These creamy peanut butter noodles are the perfect dish when you want to eat something healthy, delicious, and satisfying which can be made in under 30 minutes. Taking inspiration from traditional Thai peanut dipping sauces, this peanut butter noodle recipe is easy to cook and even better as leftovers or meal prep.
What are peanut butter noodles?
Peanut butter noodles are a westernized version of Fujian peanut noodles from China. While traditional peanut noodles have a much simpler sauce of peanut paste, sesame oil, and soy sauce, we like to incorporate other ingredients, such as coconut milk and red miso, to add more depth of flavor. Fujian peanut noodles also utilize ban mian, a type of fresh wonton noodles. But with these peanut butter noodles, you can customize them with brown rice noodles or udon.
Peanut sauce ingredients
The peanut sauce for these noodles is rich in nutty and umami flavors. It’s similar to our Asian and Thai-inspired peanut sauce; however, it’s lighter and without the bold curry flavors.
For these peanut butter noodles, we use:
- Natural, crunchy peanut butter without added salt or sugar, and thin it out with very hot water (about 160°F) – this makes it easier to whisk into the other sauce ingredients. You can also use smooth peanut butter, but I like the added crunchy texture. For even more nuttiness, we added roasted sesame oil.
- Aromatics of garlic, ginger, and green onion are sautéed in a pan, creating the foundation for our sauce. You can also use other options, like shallots, lemongrass, or yellow onions, for different types of flavor.
- Coconut milk gives a nice sweetness and creamy texture to the sauce.
- Soy sauce and red miso add earthy and umami seasoning to the noodles. You can also mix and match with different varieties of miso. For less saltiness, use white miso.
- For balanced acidity to cut the richness, we add rice vinegar. You can also use apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar as a substitute. For a bolder flavor, experiment with Chinese black vinegar.
- Honey adds a touch of sweetness to round out the flavor. Other options are also brown sugar and agave if you have dietary restrictions.
- If you want a little heat, add chili crisp or other spicy ingredients, such as gochujang.
Noodle options
Peanut butter noodles are a great option if you have leftover noodles in your pantry. I’ve made these noodles and mixed different varieties at the same time, and it’s delicious no matter what type you mix into the savory sauce. Some of my favorites are brown rice soba noodles and rice udon noodles because they keep their shape and texture really well in the fridge.
Veggies & toppings
My favorite part about this peanut butter noodle recipe is actually the toppings because they’re customizable. You can pick almost anything that you have in your fridge to add to this recipe. Here are some options:
- Roasted peanuts or sesame seeds for extra nutty flavor
- Fresh veggies like shredded red cabbage, cucumber slices, and julienned carrots add lots of texture and offer lots of healthy benefits.
- Thinly sliced green onion sprinkled on top adds more savory freshness.
- Shelled edamame is a great addition to increase the protein content.
- Lime juice for added fresh acidity that balances out the rich sauce.
Tips for making peanut noodles
- After cooking the noodles, rinse and keep them in a bowl of cool water. This will prevent them from clumping and drying out while you prepare your sauce.
- Use hot water to thin out the peanut butter before adding it to the sauce. This helps blend the peanut butter without clumping up or thickening too much.
- Remove the pan from the heat source when adding the thinned-out peanut butter to prevent seizing and whisk as you add it to encourage emulsification.
Making ahead & storage
If you have leftover noodles, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. This peanut butter noodle recipe is great for leftovers, and I even prefer eating it the day after because the flavors are better. You can eat it cold or hot from the microwave.
Peanut Butter Noodles
Ingredients
Noodles
- 4 oz noodles udon, brown rice, ramen, soba
- water
Peanut butter sauce
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 white part of one green onion stalk
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp red miso
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp roasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp chili crisp optional
- 3 tbsp peanut butter no salt, natural
- 2 tbsp hot water add more if necessary
Toppings
- roasted peanuts chopped
- 1 c shredded red cabbage
- 1 medium cucumber sliced into half circles
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1 stalk green onion sliced thinly
- 1 c shelled edamame
- lime juice
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons
- grater
- knife and cutting board
- Pot
- saute pan
- tongs
- spatula
- small bowl
- whisks
Instructions
Noodles
- Prep 4 oz noodles based on packet instructions.
- Rinse and leave in a bowl of water until ready.
Peanut butter sauce
- In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the 1 tbsp neutral oil and 1 white part of one green onion stalk. Sauté until aromatic and slightly softened, about 30 seconds.
- Add 1 tsp grated garlic and 1 tsp grated ginger. Sauté until they are softened and aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Lower the heat to low and add the 2 tbsp coconut milk, 1 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp red miso, ½ tsp chili crisp, and ¼ tsp roasted sesame oil. Whisk until all is combined properly.
- Remove the pan from the heat completely.
- In a separate bowl, combine the 3 tbsp peanut butter and 2 tbsp hot water. Whisk until it’s smooth and thinned out. Add more hot water if necessary.
- Add the thinned peanut butter into the saucepan and whisk until combined.
- Taste test and adjust for preference.
Toppings and assembly
- Add the noodles and toss until they are well-coated.
- Add your preferred toppings(roasted peanuts, 1 c shredded red cabbage, 1 medium cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 stalk green onion, 1 c shelled edamame, and lime juice) and mix again.
- Serve immediately.
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