These easy peanut butter noodles are a truly delicious five-minute vegan meal. Enjoy them as they are, or add your choice of stir-fry ingredients such as veg, mushrooms, tofu, or tempeh.
Place the rice noodles in a pan or large bowl, then pour over enough boiling water to fully submerge them. Stir every minute or so until they are tender and easy to bite through, which can be anywhere from a couple of minutes to 10 minutes depending on the thickness. Drain and set aside (see notes). For other noodle types, prepare according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a jug or bowl, combine the peanut butter, tamari/soy sauce, agave syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and water. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
In the same bowl or a pan, toss the rice noodles in the peanut butter sauce until evenly coated. Mix in the sliced spring onions and serve (see notes for serving suggestions).
Notes
Avoid sticky noodles: For the best results, prepare the noodles 'to order' so that you can drain them and immediately coat them in the peanut sauce. If they're sitting around on their own after draining, you can either toss in some sesame oil or cool them down with cold running water (although this will obviously mean they're no longer warm). To serve: You can either enjoy this amazingly simple recipe as it is for an ultra-quick lunch or dinner, or add your choice of stir-fried veg, mushrooms, tofu, tempeh etc. You could also mix in some sliced raw veg.Quantity: I'd go with around 75 grams of dry rice noodles per person as an average main portion size, but you can adjust this accordingly. It'll also depend on any veg, tofu, etc. you want to add to the meal. Noodles: You can use any type of noodles you like with this sauce. Just note that the cooking/softening time will vary depending on the variety, and you may want to check that they're vegan and/or gluten-free.Sauce consistency: I found that two tablespoons of water was a good amount, but you can add a little more if the sauce seems too thick.Peanut butter: You can use any peanut butter you like for this sauce. Smooth varieties will give you a silkier finish, while crunchy varieties will add a bit of texture and bite. Agave syrup/nectar: If you don’t have agave syrup, you can replace this with maple syrup or sugar (I’d go with a soft brown sugar). You could also simply omit this ingredient, but it helps to give a nice sweet balance to the salty and sour flavours.Add some heat: To give the sauce a little kick, try adding fresh chilli or a tablespoon of hot sauce such as sriracha.Lime juice: You can easily swap this out for another acidic ingredient such as rice wine vinegar. Try a couple of teaspoons in place of half a lime.Ginger: You could also add minced fresh ginger to the sauce – I'd suggest trying an amount that's similar to the amount of garlic. Gluten-free: If you want to make this recipe 100% gluten-free, be sure to use a GF soy sauce or tamari. You'll also want to make sure that you use gluten-free noodles (rice noodles are naturally gluten-free).Storage: Store the peanut noodles in the fridge in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to four days. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave.If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
* The nutrition info below is for one serving, based on a total of two servings. It doesn't take into account any of the additional serving suggestions.
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