Perfect for meal prep or for a quick lunch. In this Asian cold noodle salad, crunchy vegetables and noodles are tossed in a soy garlic dressing. It is the kind of dish where you don’t even realise that you’re being healthy because it just tastes that good! This recipe is a little different in that it doesn’t use a peanut sauce but rather dried roasted peanuts. And as the salad is cold, I find that peanut sauce that is made with peanut butter can cause the noodles to clump up. You can try this Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe if you are looking for a peanut butter based dressing. For a cold asian noodle salad with no peanuts, for allergy, dietary or any other reasons, then simply omit from the recipe!
Why you’ll love this cold noodle salad
Easy and quick summer recipe
Packed with flavours and textures
Ideal for lunch or as a side dish
Filling enough for a full meal
Can be made gluten-free
Vegan, plant based and dairy-free
Make ahead and meal-prep recipe
Crowed pleaser
Asian Peanut Noodle Salad Ingredients
Noodles – I have used thick wholewheat noodles. Sometimes I use wholewheat spaghetti. You can use soba noodles, ramen noodles, udon noodles or rice noodles. Brown noodles have a bit more fiber. Green beans – trimmed and cut Carrots grated julienne or in thin strips Spring onion (green onion) – sliced Cucumber – cut into quarters Fresh herbs – finely chopped basil, coriander (cilantro) and mint Roasted peanuts – you can roast peanuts at home or buy them ready made Rice vinegar Sesame oil Soy sauce – use either light or a combination of light and dark soy sauce Lime zest and lime juice Garlic – finely chopped or grated Red chilli – either fresh chopped red chili or use red chilli flakes Brown sugar alternatively use maple syrup or agave Black pepper powder Salt – check salt levels before adding as soy sauce is high in sodium (salt) Optionally add a little grated fresh ginger for zing You can use other veggies like bell pepper, red cabbage or bean sprouts also. Noodles are high in carbohydrates so it is worth trying to include some extra protein. You could add in edamame or tofu. Adding in meat such as grilled chicken is an option if you are not vegan/vegetarian. You can add an extra drizzle of sriracha if you want to add spicy flavors to the dish.
Gluten-free noodle salad
Use gluten-free noodles or spaghetti Instead of soy sauce, use tamari
How to make Cold Peanut Noodle Salad
The first step is to prepare the dressing: Place rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime zest and lime juice, finely chopped cloves garlic, red chili flakes, brown sugar, pepper powder and salt in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Leave it aside. Boil noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water to prevent the noodles from cooking further. Add the green beans and carrots in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain once the vegetables have softened but still have bite. In a large bowl, toss the noodles, peanuts, cooked vegetables cucumber, spring onion and chopped herbs with the dressing. Mix well and sprinkle with roasted peanuts, herbs and chopped spring onions. Serve warm immediately or cold at room temperature.
Serving Suggestion
To make a meal, serve this cold noodle salad with Air Fryer Spring Rolls or Air Fryer Cauliflower. In the summer, this Watermelon Mocktail or Mango Mocktail is a great thirst quencher. Finish off with some Air Fryer Grilled Pineapple.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Dressed salad will keep overnight but will loose freshness if left for longer. For meal prep purposes, I suggest storing the prepared vegetables separately and adding the dressing just before serving. This keeps the vegetables crunchy for longer. You may want to store the noodles tossed in a bit of sesame oil to prevent them clumping together. Do not heat the salad as the cucumbers will loose texture.
Other Vegetarian Salad Recipes
Indian Chickpea Salad Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad (White Bean Panzanella) Mango, Avocado and Black Bean Salad Pesto Potato Salad Chickpea Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing Vegan Greek Potato Salad Orzo Pasta Mediterrane Salad Watermelon Carpaccio Salad with Tahini As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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