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 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. We love our peanut butter.
Anyway, if you also find yourself with too much peanut butter on hand, make these. Since the recipe is made with mostly pantry staples, it's easy to throw together on a whim. It's also just easy to throw together. It'll take you about 35 minutes to get this one on the table!
Side note: This recipe is included in my Weeknight Vegan Dinners E-Book. Definitely check it out if you're looking for more easy vegan dinner recipes like this one. It contains over 25 recipes, including favorites from this site and a few exclusive recipe that you'll only find in the book.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried spaghetti. This is completely inauthentic, but it works great and many of us often have dried spaghetti on hand, so I went with it. Feel free to substitute another type of noodle. Soba noodles or ramen would work great. Rice noodles are a good option if you need to keep the dish gluten-free.
- 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. Organic brown sugar works well.
- Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international foods section at your supermarket.
- Water.
- Peanut oil. Feel free to substitute another high-heat oil, such as canola oil, corn oil or coconut oil.
- Super firm tofu. I like using super firm tofu for this recipe because the texture is great and it's easy to work with. Extra firm tofu can be substituted, but you'll need to press it before you begin cooking.
- Garlic.
- Fresh ginger.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Red cabbage. Green cabbage works too! Also, feel free to switch this up with your favorite veggies. Bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots would all work well.
- Roasted peanuts. Check the ingredients on these. Believe it or not, some brands of roasted peanuts contain gelatin.
- Toasted sesame seeds. I used a mix of black and white sesame seeds, but either one is fine on it's own.
How It's Made
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 into a colander 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 to make it pourable.
- Now heat up some oil in a skillet, and add cubed tofu. Pan fry the cubes for about 5 minutes on each side, until they're lightly browned and crispy.
- Take the tofu out of the skillet and transfer it to a plate when it's done cooking.
- Heat up a bit more oil in the skillet, then add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of your scallions. Cook the aromatics very briefly, until they become very fragrant.
- Add the cooked noodles and tofu, then the sauce.
- Toss everything a few times and cook it just until it's hot.
- Add the cabbage last, so it stays nice and crispy.
- Take the skillet off of the burner and top your sesame peanut noodles with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and the green parts of your scallions.
- Serve and enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover sesame peanut noodles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Asian-Inspired Noodle Recipes
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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
- ⅓ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- About ⅓ cup water, or as needed
For the Pan-Fried Tofu
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 7 ounces super firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
For the Peanut Noodles
- 1 tablespoon peanut 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
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
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.
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Next, make the pan-fried tofu. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the tofu in an even layer. Cook the pieces for about 10 minutes, flipping one or two times, until the cubes are browned and crispy on multiple sides.
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Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a plate when done.
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Add a tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet, then add the garlic, ginger and white parts of scallions. Sauté the aromatics for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Add the noodles and tofu sauce the skillet, then the sauce. Stir everything with a fork to coat the noodles and tofu with the sauce. Raise the heat to high and cook everything for about a minute, just until 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, sesame seeds, 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!
Just tried this, great recipe, really easy to follow! Was a hit with the whole family! Many thanks!