Peanut noodles are a quick and tasty dish with the easiest no-cook peanut sauce and a satisfying texture. Make it in less than 30 minutes and serve it hot or cold.
If you like easy noodle recipes, try our sesame noodles, miso pasta, Udon Yaki, or noodle salad.
Louise and I have always loved peanut noodles, they’re one of those comforting dishes we keep coming back to since our trips to Thailand.
Creamy, savory, a little tangy, a little sweet… they’re everything you want in a quick, high protein vegetarian meal.
This recipe is similar to our Asian Noodle Salad, but here the sauce gets an upgrade with creamy peanut butter to create a luscious, deeply flavorful dressing that’s inspired by Thai and Indonesian favorites like satay and gado-gado.
We’ve tried these noodles with just about everything; udon, rice noodles, even soba.
But in the end, nothing beats the chewy satisfaction of Italian linguine or spaghetti. That’s what we use at home and what we recommend for the best texture.
You might recognize this one as it’s been on the blog for a while. We cooked it for the 12th time and gave it a refresh with new photos, but it’s still the same peanut noodle recipe you know and love.
Ingredients
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Noodles: Linguine or spaghetti – Best texture and protein content; holds sauce well.
Substitute with udon, rice noodles, soba, ramen, or egg noodles.
- Red bell pepper: Adds crunch and sweetness. Substitute with yellow or green bell pepper, diced mango, or pineapple.
- Carrot: Adds crunch and mild sweetness. Julienne or grate with the large holes of a box grater.
- Red cabbage: Thinly slice for best texture. Substitute with green cabbage, Chinese cabbage, raw or steamed broccoli, edamame, or bok choy.
- Cucumber: Use thinly sliced or julienned.
- Scallions: Add a mild, fresh onion flavor. Substitute with green onions, spring onions, pickled red onions, or pickled jalapeños.
- Peanut butter: Use smooth or chunky. Substitute with tahini or a 50/50 mix of peanut butter and tahini.
- Soy sauce: Use regular, low-sodium, tamari (gluten-free), or coconut aminos.
- Maple syrup: Substitute with brown sugar, palm sugar, agave syrup, or honey.
- Lime juice: Substitute with rice vinegar.
- Sriracha sauce: Substitute with Tabasco, chili powder, red pepper flakes.
Garnish
- Topping: Crushed peanuts, green scallion tops.
- Protein: Fried tofu or air fryer tofu.
- Extra greens: Steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli.
How to make Peanut Noodles
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
VEGGIES: Cut the veggies into thin sticks, slices, or small dice. Set aside
SAUCE: Add peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, sriracha, grated garlic, and grated ginger to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if necessary.
NOODLES: Boil noodles in lightly salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
Tip: If you don’t have a blender, use smooth peanut butter and whisk the ingredients in a bowl.
Add the peanut sauce and the vegetables to the bowl with the noodles and toss until well combined.
Garnish with crushed peanuts, green scallion tops, a squeeze of lime juice, and sesame oil, if desired.
Tips
- Use Italian pasta for texture: Linguine or spaghetti give the best chewy bite and hold the sauce beautifully.
- Blend or whisk the sauce: A blender makes it smooth and creamy, but if you’re in a rush, whisking smooth peanut butter works too.
- Customize the veggies: Use what you have in your fridge! Bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, or even steamed broccoli and edamame all work well.
Serving suggestions
Peanut noodles can be served warm or at room temperature. They are excellent for a quick lunch or a tasty and healthy dinner.
To increase the protein, you can add our readers’ favorite pan-fried tofu (it’s really good and ready in 15 minutes), grilled or pan-fried chicken, shrimp, or a fried egg, depending on your dietary preferences.
Storage
Make Ahead: You can prepare the peanut sauce and keep it in the fridge in a sealed jar for four days. You can make peanut noodles up to a day in advance.
Refrigerator: Peanut noodles keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can eat the noodles cold, at room temperature, or lightly warmed with a microwave.
Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
More summer salads
- Macaroni salad
- Creamy pasta salad
- Spaghetti salad
- Mango salad
- Quinoa chickpea salad
- Vegan pasta salad
If you tried these Peanut Noodles or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Peanut Noodles
Video
Ingredients
- ½ pound dry noodles we recommend Italian linguine (1 pound if fresh udon noodles used)
- 1 cup red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup cucumber sliced
- 1 cup red cabbage sliced
- 1 medium carrot sliced or grated
- 2 green onions save green tops for garnishing
- ⅓ cup toasted peanuts crushed
SAUCE
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup soy sauce reduced-sodium
- 3 tablespoons lime juice + 4 lime wedges for squeezing on top
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce or more to taste
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
Instructions
- VEGGIES: Cut 1 cup red bell pepper, 1 cup cucumber, and 1 medium carrot into sticks. Thinly slice 1 cup red cabbage and 2 green onions. Set aside.NOODLES: Boil ½ pound dry noodles in lightly salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.SAUCE: Add ½ cup peanut butter, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce, 1 clove garlic, and 1 teaspoon ginger (grated) to a blender.Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if necessary.Tip: If you don't have a blender, use smooth peanut butter and whisk the ingredients in a bowl.
