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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Amazing! Everyone in my family loved this recipe.
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This recipe is fantastic! Goes well with roasted Brussels sprouts for a nice vegetarian dinner!
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This sauce is amazing!! Wow!
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Thank you, Carol!
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Sooo yummy, I added cut up mini bok choy and shrimps! Supper everyone loved in 15 minutes.
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We were hungry for spicy peanut noodles and your recipe was the first one that popped up in my search. This sauce is so delicious, and so easy to make with pantry staples. I love that it makes a lot of sauce. I’m thinking the leftover sauce could be used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or for a chopped cabbage salad. Nice that it’s gluten and dairy free for family members that can’t eat gluten or dairy. So good!!!! Thank you!!!!
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I made this last night for my boyfriend and I was so impressed with it that i now feel like I never have to order noodles for takeout again!! Thank you for this recipe – it is so delicious!! I used egg noodles and it gave the perfectly slippery surface that I was looking for. The peanut sauce was so velvety smooth too! I will be making these again anytime I have a craving for noodle takeout!
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I’ve tried many spicy peanut noodle recipes and this is, by far, the best and easiest. Yum, thank you!
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Amazing!
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Outrageously good! Easy, great notes (added shrimp) and great hot or cold! Next time I’m doubling the sauce and saving for any edible food that I have in our out of the fridge! Nice work!
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I had some leftover brown rice noodles that I was going to toss, but I decided to look for an Asian peanut butter sauce recipe. I came across yours and gave it a go. I made half a recipe. Delicious! I used natural peanut butter, which has no sugar, so I ended up adding a bit more maple syrup for sweetness. I’m saving this one! Thanks for a great recipe!
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Thank you, Donna! So glad you enjoyed it.
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was way too sweet, do not recommend
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I omitted the syrup, because commercial peanut butter already has sugar in it, so I suspected that it would be overkill for anyone who doesn’t like sweet sauces.
I was also out of rice vinegar, so I zested some lime for the acid, and it turned out great.
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This was a great base recipe. I made the sauce basically as listed but instead of olive oil, I used chili oil to sautee the garlic and ginger. I also shredded king oyster mushrooms, dry sautéed the mysteries moisture out of them until they started to brown, I also wok’d cabbage, carrots, onion and the mushrooms and tofu in chili oil. My husband and I like it hot so we added about 2-3 tablespoons each of Sriracha and chili garlic sauce. Mixed in thin udon udon noodles and the sauce. Wow what a delicious flavor packed meal!
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**excuse my typos lol, I want to add that I’m not a big FAN of peanut butter, but this was deliscious!! The peanut butter pairs so well with the soy sauce and sriracha. If you season it to your likely, it eliminates the ‘peanuty’ taste and leaves you with a bold creamy flavor.
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Made this for my gf and I, 10/10!! we used Thai rice fettuccinie noodles and added shrimp, red/yellow bell peppers, muschrooms, and cabbage. All of which we seered in one put, one group at a time, to plate on tope of the noodles and sauce. Def don’t have to do that way (way more time consuming) but worth it! (plus i had the time lol.)
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What other veggies can I use other than spring Onions? Let me know
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I love adding broccoli, carrots, cabbage, bell peppers etc!
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Yes, definitely a 5+++
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