Sesame Crunch Snap Pea Salad
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This snap pea salad is all things crunchy and wonderful: thinly sliced snap peas make up the base while crunchy sesame salad toppers, roasted peanuts, cilantro, chili crisp, and an Asian-inspired dressing add oodles of flavor.
This snap pea salad was inspired by the many papaya salads I ate in Thailand — bold, punchy, and full of crunch. It’s a papaya-salad wannabe in the best way, built around thinly sliced snap peas and big, vibrant flavors.
The dressing brings it all together with fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and garlic, then mellows and becomes creamy with tahini. Tossed with cilantro, roasted peanuts, and a generous spoonful of chili crisp (yes, in a salad — trust me), every bite is crunchy, savory, and bright.
I love this salad because it instantly makes simple dinners feel special, and the leftovers are shockingly good straight from the fridge. Serve it alongside an easy protein, or add some ginger rice or garlic butter rice if you want to round things out.
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, you can ask it in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Is this snap pea salad spicy?
It does have some heat, but the ingredients you add make it easy to control. If you love heat, pile on the chili crisp and choose spicy salad toppers. If you prefer it mild, leave out the chili crisp and top the salad with crispy wontons.
How long do leftovers keep?
While this is better when eaten fresh, you can safely store leftovers for 3-4 days in your fridge. The crispy salad toppers go soft, but it still makes a pretty decent lunch the next day!
What is chili crisp?
Chili crisp is a magical, oily sauce with lots of crispy garlic, onion, and chilis. We sometimes make big batches of this chili crisp. But I also really love Triple Smoke’s Chili Crisp and always have some in the pantry.
What kind of crunchy salad toppers should I use?
Have a look around your grocery store—either the snack aisle or the Asian section—and see if you can find something crunchy to sprinkle on. The mix I like has wasabi peas and sesame sticks. Crispy wontons are also really tasty!
Watch how to make this recipe
Sesame Crunch Snap Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
The Dressing
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (see notes)
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
The Salad
- 4 cups thinly sliced snap peas
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup crunchy sesame salad toppers (see notes)
- ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients.2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Add the snap peas, cilantro, crunch salad toppers, and peanuts to a large salad bowl.4 cups thinly sliced snap peas, ½ cup chopped cilantro, 1 cup crunchy sesame salad toppers, ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts
- Pour the dressing and the chili crisp, if using, over the top and mix to combine.1 tablespoon chili crisp
Video
Notes
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
That is so great to hear!
Love the idea of chopping snap pea for this salad. That dressing was wonderful too, need to make this again!
Thanks, Neha!
Oh, what interesting flavors! I’ve never used tahini and fish sauce together before, really yummy. Love all the different textures too, my toddler loved the crunch!
I love that your little one enjoyed this, too!
Delicious, gotta try this in my next meal. thank you for sharing
You’re welcome!
After all the soups we ate over the winter I am really into salads right now and can’t wait to try this one.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!