Slurpable noodles are drenched in silky peanut sauce with a touch of sesame oil, then served up with crispy cabbage and pan-fried tofu to make these scrumptious peanut sesame noodles. A delicious vegan meal that can be served hot or cold!
These sesame peanut noodles have a lot going for them. They’re scrumptious, easy to make, and a great excuse to have peanut butter for dinner. We eat a lot of peanut butter in my house. I just counted and we currently have seven(!) jars of peanut butter in the pantry.
That seems a little out of hand for a two person house. But I can partly blame this on the fact that my favorite peanut butter (Trader Joe’s) requires a twenty-minute drive to obtain, so I like to stock up. My husband also has his own favorite brand, and he has a bad habit of buying and opening a brand new jar when he’s still working on the last one, because apparently the peanut butter at the top of a brand new jar is the best.
Anyway, it’s no surprise that many of my clean-out-the pantry meals involve peanut butter. And this is one of those meals!
We also tend to have a ton of pasta hanging around, and while Italian-style pasta isn’t exactly authentic peanut noodle material, the ingredients in spaghetti are pretty much the same as those you find in lots of Asian noodles. You really can’t tell the difference, so I decided to roll with it!
What You’ll Need
- Dried spaghetti. Feel free to substitute another type of noodle. Soba noodles or ramen would work great!
- Peanut butter. I recommend using natural peanut butter of the creamy variety.
- Soy sauce or tamari.
- Rice vinegar.
- Maple syrup. You could substitute another type of sweetener if you’d like. Brown sugar works well.
- Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international foods section at your supermarket.
- Water.
- High heat oil.
- Extra firm tofu.
- Garlic.
- Fresh ginger.
- Scallions.
- Red cabbage. Green cabbage works too!
- Roasted peanuts. Check the ingredients on these. Believe it or not, some brands of roasted peanuts contain gelatin.
How to Make Sesame Peanut Noodles
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make sesame peanut noodles. Scroll down if you’d prefer to skip right to the recipe.
- Start by cooking your pasta according to the package directions. Drain it when it’s finished, then toss it with a dash of oil to prevent sticking.
- While the pasta cooks, make the sauce by whisking peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and sesame oil together in a small bowl. Thin the mixture with some water, so it’s a bit on the runny side.
- Prep your tofu by pressing and dicing it.
- Now heat up some oil in a skillet, and add the tofu. Pan fry the cubes for about 5 minutes on each side, until they’re lightly browned and crispy.
- Push the tofu to the side of the skillet, then add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of your scallions. Cook them up very briefly, until they become very fragrant.
- Add the noodles and sauce.
- Toss everything a few times and cook it just until it’s hot.
- Add the cabbage last, so it stays nice and crispy.
Sesame Peanut Noodles Tips & FAQ
- Can this dish be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use a gluten-free variety of noodle and gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Shelf life & storage: Leftovers of this dish will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days.
- I normally serve this dish hot, but cold works too! For cold noodles, pan-fry the tofu (or skip it), but then move away from the stove. Instead of cooking the aromatics and heating up the noodles, just toss everything together in a big bowl.
- If you’re not into the idea of using Italian pasta for this dish, just substitute your favorite Asian noodles. Soba noodles go great with peanut sauce!
- Feel free to switch up the cabbage with your favorite veggies.
- Looking for more Asian-inspired noodle recipes? Try my vegetable lo mein, vegetable chow mein, vegan ramen, or Singapore noodles.
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Sesame Peanut Noodles
Slurpable noodles are drenched in silky peanut sauce with a touch of sesame oil, then served up with crispy cabbage and pan-fried tofu to make these scrumptious peanut sesame noodles. A delicious vegan meal that can be served hot or cold!
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dried spaghetti (or noodles of choice)
For the Peanut Sesame Sauce
- 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- About 1/3 cup water, or as needed
For the Pan-Fried Tofu
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 7 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes
For the Peanut Noodles
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
For Serving
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
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While the pasta cooks, whisk the ingredients for the peanut sesame sauce together in a small bowl, thinning the mixture with as much water as you need. You want the sauce to be thick and creamy, but pourable and not too runny.
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Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss it with a dash of canola oil.
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Next, make the pan-fried tofu. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with canola oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the tofu in an even layer. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping one or two times, until the cubes are browned and crispy on multiple sides.
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Push the tofu to the sides of the skillet, and add a tablespoon of canola oil to the center, and add the garlic, ginger and white parts of scallions. Sauté for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Add the noodles and sauce the skillet, and push the tofu back into the center with the rest of the ingredients. Flip everything a few times to coat the noodles and tofu with the sauce. Raise the heat to high and cook for about a minute, just until everything is heated throughout.
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Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the cabbage.
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Top the noodles with the peanuts and green parts of scallions. Divide onto plates and serve.
I like to add some coconut milk, hot chili oil, and some dried cilantro and lemongrass to give the sauce a really authentic flavor .
Sounds delicious!
Delicious! Great recipe.
I’m so glad you think so! Thanks Morgan!
I did this recipe with rotini pasta (lol) because I forgot to get noodles and it still was AMAZING! New staple in our house :)
Glad to hear it! Thanks Margarita!!
I’ve tried a few different peanut noodles recipes and this is the winner! I added bell pepper and carrot. Possibilities seem endless. Willl definitely be making again. Thanks!!
Woo hoo! So happy to hear that! Thanks Amy!
This was amazing and will definitely be part of our collection of recipes for special meals. The fried tofu was nice, but TBH it didn’t add a lot to the dish, especially considering the added calories. I think the next time I make this I’ll simply add in some lightly-steamed broccoli.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You can definitely leave out the tofu of sub veggies! I like the fact that it adds some protein, but it’s certainly not necessary. Thanks so much!
Really tasty and simple recipe. I cut the maple in half thinking the recipe would turn out too sweet. I also appreciated the tip of browning tofu in cast iron. That worked out great!
If there was a 10 rating, that’s what this recipe would get. It was fabulous! The only change I made was to toss the tofu with a few teaspoons of light soy sauce before frying it up. Thanks Alissa – love your site!