Starving but don’t have time to cook?! This spicy peanut butter noodle recipe is just for you. It’s vegan, gluten free, easy to whip up, and packed with delicious peanut flavor.
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I didn’t think I could love a noodle recipe more than I love my sesame noodles, yet here I am, loving these spicy peanut butter noodles more than ever. When a recipe involves both noodles AND peanut butter (I see you Pad Thai), I feel like it just has to be good. And this one is good. Like really good.
It starts with perfectly cooked rice noodles (like my creamy curry noodles) that are chewy yet still have a sliiiiight crunch that’s just barely detectable, but still there so you know you’re eating noodles and not a pile of mush. Then, they’re smothered in THE MOST luscious peanut sauce I have ever made.
It’s spicy, it’s savory, it has a mild hint of sweet, and the rice noodles soak it all up so perfectly you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.
Did I mention it all comes together in only 15 minutes? Sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.
How to make this recipe
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. You can use any type and shape for these peanut butter noodles, I used brown rice fettuccine to give it a Pad Thai feel. Anything goes!
To start making the sauce, you’ll want to finely mince the garlic and add to a saute pan with 1 tbsp of oil. Any oil will work here, I used olive. Coconut, avocado, etc. all work well too.
Saute the garlic over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and very fragrant.
Add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
Add about 1/2 of the sauce to cooked pasta and mix together. I intentionally made extra sauce in case you want to add some chicken, tofu, veggies etc. I don’t recommend adding all of the sauce at once because it may be too much, so start with 1/2 and add more depending on your preference.
Serving Suggestions
You can have this recipe so many different ways. Hot cold, with veggies, with chicken, tofu, no veggies, in a salad and more.
One of my favorite ways to have it is warm with a side of steamed broccoli and either salmon or grilled chicken.
You can turn it into a stir fry by adding some tofu and sauteed veggies like cabbage, carrots and bell peppers. OR, just eat the damn noodles as is for a lazy (but deliciously satisfying) meal. I fully support you.
Tips and Tricks
- The peanut sauce can get too salty very easily if you’re not careful! I recommend using unsalted peanut butter and low sodium soy sauce so the salt isn’t overpowering. Even low sodium soy sauces carries plenty of salt, so don’t worry about the flavor if that’s what you use.
- Peanut noodles can be eaten hot or cold. Add in some freshly chopped veggies for a cold noodle salad, or serve alongside some steamed broccoli and grilled chicken for an easy weeknight meal.
- Rice noodles are egg free so this recipe is safe for vegans or anyone with an egg allergy. However, you don’t have to use rice noodles, virtually any noodle or pasta works well.
- Once prepared, this recipe will store in the fridge for 5 days. The sauce tends to dry up as it sits, so if you want to get it saucey again, add the noodles to a pan with a splash of water, broth, or soy sauce and heat until warm.
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15 Minute Spicy Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 16 ounces brown rice noodles
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (ideally low/no salt*)
- 3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari*
- 1/4 cup water or chicken/veggie broth for more flavor
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Optional: 2 tsp chili garlic sauce and or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- Finely mince the garlic and add to a saute pan with 1 tbsp of oil. Any oil will work here, I used olive.
- Saute over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from heat and add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth, adding more water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Add about 1/2 of the sauce to cooked pasta and mix together. I intentionally made extra sauce in case you want to add some chicken, tofu, veggies etc. I don't recommend adding all of the sauce at once because it may be too much depending on your preference, so start with 1/2 and add more depending on your needs. I usually end up adding all of it because I like it saucey, but up to you!
- Taste and add more soy sauce, sriracha, or any other seasonings as desired.
- Serve with crushed peanuts, scallions, red pepper flakes and enjoy!
Delanie
It tasted delicious but the texture was gummy. What did I do wrong?
Claire Cary
The only explanation for that would be the noodles, they were probably overcooked!
Chloe
Sauce is DELICIOUS!! I used regular rice noodles instead of brown rice noodles & that was definitely a mistake 🙃.
Claire Cary
Oh no! I’m surprised about that, what happened? Glad the sauce was good though 🙂
Kim
I would love to try this since it sounds so yummy, however we have rice noodles and they’re very unusual looking, very thin, not like yours at all. We also have chow mein stir-fry noodles and thin spaghetti, do you have any idea what might work best?
Claire Cary
I would go for the chow mein noodles or the spaghetti! Either should work just fine.
Mark
Very good, would like to try to add water chestnuts.
Lindsay
Think you can sub coconut aminos for the soy? This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
Claire Cary
I recommend soy sauce for the best flavor, but if you prefer using coconut aminos, that will work!