This recipe for easy peanut noodles brings together the mouth-watering combination of creamy peanut butter, tangy soy sauce, zesty lime juice, and a hint of heat from fresh ginger and red pepper flakes. These Thai peanut noodles are creamy, nutty, and ready in 20 minutes. With crunchiness from red peppers, cucumber, and scallions, this dish is versatile, protein-rich, naturally vegan, slurpable, and perfect for busy weeknights.
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Thai peanut sauce is one of my favorite savory applications for peanut butter. It gives these easy peanut noodles a nutty flavor, provides rich creaminess, and pairs beautifully with the bright, crunchy bell peppers and cucumbers.
So much better than takeout, this noodle recipe could not be easier: whisk the peanut sauce together, chop the vegetables while your noodles boil, and dinner is ready! For more easy Asian recipes, try my vegetarian pad Thai or broccoli and tofu stir fry.
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⭐️ Why These Noodles are the Best
- Rich & creamy, nutty, fresh, crunchy, & spicy Asian peanut noodles
- Hearty and satisfying vegan noodles ready in just 20 minutes
- Great meal-prep recipe
- Versatile noodle recipe with lots of variations and substitutions
- Healthy & nutritious, protein-rich, & dairy-free
- Make ahead instructions provided
🥜 Ingredient Notes
- All-natural peanut butter - It's important to use unsweetened peanut butter here. If you only have sweetened peanut butter available, omit the maple syrup.
- Rice, soba, or udon noodles - You can really use any noodle for this recipe, but these are my go-to options when making peanut noodles.
- Fresh cilantro - Adds fresh herbyness
- Soy sauce - Adds deep umami flavor
- Garlic & ginger - I highly recommend using fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor.
- Fresh lime juice - Adds fresh acidity that balances out the rich peanut butter
- Sweet bell peppers - Adds a fresh crunchy texture and subtle sweetness
- Roasted peanuts - Finishes the dish with a fantastic crunchy texture
📝 Variations and Substitutions
- Use your favorite veggies. Add seasonal vegetables like carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, etc.
- Add more protein. Although this dish is high in protein because of the peanut butter, you can definitely add more. Tofu or chickpeas would be delicious with the peanut sauce.
- Spicier: Add a dash of hot sauce or an extra pinch of red pepper flakes to make your vegan peanut butter noodles even spicier.
- Gluten-free option: Substitute tamari for the soy sauce for a gluten-free meal.
- Noodles. Go ahead and use spaghetti, linguine, or even zucchini noodles!
- Nut butters. Cashew, almond, or sesame butter will all work as substitutes, and they're great options for peanut allergies.
- Maple syrup. See my list of the best maple syrup substitutes for a variety of options.
🔪 How To Make Easy Peanut Noodles
Make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Cook noodles according to instructions on package, minus 1-2 minutes. Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large bowl.
Pour peanut sauce into bowl and combine until noodles are well coated. Add bell peppers, cucumber, and scallions, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using).
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Storage: Store in a (covered) container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Leftover noodles can be placed in a freezer-safe container and stored for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the peanut sauce separately for up to 3 months.
- Use unsweetened peanut butter. If using sweetened peanut butter, omit the maple syrup.
- Make ahead: Make the peanut sauce and prep veggies up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until ready to make the noodles and serve.
- Cook noodles al dente. To be safe, cook your noodles 1-2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on package. We don't want overcooked noodles!
- Rinse noodles under cold water. This stops the cooking and prevents the noodles from sticking together.
- Crunchy or creamy peanut butter works. If you want a smoother, silkier texture, I recommend using creamy peanut butter. But if you prefer a more textured sauce (my preference), I recommend using crunchy.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, rice noodles are naturally gluten-free, as are soba noodles. However, udon noodles are not gluten-free, although you can find gluten-free udon noodles in certain supermarkets.
Store peanut noodles in a (covered) container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This spicy peanut noodles recipe contains 513 calories. Although this recipe is calorie-dense, the calories come primarily from peanut butter, which is a good source of protein.
🍜 Related Recipes
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Easy Peanut Noodles Recipe
Equipment
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-natural peanut butter (if you use sweetened peanut butter, skip the maple syrup)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 (1-inch piece) ginger, minced
- 2 Tablespoon lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 8 ounces rice, soba, or udon noodles
- 2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, julienned or thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)
- ⅓ cup roasted peanuts (garnish)
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Cook noodles according to instructions on package, minus 1-2 minutes. Drain noodles, rinse under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl.
- Pour peanut sauce into bowl and combine until noodles are well coated. Add bell peppers, cucumber, and scallions, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using).
- Serve garnished with cilantro and peanuts.
Notes
- Storage: Store in a (covered) container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Leftover noodles can be placed in a freezer-safe container and stored for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the peanut sauce separately for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead: Make the peanut sauce and prep veggies up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until ready to make the noodles and serve.
- Cook noodles al dente. To be safe, cook your noodles 1-2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on package. We don't want overcooked noodles!
- Rinse noodles under cold water. This stops the cooking and prevents the noodles from sticking together.
- Crunchy or creamy peanut butter works. If you want a smoother, silkier texture, I recommend using creamy peanut butter. But if you prefer a more textured sauce (my preference), I recommend using crunchy.
Cynthia says
I could have eaten this entire batch of peanut sauce in one sitting! So much flavor and it was so easy to make. Definitely a repeat recipe!
Gastronotherapy says
Ha ha, so happy you loved the peanut sauce, Cynthia! I also love it, and probably make these peanut noodles once a month!
Melissa says
This might be the best thing I've ever tasted! I don't usually leave reviews, but I had to let you know how good this was! Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
MaryAnne says
Wow. thanks so much Melissa! 🙂 Thanks for visiting my site!