- MIX EVERYTHING: Add the peanut sauce and the vegetables to the bowl with the noodles and toss until well combined.Garnish with ⅓ cup toasted peanuts, green scallion tops, a squeeze of lime juice, and more sriracha or sesame oil if desired.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve warm or at room temperature. They are excellent for a quick lunch or a tasty and healthy dinner.To increase the protein, you can add our pan-fried tofu (it’s really good and ready in 15 minutes), grilled or pan-fried chicken, shrimp, or a fried egg, depending on your dietary preferences.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We're here to share easy, healthy, and delicious recipes 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
I have never left a review on a recipe before on any blog, but this was so delicious that I had to! Will definitely be making this again! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
AMAZING, Juliana!! Oh you are so kind to take your time leaving a blog, we are honoured to get your first comment 🥳. So happy that you enjoyed the noodles. Have a great rest of your week!!
Hi! This recipe looks so delicious, and I’m so excited to try! I noticed the protein in the nutrition facts stated 21g. When I look at linguine and other pasta noodles I see about 7g per serving, and the peanut butter about 4g. Can you clarify where the additional 10g of protein is from? Thank you!
Hi JT,
We use a calculator for calories which is an estimate but this calculator pulls in all sources of protein. Vegetables and roasted peanuts also contain protein.
21 grams of protein is what you can expect for 1 out of 4 serving sizes. I hope this helps 🙂 Kindest,
Louise
Very delicious. I substituted finely stick chopped radishes for the pepper because I forgot to buy one at the market. This was a major success as the family loved it. I think I may double the recipe for next time and have half for a second meal later in the week. Thank you very much for the recipe.
Wonderful, Mimi! Great substitution idea with the chopped radishes (and very refreshing!).
I’m so happy that all of you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for taking valuable time (on a Sunday) to write your feedback 🥰.
All the best to you and your family.
Louise
Nico and Louise,
I have never made an Asia dish before but when I saw your video it was too good looking not to try. I made it tonight for supper with the help from my daughter who has eaten Asia food before. She said your peanut butter sauce was amazing, and I had to agree. I followed your recipe exactly and added chicken. This was so good that it is a for sure keeper recipe. Thank you for this all of your great recipes.
AMAZING, Diane! That sounds delicious, I am really happy that you and your daughter enjoyed the meal.
The peanut sauce is SO good, sometimes I just eat it with a spoon 🙈
Thank you for your kind feedback, and have a great rest of your week 🙂
What a home run! Made this for dinner tonight. Wanted something on the lighter side. Went with linguini noodles and added barely cooked broccoli. We enjoyed every mouthful! Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe! It’s now on our family rotation.
Fantastic, TJ! I’m happy you enjoyed it with broccoli and linguine, that’s our preferred version, too!!
Thanks so much for your feedback here. Have a great rest of your week 🙏
Absolutely delicious! I think I’ve made this recipe a hundred times now! Thank you Nico!
I’ve been meaning to make a batch of these noodles for a while. Instead of dried fettucine or fresh udon noodles, I used rice noodles that are the same width as fettucine, prepared as directed on the package. In addition to the vegetables listed, I sliced up about a dozen sugar snap peas on the bias, using my Benriner mandolin slicer. Delicious. Probable adds the next time I make Thai peanut noodles is some shelled edomames, maybe a dash of sesame oil in the peanut sauce. Will probably add minced cilantro and/or mint to the garnish.
Hi Lynne,
That sounds like a beautiful portion of noodles, great idea with snap peas as an added element of greens 🎉
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review here. Kindest,
Louise
Hiii! Did you change the sauce recipe up?? I thought there was substitutions like rice wine vinegar and brown sugar. Would that still be okay to use? Thanks!
Hi Danielle,
thanks for your message 🙂
No it’s the same recipe. You can find all the substitutions in the “Notes” section at the bottom of the recipe box.
You can still use rice vinegar, sugar, etc.
Let me know if you need help finding the substitutions.
All the best,
Nico
My wife and I make this dish a few times a month. So delicious! It’s like restaurant quality food and so easy to make. We often add more veggies to it. We’ve told all our friends and family about it.
That’s wonderful, Will. I’m so happy the noodles are part of your monthly rotation 🎉
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here. All the best,
Louise
Wow! Just made this and it was easy to prepare and very tasty! I love that it can be eaten cold, which makes for an easy lunch.
Amazing, Lindsey, I’m so happy you liked the noodles!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a message.
Kindest,
Louise