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With crunchy vegetables, aromatic herbs, rice noodles, and a zippy peanut butter dressing, this cold peanut noodle salad recipe is a great summer side dish or meal prep lunch. It’s naturally gluten free and vegan-friendly!
On any given day at any given meal, odds are I’m craving or can be in the mood for Thai flavors. These peanutty noodles are a wink and a nod to a noodle dish from a street food vendor I had in Thailand. The symphony of sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and umami flavors with rich, nutty peanut butter in this dressing combined with colorful fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and rice noodles make this salad a real winner.
If you’re meal prepping and want a fun lunch idea, this is perfect (and you can add chicken, steak, or tofu to bump up the protein!). This is also a great option if you want a fun summer salad to serve along with just about anything you can grill up. And if you’re looking for a side dish to bring to a barbecue, picnic, or potluck, this one is always a crowd-pleaser!
Peanut Noodles Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Peanut Dressing Ingredients
- Avocado oil – Or any mild or neutral-flavored oil you like, such as light olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Rice vinegar – Sweeter and less sharp than other types of vinegar, along with fresh lime juice, rice vinegar adds just the right amount of tanginess to balance the flavor.
- Water – To thin out the salad dressing to the perfect pour-able consistency.
- Coconut sugar – Or light brown sugar.
- Creamy peanut butter – You can use sweetened creamy peanut butter (like Skippy) or natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter (such as Teddie). (TIP: If you use sweetened peanut butter, don’t pack the coconut sugar or brown sugar when you measure it.)
- Toasted sesame oil – For deep toasted nutty notes and aroma.
- Fresh lime juice – For fresh, bright, tart flavor.
- Tamari sauce – Use gluten free tamari sauce, or go with soy sauce or coconut aminos. This adds salty, umami flavor.
- Sambal oelek – This is Southeast Asian chili garlic sauce. The amount in the recipe gives a mild level of spiciness (it’s mostly there for balance), but you can add more sambal oelek if you want this dressing spicy-hot.
- Fresh ginger and garlic – These aromatic ingredients add depth.
- Fish sauce – Adds salty, umami richness. (TIP: If you’re not a fan of fish sauce or if you want to keep this salad dressing vegan, omit the fish sauce and use more tamari (or soy sauce) instead.)
- Fresh lime zest – Fresh lime zest adds intense citrusy flavor with a touch of bitterness for balance.
- Salt – To help create a balanced flavor profile.
Noodle Salad Ingredients
- Dried flat rice noodles – My noodles are about 1/8-inch (approximately 3mm) wide. You can soak the noodles to rehydrate them, but it can take a while (it can take about 1 hour or longer in warm water to soften noodles this size). To save time, I usually boil these until tender. The brand I used needed to boil for 5 to 5 1/2 minutes, but that can vary. Stay with it because they can go from tender to mushy fast. Then once they’re tender, immediately drain them and rinse under cold water.
- Red and green cabbage – Thinly sliced, like for coleslaw.
- Carrot – Julienned (aka, peeled and cut into matchsticks).
- Bell pepper – I used a mix of red and yellow bell peppers; you can use any color bell pepper you have on hand.
- Thai red chili – This is optional and very spicy. I only use one for the whole salad; you can adjust it based on your tolerance for spicy-hot food.
- Scallion and cilantro – Aromatic and packed with flavor.
Garnishes
- Dry-roasted peanuts – Adds crunch and drives home the peanut flavor in this salad.
- Scallion, cilantro, and mint – Boosts the fresh flavor and aroma.
- Sesame seeds – Sesame is a delicious complement to peanuts, enhancing their nutty flavor.
- Fresh lime – A squeeze of fresh lime on top wakes up the flavor of everything else.
Instructions
1: Make the Peanut Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine. Cover and chill until using.
2: Make the Noodle Salad
Rehydrate the rice noodles. Follow the package directions to rehydrate the noodles, then drain well and rinse under cold running water. (See the Notes in the recipe card below for more information on rehydrating rice noodles.)
Toss the salad. While the noodles are rehydrating and cooling, chop all the veggies. Add the rice noodles and chopped vegetables to a large bowl, add the dressing, and gently toss to combine. (TIP: If the noodles stick together, run them under cool running water and gently separate with your fingers before adding them to the salad.) Chill the salad for at least 15 minutes before serving.
3: Serve
Serve the salad with the garnishes on top.
Storage
- Dressing: Store in a covered glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Salad: Once the salad is tossed, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Meal Prep: To store this for meal prep, you’ll need eight quart-sized glass jars (or eight 3 to 4-cup-capacity glass containers). Layer 1/8 of the ingredients to each container in this order without stirring: peanut dressing, rice noodles, vegetables, and herbs. Store the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds together in a small bag or condiment container on the side, and store the herbs and fresh lime in a different small bag on the side. To serve, shake up the salad, add your garnishes, and enjoy! (TIP: To add protein, such as cooked chicken, steak, or tofu, chop it into bite-sized pieces and add it on top of the vegetables, then add the herbs on top.) Stored this way, these salads will last up to 5 days in the fridge (4 days if you added protein).
