Honey
Sugar
Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
Fresh cilantro

Side view of Mandarin Orange Salad on a blue and white plate with fresh limes and Thai Crunch Salad Dressing in a jar

What goes in Mandarin Orange Salad

Here are the basics of this oh-so-easy salad:

Fresh greens (spinach, spring greens, arugula, etc.)
Canned mandarin oranges, drained
Crushed roasted peanuts

If you don’t mind chopping a bit, I absolutely love to include a small English cucumber, halved, seeds removed with a spoon, and then thinly sliced. But that’s just me, I love to add cucumber to just about everything.

Other ingredient ideas might be shredded carrots, edamame, scallions, shredded cabbage (napa and/or purple cabbage) and additional fresh cilantro.

View of Thai Crunch Salad with a blender and serving jar

How to Make Thai Crunch Salad Dressing

Add all of the Thai Crunch Salad dressing ingredients to a blender, except for the fresh cilantro. Process until completely smooth, then add fresh cilantro and blend until it’s chopped and incorporated. If needed, add additional drizzles of cooking oil until it’s as thin as desired.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Top view of Mandarin Orange Salad on a blue rimmed plate

How to Make Mandarin Orange Salad

Add the salad ingredients to your bowl. Blend the dressing until smooth. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing, or simply spoon it over the top of the greens. If you’re making the salad ahead, serve the dressing on the side to prevent it from becoming soggy.

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