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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Very good! I make my own peanut butter with just a hint of sea salt. It was perfect! And of course added cilantro, pea pods, and green onion to finish it off .
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This turned out amazing! Spicy, salty, & crunchy veggies. I flaked in some sockeye salmon on top. Perfection.
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Love salmon on top!
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Omg this is incredible. I made some adjustments to suit my taste (3 tbsp sambal olek, 3 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp soy sauce), didn’t use sesame oil but garnished the noodles with toasted sesame seeds, and added the noodle water as my thinner. Don’t know if that part changed anything in the dish but I felt like a TV chef. I’d add more heat next time, and there will be a next time very soon.
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Love that! SO happy you enjoyed it 🙂
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Sooo easy & delicious. Added 1lb of browned ground Turkey. Chopped green onion & cilantro. Used ground garlic & ginger instead of fresh. Just used less.
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That sounds amazing, so happy you enjoyed!
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Excellent flavorful peanut sauce!! I added stir fry veggies and shrimp sautéed in sesame oil. I substituted ground chili paste for the siracha…. 5 stars!!❤️
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Amazing, thanks Patty!
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Could I sub with sunflower butter? We have a nut allergy in the house.
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That should work! The flavor will of course be different, but should be fine!
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Made this tonight. So easy and VERY delicious!!!
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Made this for my family tonight, my 9 year old (who doesn’t eat *anything* lol) asked for a 2nd bowl. This is going to be a regular on the dinner rotation for sure!
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Amazing! So happy to hear that.
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So so, so amazing! I substituted the Sriracha with fresh habanero peppers and added extra peanut butter and sesame oil to taste! I will be making this again very soon! In addition, I added some grilled chicken and I seasoned it with the Costco pork barrel brand chicken seasoning. The leftovers we’re still super tasty and good five days later. Highly recommend!!
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Hello, was wondering if this recipe can be frozen and reheated?
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I haven’t tried that, but I think it would be ok! The noodles will likely fall apart a bit as they defrost/reheat though.
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I made this the other night & it was delicious. I heated the sauce through and just added a bit more water to it and fresh chilli. Served it with char grilled broccoli and topped with fried shallots and fresh corriander. Just delicious and so easy. Thanks.
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Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed this.
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It was really good. We live in Tennessee and the area we live in doesn’t have a Thye restaurant. So I have to make my own. This will be one.
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Can I use natural no sugar added peanut butter?
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Yes!
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Honestly amazing. Can’t wait to make again! It was soo easy and sooooo flavourful! Curious on how this recipe would freeze?!
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The noodles probably won’t hold up well (they’ll fall apart when you reheat), but otherwise should freeze just fine!
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Just wanted to let you know that I tried this tonight and was very happy with the outcome. I added julianned carrots and some spring onion, along with some minced pork and it is delicious! Definitely going to be playing with this one and am looking forward to trying more from your site.
Thank you!
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Amazing, thank you Stephanie!
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This is so good I made it 2 days in a row. I made it exactly as written and did salmon as a protein one night then chicken. The chicken was a better choice. I can’t believe how easy and delicious this is. Definitely recommend and will make monthly if not weekly. I will be checking out more of your recipes. This was my 1st.
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Thank you Denise. Can’t wait to see what else you make!
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