Green Bean Peanut Salad
on Jul 29, 2026
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Ready in 15 minutes, this easy green bean peanut salad is full of fresh crunch and flavor. I quickly blanch green beans and combine them with shredded carrots, red peppers, cabbage, scallions, cilantro and peanuts. Then I dress them in a lightly creamy peanut ginger dressing. Enjoy this salad as a side dish or a make-ahead lunch.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Vegetables are the new way to do greens in salads. I’ve always been a big fan of no-lettuce salads. As a salad person, they add variety, and they make me rethink my approach to certain vegetables that too often are only thought of as a side.
The peanut dressing is fantastic. I will be the first to tell you that I always go for vinaigrettes, but adding a dollop of peanut butter or tahini, which is what I do in this easy edamame salad, gives dressings a touch of creaminess that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the ingredients.
This is a great lunch salad that you can customize. Toss in crispy baked tofu or shredded rotisserie chicken. You can also add leftover cooked grains like brown rice or quinoa.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Green beans: To trim fresh green beans, line them up in a row on your cutting board and slice off the stem ends. Then cut them into 2-inch to 3-inch segments.
- Carrots: You can shred whole carrots with the big holes of a box grater or a food processor with the grating disk. I usually just buy a bag of shredded carrots because the shreds are more uniform and a little thicker (and crunchier) than when you do it yourself.
- Red bell pepper: You want the peppers to be a similar size to the cut green beans. I slice the pepper into thin strips lengthwise and then I halve those as necessary, so they are in 2 to 3-inch lengths.
- Red cabbage: Like the carrots, you can buy a whole head of cabbage and slice it or buy it shredded. You can also substitute with a coleslaw mix.
- Scallions have good mild green onion flavor, so they act like a cross between an herb and an onion.
- Cilantro: I know this is a love-it or hate-it ingredient. If you don’t like it, leave it out and add another scallion.
Peanuts add another dimension of crunch to the salad. I roughly chop roasted peanuts for more nutty texture. - Peanut ginger dressing: I always use natural peanut butter. It helps to give it 10 minutes at room temperature, so it’s easier to whisk with fresh ginger, garlic, lime juice, low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.
How To Make This Green Bean Peanut Salad
1. Cook the green beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans. Simmer for just 2-3 minutes. They should be crisp-tender and still have some bite. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a large bowl of ice water to shock them and stop the cooking.
2. Assemble the salad ingredients. That includes the green beans, carrots, cabbage, red peppers, cabbage, scallions, cilantro and peanuts.
3. Make the dressing. Stir the minced ginger & garlic, creamy peanut butter, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl.
4. Toss the salad with the dressing.
Serving
This green bean salad has Asian flavors, so it goes well with recipes like this broccoli, edamame & pea fried rice, these grilled cabbage steaks, this sheet pan honey garlic tofu or this mixed vegetable stir-fry.
Looking for more salad inspiration? Check out my seasonal salad guide with recipes and tips on ingredients, meal prep and more.
Green Bean Peanut Salad
Ingredients
For salad
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch to 3-inch long segments
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut into 2-inch to 3-inch long pieces
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
For dressing
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 1 lime, juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the green beans. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until they are crisp-tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them immediately to a large bowl of ice water. Drain and pat the green beans dry with a towel.
- Combine the green beans, carrots, red peppers, cabbage, scallions, cilantro and peanuts in a large bowl.
- To make the dressing, whisk the ginger, garlic, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing into the salad, tossing to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
