Thai Green Mango Salad Recipe You Must Try

Name: Thai Green Mango Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 200 g Green mango; 50 g Carrots; 50 g Green beans; 20 g Spring onions; 40 ml Soy sauce; 20 ml Lime juice; 20 g Brown sugar; 2 g Chili flakes (to taste); 2 cloves Garlic (to taste); 20 ml Water - filtered; 10 g Edible flowers; 10 g Peanuts (chopped)

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This Thai green mango salad is a fresh, crunchy, plant-based take on a classic Thai recipe, made with sour green mango, lime, chili, garlic, soy sauce, and peanuts. Developed in our Holistic Chef Academy studio in Phuket, this vibrant salad celebrates mango season in Thailand with the perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors.

Index

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A Classic Taste of Mango Season in Thailand
What Is Thai Green Mango Salad?
Why You'll Love This Thai Green Mango Salad
Choosing Green Mangoes
Thai Green Mango Salad Ingredients
Equipment You Will Need
How to Make Thai Green Mango Salad
What to Serve With Thai Green Mango Salad
Thai Green Mango Salad FAQs
Celebrating Mango Season
More Recipes To Try
📋 Recipe

A Classic Taste of Mango Season in Thailand

Thai green mango salad carries so much nostalgia for many Thai people. It is one of those simple, punchy, refreshing dishes that reminds us of growing up in Thailand, especially when mango season comes around each year.

During mango season, sour green mangoes are something many of us look forward to. Before they even become a salad, they are already loved as a classic Thai snack - sliced fresh and dipped into a mixture of chili and sugar. That sharp sour crunch with the sweet and spicy dip is a familiar childhood memory for many Thai people.

Here in Thailand, mango season also arrives around the rainy season, when the air feels fresh, the trees are full, and green mangoes are easy to find in local markets. This salad brings all of that feeling together: the sourness of green mango, the heat of chili, the freshness of lime, and the crunch of vegetables and peanuts.

At Holistic Chef Academy, we developed this recipe in our studio here in Phuket as a plant-based version of a classic Thai green mango salad. Traditionally, Thai salads often use fish sauce, but in this recipe, we removed the fish sauce and used soy sauce instead. It keeps the beautiful salty depth while making the salad fully plant-based.

The result is fresh, crunchy, spicy, sour, lightly sweet, and very delicious - a true taste of Thailand in one bowl.

Finished green mango salad served fresh in a white bowl

What Is Thai Green Mango Salad?

Thai green mango salad is a fresh Thai salad made with shredded under-ripe mango, vegetables, chili, lime, garlic, and a sweet-salty dressing.

The flavor is all about balance. A good Thai green mango salad should be sour, salty, sweet, spicy, and refreshing. The mango gives the salad its crisp texture and bright sourness, while the dressing brings everything together.

This Holistic Chef Academy version is plant-based, using soy sauce instead of fish sauce. It is quick to prepare, naturally colorful, and ready in around 15 minutes.

Julienned green mango and carrot prepared for Thai salad

Why You'll Love This Thai Green Mango Salad

This salad is fresh, vibrant, and full of classic Thai flavor. It is perfect for mango season and works beautifully as a light lunch, appetizer, or side dish.

It is also plant-based, fish sauce-free, fresh and crunchy, sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. This salad is quick to prepare, beautiful for serving, and easy to adjust to your taste.

Fresh sour green mangoes for making Thai green mango salad recipe

Choosing Green Mangoes

In Thailand, mangoes are enjoyed at every stage of ripeness, from firm and sour to soft and sweet. For this Thai green mango salad, choose a firm, under-ripe mango with a crisp texture and a bright sour flavor. Thai green mango varieties are known for their crunchy texture and sweet-tart taste, making them perfect for fresh salads and classic Thai snacks. For more insight into Thai mango varieties, you can read this helpful guide from the Michelin Guide Thailand.

Plant-based green mango salad ingredients with lime, garlic, chili, and peanuts

Thai Green Mango Salad Ingredients

This recipe uses simple Thai ingredients to create a fresh, bold, and refreshing salad.

Green mango: The heart of the salad, bringing a crisp texture and naturally sour flavor. (If green mangoes are unavailable, you can try using any unripe mango - flavors will vary according to varieties)
Carrot: Adds sweetness, color, and extra crunch.
Green beans: Bring freshness and texture to the salad.
Spring onions: Add a light onion flavor and freshness.
Soy sauce: Replaces fish sauce to keep the recipe plant-based while adding salty depth.
Lime juice: Adds brightness and acidity.
Brown sugar: Balances the sourness of the mango and the heat from the chili.
Chili flakes: Adds gentle heat, depending on your spice preference.
Garlic: Gives the dressing a bold Thai-style flavor.
Peanuts: Add crunch and richness.
Edible flowers: Optional, but beautiful for garnish and presentation.

Infographic showing the equipment needed to make Thai mango salad, featuring weighing scales, chopping board, chef's knife, peeler, spoon, mixing bowl, serving bowl, mortar and pestle, and a blue Thai vegetable julienne peeler highlighted as the secret tool.

