This Thai Beef Salad recipe is a vibrant, flavor-packed dish that’s perfect for a light yet satisfying meal. It’s a nutrient-dense option that’s both low in carbs and rich in protein. And packed with Thai-inspired flavor!
If you’re looking for a knock-your-socks-off delicious and healthy meal, you can’t do any better than this Thai Beef Salad. To say that I am obsessed is a serious understatement. I created the recipe for my upcoming high protein cookbook and I’ve already made it three times since then!
I adore Thai food of all kinds, but it tends to contain a lot of added sugar. So I make my own healthier versions like Keto Pad Thai and Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken, without all the unnecessary carbs.
When I set about creating recipes for The Protein Advantage, I knew I wanted a Thai Beef Salad recipe. By lightening up the marinade and dressing and skipping the added sugar, I turned it into an ideal low-carb high-protein recipe. Tender slices of seared steak are tossed with crisp vegetables and fresh herbs, then drizzled with a zesty lime-fish sauce dressing for an irresistible combination of sweet, sour, and savory.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Packed with flavor – A bold mix of savory steak, fresh herbs, lime, and fish sauce.
- Quick and easy – Marinate the steak and let it absorb the flavors for an hour. Once you do that, the whole recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes.
- High in protein – Perfect for muscle maintenance, post-workout recovery, or staying full longer.
- Low in carbs – Ideal for keto, low-carb, or blood sugar-conscious diets.
- Customizable – Adjust the spice level or veggies to suit your taste.
- Healthy and refreshing – A light yet satisfying meal loaded with nutrients.
Ingredient Notes
- Lime: Use both the zest and the juice for extra flavor.
- Oil: For the marinade you can use olive oil or avocado oil.
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce is one of the ingredients that gives Thai food its unique flavor.
- Sweetener: You can use your favorite sweetener to add a touch of sweetness to the marinade.
- Hot sauce: For some heat add a bit of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce.
- Seasonings: Garlic, coriander and salt.
- Steak: Use a decent cut of steak that grills well without getting tough. I like top sirloin because it’s less expensive than other cuts.
- Lettuce: Romain or butter lettuce.
- Salad veggies: Cucumber, red pepper, and a little red onion.
- Fresh herbs: Thai food always features fresh herbs. This salad uses fresh cilantro and mint.
Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Prepare the marinade/dressing: Using the same mixture as both the marinade and dressing simplifies this Thai Beef Salad tremendously.
- Marinate the steak: Let the steak marinate and tenderize in half of the sauce. About 1 hour allows it to absorb the flavors.
- Cook the steak: Grill the steak over medium high heat until it reaches your desired doneness. You can also cook it on a stove in a skillet.
- Assemble salad: While the steak rests, divide the lettuce and veggies between 4 plates.
- Slice thinly: Slice the steak and divide among the salads. Top with the chopped herbs.
- Serve: Use the reserved marinade to dress the salads just before serving.
Tips for Success
This recipe is so good and so easy. Marinating the steak for an hour makes it extra tender. And you can cook it to your liking, although I highly recommend no more than medium. Whether you cook it in a pan or on the grill, a good instant read thermometer (like THIS ONE) helps you nail down the exact temperature to your liking.
Make sure to slice the steak nice and thin against the grain. This helps make the salad look especially appealing and it makes it easier to eat!
Frequently Asked Questions
Authentic Yum Nua is a lovely Thai salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, and herbs, all topped off with thinly sliced grilled steak. The classic version usually contains sugar in the dressing. This keto-friendly version uses a little red pepper and swaps sugar for some low carb sweetener.
You can easily prep al the parts of this salad in advance, but don’t add the steak or the sauce until you are ready to serve. Lettuce can wilt easily when it sits in dressing, so make sure to keep these things separate.
This keto Thai beef salad recipe has 8.6g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber per serving. If you count net carbs, that comes to 6.2 grams per serving.
Thai Beef Salad Recipe
Servings: 4 servings
This Thai Beef Salad recipe is a vibrant, flavor-packed dish that’s perfect for a light yet satisfying meal. It’s a nutrient-dense option that’s both low in carbs and rich in protein. And packed with Thai-inspired flavor!
Salad
- 1 pound (453.59 g) top sirloin steak, about 1½ inch thick
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Prevent your screen from going dark
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients.
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Place the steak in a shallow dish and add half of the marinade, reserving the rest for dressing. Refrigerate and let marinate for 1 hour, flipping the steak once or twice to coat.
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Preheat the grill to medium high and grill the steak 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 125ºF to 135ºF. Alternatively, you can heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and sear 4 to 5 minutes per side.
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Remove and let the skillet rest 10 minutes before slicing.
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Divide the lettuce, cucumber, pepper, and onion between 4 dinner plates. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and add to the salad. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and chopped mint.
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Drizzle each with the remaining dressing or pass around at the table.
Serving: 1salad | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.6g | Protein: 33.1g | Fat: 20.9g | Saturated Fat: 7.4g | Fiber: 2.4g
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Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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