Spicy Peanut Noodles (Print View)

Noodles coated in a spicy creamy peanut sauce, garnished with crunchy peanuts and fresh veggies.

# What You'll Need:

→ Noodles

01 - 12 oz dried rice noodles or spaghetti

→ Peanut Sauce

02 - 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
03 - 1/4 cup soy sauce
04 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
05 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
06 - 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
07 - 2 to 3 tbsp sriracha or chili garlic sauce, to taste
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
10 - 1/4 cup warm water, additional as needed

→ Vegetables & Garnishes

11 - 1 cup shredded carrots
12 - 1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
13 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
14 - 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
15 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
16 - Lime wedges, for serving

# How To Make It:

01 - Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside to cool.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, sriracha, minced garlic, grated ginger, and warm water until smooth; adjust water quantity for desired sauce consistency.
03 - In a large bowl, toss cooled noodles with shredded carrots and sliced bell pepper. Pour peanut sauce over and mix until evenly coated.
04 - Divide mixture into bowls; top each serving with scallions, roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, and a lime wedge.
05 - Serve immediately or chill for a cold preparation if preferred.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • Ready in 25 minutes but tastes like you spent way more time thinking about it.
  • The kind of noodles that satisfy both when you're craving something warm and when you want cold leftovers straight from the fridge.
  • Adjustable spice level means everyone at the table gets exactly what they want without cooking twice.
02 -
  • The peanut sauce will thicken as it cools, so when you're mixing it, aim for looser than you think you want; it'll tighten up by the time you eat it.
  • Don't skip rinsing the noodles after boiling; warm noodles mixed with warm sauce get gluey, but rinsing them stops the cooking and lets them absorb the sauce cleanly instead.
  • Taste the sauce before you add it to the noodles and adjust the spice, salt, and tang now rather than trying to fix it later.
03 -
  • Grate your ginger on a microplane instead of mincing it; the texture dissolves into the sauce more cleanly and tastes fresher.
  • If your peanut butter is the thick, natural kind that separates, stir it well before measuring so you're not getting mostly oil or mostly solids.
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