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A little back story on my cold spicy peanut sesame noodles recipe
When my brother and I were in grade school, I remember my mom always made us the coolest lunches.
By coolest, I mean, it was always unique and diversified.
We didn’t have peanut butter and jelly, my mom would go out of the way to make sure our lunches were interesting so we wouldn’t get tired of them.
Some days, we’d get sushi for lunch or fried rice or even a fried egg sandwich.
My mom was seriously multi-talented in the kitchen when it came to lunches.
One of my favorite dishes my mom made for us were cold peanut noodles.
There was something about the ice cold noodles and the creamy peanut butter mixture that made the noodles addicting.
This cold spicy peanut sesame noodle recipe is a similar take to the classic peanut noodles that she’d make for us.
This version is a lot spicier but it’s just as delicious. Jason and I would keep sneaking into the fridge to eat a few noodles. They didn’t last us long at all.
It’s SO easy to make and it’s perfect for school lunches because you don’t have to worry about the refrigeration part of the lunch. It’s best to eat it cold/room temperature! :)
The sauce for these cold spicy peanut sesame noodles is irresistible and totally makes the dish what it is!
Let’s get started on common questions that may arise with these cold spicy peanut sesame noodles!
Can I use another nut butter?
Sure! Cashew butter would be wonderfully delicious.
Can this be eaten warm?
You can eat it warm but the beauty of this dish is when it’s eaten cold/chilled!
What kind of peanut butter do I use?
I would definitely use smooth but as far as natural or regular, I used regular (like JIF), but natural works just as well.
I think your sauce might be slightly more liquidy if you use natural though.
How do I make this less spicy?
Use less of the spicy garlic sauce.
What if I don’t have a blender?
You can use a food processor!
Can I use another type of pasta shape?
Mmm, spaghetti or medium rice noodles would be best in this dish.
How long can this stay out of the fridge?
At least 6-8 hours for sure.
**If your child or children around them have peanut allergies, please be conscious of this as this is dish contains peanuts! Also, if you or your child don’t like spicy foods, you can tone down the spice level by reducing the chili garlic sauce, or simply omit it altogether. The sauce will still taste great!
Other noodle recipes that are quick and easy:
- Pad see ew
- Cold sesame veggie noodles
- Thai chicken curry noodles
- Curry lemongrass chicken noodle bowl
- Soy sauce noodles
Cold Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ pound (340 g) dried spaghetti noodles, or Asian rice noodles
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (86 g) smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup (59 ml) low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup (59 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (59 ml) roasted peanut oil
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for topping
- 3 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
- 1 clove small of garlic
- Fresh scallions, chopped, for topping
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, bring water to boil then add spaghetti noodles and cook according to box. Drain well when done.3/4 pound (340 g) dried spaghetti noodles
- In a jar of a blender, combine water, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, peanut oil, sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Process until smooth.2/3 cup (158 ml) water, 1/3 cup (86 g) smooth peanut butter, 1/4 cup (59 ml) low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup (59 ml) seasoned rice vinegar, 3 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup (59 ml) roasted peanut oil, 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 3 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 inch piece of ginger, 1 clove small of garlic
- After pasta is done cooking and drained, add to a large glass bowl. Pour the peanut sesame sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. The mixture/sauce will be very runny and it will look like you made way too much. Trust me, once you pop it in the fridge, the sauce sets up and it’s perfect :)
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour – the longer, the better. I had mine in there for at least three. I love when it’s super cold and the sauce is nice and thick.
- Toss noodles again prior to serving. Top with fresh scallions and sesame seeds.Fresh scallions
Nutrition
I served this last night at a chicken BBQ with old friends. The hostess made an Asian salad with mandarin oranges and a sprinkling of crunchy noodles on top. The scant leftovers went into the kids’ lunch boxes today. Thoroughly delicious.
So happy to hear this, Joe! This is one of my absolute summer favorites!
Made this last night- delicious!!! I added another big scoop of PB, some extra peanut oil and extra garlic. And I used a jar of puréed ginger, about 2 teaspoons. So good. I made it with regular spaghetti for my daughter and husband, and since I am doing a low carb way of life, I saved about a half cup of the sauce and poured it over a sautéed chicken breast that was served over spinach and a handful of sliced grape tomatoes. DELISH!!! I am going to make more sauce and just have it on hand as a yummy dip/pour over for anything!!! I think I’m going to add a bit more of the chili garlic this time…. Xoxo
Glad you liked this, Britt! It’s a favorite of mine :)
I love how simple this can be prepared! It`s definitely on my to-make list now!
This was amazing! I made a few substitutions since I forgot rice noodles and peanut oil.
I used:
– Soba noodles, the wheaty flavor/texture was great!
– Seseame oil instead of peanut oil. I put in a small additional spoonful of PB so the peanut flavor would come through – it was so good!
I love your creative spoonful of PB idea! That’s a great alternative if you don’t have peanut oil on hand. Thanks for sharing the feedback, Nicole! I’m so glad you enjoyed this :)
Oh wow this looks incredible!! I can’t wait to whip this up :)
Hi- I made these today for dinner this evening and I actually didn’t have enough sauce, which surprised me since you mentioned that it would look like soup. I have re-read the recipe and I followed it exactly. I used 1 lb. of uncooked spaghetti noodles, which was a whole box…the only thing I did different was use the thin spaghetti as opposed to regular, which I wouldn’t think would make a difference. I made a second batch of sauce and it took all of that to coat the noodles (but still didn’t look like soup). It’s in the refrigerator now and I’m hoping it turns out! I’m wondering if there is a typo in the recipe…maybe in the amount of pasta to use or one of the liquid ingredients? I love the flavor of the sauce, so I want to be able to make it again, but I’m thinking I would use no more than half of the amount of pasta listed. Thanks!
Hi Lauryn! I’m so glad you made this! I’m sorry it didn’t work out though. Honestly, my sauce was really loose and the consistency of soup and then when I put it in the fridge, it thickened up and coated the noodles perfectly. I used 1 pound of spaghetti too. What you see in the pictures above was only half of what I made! That’s so interesting yours didn’t get as liquidy as mine. I hope it turns out for you. Maybe next time add a bit of water to the sauce (like 1/2 cup?) and then also maybe reduce it down to 3/4 pound? I’m going to adjust the recipe due to your feedback and give a range and also add some water to the measurements. I’m just stumped as to why it didn’t work out. I’m really sorry :(
Angel hair (thin spaghetti) has a lot more exposed area to cover , which means it will take up more sauce (almost twice as much as a wider noodle like fettuccini). But angel hair also likes thinner sauces that it can move freely in. Fettuccini and linguini are friends with thicker sauces like this one.
Thanks for a great dinner idea for a 100 degree day in St. Louis where I refuse to turn my oven on!
Glad I could be of inspiration to you! Hope you give this a try :)
So peanutty and delicious! Love this!
Have you tried it heated? I think warm sounds amazing. Any thoughts?
Hi Lori, yes, you can have it heated, however, I would let the sauce set up in the fridge for about an hour before heating it up to eat because otherwise, it’s an extremely liquidy sauce when you make it and pour it on hot noodles. You’d basically be having peanut noodle soup :)
Totally my kinda dish!! Pinned..