How to make Fresh Mango Salad (Thai Inspired Recipe)

This Thai-inspired mango salad recipe is one of my favorite fresh summertime salads. This simple side dish is loaded with juicy mangoes, crisp vegetables, fresh herbs and a simple slightly spicy funky dressing.

What is Mango Salad?

Mango Salad is a refreshing Thai salad that encompasses the four principles of thai cuisine – spicy, sour, salty, and sweet.

It’s a colorful salad that’s perfect for summertime when you want a refreshing side dish that’s also absolutely delicious.

My version of this traditional Thai recipe is inspired by the Mango Salad from AA Garden Fusion in New Smyrna Beach, FL. It’s one of my favorite local dishes that I always order when do we do take-out. 

Like theirs, this simple thai mango salad recipe is made with ripe mangoes, crunchy veggies, tons of herbs, crunchy peanuts, crispy onion bits and a delicious simple dressing that tastes amazing. 

The tangy dressing is both spicy, sour, and salty. And it pairs perfectly with the sweet mango slices and the cool cucumber. The fresh herbs give it a great fresh flavor that you’ll be obsessed with.

It’s such a versatile side dish but it also makes a great main dish too. Try adding some poached chicken, steamed shrimp, or fried tofu to give it main dish energy.

My family gave this simple mango salad recipe rave reviews and I know you will too. So let’s make it!

Ingredients & Substitutions 

Salad Ingredients

• Cabbage: You can use a mix of whatever type cabbage you prefer. To save myself time, I use a bag of shredded coleslaw mix.
• Ripe Mangos: Ideally, you wan to use ripe, juicy mangos for this recipe. It doesn’t matter if you use honey mangos, tommy adkins mangos or kent mangos. Just don’t use green mango or unripe mango because that would be Som Tum Mamuang – Thai green mango salad – also delicious but different!
• Red Bell Pepper: Crunchy Bell Peppers add color and crunch but you could use any color of bell pepper. you have on hand. 
• English Cucumber: or Persian Cucumber is preferred. If you’re using a regular cucumber, just be sure to scoop out the seeds. 
• Green Onions: If you want it even more onion-y, add some thinly sliced red onion or try my pickled pink onions.
• Fresh Basil: If you can find Thai basil, that would be ideal. But regular fresh basil also works. 
• Fresh Cilantro: If you have a cilantro aversion, no worries! Just leave it out. The rest of the fresh ingredients will still make it taste like the refreshing salad that it is!
• Fresh Mint: Fresh mint is needed for maximum freshness. It may sound wild to some, but it’s so vital from turning this easy recipe into a great salad.
• Crispy Fried Onions: I always stock up on these when I go to Ikea (strange right? lol) But you can also order these online or find them at your local asian grocery store. 
• ​Roasted Peanuts: Ideally dry roasted peanuts should be used. But my family prefers honey roasted peanuts so I use those instead. You could also use roasted or candied cashews. 
• Optional Add-ins: Want to give this salad an update? Give it a Mexican spin by adding black beans and crushed tortilla chips. And if you want it to be more of a spicy salad, try adding some pickled jalapeños for a little heat.

Dressing Ingredients

• Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is best but lemon juice also works as the acid. You could also swap out the lime juice for rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar but it won’t taste exactly as it’s supposed to. 
• Fish Sauce: Fish sauce adds funky notes in the best way. Even if you are not into fish sauce, it really makes a great addition to this healthy mango salad. If you had to do a substitution, I would opt for soy sauce but it’s not necessary as this ingredient is more for its funky flavor. 
• Sesame Oil: If you don’t have sesame oil, you could swap it out for a little bit of olive oil. 
• Coconut Aminos: No coconut aminos? You could use tamari or regular low sodium soy sauce. If you’re using soy sauce, just make sure to use more sweetness as the coconut aminos are sweeter than regular soy sauce. 
• Coconut Sugar: If you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar or white sugar also works but you’ll most likely need less (unless you’re using soy sauce!) so add it 1 tablespoon at a time and taste it after you mix it in. You could also do maple syrup or honey. 
• Thai Chilis: These spicy red peppers are super tiny and come in red and green. You can find them at your local asian grocery store. I always buy them fresh and keep them in the freezer. It’s the easiest way to have them on hand when you’re making thai cuisine.  If you can’t find them, you can use a little squirt of sriracha, some red pepper flakes, or chili powder as a nice substitute. 
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is best but you could also do finely minced shallots. 

How to make it

Making this heathy mango salad is a breeze!

It starts by mixing up the simple, spicy dressing. In a small bowl, add the lime juice, fish sauce, coconut aminos, sesame oil, coconut sugar, Thai chilis and minced garlic. Whisk it together and set it aside.

If you make any adaptations, just know that you don’t want this mango salad dressing too sweet. The sweetness of the ripe mangos will add to it. So make sure it has plenty of zing and sourness for balance.  

In a separate large bowl, add the cabbage, half of whatever type of mango you prefer, red bell peppers, cucumbers, fresh herbs and the crushed peanuts. 

Drizzle the mango salad dressing over the top and toss the fresh ingredients together. 

Top with the rest of the ripe mangos and the crunchy fried onion bits. I also like to add a little bit of fresh basil on top for color but that’s optional.

I doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, you can put them in an airtight container. It’s only good and crunchy for about 24 hours so keep that in mind. 

What goes with it

I love serving mango salad with a big platter of larb gai.

It’s also delicious with:

You can check out more of my fresh salad recipes here! 

Recipe