30 Minute Thai Beef Noodle Salad
Thai beef noodle salad is a vibrant dish that combines tender strips of beef with rice noodles, crunchy veggies, and a tangy Thai dressing. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving something fresh and light but filling.
Looking for more dairy free salad recipes? Try my Mexican street corn pasta salad with shrimp, salmon caesar salad with crispy chickpea croutons, or chicken tender salad with honey mustard vinaigrette.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Thai beef salad:
- Top sirloin steak or skirt steak – you want to use a tender cut of steak.
- Marinade – reduced sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, fresh lime juice, coconut sugar, garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes.
- Thin rice noodles
- Salad dressing – olive oil or avocado oil, lime juice, fish sauce, organic cane sugar or white sugar, chili garlic sauce or sambal, and toasted sesame oil.
- Crunchy vegetables – English (or Persian) cucumber, bell pepper and carrot.
- Fresh herbs – fresh mint and cilantro.
How to Make Thai Beef Noodle Salad: Step by Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Marinate the beef. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Add the steak and spoon the marinade over the top. Let it sit in the mixture for 15 minutes to soak up the flavor.
- Cook noodles. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and toasted sesame oil until combined.
- Cook beef. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Sear the steak for 1 minute on each side until a crust forms. Turn down the heat down to medium and cook for a few more minutes, turning the steak occasionally. The time will depend on the thickness of the steak and your preferred doneness. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for a few minutes before cutting it into thin slices. Discard marinade.
- Combine. Toss the cooked noodles with veggies, hand torn herbs, sliced steak, and dressing. Serve with lime wedges if desired.
Helpful Tips
- Slice the beef against the grain for the most tender slices.
- Use a mix of fresh herbs for the best flavor.
- If you like spice, add sliced Thai chilis to the dressing.
Quick Tip: Scoop out the cucumber seeds. Even though English and Persian varieties have far fewer seeds, they still add too much moisture to the salad.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Keep any leftover dressing separate until just before serving.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this Thai beef noodle salad recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No thin rice noodles? – use ramen noodles.
- Don’t like cilantro? – sub Thai basil leaves or Italian basil if you can’t find Thai.
- No coconut sugar? – use brown sugar.
- No red pepper flakes? – you can omit the fresh garlic and instead use 2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce.
- Add-ins – bean sprouts, thinly sliced red onion or shallot, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced green cabbage, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just keep the dressing, beef, and noodles/vegetables separate until ready to serve.
Flank steak, skirt steak, or sirloin all work great. A good quality tender steak is best here because you don’t want it to be tough to chew.
More Salads
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad With Shrimp
- Salmon Caesar Salad With Crispy Chickpea Croutons
- Chicken Tender Salad With Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- Southwest Mango Black Bean Salad With Quinoa
I hope you love this Thai beef noodle salad! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
30 Minute Thai Beef Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Thai Steak Marinade
- 1 pound top sirloin steak
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 2 teaspoons chili garlic paste & omit garlic
Tangy Thai Dressing
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons organic cane sugar or white sugar, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Thai Noodle Salad
- 4 ounces thin rice noodles
- 1 English cucumber, seeds removed and cut into 1/4 inch slices or 2 cups sliced Persian cucumbers
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds removed and cut into thin strips
- 1 large carrot peeled into ribbons
- large handful fresh mint leaves
- large handful cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate the beef. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Add the steak and spoon the marinade over the top. Let it sit in the mixture for 15 minutes to soak up the flavor.
- Cook noodles. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and toasted sesame oil until combined.
- Cook beef. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Sear the steak for 1 minute on each side until a crust forms. Turn down the heat down to medium and cook for a few more minutes, turning the steak occasionally until it's reached your preferred doneness. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for a few minutes before cutting it into thin slices. Discard marinade.
- Combine. Toss the cooked noodles with veggies, hand torn herbs, sliced steak, and dressing. Serve with lime wedges if desired.