You won't be able to get enough of this Cold Peanut Noodle Salad this summer! This recipe is done in 20 minutes or less, making it perfect for picnics, cookouts, or even meal prepping. Using lots of fresh, crunchy veggies as well as a creamy peanut sauce makes this the ultimate summer salad!
I love this peanut noodle salad on a hot day (or even on a cold day!), it is so good. Often, recipes with this sort of flavor profile and lots of ingredients are very complicated. But this recipe is SO easy. The hardest part is boiling the noodles–and anyone can do that!
I highly recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe, and you'll definitely want to make extra peanut sauce! This recipe is also easily customizable. Increase or decrease the spice level, use different kinds of noodles, add a variety of veggies, and you can even use almond butter in place of peanut butter!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It is so easy - The hardest part of this recipe is boiling the noodles. And that's not even hard!
- Easily customizable - This recipe can be changed easily. Use different kinds of noodles if you like (soba noodles would be great!), add more or less spice, or throw in extra vegetables!
- Perfect for summer! Make this and bring it to BBQs, picnics, the pool, or anywhere that you'll want to beat the heat!
What You Need For This Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Rice Noodles - I love using the Pad Thai style rice noodles. You can also use vermicelli noodles, regular noodles, or soba noodles!
- Sweet Peppers - Thinly sliced bell peppers of whichever color you like best!
- Purple and Green Cabbage - For added crunch.
- Carrots - I used pre-shredded carrots, but feel free to shred your own!
- Edamame - I buy mine pre-shelled in the refrigerator section.
- Chili Garlic Sambal Oelek - This sauce is delicious and adds a great flavor and spice. Sriracha can be used in its place.
- Toasted Sesame Oil - Regular sesame oil or olive oil will suffice if necessary.
- Agave Nectar - Substitute maple syrup or honey if needed.
- Soy Sauce - For a gluten-free choice, use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Lime Juice
- Ginger - Using ginger paste will be the easiest, but grating or finely mincing fresh ginger is also great!
- Creamy Peanut Butter - Natural peanut butter is the best consistency. Almond butter works too!
- Cilantro - Fresh, chopped.
- Chopped Peanuts - Roasted and salted peanut pieces. Cashews work as well.
Tools:
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients
Begin by boiling the rice noodles according to your package instructions. If there is the option to boil the noodles or soak them, I recommend boiling them.
Drain and rinse the rice noodles with cold water.
Thinly slice the peppers longways, removing the stem and seeds.
Finely chop or slice the purple and green cabbage, resulting in a texture that looks shredded.
Chop the cilantro and any other ingredients that need preparation.
Step 2: Make the Peanut Sauce
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together creamy peanut butter, chili garlic sambal, toasted sesame oil, agave nectar, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger (minced or paste).
Whisk this together until completely incorporated. Add a small amount of water to thin the sauce.
Step 3: Put it All Together
In a large mixing bowl, add the rice noodles along with all of the vegetables, cilantro, and chopped peanuts.
Toss these all together.
Then, add the peanut sauce and fully combine with the rest of the ingredients.
If the noodles feel to stuck together, drizzle a bit more toasted sesame oil to help break them apart.
Add to a bowl and garnish with more cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Expert Tips
- Increase the spice level by adding more of the chili garlic sambal, throw in diced jalapeños, or drizzle sriracha on the top!
- Almond butter can be used in place of peanut butter if needed! I recommend using the creamiest/runniest natural nut butter you can find, it will be easier to work with.
- Make this gluten-free by using rice noodles and switching out soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos!
Recipe FAQs
These peanut noodles are great on their own, but they also make a great base to be topped with tofu, chicken, or shrimp!
In my experience with rice noodles, it is not necessary to soak before cooking. However, soaking before boiling the rice noodles will make it easier to work with and they will cook faster.
Yes. Always check the label to confirm, but almost every peanut butter is vegan as well as gluten-free.
