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These peanut butter noodles have “a depth of flavor and dimension that belies what a fast, easy, flexible, and mindless (and therefore brilliant) solution it is when time and energy are low,” writes cookbook author Hetty Liu McKinnon.
Think of her recipe for peanut butter noodles as a formula. The highly adaptable peanut sauce comprises “a nutty, full-bodied base thinned out with a mix of something acidic to cut through the richness, something sweet for balance, and something salty for a jolt of umami.” Is someone in the house opposed to peanut butter? Use tahini. Out of maple syrup? Use sugar or honey as the sweetener. Rice vinegar runneth dry? Turn to coconut vinegar, ACV, or even lime juice.
As for the noodles, almost any Asian variety will work: Try store-bought or homemade ramen noodles, udon noodles, or soba noodles, or swap in rice vermicelli for gluten-free diners. Nothing in the cupboard but a box of spaghetti? That’ll work too; just cook whatever you choose according to its package directions. The veggies are equally flexible. Crunchy cucumbers and green onions are great, but thinly sliced snap peas and carrots would be, too, as would leftover grilled asparagus or zucchini, jarred bell peppers, or raw shredded cabbage.
This dish is as good served right away for a weeknight dinner as it is packed up for a take-to-work lunch; store the cooked noodles, peanut butter sauce, and the chopped peanut garnish separately. And have ready chili crisp or sriracha and sesame oil, plus cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and lime wedges for squeezing so everyone can customize their bowl as soon as they’re ready to eat.
Looking for a more substantial peanut butter noodle dish? Try Chris Morocco’s version with crispy pork, sautéed collard greens, and rice noodles, Hana Asbrink’s Chicken Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce, Claire Saffitz’s udon with chicken and bean sprouts, or Ines Anguiano’s pork noodles with salsa de cacahuate.
Cook 12 oz. dried wheat noodles (such as thin udon) in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water; set aside.
Whisk ½ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter, 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or lime juice, 4 tsp. pure maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 small garlic clove, finely grated, and ¼ cup hot water in a large bowl until smooth. Dressing should be the consistency of heavy cream; if too thick, add a little more water as needed. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. If the drained noodles are sticking together, rinse briefly to separate; drain well. Transfer to bowl with dressing; toss to coat. Add 4 small Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced, and 2 scallions, finely chopped, and season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Divide noodles among bowls; top with ⅓ cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped, and drizzle with raw sesame oil or chili oil. Editor’s note: This peanut butter noodle recipe was first printed in our March 2021 issue. Head this way for more of our favorite recipes with peanut butter →
How would you rate Easy Peanut Butter Noodles?
I use almond butter instead of PB and love the dish!
yummy!!! Sesame oil is a must add for me, i love peanut butter noodles and i make them often! Topped with some seared shrimp and toss in some broccoli and i can eat it every day 😍
I don't like spicy food and I've been looking for a good peanut sauce that isn't spicy but still is tasty. I finally found it. I followed the recipe exactly as written (without the chili oil) and found it fast and easy to make. I used my pasta machine to make fresh udon noodles which only needed about three minutes to cook. The consistency was perfect. I did add chopped sweet peppers and blanched kale along with the cucumber and unsalted chopped peanuts. Thanks for a great recipe. I'm tired of substituting or eliminating the spicy parts and finding that what is left is not worth the trouble.
This was super solid and easy. I made it with somen because that's what I had and some Persian cukes that were alllllmost over the hill. Def would love to add garlic chips, chili crisp-- nice base recipe and I've tried other tahini or peanut sauces like this that ended waaaaayyy too stodgy, so happy to have found this ratio.
Good base for a recipe. I added three big spoonfuls of chili garlic sauce to the sauce and left out garlic and it was perfect for our family.
Lots of irrelevant advertising in this post, lots of introductory matter, lots of comments. But darned if I could find the recipe or a link to it.
Made a lot of changes, but started with the sauce as directed. Found it too sweet, so increased the vinegar and soy sauce, also doubled the garlic. Next time, will halve the sweetener. Added julienned carrots and red bell peppers with the cuke, also cilantro and chives in the absence of scalllions. Finally, the noodles were brown rice vermicelli. Added sriracha at table. Will make it again.
I was first drawn to this recipe since it is vegan. Turned out to really like the flavor and it was very easy to make. I have to figure out what I did wrong with the peanut butter because it was mostly a glob versus a sauce, but still tasted really good!
I'm a huge Hetty fan, but this recipe is very unbalanced, leaning way too hard on the pb. I added a ton of chill oil, black vinegar, and cilantro but it was still too heavy/too pb-esque.
Pro tip: Top this with the Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch and it is perfection.
A solid base for playing around. I used spicy PB, without which I wouldn't have enjoyed the recipe so much. After adding the right amount of warm water, the sauce was great, but too thick. I thinned it out to the heavy cream consistency, but then it was watered down too much - won't make that mistake again. A squeeze of lime juice brightened it up, too
I've lived in three Asian countries, and some version of this dish was always available somewhere. I've been back in the States for over a decade now, and for the sake of nostalgia, I thought I'd give this recipe a try. I'm really glad I did. Not only is it extremely easy to put together, it was truly delicious. I'm surprised other reviewers thought it lacked flavor. I think it's the best version of the dish I have ever tasted. Given how easy it is to prepare, I stuck this one in my recipe drawer. I'll have it again soon.
Sauce as-written turns into slightly seasoned peanut butter. Definitely needs more soy sauce, sweetener, and rice vinegar than what is listed. Also found the sauce quite thick so I thinned it with some warm pasta water, which worked well. I used cilantro instead of scallions for the topping , which was also good.
Marlene: If you splashed on the chili oil at the table, you should get the red and liquidy look that you see in the picture. Sounds like you mixed in the chili oil instead? I do agree the sauce has a strong PB flavor, but I enjoyed that , especially when serving the dish at slightly below room temp (ie, out of the frig for about 15 mins before eating).
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