Easy Mint & Basil Green Salad

With summer approaching, it’s time to bring back salads! Although you might be thinking this is another boring salad, I promise you it’s not!

What sets my salad apart is the use of juicy and crisp veggies AND a vibrant Asian-inspired dressing made of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, ginger, and lime juice that ties everything together beautifully!

The result is a salad that is light (I use very little oil), citrusy, sweet and salty, and perfectly balanced. The best thing is that it comes together in less than 15 minutes!

⭐️ Why You Will Love It

Salads just got exciting (again).

This is no ordinary salad. Although I love a nice olive oil vinaigrette, I’m a huge fan of Asian dressings. For the little story, this recipe is inspired by a salad I was served at a local Thai restaurant recently. The first bite made me “wow”. It packed plenty of crisp raw veggies tossed in a wonderful sweet and sour dressing infused with gingery and garlicky flavors.

I took the main components and created my own version that, in my opinion, tastes as good as the restaurant one!

The dressing is obviously the star here as it brings most of the flavor. Soy sauce brings umami and saltiness, maple syrup brings some sweetness, and lime juice adds a burst of freshness. Then, I add a generous drizzle of toasted sesame oil for a toasty, almost caramelized aroma. The whole dressing is then infused with aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and fresh aromatic herbs like mint and basil. A true flavor bomb!

Simple to whip up.

As with most salads, it starts with a medley of crisp veggies such as red cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers that you slice into thin strips and then toss with the dressing. It’s made in just one bowl (actually two if you prepare the dressing in another one) and can be on the table in under 15 minutes!

Versatile

What I love about this salad is that it can be easily customized to fit everyone’s palate. Not a fan of green bell peppers? Replace them with sliced zucchini or red onions! Want to make it heartier? Add your plant-based protein of choice. The options are endless, and I’m sharing different add-ins you can incorporate in the Variations section below.

🥕 Ingredient Notes

Lettuce

Fresh leafy lettuce makes the base of this salad. You can use any green salad, such as Romaine, red leaf, arugula, baby spinach, or even kale!

Crunchy veggies

Basically, you want to use 4 cups of your veggies of choice. I personally go with carrots, cucumber, red cabbage, and green bell pepper for a combination of textures and colors.

How to slice them: I suggest slicing your veggies into thin and long strips rather than dicing them. This not only makes the salad more interesting texture-wise but also easier to eat with chopsticks (but you can use your regular fork!).

Tofu

To make the salad heartier, I add thinly sliced tofu. Use fried tofu or regular firm tofu pan-fried for a few minutes until it is golden brown on all sides.

Substitute: Use your favorite plant-based meat! Thinly sliced vegan chicken, sautéed tempeh, or even seitan are great substitutes.

Mint and basil

Next, we have our fresh herbs: mint and basil. They complement each other perfectly – basil adds sweet and peppery notes, while the mint brings a menthol, almost citrusy flavor.

I recommend chopping the mint leaves while leaving the basil leaves whole. I prefer having whole basil leaves in salads, but that is up to you!

Note: For an anise aroma, feel free to replace the basil with Thai basil.

Dressing

The dressing is inspired by Vietnamese and Thai recipes. Instead of using the traditional fish sauce, I rely on soy sauce for the umami and saltiness. Then, rather than using granulated sugar, I chose maple syrup (you can use agave syrup) to keep the dressing on the healthier side.

Finally, for the aromatics, I use finely chopped garlic, grated ginger, and fresh lime juice for brightness. A drizzle of toasted sesame oil and sriracha finishes the dressing by adding toasty and spicy flavors. Note that you can omit the sesame oil if you want to keep this salad oil-free.

Make it gluten-free: You can make this salad gluten-free by replacing the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos.

Lime juice substitute: You can replace the lime juice with lemon juice or white vinegar.

🥣 How to Make It

1. Make the dressing

Note: I like to start by making the dressing to give the ginger and garlic enough time to infuse it while I prepare the vegetables.

1. Combine everything. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, minced garlic, and ginger. Taste it and adjust the sweetness, saltiness, and sourness to your liking.

2. Slice the vegetables

1. Prep the veggies. Slice the cucumber, green bell pepper, and tofu into thin matchsticks. Peel and shred the carrot. Thinly slice the red cabbage and lettuce. Next, roughly chop the fresh basil and mint.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Transfer the sliced veggies to a large mixing bowl.

3. Combine

1. Toss everything. Finally, pour in the dressing and stir to toss the veggies with the dressing.
2. Serve. You can serve this salad immediately or chill it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

🌱 Variations

Like most salads, this one is also extremely versatile. Here are a few ideas of what you can add:

• Seeds or nuts: To stay in the Asian vibes, you can add toasted sesame seeds, peanuts, or roasted cashews. Otherwise, almonds, pine nuts, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds make great additions.
• Fried onions: Add 2-3 tablespoons of crispy fried onions for more texture.
• Croutons: Add crunchiness by incorporating croutons!
• Extra veggies: Radishes, cherry tomatoes, avocado, baby corn, or red onions.

Note: Remember to adjust the amount of dressing if you add extra veggies or protein.

🥑 What to Serve It With

You can serve this salad with sandwich bread, Vietnamese baguette, or rustic bread! It also makes a great side dish for lasagna, pizza, noodles, etc!

💬 FAQ

If you are looking for a quick and easy salad that is fresh, healthy, and big on flavor, you are going to love this one!

🥗 More Salad Recipes

10-Minute Ginger Carrot & Kale Salad

Black Pepper Tofu Quinoa Salad

Thai Mango Salad

Vegan Rice Salad

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Note: This recipe was first released in May 2020 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in September 2024.