This recipe is such a huge hit with so many delicious flavors. We always have to double or triple batch this every time we make it. Forget tiny, small portions, you are going to want a heaping helping of Spicy Thai Pasta Salad, whether for a large gathering or dinner at home. If you want to make this into a more hearty main dish, you can even add cooked cubed chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
If you love tasty salads, try our amazing Cilantro-Lime Orzo Pasta Salad.
Why Our Recipe
- Not your typical pasta salad with a combination of flavors that bursts in your mouth!
- The perfect make-ahead side dish for potlucks and backyard barbecues and it’s always an absolute hit.
- Easy to scale up to larger portions for big gatherings.
I first tasted this recipe when a coworker brought it to a work party over twenty years ago. It has been a favorite of mine ever since and has been a crowd favorite wherever I take it. I love that it is different from all of the typical pasta salads that you see. This tasty combination of unique flavors is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and parties.
Ingredient Notes
- Bowtie Pasta: Don’t love bowtie pasta? You can use almost any small, shaped pasta instead: penne, rotini, etc.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: This tastes best with a good kick to it, but if you prefer a mild spice, use only 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Vegetable Oil: Can substitute with corn oil or olive oil.
- Sesame Oil: This is a must! It is where you get a lot of your flavor.
- Honey: Brings part of the essential main flavors.
- Soy Sauce: You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you are looking to lower the salt content.
- Salt: Up to you if you choose to add the additional salt.
- Chopped Cilantro: This is a staple flavor, but if you don’t love the flavor of cilantro then parsley is the go-to substitute.
- Honey Roasted Peanuts: We love the crunch of the peanuts, but if you don’t share that love, or have allergies, you can always omit the peanuts. You could regular peanuts, but honey roasted just brings extra flavor.
- Sliced Green Onions: This is not just to make the salad pretty. They also add flavor.
Allergy Warning
Make sure that if you do take this spicy salad to a potluck it is clearly marked as containing peanuts. I have never had any problems because the whole peanuts are so visible
Make Ahead
This dish is ideally made the day before serving. The secret to this delicious spicy Thai pasta salad is the infused oil and red pepper mixture. It sounds fancy, but infusing oils is actually really easy. The flavors continue to develop over time. So while the recipe says to make it at least 4 hours before, it is ideal to have overnight for the developments of these yummy flavors. Just add the cilantro, peanuts, and green onions right before serving. We know it’s difficult, but trust us, it will be worth the wait!
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Give it a stir before serving.
Delicious! Added grilled chicken and used Thai basil. It was definitely spicy, I used 1tsp pepper flakes and due to kids palate I’ll likely use a bit less next time. There will be a next time.
First time making this and it was great with our BBQ chicken. Highly recommend to use actual Thai basil leaves to replace the cilantro – we harvested our homegrown Thai basil from the garden, and it was much more fragrant and delicious. Also added a handful of shredded cabbage for crunch. Enjoy!
My family loved it. Added sesame seeds and matchstick carrots to it. It was even better 2 days later!
Once again, Rachel made me look like a great cook! Your recipes NEVER fail. Next time, I will add some grilled chicken and maybe julienned carrots to make it a meal. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This pasta salad is SO good. Spicy and full of flavor. Will be making this again and again!
I love this Asian pasta salad! I reduce the oil a bit and add a splash of fish sauce and rice vinegar. I also add julienned carrots to the last couple minutes of the pasta boil. I love cilantro, but had basil in my herb garden so used that instead. It was delicious!
I substituted parsley for cilantro. I used only one teaspoon of pepper flakes and that was plenty spicy for us. Really liked the spice. I will make again.
This is a fantastic base for a different tasting pasta salad! I agree with the comment that it needs some vegetables though. I added matchstick carrots and frozen peas
thank you and again thank you ! you are truly the best
OMG! I made this Salad today today and it is my new all time favorite salad!! Thank you for the recipe!
Lori