Spicy Thai Beef Salad Recipe

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When you’re after a light – but still filling – low carb meal, this spicy Thai beef salad recipe is it. It’s easy (of course!), low in carbs, and Atkins friendly! And we’re using a shortcut to make this meal even quicker.

The Thai beef salad dressing has another purpose – it’s the marinade! So, once you mix up the marinade, you’ll set aside half of it for later. This step helps make this Thai steak salad even quicker.

Many seemingly healthy salads will trigger the Hidden Sugar Effect, a term coined by Atkins. It means carbohydrates convert to sugar when digested. You don’t see the sugar, but your body does.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the Atkins lifestyle, but I strongly believe it’s a great whole-foods-based approach to low carb eating. And for those not wanting to follow a strict keto diet, Atkins offers flexibility by giving options for the amount of net carbs to consume per day (20, 40 or even 100 grams). Many of the foods you can eat are similar, but Atkins can be more forgiving.

But let’s be real here. No matter what low carb lifestyle you’re into (or none at all!), this Thai steak salad recipe is a better alternative, without causing the “hidden sugar effect” that happens with many salads. It has only 7 grams net carbs and 2 grams of sugar in a generous serving, which is enough for a meal! And of course, this Thai beef salad is full of flavor.

So next time you’re craving Thai food? Try out this spicy beef salad recipe and try my spaghetti squash pad Thai next.

How To Make Spicy Beef Salad

Let me show you how to make this Thai beef salad recipe:

• Make dressing/marinade. We’re using the marinade as a dressing for a double dose of flavors – in less time! Whisk together the coconut aminos, olive oil, lime juice, fish sauce, Thai red curry paste and black pepper.

• Prep and marinate the steak. Season steak generously with sea salt. Then place it into a baking dish and pour half of the marinade over top. The other half makes up the best Thai beef salad dressing!

TIP: Make sure your baking dish is small enough so that the marinade coats most of the steak. I used a glass 8×8 dish like this.

• Mix up salad. Combine bibb lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, basil and red onion in a large bowl or platter.
• Cook the steak. I love searing it on the stove in a grill pan and then transferring it to the oven to finish cooking.

TIP: To avoid dry steak, let the beef rest for at least 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.

• Serve. Place the sliced beef on top of the greens and serve the dressing on the side. Easy spicy Thai beef salad is ready to be devoured.

How To Make Thai Beef Salad Dressing

The Thai beef salad dressing in this recipe is actually the marinade, too! It makes this recipe come together even faster and gives the steak extra flavor at the same time.

The Thai beef salad dressing/marinade is made by whisking together:

• Coconut aminos
• Olive oil
• Lime juice
• Fish sauce
• Thai red curry paste
• Black pepper

The amounts to use are on the recipe card below.

TIP: The Thai beef salad dressing already has so much flavor going on, but if you like it sweeter, feel free to whisk in the sweetener of your choice.

Can You Make Thai Steak Salad Ahead?

You can make parts of this spicy Thai steak salad recipe ahead of time. The Thai beef salad dressing and marinade can be made up to a few days in advance.

TIP: To avoid mushy meat, make sure you don’t marinate the meat too long! The maximum recommended time is about 8 hours.

You can also prep all of the salad ingredients and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook the beef.

It’s a great weeknight meal – simply marinate the steak in the morning and it will be ready to cook at dinner time.

More Low Carb Salad Recipes

I LOVE low carb salads! If you like this spicy beef salad, check out my other low carb salads here. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Easy Chopped Avocado Salad – This naturally healthy and keto recipe is easy, creamy, and full of flavor.
• Healthy Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad – Made with fresh herbs, this bright salad makes the perfect side dish to just about anything.
• Italian Marinated Artichoke Salad – Marinated artichokes and roasted red peppers star in this arugula-based green salad.
• Low Carb Broccoli Cauliflower Salad – This salad is ready in 10 minutes and perfect to bring to picnics and parties.

• Cast Iron Square Grill Pan – The perfect pan for this spicy beef salad recipe. We sear it on the stove, then finish it in the oven, all in this one pan.
• Instant Meat Thermometer – The best way to tell if your Thai steak salad beef is done cooking. Never over-cook your meat again.
• White Salad Bowls – Show off the spicy beef salad in a white porcelain salad bowl. It’s the perfect size.

5 from 9 votes

Spicy Thai Beef Salad Recipe

This low carb, EASY spicy Thai beef salad recipe takes just 10 min to prep! The Thai beef salad dressing + marinade give it so much flavor.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 6 minutes

Marinating 2 hours

Total: 16 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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Steak:

• 1.5 lb Flank steak ▢
• 1 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1 tbsp Olive oil ▢

Salad:

• 1 head Bibb lettuce (~6 cups, chopped) ▢
• 1 cup Cucumbers (chopped) ▢
• 1 cup Grape tomatoes (halved) ▢
• 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro (chopped) ▢
• 1/4 cup Basil (cut into ribbons) ▢
• 1/4 cup Red onion (optional: sliced into thin half-moons) ▢

Dressing/Marinade:

• 1/4 cup Coconut aminos ▢
• 1/4 cup Olive oil (or any oil of your choice) ▢
• 2 tbsp Lime juice ▢
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce ▢
• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (or more to taste) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper (optional) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing/marinade mixture - coconut aminos, olive oil, lime juice, fish sauce, Thai red curry paste and black pepper, if using. If you like more heat, add more curry paste or black pepper to taste.

2. Season the steak generously on both sides with sea salt. Place the steak in a single layer in an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) glass baking dish, or a zip lock bag. Pour half of the marinade over the steak (reserve the rest for dressing).

3. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. (The meat may get mush if you do it for longer.) Cover the reserved dressing and refrigerate that as well.

4. Right before the meat is done marinating, combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  

5. Cook the beef using a grill pan followed by the oven - use this recipe for how to cook steak in the oven, but use the olive oil instead of butter. (This link includes cook times for the steak as well.)

6. Let the beef rest for 5 minutes after cooking, then slice very thinly against the grain.

7. Serve salad with sliced beef on top and dressing on the side. 

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: ~2 cups, or 1/4 of entire recipe

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 426

Fat 26g

Protein 38g

Total Carbs 8g

Net Carbs 7g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: spicy Thai beef salad recipe

Calories: 426 kcal

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