Tips For the Best Peanut Noodles
- When you’re rehydrating rice noodles, depending on a few factors (such as what brand of rice noodles you use, how big your noodles are, how old they are, etc.), they could take more or less time to rehydrate than what’s stated on the package. Be sure to check them periodically whether you’re soaking them or boiling them to avoid mushy noodles.
- If you want a thicker peanut butter sauce for this salad, increase the peanut butter to 6 tablespoons.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written, this recipe has a moderate spice level. The spicy heat comes from two sources: the Thai red chili in the salad and the sambal oelek in the dressing. If you don’t like spicy food, you can omit the Thai chili. And if you like your peanut noodles spicy, add another one chili or two, tasting as you go.
I’m glad you asked! Grilled chicken, copycat Chipotle chicken, rotisserie chicken, and leftover roast chicken are all great here. And so is steak (grilled steak, air fried steak, pan-seared steak, etc.). For a vegetarian protein source, tofu is delicious in this noodle salad.
More Salads Perfect For Your Next Potluck
- Italian Orzo Pasta Salad
- High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad
- Creamy Coleslaw With Tart Cherries, Blue Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts
- Salad Olivier (Creamy Russian Potato Salad)
- Ramen Noodle Salad
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Thai Inspired Cold Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe
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Equipment
- 8 Quart-sized glass jars (if you're making this for meal prep)
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or light olive oil or vegetable oil)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar lightly packed (or light brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons tamari sauce (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (more if you want it spicy)
- 2 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh lime zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Noodle Salad:
- 8 ounces dried flat rice noodles also called "rice stick" (see Notes)
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 cup julienned carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper any color you have
- 1 Thai red chili thinly sliced (optional; it’s spicy!)
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Garnishes:
- 1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts coarsely chopped
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
For the Peanut Dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and chill until using.
For the Noodle Salad:
- Rehydrate the rice noodles. Follow the package directions to rehydrate the noodles (see Notes), then drain and rinse under cold running water.
- Toss the salad. While the noodles are rehydrating, chop all the veggies. Add the rice noodles and chopped vegetables to a large bowl, add the dressing, and gently toss to combine. (TIP: If the noodles stick together, run them under cool running water and gently separate with your fingers before adding them to the salad.) Chill the salad for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Serve the salad with the garnishes on top.
Notes
- Creamy Peanut Butter: You can use sweetened creamy peanut butter (like Skippy) or unsweetened natural creamy peanut butter (such as Teddie). If you use sweetened peanut butter, don’t pack the coconut sugar or brown sugar when you measure it. If you use unsweetened natural peanut butter, I recommended using a blender to mix the dressing instead of a whisk (because natural peanut butters tend to be a bit more gritty).
- Dried Flat Rice Noodles: My noodles are about 1/8-inch (approximately 3mm) wide. You can soak the noodles to rehydrate them, but it can take a while (it can take about 1 hour or longer in warm water to soften noodles this size). To save time, I usually boil these until tender. The brand I used needed to boil for 5 to 5 1/2 minutes, but that can vary. Stay with it because they can go from tender to mushy fast. Then once they’re tender, immediately drain them and rinse under cold water. (TIP: Depending on a few factors (such as what brand of rice noodles you use, how big your noodles are, how old they are, etc.), they could take more or less time to rehydrate than what’s stated on the package, so be sure to check them periodically whether you’re soaking them or boiling them to avoid mushy noodles.)
- Peanut Dressing Yield: This makes about 1 1/4 cups of dressing. We use it all for this noodle salad.
- Peanut Dressing Nutrition Information: For nutritional information for the dressing only, please see the peanut dressing recipe.
- Vegan Version: Omit the fish sauce and use more tamari sauce instead.
- Storage:
- Dressing: Store in a covered glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Salad: Once the salad is tossed, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Meal Prep: To store this for meal prep, you’ll need eight quart-sized glass jars (or eight 3 to 4-cup-capacity glass containers). Layer 1/8 of the ingredients to each container in this order without stirring: peanut dressing, rice noodles, vegetables, and herbs. Store the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds together in a small bag or condiment container on the side, and store the herbs and fresh lime in a different small bag on the side. To serve, shake up the salad, add your garnishes, and enjoy! (TIP: To add protein, such as cooked chicken, steak, or tofu, chop it into bite-sized pieces and add it on top of the vegetables, then add the herbs on top.) Stored this way, these salads will last up to 5 days in the fridge (4 days if you added protein).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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