This Thai Apple Salad recipe is loosely based off a well-known Thai dish called Som Tam, which is a spicy salad traditionally made with green papaya, dried shrimp, and peanut. Green papaya isn’t always easy to find so I substituted green apples instead, and I wanted it vegan, so no shrimp! And I’m allergic to peanuts, so they’re off the list, or at least my list! Hmm…that’s a lot of substitutions, you’re probably thinking by this point! But, don’t panic, it’s Thai in spirit – with that groovy sweet, salty, spicy thing going on. And it’s 100% plant-based!

Making the Salad
This is an easy salad to make. The key is to slice the carrots and the apples as thinly as possible – ideally you’ll want to use a mandoline for this.
Place the carrots and apples in your serving dish and then make the dressing. If you’re not vegan you can use regular fish sauce. If vegan, see the image below or the recipe notes for an alternative to fish sauce that uses Asian black bean sauce – this has a similar funky, fermented flavour.


Other Recipes You Might Like:
- 15-Minute Thai Green Curry
- 15-Minute Thai Chickpea Curry (Vegan or Pork)
- Simple Citrus Salad
- Mediterranean Salad Two Ways: Halloumi or Chicken
- Plant-Based Lemony Caesar Salad
Printable Recipe Card: Thai Apple Salad
Thai Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 1 green apple
- 2-3 medium-sized carrots {Use rainbow carrots for a colourful presentation{
- 1 Thai chili, seeds removed, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely micned
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sweetener {palm sugar is traditional. You can also uses coconut syrup or just plain sugar.}
- 1 teaspoon {vegan} fish sauce {See Recipe Notes for substitution}
- 1/4 cup peanuts or cashews, finely chopped
Instructions
- Slice the apples and carrots, as thinly as possible. If you have a mandoline, now’s a good time to use it! Watch your fingers! Put the sliced apples and carrots in the serving dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili, garlic, lime juice, sweetener, and {vegan} fish sauce, or black bean paste. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Pour the dressing over the apples and carrots, toss together, and place in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes or so.
- Serve with the chopped peanuts or cashews.
Notes
If You Can’t Find Vegan Fish Sauce
In a pinch, you can mix together 1/2 teaspoon of black bean sauce, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. It won’t exactly taste like fish sauce but it does offer that funky, fermented flavour inherent in regular fish sauce.Storage
This will keep in the fridge for several days but the apples will start to look like fresh. The flavours will also intensify so be aware of that.Nutrition
Make it a Meal
This Thai Apple Salad is part of not not’s Make it a Meal series, where I make a meal made of plant-based recipes with vegetarian and omnivore-friendly options. The other recipes in this Meal, called Thai One On, are Butternut Squash Green Curry and Papaya Ice with Pomegranate Reduction.
PIN Thai Apple Salad for Later

We love to hear from you!
Questions? Comments? We love to hear from you!
3 comments
[…] Ice, something cool and fruity to follow our spicy meal of Butternut Squash Green Curry and Thai Apple Salad. The entire menu is plant-based with omnivore-friendly options, in keeping with my mission to make […]
[…] the next couple of posts, I’ll be rounding out the meal with Thai Apple Salad, and for dessert, Papaya & Pomegranate Ice. All super yum and […]
[…] Mikael almost lost the top of his finger on it before, when he was helping me make this awesome Thai Apple Salad. I guess you’d think that would dissuade HIM from using the mandoline — well, he’ll […]