Thai Noodles come together in just 15 minutes and are packed with incredible flavor. These Peanut Noodles are made with a simple homemade Thai Peanut Sauce, tons for fresh veggies, and rice noodles, for a simple meal perfect for a weeknight dinner or lunch.
Love simple pasta recipes? Check out Asian Noodle Salad, Easy Fettuccine Alfredo, and Easy Homemade Ramen.
Easy Thai Noodles
Ready in just 20 minutes, these spicy Thai noodles are made with everyday ingredients and insanely flavorful! This recipe is vegetarian, vegan friendly, can easily be made gluten free–but most importantly EVERYONE loves these flavorful Spicy Peanut Noodles.
I grew up only knowing peanut butter as having a place in Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Cups, and Peanut Butter Cookies. But the truth is, peanut butter pairs incredibly well in savory dishes and works to balance heat and saltiness, not mention peanut butter also provides creaminess to a dish. And peanut butter is the star of the show in this simple Thai inspired recipe.
This recipe for Thai Noodles was inspired after a lunch out with friends. We all ordered the Thai Peanut Noodles and while we loved the flavors, we all agreed the dish was a bit greasy, a bit too salty, and would be much more delicious with the addition of fresh vegetables–for crunch and for flavor.
Skip the restaurant, and use my base recipe for Thai Noodles that will be ready faster than you can find the take out menu. Plus you can change up the veggies, the level of spice, even the type of noodles used to make this recipe work for you–and what you find in your pantry/fridge!
Ingredients
Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients!!! Most of these are items you most likely have in your pantry.
- Rice Noodles–Feel free to use linguine in place of the rice noodles.
- Canola Oil–or any neutral oil (this is used to keep the sticky rice noodles from clumping together)
- Peanut Butter–all natural peanut butter without added oils or sugars is best for texture and taste (but shelf stable peanut butter can be subbed if necessary)
- Sesame Oil–just a tiny bit of sesame oil is key, as it adds an incredible depth of flavor (be sure to store opened sesame oil in fridge after use as it will go rancid quickly at room temperature)
- Soy Sauce–low sodium is key to keeping the sodium in check
- Crushed red pepper flakes–adjust for level of spiciness you prefer
- Rice Wine Vinegar–the best vinegar to use for it’s mild, sweet flavor that balances out the peanut sauce. Mirin can be used in it’s place if desired.
- Sriracha–adjust for heat level
- Honey–or maple syrup
- Lime Juice–fresh lime juice is a must for acid and flavor
- Garlic
- Vegetables: green onions, broccoli, sugar snap peas, cabbage, peppers, carrots, etc
- Cilantro–feel free to omit if you do not care for cilantro
- Peanuts–chopped, dry-roasted peanuts add crunch and texture to this noodle dish
- Sesame Seeds–optional, add crunch and flavor
How to Make Thai Noodles
Step One: Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Mix together 1/2 tablespoon canola oil, sesame oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, vinegar, sriracha, honey, and minced garlic until well combined. Set aside.
Note: You can also prepare peanut sauce while noodles are cooking to maximize prep time!
Step Two: Prepare Noodles
- Cook packaged rice noodles according to package directions. Some noodles say to soak in boiling water, others say to simmer–it is best to follow the package directions for best results, as all brands of noodles vary. If using linguine noodles, follow package ingredients as well.
- Once noodles are prepared, rinse well. I normally do not recommend rinsing pasta but rice noodles release a lot of starch and if that starch is not removed, the noodles will stick together completely.
- Once the noodles are rinsed, toss them in a bowl with 1/2 tablespoon canola oil to further prevent them from sticking together.
Step Three: Assemble
- Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss to evenly coat the noodles with the sauce.
- Add in any vegetables using and cilantro and toss again.
- Toast peanuts and sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly toasted. This is CRUCIAL for developing the most flavor out of the nuts and sesame seeds and makes a world of difference. If your peanuts/sesame seeds say dry-roasted or toasted, skip this step!
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and sesame seeds.
Notes/Questions on Spicy Thai Noodles
- Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like. I love the crispness of the raw veggies, but feel free to quickly blanch or steam the vegetables if desired.
- Vegan Thai Noodles: Use maple syrup in place of honey.
- Gluten Free Thai Noodles: Use certified gluten free rice noodles and Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Thai noodles are best eaten the first day prepared, but can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. They are best eaten cold as leftover, but made need a splash of water or vegetable stock to loosen up.
More Easy Asian Inspired Recipes
- Easy Fried Rice
- Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy
- Simple Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- Vegetable Spring Rolls
Easy Thai Noodles
Ingredients
- 8-9 ounce package of rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon canola oil divided
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Sriracha) more or less to taste
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice from fresh limes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green onion minced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
- ¼ -⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles (or pasta noodles) according to package directions. It is very important to follow the package directions as some brands work best soaking noodles in boiling water for a couple minutes and others need to be simmered in boiling water.
- While pasta is cooking, mix together 1/2 tablespoon canola oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, lime juice peanut butter, honey, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Toast peanuts and sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly toasted. This is CRUCIAL for developing the most flavor out of the nuts and sesame seeds and makes a world of difference. If your peanuts/sesame seeds say dry-roasted or toasted, skip this step!
- Drain the noodles and rinse well. Place noodles in large mixing bowl and immediately toss the noodles with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon canola oil to coat. This keeps the noodles from sticking together!
- Then add the peanut sauce, peppers, green onions, carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, cabbage,cilantro, and toss well. Top with the nuts and sesame seeds. and sesame seeds. Serve.
Notes
- Feel free to use linguine in place of rice noodles.
- Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like. I love the crispness of the raw veggies, but feel free to quickly blanch or steam the vegetables if desired.
- Vegan Thai Noodles: Use maple syrup in place of honey.
- Gluten Free Thai Noodles: Use certified gluten free rice noodles and Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Thai Noodles can be served immediately, or cold.
- Store leftover Thai Noodles in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Add a splash of water or stock to loosen up noodles if they stick together.
Kristen Chidsey
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I love quick and easy meals. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you enjoy Karly!