10 Must-Try Vegetarian Indonesian Salads and How to Make Them
Indonesian cuisine is a vibrant mosaic of flavors, textures, and colors — and nowhere is that more evident than in its salads. Forget plain greens; these dishes are a celebration of peanuts, coconut, spice, and crunch. From the creamy gado-gado to the tangy asinan, each salad tells the story of a region, a tradition, and a flavor philosophy built around balance.
Here’s a tour of ten iconic Indonesian salads — and how you can make them at home.
About: The quintessential Indonesian salad and a meal in itself, gado-gado combines boiled vegetables, tofu, tempeh, eggs, and potatoes, all drenched in rich peanut sauce.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cabbage (blanched)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 boiled potato, sliced
- 1 boiled egg, halved (optional)
- ½ cup fried tofu and tempeh cubes
- Peanut sauce: blend ½ cup roasted peanuts, 1 clove garlic, 2 chilies, 1 tbsp palm sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind water, salt, and a little warm water
How to make:
Arrange the vegetables, tofu, and eggs on a plate. Pour the peanut sauce over and top with fried shallots and crackers.
- Urap (Urap-urap)
About: A Javanese specialty of steamed vegetables tossed in spiced grated coconut. It’s light, fragrant, and naturally vegan.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup long beans, blanched
- 1 cup spinach, blanched
- ½ cup grated coconut
- Spice paste: 2 red chilies, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp sugar
How to make:
Grind the spice paste and stir-fry it with the grated coconut until fragrant. Toss in the blanched vegetables and mix well.
About: A raw West Javanese salad where freshness meets fire — raw vegetables coated in a spicy raw peanut sauce with kencur (aromatic ginger).
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Raw cucumber, cabbage, bean sprouts, long beans, and basil leaves
- Sauce: ½ cup roasted peanuts, 1 clove garlic, 1 small piece kencur, 1 chili, 1 tbsp tamarind, 1 tbsp palm sugar, salt, and water
How to make:
Grind all sauce ingredients to a coarse paste. Mix with chopped vegetables and serve immediately.
- Lotek
About: Similar to gado-gado but sweeter and richer, lotek uses blanched vegetables mixed with a sweet-spicy peanut sauce.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Boiled spinach, bean sprouts, and cabbage
- Peanut sauce: ½ cup roasted peanuts, 2 red chilies, 1 tbsp palm sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind, salt, and warm water
How to make:
Blend the sauce ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Top with fried shallots and serve with rice cakes if desired.
- Ketoprak
About: A Jakarta street favorite — noodles, tofu, and rice cakes in peanut sauce. It’s part salad, part comfort food.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked vermicelli noodles
- ½ cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup fried tofu, cubed
- ½ cup rice cakes (lontong), sliced
- Peanut sauce as above
How to make:
Layer noodles, tofu, sprouts, and rice cake. Pour the peanut sauce generously and garnish with fried shallots and crackers.
About: A tangy, pickled vegetable salad from Bogor that’s all about vinegar, chili, and crunch.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Cabbage, lettuce, tofu, and bean sprouts
- Dressing: 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 chopped chilies, and salt
- Toppings: crushed peanuts and crackers
How to make:
Mix vegetables with the dressing and chill for 30 minutes. Top with peanuts and crackers before serving.
- Asinan Buah
About: Bogor’s fruity twist — tropical fruits in a sweet-sour-spicy pickling brine.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Mango, pineapple, papaya, jicama, cucumber (sliced)
- Brine: 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp vinegar, 2 chopped red chilies, and salt dissolved in 1 cup water
How to make:
Pour the brine over sliced fruit and refrigerate for 2–3 hours before serving chilled.
- Pecel
About: A classic Javanese street salad — simple boiled greens with peanut sauce, often eaten with rice or rice cakes.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Long beans, spinach, and bean sprouts (blanched)
- Peanut sauce: ½ cup roasted peanuts, 2 red chilies, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp tamarind water, salt, and sugar
How to make:
Blend the sauce, pour over the vegetables, and serve with rice or lontong.
- Lawar
About: A Balinese staple combining vegetables, grated coconut, and minced meat or tofu, seasoned with local spices.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup minced meat (or tofu), ½ cup grated coconut, 1 cup chopped green beans
- Spice mix: shallots, garlic, chili, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, and salt
How to make:
Stir-fry the spice mix, add coconut and meat or tofu, and mix with the blanched beans. Serve warm.
- Lalap (Lalapan)
About: The Sundanese “salad” that keeps it simple — fresh or blanched vegetables with sambal.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Fresh cucumber, cabbage, basil, and long beans
- Sambal: 3 red chilies, 1 tomato, 1 clove garlic, shrimp paste (optional), salt, and sugar
How to make:
Grind sambal ingredients into a paste. Serve alongside the vegetables.
Indonesian salads prove that the country’s culinary genius lies in contrast — raw and cooked, sweet and spicy, soft and crunchy. Whether you’re drenching greens in peanut sauce or fermenting fruit in chili brine, every bite is an adventure.
For an easy start, try gado-gado or asinan buah at home — and work your way up to bolder, spicier plates like karedok or lawar. Either way, you’ll never think of “salad” the same way again.
