Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
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This Thai noodle salad is so simple yet utterly delicious! It’s made with a creamy, spicy peanut sauce, crunchy veg, and chewy egg noodles. The best part about this Thai noodle dish is you can meal prep this recipe and enjoy it for lunches during the week!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
The creamy, spicy sauce in this Thai noodle salad provides a delicious coating for the crunchy veg, so even picky eaters will enjoy this recipe. If you have family members who don’t enjoy Thai pasta salad with certain veggies, you can easily swap them out with vegetables they like.
This Thai noodle salad recipe is quite versatile, as you can even adjust the heat by adding less chilli powder (or more for a spicier dish).
Bonus – this cold Thai noodle salad is vegetarian, so it’s a great option for those who have vegetarians in the family or who want to eat less meat during the week (without sacrificing flavour).
You can easily turn this recipe into a full meal by pairing it with a tofu entrée. A few of my favourite tofu recipes to make alongside Thai cold noodle salad include Crispy Soy Tofu, Aubergine and Rice, Sticky Tofu on Rice with Crispy Kale, and The BEST Crispy Tofu.
Ingredients
Egg Noodles
The egg noodles are the stars of this Thai noodle salad, as they help make it more filling and satisfying. However, you can use nearly any noodle you have on hand (including rice, buckwheat, and even angel hair).
Red Cabbage
The red cabbage in this Thai peanut noodle salad adds a delicious crunch and beautiful colour to the recipe. If you’re not a fan of cabbage, you can use kale, bell pepper slices, or shaved brussel sprouts instead for added nutrients.
Chilli Powder
The chilli powder (and chilli flakes) help offset the creaminess of the peanut butter by providing a fiery flavour. If you are sensitive to heat, use less chilli powder and red pepper flakes in the recipe. Alternatively, you can leave one or the other out completely for a milder heat.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
To make this recipe vegan-friendly, you’ll just need to change the egg noodles to rice noodles for a vegan peanut noodle salad alternative. It also only requires a few swaps to make this Thai noodle salad gluten-free. Use a gluten-free egg noodle or swap to a buckwheat or rice noodle. Additionally, you’ll need to use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce. The remaining ingredients in this noodle salad recipe are naturally gluten-free.
How to make Thai noodle salad
- Start by thinly slicing the red cabbage, I used a peeler (Image 1).
- Then using a peeler, slice the carrot into long shredded pieces (Image 2).
3. Thinly slice the radishes and prepare the cucumber, by slicing in half and thinly slice on a bias (Image 3).
4. Add the noodle nests to heavily salted boiling water and setting your timer according to the packet time. Mine was 4 minutes long. When the noodles are cooked, add to a colander and rinse with cold water to cool (Image 4).
5. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, a sprinkle of salt and chilli powder to a jar/jug (Image 5).
6. Whisk together to form the peanut sauce (Image 6).
7. In your meal prep containers, add a serving of noodles, and a serving of each of the prepped vegetables. To prevent the noodles from sticking, add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil toeach bowl they’re being stored in (Image 7).
8. Then when it’s time to eat, add a serving of the peanut dressing and toss to combine. Garnish with the spring onion, sliced radishes and some fresh coriander. Add some optional chilli flakes if you like heat (Image 8).
Tips for the best result
Use a peeler for the cabbage. You can easily achieve thin slices of cabbage for this Thai noodle salad by using a veggie peeler. This method is much quicker than thinly slicing the cabbage.
Coat the cooked noodles with oil. For this Thai peanut noodles salad, it’s best to toss the cooked noodles with oil. Otherwise, they’ll stick together and be challenging to work with. You can use olive oil for a more neutral flavour. Or, try adding in sesame oil for an extra nutty taste.
Save extra Thai peanut dressing for Asian-inspired recipes. You may have extra peanut sauce left after making this recipe, depending on how saucy you like your noodle salad. If so, save the extra Thai noodles salad dressing in an airtight container for other Asian-inspired recipes (think spring rolls, tofu, noodles, etc.). The sauce should stay good in the fridge for a few weeks.
Add extra fresh herbs. In this recipe, you’ll be using coriander for a fresh flavour. You can boost the taste even more by using fresh herbs like Thai basil and mint as a topping.
Toss in edamame. Maybe you’re not a fan of tofu or other veggie protein sources. If so, you can toss edamame into this cold peanut noodle salad to increase the protein. Frozen, deshelled edamame works well with this recipe. Simply microwave it or boil it for a few minutes to defrost it before adding it to this cold noodles recipe.
If you’re still in the mood for Asian-inspired recipes with noodles, consider making one of the following dishes: Gochujang Noodles, Chicken Vermicelli Noodles, and Stir-Fry Pork Udon Noodles. You can also make these dishes ahead of time for easier meal prep during the week.
FAQs
I love using chewy, bouncy egg noodles for this Thai noodle salad. They help boost the protein in this vegetarian dish and have a texture that complements the crunchy veg. However, you can also use rice noodles or a similar noodle of choice.
This salad is delicious warm or cold, depending on your preference. If it’s a hot day, I prefer eating noodle salad recipes chilled for a more refreshing meal and vice versa.
Is this recipe healthy?
I’ve packed this peanut noodle salad with various veggies, so it has a good amount of nutrients. It also has protein from the peanut butter and egg noodles to help create a more satisfying dish.
If you feel like the dish needs more protein, you can make it alongside recipes like Garlic Butter Chicken, Satay Chicken, or Chicken Goujons.
If you tried this Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 250 g egg noodles (£0.75)
- 5 carrots, julienned/ thinly sliced or peeled (£0.50)
- 1 cucumber, halved and thinly sliced on a bias (£0.79)
- 50 g spring onion, thinly sliced (£0.55)
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly torn to serve (£0.55)
- ½ lime juiced (£0.25)
- 240 g radishes, thinly sliced (£0.50)
- ½- 1 medium red cabbage (£0.80)
Cupboard Essentials
- 4 tbsp peanut butter (£1.25/5)=(£0.25)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil (½ tbsp) per bowl of noodles
- Chilli flakes
Method
- Start by adding the noodles to heavily salted boiling water and setting your timer according to the packet time. Mine was 4 minutes long.
- When the noodles are cooked, add to a colander and rinse with cold water to cool.
- Whisk the ingredients of the dressing in a bowl to form the peanut sauce. That’s the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, a sprinkle of salt and chilli powder.
- To prevent the noodles from sticking, add ½ tbsp of olive oil to each bowl they’re being stored in.
- In your meal prep containers, add a serving of noodles, and a serving of each of the prepped vegetables.
- Then when it’s time to eat, add a serving of the peanut dressing and toss to combine.
- Garnish with the spring onion, sliced radishes and some fresh coriander. Add some optional chilli flakes if you like heat.
Notes
- Achieve thin cabbage and carrot slices quickly using a veggie peeler for the Thai noodle salad, instead of slicing it!
- Prevent noodle sticking by coating cooked noodles with oil in the Thai peanut noodles salad; consider using olive oil or sesame oil for an extra nutty flavor.
- Store leftover Thai peanut dressing for future Asian-inspired dishes; keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks.
- Enhance the dish by adding fresh herbs like Thai basil and mint, in addition to coriander, for an extra burst of flavor in the recipe.
Nutrition
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