Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
Hungry but don’t have time to cook?! These spicy peanut butter noodles are just for you. They’re vegan, gluten free, easy to whip up, ready in just about 20 minutes and packed with delicious peanut flavor.
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. Plus, 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!
It’s spicy (not quite as spicy as my chili garlic noodles, but 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. Try my chicken crunch salad, miso noodles or a recipe from my roundup of the best asian noodle recipes next!
How to make peanut noodles
Cook noodles. 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!
Saute garlic. 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 all sauce ingredients. Add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
Combine with noodles. 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.
Serve. Serve exactly as is or top it off with chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes, scallions or crushed peanuts for some crunch.
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Serving Suggestions
You can have this recipe so many different ways. 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 noodles as is for a lazy (but deliciously satisfying) meal. I fully support you. Plus, there’s plenty of protein in the sauce thanks to the peanut butter, so it’s still totally filling just as is.
Serve hot or cold!
Peanut noodles can be eaten hot or cold! This makes it the perfect meal prep recipe since you can keep it in a container and just grab and go for lunch!
Add in some freshly chopped veggies for a cold noodle salad (or just try my Thai noodle salad), or serve alongside some steamed broccoli and grilled chicken (or the chicken from my kung pao chicken noodles) for an easy weeknight meal.
Flavor tips
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.
How to store
Once prepared, this recipe will store in the fridge for 5 days stored in an air tight container.
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.
Rice noodles tend to stick together a lot when they sit, so this may happen, but the flavor will still be delicious.
They usually fall apart a bit when they cook as well, so just keep this in mind! Rinsing right after cooking can help prevent some of this.
You may also like..
- Teriyaki Tofu
- Sesame Chickpeas
- Spicy Ramen Noodles
- Sesame Cauliflower
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Korean Gochujang Noodles
- General Tso’s Chickpeas
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Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 16 ounces brown rice noodles
- 3 large cloves garlic or 4-5 small
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter low/no salt*
- 4 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3-1 cup hot water hot water mixes with peanut butter more easily than cold
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes can omit for less spice
- Optional: 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
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 about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Add in the grated ginger and saute for 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat and add in all remaining sauce ingredients (start with 1/3 cup of water) and whisk together until smooth, adding more water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- How much you need will depend on the brand of peanut butter you used as well as your personal preference.
- Taste and add more soy sauce, sriracha, or any other seasonings as desired. I usually add more soy sauce because I like it saltier.
- 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!
- Serve with crushed peanuts, scallions, red pepper flakes and enjoy! Delicious alongside veggies and protein of choice.
Notes
Comments
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This is addictive. I was craving a recipe like this for weeks and I am so glad I chose this one. It hit every flavor profile I was going for. Added a julienned carrot and 1 each of the small red, orange and yellow bell peppers, also julienned. Used 2 T of Habanero hot sauce…oh my. I can’t wait to make it again. I used all the sauce and they were best the next day at room temperature! Next time, I want the crushed peanuts for garnish. That added little crunch will make this sublime.
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Love those additions! Thank you Teresa!
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This was very good! I halved it because I couldn’t remember if this was what I was thinking of in my mind-but it was !! 😊 So, next time I will know not to. I also used soba noodles and sugar free (creamy) peanut butter. I could not get the top off the sesame oil, so I couldn’t use that. All in all, it was very good. Thank you.
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One of my favorite dishes ever! I make it at least once a month. It’s very easy, quick and sooo delicious!
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This dish was amazing!! The whole family loved it and it was easy to make. The peanuts and green onions are a must to top the dish. Definitely adding to our rotation! We had it as a side dish with beef and broccoli but if you add chicken it is a meal.
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Sounds delicious! SO many ways to spruce it up!
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Delicious! I threw in pre-cooked chicken and used brown rice pasta. This might be my new weeknight go-to!
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Excellent flavor. I added cooked shrimp to make it a one dish meal. Chicken would be good also.
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Very good!
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These had the most delicious taste. My question is should I have rinsed noodles? They seemed very thick with starch. Thick, sticky feel. Any suggestions?
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Rinsing the noodles can definitely help with that!
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Absolutely delicious! I made it with chicken and my family loved it! I didn’t use Sriracha, I used frank’s hot sauce, as my family prefers a milder sauce. Additionally I added sesame oil to the mix and topped with toasted sesame seeds. Yummy!
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Delicious!! And easy! Made your recipe with rice noodles, chicken, broccoli, spinach and red pepper! Sooo good!!! Thank you!
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WOW!!!! This recipe is tasty and easy. Followed it exactly and it came out perfectly. Great for a night when you’re low on time but don’t want it to lack in flavour. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
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Thank you Vanessa! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Super super good!! Made this for dinner tonight and the whole family went back for seconds. Would definitely recommend if you are running low on time but are looking for a tasty dinner. Thanks for such an amazing recipe 🙂 A++
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Thanks Vanessa! So happy you enjoyed it.
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This was delicious and so easy, with ingredients I had on hand. We added chicken and chopped snap peas, very satisfying.
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Amazing recipe! I made mine with udon. It was amazing, definitely will make again! I also used dark soy sauce (half the amount) and red wine vinegar instead of rice vinegar because my grocery store ran out. Thanks for the great recipe!
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Yum! I wish I could have udon noodles, they were my favorite!
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Soooo good! Used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and it was perfect. Also mixed in chicken and broccoli:). Definitely will be coming back to this one.
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