This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.
These peanut noodles are nutty, just a bit spicy (or very spicy, if you like!), and highly slurpable. You can eat them warm or cool, as is or with add ins. A jar of this homemade peanut sauce in the fridge means that with a little ingenuity you will have some sort of dinner at some point.
Noodles with Peanut Sauce: A delicious and easy 15-minute meal you can throw together with pantry ingredients and any vegetables you like.
Tweet This
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
- Peanut butter – I like to use creamy for this sauce. You can use any kind you like, from all-natural to any of the jarred brands.
- Hot water – this loosens up the sauce and helps make it creamy
- Soy sauce – adds umami flavor and depth, and also saltiness
- Lime juice – adds a nice little punch of acidity, and a note of citrus. Please use fresh if at all possible!
- Chili garlic paste – this paste is a combo of chili and garlic, as the name suggests. Many cultures/countries/cuisines have some sort of sauce that is a combo of chili and garlic and Asian cuisines have a lot of them. You can substitute in Sriracha or Gochujang paste, or Sambal Olek. Different kinds of red pepper or chili sauce have different levels of potency, so add slowly, and taste the sauce to see how spicy it gets, and decide how spicy you want it.
- Brown sugar or honey – use brown sugar if you want these noodles to be vegan!
- Minced garlic – again use fresh if possible. I am a fan of fresh minced garlic always, but especially when the dish isn’t being cooked. Save the pre-minced jarred garlic or the garlic powder for cooked dishes,.
- Slivered radishes and sliced scallions – I love the addition of these crunchy peppery vegetables at the end, but this is very optional. See below for more substitutions and variations!
How to Use Peanut Sauce:
You could drizzle it over a piece of grilled salmon, or steak, you could serve it with vegetables as a crudité drip. Spoon it over Crispy Tofu. Toss it with some slivered cabbage, particularly Napa cabbage, for an impromptu Asian slaw, and add shredded chicken if you like and it becomes a protein-packed meal.
You could also serve this with dumplings or spring rolls of all kinds, or chicken or beef satay or skewers. You could also roll up almost anything with a little bit of this sauce in lettuce leaves (like grated carrots and sliced turkey, or shredded chicken and cucumber) and have yourself a lovely Asian wrap.
This sauce will thicken up as it sits, and the pasta will get a bit clumpy. Still delicious but less silky and saucy. Try this with Healthy Orange Chicken, Simple Stir Fried Broccoli, Chicken and Spinach Stir Fry, or Simple Stir Fried Vegetables. Or maybe whip up a batch of Shiitake Mushroom and Chicken Dumplings if you’re going for a full meal.
Peanut Noodle Variations
If you wanted to add some other vegetables, slivered peppers or carrots, for instance, you go right ahead. Try halved and sliced cucumbers, peeled and shredded or thinly sliced carrots, tiny cooked broccoli florets, slivered bell pepper, or if you want a non-vegetarian version, shredded chicken or pork would be an excellent add-in. Again, brown sugar instead of honey results in vegan peanut noodles. You can use tamari instead of soy sauce as well, and sub in lemon juice or rice vinegar for the lime juice. Add some chopped peanuts on top for a crunchy topping if you like!
Best Noodles to Use with Peanut Sauce:
I love this with udon noodles, those soft pillowy slippery Japanese noodles, that are available everywhere, but you can make this with any long skinny pasta you might have on hand. If you glance at the ingredient list, you’ll see this is a pasta dish that many of us could make for a last minute dinner with ingredients already in the pantry.
What the Kids Can Do:
The kids can measure and dump the sauce ingredients into the blender or food processor. With appropriate supervision they can toss the hot noodles with the sauce. They can decide what else might be god to add to the noodles and shred or slice anything you feel is ok for them to shred and slice, depending on age and experience.
If you can’t serve it right away because the dog peed on the rug (sorry, but this happened) or your kids just won’t some out of their rooms (this often happens) you can toss it with another few tablespoons of hot water to loosen everything back up just before serving. It’s great even just barely warm.
Other Asian-Inspired Noodle Recipes:
Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite board on Pinterest.
Pin This
Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces angel hair or other skinny pasta or udon noodles
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup hot water or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup slivered radishes julienned, or cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup sliced scallions white and green parts
Directions
- Cook noodles according to package directions.
- While the noodles are cooking, put the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, lime juice, chili paste, brown sugar or honey, and garlic in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and toss until well coated. If you need to add more hot water to loosen the sauce so it distributes easily over the noodles, add more.
- Turn the pasta into a shallow serving bowl and top with the radishes and scallions. Toss and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
Made this recipe? Post a photo of your delicious creation on Instagram with our hashtag #dinnersolved
I add lots of fresh ginger and a pinch or 2 of hot pepper flakes. I also didn’t bother with the blender. The angel hair pasta takes 6 minutes to cook-which is about how long it takes to make the sauce. Quicker than take-out!
Made this tonight. I did add a bit of ginger paste which upped the oomph, but otherwise made as directed. I used Pad Thai brown rice noodles, will try with udon the next time.
I served it as a side with teriyaki glazed salmon and even my pasta disliking husband liked lt.
Delicious family love them
Mmmm!I used PB2 powdered peanut butter (half the amount listed) instead for a healthier/low calorie alternative. I added shrimp, bell peppers, and it on Banza chickpea linguine. It was delicious and easy to make. Thanks for posting this recipe!
I love a good pantry meal. This make your own takeout is a blessing on crazy school nights.
This was great with a little bit of stir fried tofu. The peanut butter really helped the tofu feel a lot more hardy, and the tofu added extra protein and a bit of texture.
tofu is a great addition!
yum! this was delicious!
My version uses chicken broth not water; addition of grated ginger root about a tablespoon; rice vinegar 2 Tbsp.
That sounds delicious! Fresh ginger never hurts!