Ultimate Asian Peanut Noodle Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing (Vegan & Gluten Free)

This cold peanut noodle salad is a meal I CRAVE, especially once the weather starts to turn warm. Spaghetti noodles are bathed in a creamy Thai peanut sauce and are tossed with mint, spinach, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers and peanuts. It’s crunchy, creamy, vibrant and healthy (in other words, it's the ultimate noodle salad). I’ll show you, step-by-step, how easily it comes together! [Don’t miss the VIDEO below.]

Easy Thai peanut noodles

This Thai noodle salad comes together easily and can be made in advance. We love it as a one-bowl dinner, but it’s also a beautiful side dish to grilled chicken or fish (think Thai shrimp or chicken kebabs). Since the salad transports well, it’s also the perfect dish to bring to picnics, potlucks and barbecues. (And let’s not forget about leftovers, which make for the best lunch ever.) 

How to make Thai peanut sauce:

1. Process a garlic clove in a mini food processor (or small blender) until finely chopped.
2. Add creamy peanut butter, tamari or soy sauce, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, mirin, maple syrup or honey, lime juice and sriracha.
3. Process the sauce until smooth.
4. Refrigerate the dressing until you're ready to use, or toss it with the cooked pasta right away.

How to make Thai peanut noodle salad

• Toss cooked spaghetti noodles with the peanut dressing. The mixture will look a bit soupy at this point, but the sauce will thicken as it chills. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. 

• Pile baby spinach, sliced cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, scallions, mint and peanuts over the peanut noodles. At this point you can cover the bowl and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve.

• When you’re ready to serve, toss the salad until well combined. Serve with sriracha (or your favorite chile sauce) for drizzling! 

Can you make the peanut noodle salad ahead?

Yes! These cold peanut noodles can be made a day ahead, making them perfect for meal prep. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce, then pile the rest of the ingredients on top. Right before eating, toss everything together to coat. This will ensure that the veggies stay crisp and bright. However, as I noted earlier, the leftover tossed salad is still fabulous the next day. (I call dibs!)

Gluten free & vegan noodle salad

These peanut noodles are naturally vegan, meaning this is a dish that will please everybody at the table. The peanut butter in the dressing and the peanuts in the salad provide enough protein to satisfy us, but you can certainly add shrimp or shredded rotisserie chicken to the salad if you prefer. The salad is also gluten free if you use gluten free spaghetti and tamari.

What about if you have a peanut allergy in the family?

You can swap out the peanut butter for another nut butter, such as cashew butter or almond butter. Swap the chopped peanuts for toasted cashews.

Peanut noodle salad tips:

• You can use gluten-free spaghetti, regular spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles for this salad.
• You’ll need a mini food processor for the peanut sauce (a small blender will work as well). 
• I prefer to use reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce), which is less salty and a bit more balanced than regular.
• If you don't have mint, you can use cilantro instead. Also, feel free to swap out the  bell pepper for sugar snap or snow peas!
• For another peanut noodle variation, try these Spicy Peanut Pork Noodles!

FAQs

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Other pasta salads to try:

• Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Garlicky Shrimp Kebabs
• Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad

Easy, flavor-packed meals you might like:

• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Easy Spicy Salmon Sushi Wraps
• Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls
• Vegan Slow Cooker Dal
• Paleo Canned Salmon Cakes
• Pan Fried Falafel

Watch the video!

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Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers, Spinach & Mint (Gluten Free, Vegan)

This is the ULTIMATE cold peanut noodle salad, made with a creamy Thai peanut sauce and a slew of veggies. It’s easy, vegan & gluten free! Spaghetti noodles are bathed in a peanut dressing and are tossed with spinach, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, peanuts and mint. It’s crunchy, creamy, vibrant and addictive. Enjoy the noodle salad on its own as a healthy main course, or pack it up for potlucks, barbecues and picnics. Make the peanut dressing while the spaghetti noodles cook.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cold pleanut noodle salad, Thai peanut noodle salad, vegan peanut noodles

Servings: 4 -6 people

Author: Nicki Sizemore

Ingredients

Noodles

• 8 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten free)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil or neutral vegetable oil

Peanut dressing

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil (such as safflower, grapeseed or canola)
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, preferably natural
• 3 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ⅛ teaspoon sriracha, or more to taste

For serving

• 1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber (about ⅓ cucumber)
• ½ red or yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
• Sriracha (optional)

Instructions

Cook the noodles

• Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Be sure to give them a good stir now and then, especially at the beginning, so that they don’t clump up. Drain the noodles, then rinse them in cold water. Transfer the noodles to large bowl, and toss them with the sesame oil.

Make the peanut dressing

• In the meantime, put the garlic clove in a mini food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the oil, peanut butter, tamari or soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, maple syrup or honey, lime juice and sriracha (feel free to add more if you like it spicy!). Process until smooth. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to combine. It will look a bit soupy at this point, but the sauce will thicken as the noodles chill. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (or up to 24 hours).

Assemble the salad

• Layer the cucumber, bell pepper, spinach, scallions, mint and peanuts over the noodles. At this point, the salad can be covered again and refrigerated for an additional 4 hours, or it can be tossed together with tongs and served right away. Serve the salad with sriracha, for drizzling.

Notes

Do Ahead: The noodles and dressing (without the vegetables) can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The salad with the vegetables can be assembled but not tossed up to 4 hours before serving.

Tips:

• You can use gluten-free spaghetti, regular spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles for this salad.
• You’ll need a mini food processor for the peanut sauce (a small blender will work as well). 
• I prefer to use reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce), which is less salty and a bit more balanced than regular.
• If you don't have mint, you can use cilantro instead. Also, feel free to swap out the  bell pepper for sugar snap or snow peas!
• For another peanut noodle variation, try these Spicy Peanut Pork Noodles!