Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

This Cold Peanut Noodle Salad is loaded with flavor and crispy texture, thanks to a handful of delicious & nutritious ingredients. This salad is great as a main dish and works perfectly for meal prep!

I love a good salad year round (warm kale salad, anyone?) but there’s just something extra satisfying about a cold, veggie-packed salad in spring. 

Peanut noodle salad is one of those recipes that you’re going to want to make all of the time. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and uses pantry staples.

Odds are you have peanut butter and noodles on hand. The rest of the ingredients are both inexpensive and packed with flavor and come in handy in many other dishes!

I’m talking bright, tangy flavors from lime and rice vinegar paired with smooth peanut butter to create the most delicious peanut sauce.

Add crispy, crunchy veggies tossed with a few other nutritious ingredients and you have a healthy, well-rounded salad.

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Salad ingredients

This salad works well as a main dish because it contains protein, veggies, grains and healthy fats:

• Udon noodles: These wheat noodles can be swapped out for rice or glass noodles to make this dish gluten-free. Even classic spaghetti will work if that’s what you have on hand.
• Edamame: You can this plant-based protein in the freezer aisle labeled “shelled edamame” or “mukimame”.
• Shallots and green onions: Every good salad needs a little bit of crunch! 
• Peanuts: Toast your own peanuts on the stove or choose pre-roasted peanuts.
• Shredded carrots: You can also slice or grate your whole carrots instead of buying shredded.
• Thai basil: This lightly licorice flavored basil adds a sweet finish to the salad.

Peanut noodles sauce

This Thai-inspired sauce is adapted from the sauce that I use in my tofu and veggie spring roll bowls.

• Peanut butter: Choose a creamy peanut butter. I use “natural” peanut butter, which means that the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. This yields a much creamier sauce, but it’s okay if you use another kind of peanut butter.
• Soy sauce: Tamari can be used as a gluten-free substitute. Use less-sodium soy sauce for a less salty option.
• Rice wine vinegar: Also known as just rice vinegar, it adds a tanginess to the sauce.
• Sesame oil: This provides a nice toastiness. Use leftover sesame oil in stir fries, crispy tofu with spicy peanut sauce or even baked peanut tofu.
• Honey: You can use agave instead to keep this recipe vegan.
• Vegetable broth: Use your favorite veg broth to thin the sauce. Water can also be used. 
• Lime juice: Fresh squeezed is best. One medium lime has about 2 tablespoons of lime juice. 

How to make

Start by cooking the noodles according to package instructions. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain noodles in a colander and rinse under cold gentling running water.

Run under water until noodles cool down. Drizzle with a bit of sesame or olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.

While the noodles are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl (I usually use a glass measuring cup that I measure into directly to decrease dishes) use a small whisk to mix together all sauce ingredients until smooth. 

Toss the chilled noodles with the peanut sauce using a spatula or silicon salad tongs. 

Prep the remaining ingredients:

• Edamame can be heated in the microwave in a few minutes
• Toast peanuts in a small skillet over medium heat (no oil needed) for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant
• Dice shallots finely and slice green onions, including the white part
• Thinly slice or chiffonade thai basil

Assemble the salad by stirring all ingredients together in one large bowl. Alternatively, assemble portions individually.

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Yes! In fact, I like this salad even better when it’s made in advance.

To make ahead, make the salad just like you would if you were eating it right away. For best quality, serve within 24 hours. The salad keeps for up to 4 days.

How to serve

Serve peanut noodle salad cold. If you’re really craving a warm meal, the salad can be heated up (just pop in the microwave until warm) but I think it tastes best chilled.

Because this salad is loaded with all the food groups, it can be enjoyed on its own and works well as meal prep.

If you plan on making this salad for meal prep, assemble the salad in four storage containers. Add the peanut sauce noodles, then top with the remaining ingredients.

If you’re looking for more quick dinner ideas, you might like this 15 minute vegan fried rice or my meal prep-friendly vegetarian pasta salad in a jar.