Garlic Peanut Noodles
Creamy & flavor-packed Garlic Peanut Noodles! They're crowd-pleasing and super easy to make. Enjoy hot or cold for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
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Servings: 4
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Ingredients
Garlic Peanut Noodles
- 8 ounces dry noodles of choice such as ramen or rice noodles; see notes for options
- 1 batch garlic peanut sauce recipe follows
- 1-2 medium carrots peeled and julienned/shredded
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup julienned cucumber
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts chopped or crushed
Garlic Peanut Sauce
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other neutral vegetable oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions (scallions) thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger optional
- 1-3 teaspoons red pepper flakes I like to use gochugaru
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce sub tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice from about 1/2 a lime
- 4-6 tablespoons warm water to thin sauce as needed
Optional Toppings (use as many as you like)
- ½ cup edamame for added protein
- 1 cup pan-fried tofu for added protein
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- lime wedges
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Boil water: Bring a pot of water to a boil in order to prepare your noodles according to package directions.
- Sizzle the aromatics: Take the smallest pan you own and stir together peanut oil, the white parts of the scallions, minced garlic, minced ginger, and chili flakes. Heat over medium. Let the aromatics sizzle for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will remove the raw bite of the garlic and onion, and extract flavor from the chili flakes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Make the garlic peanut sauce: To a mixing bowl, add peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, (optional) maple syrup, the sizzled aromatic mixture, fresh lime juice, toasted sesame oil, and about 3 tablespoons water. Whisk together to form a sauce. Whisk in extra water 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve a smooth and pourable texture. Taste and adjust to preference.
- Cook the noodles: Cook the noodles according to package directions, then drain them. Reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water in case you need to thin out the sauce. You can serve this noodles hot or cold. For cold noodles, rinse the noodles thoroughly with cool water.
- Toss together: Add the cooked noodles to the mixing bowl with the garlic peanut sauce and toss to coat. Add reserved cooking liquid as needed to achieve a velvety texture.
- Serve: Plate the noodles and top with fresh carrots, cucumber, and red bell pepper. (Or you can toss these with the noodles and sauce in the bowl.) Top with the green parts of the scallions, crushed peanuts, and any additional toppings you like. I always like to serve with Simple Pan-Fried Tofu to boost the protein.
Notes
- Noodle options: Whatever you have in your pantry should work just fine! Rice noodles are a favorite of mine (like the kind you buy for pad thai). Udon noodles are great when I want something with a little chew. Ramen noodles never disappoint, and in a pinch you can even use pasta (like spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine). Just cook according to package directions.
- Weeknight quick tips: Sub minced garlic or ginger from a jar to save a few minutes of prep time. Similarly, you can use pre-shredded carrots or a coleslaw mix for your veggies.
- Gluten-free: Sub gluten-free soy sauce or tamari in the sauce. Use your favorite gluten-free noodles. Rice noodles are a good choice. I also love the millet and brown rice ramen noodles from Lotus Foods.
- Adjust spice: Add more or less red pepper flakes to adjust the spice level. You can also try adding in some chili paste or sriracha for extra heat and flavor. For max spice, try adding some a few diced chilis into the aromatic mix when sizzling (like bird's eye chilis or serranos).
- Note on peanut butter: Good natural peanut butter is usually a little drippy/runny, especially when it's a fresh jar. This texture is ideal for peanut sauce. If you only have conventional peanut butter (like JIF), you can still use it, but you may need to whisk in a little extra water to get the texture just right.
- Peanut-free option: The sauce can be made with almond butter, cashew butter, or even tahini. Depending on the texture of the nut/seed butter, you'll need to add more or less water to achieve the right consistency.
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