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Thai Green Papaya Salad

This Thai Green Papaya Salad recipe, also known as Som Tum, is crisp, refreshing, and full of sweet and savory flavors. Easy to make, it comes together with absolutely no cooking required and pairs well with all your favorite main courses for a filling meal!

When I visited Thailand, I was immediately hooked on the food, and I’ve never stopped trying to recreate my favorite meals and incorporate the fresh flavors of Thai cuisine into my meals since returning home. As a result, this green papaya salad was heavily influenced by my travels and is a take on a popular Thai salad I was lucky enough to enjoy! It features a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to not only give the dish a nice, crunchy texture but to also provide lots of vitamins and nutrients. Then, I included a sweet, savory, tangy dressing, which absorbs into the produce, taking the flavor over the top. From start to finish, the entire salad is ready in minutes for a quick, simple recipe with bold flavors that are guaranteed to satisfy your tastebuds!

What Is Green Papaya

If you’re unfamiliar, green papaya is simply a young, unripened papaya fruit. Unlike ripe papaya, which is dark orange in color, green papaya is, as you might guess, dark green on the outside with very pale flesh. It’s crunchy, refreshing, and has a very neutral flavor. As a result, it pairs well with a variety of ingredients and takes on the flavor profiles of whatever you pair it with, like the chili sauce in this recipe!

Why You Will Love This Green Papaya Salad

The taste and texture of this recipe are unlike anything else you’ll ever taste! It’s fresh, sweet, savory, slightly salty, and mildly spicy with every bite.
With no cooking required, this Thai green papaya salad takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and couldn’t be easier to make thanks to the use of fresh ingredients. It’s perfect for those days when it’s just too hot to be in the kitchen.
You can enjoy it as a starter or side dish, or add your favorite protein to transform it into a filling meal on its own.
This flavorful dish is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and can easily be made nut-free, too!

Ingredients For This Papaya Salad

Green Papaya: If you can’t find unripe papaya, green apples are the best substitute.
Tomatoes: I use cherry tomatoes for their slightly sweet flavor, but Roma or grape tomatoes will also work.
Green Beans: If you want to keep this recipe authentic, use Chinese long beans. Otherwise, fresh green beans work best. However, if that’s not an option, frozen varieties will do. Just make sure they’re completely thawed, and drain any excess water before you begin.
Carrots: I recommend buying whole carrots, and grating them finely. However, pre-shredded carrots will also work if you’re looking to cut down on prep time.
Peanuts: unsalted or salted will work. These add extra crunch and a boost of healthy fats. If you can’t eat peanuts, crushed cashew nuts make a good alternative.
Fresh Herbs: Chopped cilantro and Thai basil add a bright, refreshing taste with peppery, subtly sweet flavors.

Ingredients For The Papaya Salad Dressing

Chili: Use regular chili peppers, Thai chilies, or Bird’s Eye chilies, to add a touch of heat. Remove the membrane and seeds to avoid an overpoweringly spicy taste.
Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor, but pre-minced garlic will also work if you’re short on time.
Fish Sauce: a staple ingredient in Thai cooking (and one of my favorites), this adds a delicious salty flavor.
Honey: used to add a touch of sweetness and balance some of the heat. You can also use maple syrup, brown sugar, or palm sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
Fresh Lime Juice: The acidity helps create the perfect balance of citrusy, spicy, umami flavors.
Tamarind Paste: This is a type of cooking paste that comes from the pulp of tamarind fruit. The flavor can vary depending on the ripeness of the fruit, ranging from sweet and sour to tart and tangy.

What Else Can I Add To This Papaya Salad

Feel free to make this green papaya salad recipe your own by adding extra ingredients to incorporate different tastes and textures. Some of my favorite options to add extra crunch and flavors include bell peppers, fresh mushrooms, green cabbage, sliced green mango, baby corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Then, if you’re looking to make this recipe even more filling, try including brown rice, white rice, sticky rice, egg noodles, thin rice noodles, or glass noodles. If you want to go crazy with the flavor, top your salad with a little soy sauce or peanut sauce, too!

How to Make This Green Papaya Salad

If using green papaya, peel off the dark green skin, and use a julienne peeler to cut the papaya into thin strips. Alternatively, you can use a box grater or vegetable peeler to shred the papaya.
However, if using apples, you’ll want to cut off the peel. Then, quarter and core the apples. Use a sharp knife to cut them into slices, and cut each slice into long, thin pieces resembling matchsticks.
In a large mortar and pestle, combine the chili and garlic, and pound the ingredients into a paste. Then, add in the fish sauce, honey, lime juice, and tamarind paste, and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mortar as needed to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle a food processor will also work. Just be careful not to over process the ingredients!
Next, place the green beans and tomatoes in the pestle and mortar, and gently pound to slightly bruise the produce. Transfer the tomatoes and green beans to a large bowl.
If using green papaya, add the shredded papaya pieces to the pestle and mortar, and pound to infuse the sauce into the fruit. If using apples, you can skip this step. The delicate fruit will bruise too easily and become mushy!
In a large mixing bowl, combine the green papaya/apple, chili sauce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and chopped nuts. Toss to combine. Then, sprinkle the salad with chopped cilantro and Thai basil (if using) before serving with a large spoon or serving tongs. Enjoy your delicious salad cold!

Where To Find Green Papaya

You typically won’t find green papaya in your average grocery store. Instead, your best bet is to look for it in a Thai or Southeast Asian market or a local Asian grocery store if you have one nearby. Otherwise, you can typically find green papaya available online. I typically find it on Amazon, but it is also available from specialty grocers.

How To Use Apple In Place Of Green Papaya

If you can’t find green papaya, green apples make for a good substitute. Just keep in mind that they are much more delicate than papaya. So, you’ll want to handle them slightly differently. To begin, peel the apple skin. Then, quarter and core the apples, and slice them into long, thin, matchstick-like strips. Instead of pounding the apples with the sauce like we would papaya, you’ll want to simply add them to the salad. If desired, you can gently toss them in the sauce to add more flavor. However, I don’t find this necessary as they have a slightly stronger taste than papayas and absorb plenty of the sauce when tossed in the salad. Continue with the recipe as normal, combining the rest of the ingredients!

What To Serve With This Green Papaya Salad

I love to serve this green papaya salad recipe as part of an appetizer platter alongside egg rolls and Tom Yum soup. It’s also the perfect side dish to serve with main courses like Thai fish cakes, Thai basil beef, or honey chili chicken. However, you can also turn it into a full meal on its own by topping it with your choice of meat. Flank steak, crab meat, dried shrimp, grilled chicken, coconut shrimp, sesame crusted air fryer tuna steak, or tofu all make great options. Pretty much anything goes. So, feel free to experiment to find what combinations you like best!

What About Leftovers

This Thai Papaya Salad recipe is best served right away. However, if you have leftovers, you can transfer them to an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just keep in mind that the longer the salad sits, the more likely the ingredients are to become soggy. I recommend adding a handful of chopped fresh cilantro basil and an extra sprinkle of peanuts to revive the salad if it has been in the fridge for a day or two.

Here are a few more easy salad recipes that you might enjoy:

If you make this Thai Green Papaya Salad Recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!