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This vibrant Thai-inspired salad contains crunchy green mango, carrots, cucumbers, and fresh herbs! It comes with a sweet, salty, and sour lime dressing. A healthy, delicious, and refreshing plant-based salad!

Thai green mango salad with cilantro, peanuts, and fried shallots.

⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe

  • It’s incredibly refreshing. Green mango is less sweet than a ripe mango, with a subtle sourness, making it perfect for salads.
  • It’s healthy. This salad contains no oil or mayo! The dressing is prepared from soy sauce (or fish sauce), lime juice, and chili sauce.
  • It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. Shred the mango and vegetables, toss to coat with the dressing, and serve! It’s as easy as that!

🥭 What is Green Mango Salad

Similar to green papaya salad, green mango salad is a dish prepared from shredded unripe mango. This type of salad is quite popular in South Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.

As opposed to green papaya, which tends to be quite bland, green mango has a sweet and sour flavor.

Ingredients like green mango, carrots, peanuts, cucumber, and lime.

🥕 Ingredient Notes

This quick and refreshing mango salad requires just a handful of ingredients. Here is what you will need:

  • Green mango – Essential to this recipe, you absolutely need to use unripe mango. Even though it might appear yellow/orange on the inside, the mango should be firm and crispy, unlike ripe mangoes.
  • Carrot
  • Cucumber – Preferably Persian cucumbers, for a crisp and refreshing texture.
  • Soy sauce – To make it easier, I went with regular soy sauce. If you have access to vegan fish sauce, use it, the salad will taste even better!
  • Sugar – You can use granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup. The sugar helps balance the saltiness and subtle tartness of the mango.
  • Chili sauce – Optional. It brings some heat! Want to learn how to make your own? Check out this homemade sweet chili sauce recipe.
  • Lime juice – For freshness and a citrusy flavor. I recommend using fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
  • Peanuts – Preferably roasted peanuts. You can use roasted cashews as well.
  • Fried shallots – Or fried onions, for crispiness.
  • Cilantro – If you can get your hands on Vietnamese cilantro and Thai basil, it will taste even better.

How to Pick Green Mango

Try to pick a very firm mango with smooth skin and no blemishes. Depending on the variety, its skin should be completely green or light green, with no traces of yellow or orange.

Grating green mango.

🥣 How to Make Thai Mango Salad

  1. Shred the mango, carrot, and cucumber. Begin by peeling the mango and carrot and shredding them into long strips. You can use a vegetable grater (I personally used this multifunction peeler grater) or a food processor fitted with the grating blade. Slice the cucumber into thin strips.
  2. Prepare the dressing. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, sweet chili sauce, and lime juice in a small bowl.
  3. Toss to coat. Toss the mango and vegetables with the sauce.
  4. Garnish. Add the Vietnamese cilantro, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots, and serve!
Shredded green mango, carrots, and cucumber in a bowl.
Tossing shredded mango and carrots with a dressing.

You can serve this salad as is or with vegan “shrimp” chips!

📔 Tips

  • Do not substitute ripe mango for green mango. It simply won’t work, and you will not be able to grate it. On top of that, the salad would be too sweet.
  • Tweak it to your liking. Add sautéed mushrooms, tofu, vegan chicken, or vegan sausage for a heartier salad!
  • Taste and adjust seasonings. Depending on the size of your mango and the brand of soy sauce/fish sauce used, you might have to adjust the saltiness to taste. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed.
Thai mango salad with cilantro, cucumber, carrot, and peanuts.

💬 FAQ

What does green mango taste like?

Green mango is less sweet than ripe mango and has a subtle sourness.

Is it safe to eat unripe green mango?

Totally! Some research even says that green mango has more health benefits compared to ripened ones.

How long does this mango salad keep?

This salad is best served immediately but will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Is this recipe authentic?

This recipe is adapted from Thai and Vietnamese recipes, so it is mostly authentic, although this version has been made vegan. It tastes the same as the salads I tried there.

Close up of green mango salad on a chip.

If you have never tried Thai mango salad before, you should definitely give it a try! It’s super refreshing, crunchy, and has a balance of sweetness, sourness, and spiciness!

🥗 More Asian-Inspired Salads

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Green mango salad with cilantro, peanuts, and fried shallots.
Recipe

Thai Mango Salad

5 from 4 votes
Author: Thomas Pagot
Thai-inspired green mango salad with carrots, cucumbers, and fresh herbs! It comes with a sweet, salty, and sour lime dressing. A healthy, delicious, and refreshing plant-based salad!
Print Pin Review
Prep Time : 15 minutes
Total Time : 15 minutes
Servings 3 servings
Calories 274 kcal

Equipment

Vegetable grater

Ingredients
 

  • 1 medium unripe green mango
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1/2 cup Vietnamese cilantro or regular cilantro, Thai basil
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup fried shallots

Dressing

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the mango and vegetables: Peel the mango and carrot, and grate them into long strips using a vegetable grater or a food processor fitted with the grater disc. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Thinly slice the cucumber into strips and add it to the bowl.
  • Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, and sweet chili sauce.
  • Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss to coat. Add the Vietnamese cilantro, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots and stir again. Serve immediately!
  • This salad is best served the same day but will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Do not substitute ripe mango for green mango. It simply won’t work, and you will not be able to grate it. On top of that, the salad would be too sweet.
  • Tweak it to your liking. Add sautéed mushrooms, tofu, vegan chicken, or vegan sausage for a heartier salad!
  • Taste and adjust seasonings. Depending on the size of your mango and the brand of soy sauce/fish sauce used, you might have to adjust the saltiness to taste. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 274 kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.4 g | Protein: 5.2 g | Fat: 10.1 g | Saturated Fat: 3.5 g | Sodium: 711 mg | Potassium: 240 mg | Fiber: 4.6 g | Sugar: 11.2 g | Calcium: 46 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Course : Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine : Thai, Vietnamese
Did you make this recipe? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants
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About the Author

Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love this! It looks so refreshing! I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t. I plan to make both this and the the papaya salad this weekend.

    Reply