Vegan Gado Gado Salad Recipe: Authentic, Healthy, Ready in 40 Mins (2024)

After my first trip to Bali, gado gado swiftly rose to the top of my favorite salads list. With a combination of fresh and blanched veggies, heaps of herbs, perfectly crispy tofu, lots of chili, fresh lime juice, and luscious peanut sauce, what’s not to love?

Since my first visit in 2015, I’ve traveled to Indonesia five different times, taken a few Indonesian cooking classes, and learned a thing or two about how to make a delicious gado gado at home. And, of course, how to make it vegan (which is very easy to do).

Vegan gado gado is usually on our menu at home once or twice a month. And that’s because it’s very easy to make and we always have the ingredients on hand. Plus, it’s super healthy and totally delicious!

So if you want to know how to make your very own vegan gado gado, come with me. I’ll show you how.

What is Gado Gado?

The ingredients and methods for making gado gado vary, depending on who’s making it, what’s in season, and which region of Indonesia you’re in.

For those who are unfamiliar with Indonesian cuisine, gado gado is typically a salad comprised of blanched (or boiled, or steamed) vegetables, fresh vegetables and herbs, sometimes potatoes, fried tofu or tempeh, hard-boiled eggs, and peanut sauce for the dressing. Prawn crackers almost always come on the side.

Gado gado literally translates to “mix mix,” because it’s a culmination of all kinds of veggies and flavor components.

Ingredients for Vegan Gado Gado

My version of gado gado is pretty authentic; however, to make it vegan, I omit and substitute certain ingredients.

To make this salad, you will need the following ingredients:

• Tofu
• Cabbage (purple or green are fine, but if available, napa cabbage is best)
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes or de-seeded roma are fine, but if available, heirloom are best)
• Bean sprouts
• Cilantro
• Mint (optional)
• Roasted peanuts

Optional garnishes to mix and match:

• Lime wedges
• Fresh chili slices
• Dried chili flakes
• Fried shallots
• Rice crackers
• Extra roasted peanuts

Ingredients for the Peanut Sauce/Dressing

To make the peanut sauce for your gado gado, you will need:

• Peanut butter (smooth or chunky, up to you)
• Soy sauce (or tamari for GF)
• Rice wine vinegar
• Lime juice
• Agave (or coconut sugar)
• Sambal oelek
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Lemongrass
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Hot water

This combination leaves you witha perfectly balanced peanut sauce, that’s equally parts salty, sweet, spicy, and tangy. The kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass give the sauce a deep citrusy flavor, while the sambal oelek, garlic, and ginger give it a kick of spice. You’re going to want to put it on everything, not just gado gado!

Hot tip:Make lots of this sauce and keep it in your freezer for a rainy day.You can use it as the dipping sauce for rice paper rolls, you can throw it atop some rice noodles and make a bit of a spicy peanut noodle salad, or just stick to gado gado. Whatever!

Another hot tip:I always keep a giant stash of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass in my freezerfor whenever a peanut sauce craving strikes. I recommend you do the same.

The Method: How to Make Vegan Gado Gado

Making this salad is super easy. The process just includes a few different steps, which I’ll outline here. You can find all of the specifics in the recipe below!

1. First, wrap up the tofu in a clean kitchen cloth, and put something heavy on top of it (like a cast-iron pan) to press out any extra moisture. This helps ensure the tofu does not stick to the pan!
2. Then, chop up all of your vegetables. Refer to the images or ingredients list for specific chopping sizes for each veggie.
3. Blanch the cabbage, spinach, and green beans. (The cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, bean sprouts, cilantro, and mint all stay fresh.)
4. Next, fry off the tofu in a bit of oil, until all sides are lightly browned and crispy.
5. Lastly, to make the peanut sauce, mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
6. All that’s left to do is put the vegetables and tofu into a large bowl, toss through the desired amount of dressing, serve, and garnish with your favorite accompaniments, such as peanuts, lime wedges, fresh chili, chili flakes, rice crackers, and fried shallots!

And there you have it: Vegan Gado Gado!

I really hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

This salad is so light and healthy. It’s full of veggie and herb goodness, and topped with the ultimately rich peanut sauce. You can dress it up with whatever garnishes you like, such as roasted peanuts, extra lime wedges, chili flakes, fried shallots – and maybe even some sriracha – if you want an extra kick. (I do.)

Once you’ve made it, let me know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy!

Print

Want more vegan Asian-inspired recipes? Check out these favorites:

• Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Bún Chay)
• Thai Mango Sticky Rice
• Indian Chickpea and Potato Curry (Chana Aloo Masala)