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📖 Recipe
Cold Peanut Noodle Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small bowl or liquid measuring cup
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Rice Noodles Pad thai shape
- 2 Mini sweet peppers thinly sliced
- 1 cup Purple cabbage
- ½ cup Regular cabbage
- ½ cup Shredded carrots
- ½ cup Shelled edamame
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon Peanuts chopped, roasted and salted.
Ingredients for Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup Creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon Chili garlic sauce sambal
- 1 tablespoon Toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce or tamari or coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoon Lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Minced ginger or ginger paste
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the rice noodles according to your package instructions. (If there is the option to boil the noodles or soak them, I recommend boiling them.)
- Drain and rinse the rice noodles under cold water
- Thinly slice the peppers longways, removing the stem and seeds.
- Finely chop or slice the purple and green cabbage, resulting in a texture that looks shredded.
- Chop the cilantro and any other ingredients that need preparation.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together creamy peanut butter, chili garlic sambal, toasted sesame oil, agave nectar, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger (minced or paste).
- Whisk this together until completely incorporated.
- Add a small amount of water to thin the sauce.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the rice noodles along with all of the vegetables, cilantro, and chopped peanuts.
- Toss these all together.
- Then add the peanut sauce and fully combine with the rest of the ingredients.
- If the noodles feel to stuck together, drizzle a bit more toasted sesame oil to help break them apart.
- Add to a bowl and garnish with more cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Notes
- Increase the spice level by adding more of the chili garlic sambal, throw in diced jalapeños, or drizzle sriracha on the top!
- Almond butter can be used in place of peanut butter if needed! I recommend using the creamiest/runniest natural nut butter you can find, it will be easier to work with.
- Make this gluten-free by using rice noodles and switching out soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos!
- Nutrition Information is for 1 serving, which is ⅓rd of this recipe.
- Calories: 372 cal
- Total Fat: 17.2 grams
- Total Carb: 42.5 grams
- Protein: 11.4 grams
Howie says
Every time you post I taste the recipe all over again in my head. 10/10 would eat again
Bill Eggers says
I’m on a low sodium diet so I left out the soy sauce. This was a delicious, refreshing salad for the hot summer days here in Florida. I loved the crunch of the carrots and cabbage plus the peanuts.
Brianne says
This was so delicious! I loved how all the different flavours came through - the creamy peanut butter, fresh lime & cilantro, spicy little kick of sambal, with crunchy veggies and silky noodles. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this recipe but I just spent the last hour scrolling through your site and can’t wait to make more! 🌱 💚
Tammy says
This was so delicious. I didn’t have any green cabbage so only used purple. I can see how you could change this based on ingredients you have at home. I had never used rice noodles before, but found them easy to work with. Thanks, Emily!
Carolyn P says
Made this for the first time for my family of four. It was easy to make, but I was glad my hubby helped me prep the veggies. It was a fresh, light meal on a hot summer day. I doubled both the salad amount and the sauce . . . and we will have leftovers for tomorrow. The only thing we encountered that confused us was the order the noodles were added. We ended up not adding it to the rest of the ingredients until after we added a little extra sesame oil to prevent sticking. Worked great, and we'll be making this again!
Emily says
Thank you so much for the review and helpful feedback! I'll be sure to update the recipe with more clarity 🙂
Criss says
Does this need to be eaten right away or does it keep well in the refrigerator for a few days? I purchased everything & would like to make it ahead of time for lunches for the next few days. It looks delicious.
Emily says
Hi Criss! This should definitely be good in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 days. In fact, it will probably get more flavorful over time! Just be sure it is sealed in an air-tight container, and be sure to inspect it before eating for any signs of going bad.
Tammy says
I love this one. Seemed like a lot of ingredients at first, but was surprisingly easy to make. I bought the shredded carrots in a bag, and shelled edamame, which saved time. This was so refreshing and tasty. It was bursting with freshness and a had a delicious Asian flair. One of my all time favorites!!
Laura says
Easy and such a good summer dinner! Will be making again.