Equipment You Will Need

To make this vegan mango salad, you will need weighing scales, a chopping board, a chef's knife, a peeler, a Thai vegetable peeler, mandoline, or julienne peeler, a spoon, a mixing bowl, a serving bowl, and a small blender or mortar and pestle.

How to Make Thai Green Mango Salad

We have included step-by-step photos below to guide you through the process of making this Thai green mango salad. The photos will show how to prepare the green mango and vegetables, how to make the plant-based Thai-style dressing, and how to toss everything together for the best texture and flavor.

This salad is very quick to make, but the visual steps are helpful because the cutting, shredding, and dressing balance is what makes the final dish fresh, crunchy, and delicious.

Assemble All Ingredients

Gather all your ingredients and equipment before you begin, then wash the mango, vegetables, herbs, and garnishes well. Set up your chopping board, knife, peeler, and mixing bowl so everything is ready for preparing the salad step by step.

Prepare the vegetables

Thai-Green-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-1.-Julienne-the-mango — Use a Thai vegetable peeler, knife or mandoline to julienne the mango.

Vegan-Mango-Salad-Julienne-the-carrot — Julienne the carrot.

Vegan-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-3.-Slice-the-spring-onion — Finely slice the spring onions.

Vegan-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-4.-Slice-the-green-bean — Finely slice the green beans lengthways.

Vegan-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-6.-Branch-the-green-bean — Blanch in boiling
water for 2-3 minutes.

Thai-Green-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-7.-Rinse-and-strain-the-green-bean — Rinse in cool water and strain the green beans.

Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-8.-Add-mango-in-the-mixing-bowl — Add the prepared mango to a large mixing bowl.

Vegan-Green-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-9.-Add-green-bean-in-the-mixing-bowl — Add green beans.

Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-10.-Add-carrot-in-the-mixing-bowl. — Followed by julienne carrot.

To Make The Dressing

Thai-Green-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-12.-Blend-all-ingredients-together — Add all the dressing ingredients to a small blender.

Transferred-into-a-bowl-Salad-Dressing — Blitz until smooth or you can add to a
mortar and pestle and crush (Thai style).

To Mix And Serve

Pour-the-dressing-into-the-mixing-bowl — Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix carefully.

Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-15.-Gently-stir-to-combined — Toss all the vegetables in the dressing.

Vegan-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-16.-Prepare-to-serve — Taste and adjust the flavour as you like.

Thai-Green-Mango-Salad-Step-By-Step-17.-Serve-the-Mango-Salad — Serve on a plate or bowl.

Add-chopped-peanut — Garnish with chopped peanuts.

Add-spring-onion-and-edible-flowers-to-the-mango-salad — Add edible flowers and spring onions.

What to Serve With Thai Green Mango Salad

Thai mango salad is best served as part of a shared Thai meal, alongside rice, a hot main course, and a warming soup. In Thailand, salads like this are usually placed in the center of the table with the rest of the dishes, and everyone helps themselves.

The fresh, sour, spicy crunch of the salad works beautifully with steamed jasmine rice, Thai curries, stir-fries, grilled vegetables, tofu dishes, or noodle dishes. It is especially delicious served with a comforting soup such as Thai Coconut Soup {Tom Kha Hed} or Vegan Tom Yum Mushroom Soup, or alongside a richer main like Vegan Thai Green Curry or Vegan Thai Red Curry.

For a bigger Thai-style spread, you could also serve it with Kanom Jeen Thai Rice Noodles & Coconut Curry or include it as part of a plant-based Thai feast with a few dishes in the middle for everyone to share.

Sweet and sour mango salad, ready to serve

Thai Green Mango Salad FAQs

What is Thai green mango salad?

Thai green mango salad is a fresh Thai salad made with shredded sour green mango, vegetables, chili, lime, garlic, and a sweet-salty dressing.

Is Thai green mango salad plant-based?

Traditional versions may contain fish sauce, but this recipe is fully plant-based because it uses soy sauce instead.

What kind of mango should I use?

Use a firm, under-ripe green mango. It should be crisp, sour, and not fully ripe.

Can I make Thai green mango salad ahead of time?

It is best eaten fresh. You can prepare the vegetables and dressing separately, then mix them just before serving.

Can I make it less spicy?

Yes. Reduce the chili flakes or leave them out completely.

What can I use instead of soy sauce?

You can use tamari for a gluten-free option or coconut aminos for a slightly sweeter soy-free alternative.

Can I add protein to this salad?

Yes. Crispy tofu, tempeh, edamame, roasted chickpeas, or extra peanuts work well.

How long does Thai green mango salad last?

It is best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day. The texture will become softer over time.

Jamie Harvesting Sour Mango In Northeastern Thailand

Celebrating Mango Season

This Thai green mango salad is a fresh celebration of mango season in Thailand. It is simple, colorful, crunchy, and full of the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors that make Thai food so special.

Made plant-based in our Holistic Chef Academy studio in Phuket, this recipe keeps the heart of a classic Thai salad while making it accessible for a modern plant-based kitchen.

More Recipes To Try

We hope you enjoy this delicious recipe. If you give it a try, let us know in the comments below - we love hearing your feedback and seeing your recreations.