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These cold spicy peanut sesame noodles were made for the warmer months. A creamy, spicy-sweet peanut sesame sauce gets blended, tossed with noodles, and left to chill and soak up flavor in the fridge. They taste even better the longer they sit, which is perfect for meal prep!
Inspired By My Mom’s Cold Peanut Noodles
When my brother and I were in grade school, my mom made us the coolest school lunches. And by “coolest,” I mean we never got the standard peanut butter and jelly. Some days it was sushi, some days fried rice, and some days a fried egg sandwich tucked into foil. My mom was endlessly resourceful in the kitchen, especially when it came to packing something we’d be excited to open at the lunch table.
One of my all-time favorites was her cold peanut noodles. Something about the ice-cold noodles coated in a creamy, savory peanut sauce made them completely addicting. This cold spicy peanut sesame noodle recipe is my own spin on that classic, with a little more heat and a lot more sesame flavor. It’s become one of my go-to noodle recipes for busy weeks (alongside my favorite cold sesame noodles). And because it tastes better cold or at room temperature, it’s an easy meal-prep lunch to eat all week long.
Best Peanut Butter for Sesame Peanut Noodles
I use regular, smooth peanut butter (like Jif). A natural peanut butter works, too, but the sauce may turn out a bit runnier since natural peanut butter tends to separate. Keep an eye on the saltiness of the peanut butter, and adjust the soy sauce down if needed to keep it from getting too salty.
Love peanutty flavors? Check out my soba noodle salad with creamy peanut dressing, too!
How to Make Cold Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles
Boil the noodles according to the package directions, then drain well. While the water comes to a boil, add the water, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, peanut oil, sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. It should look pretty thin.
Pour the peanut sesame sauce over the warm, drained noodles and toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (though I recommend closer to three). Give everything a toss before serving topped with scallions and sesame seeds.
Swaps and Substitutions
If you’re missing any of the key ingredients, don’t panic! Use these swaps:
- Nut Butter: Smooth peanut butter is the classic choice here, but cashew butter or even tahini/sesame paste makes a great substitute.
- Noodles: I use dried spaghetti most often since it’s easy to find. But medium-width Asian ramen noodles or even soba work great for a more traditional take.
- Peanut Oil: If you don’t have roasted peanut oil, a natural oil like vegetable, canola, or avocado will work in a pinch.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: Cut back for a milder sauce, or add a bit more if you like your noodles extra spicy. If you love spice, check out my spicy chili garlic noodles, too.
Can I Eat these Noodles Warm?
You can, but these noodles were designed to be eaten cold or at room temperature. Chilling helps the peanut sesame sauce thicken and turn creamy. If you eat the noodles right away or warm them back up, the sauce will turn a bit runnier.
Serving Suggestions
These cold noodles with peanut sauce are hearty enough on their own, but they’re also a great base for building a bigger meal:
- Top with shredded rotisserie chicken or sesame garlic tofu to turn this into a full dinner.
- Add crunch with shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, or edamame.
- Serve it alongside air fryer honey sesame salmon or spicy peanut chicken for a heftier spread.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cold sesame noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, so if it looks a little too thick after a day or two, loosen it up with a splash of water before serving.
**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!
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
I’ve been looking for this recipe forever!! My Guamanian chef grandfather was friends/colleagues with a lot of Chinese cooks when he was in the navy during WWII (all the minority dudes were relegated to the kitchen back then, as the military was still segregated). He used to make this dish for us when we were kids, and I’ve been trying to replicate it ever since. Your recipe tastes EXACTLY like his version. I made it for my mom tonight, and she almost cried. Thank you for the recipe, it’s such a wonderful nostalgic treat.
Oh wow, that’s awesome!!!
I loveeee this recipe, so simple and quick! Well depending on how long you like to let the sauce soak…anyway I’m wondering if you can substitute the roasted peanut oil for a regular peanut oil or some other oil? The roasted stuff isn’t always easy to find…thanks!!!
Yep, you can totally use regular peanut oil!
Just made this for the second time and added some shredded rotisserie chicken on top. Was soooo good! Definitely would recommend.
Great idea!!
Loved it clean plate club here
I just made this after having the ingredients on hand and recipe bookmarked for MONTHS. I’m so happy I finally made it. The sauce is so well balanced, you really nailed it. Can’t wait for it to set up in the fridge so I can devour it. Thanks!!
So glad you found this and trying it!
I wanted to try this to save money on lunches for an upcoming road trip and I just had to taste it first as a midnight snack once it was chilled. It’s SO delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, including the sesame seeds and scallions on top, and it was perfect! It would probably be delicious with some chicken and/or cucumber and carrots. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
So happy to hear this!
I just made this for dinner last night, and now that I am currently enjoying leftovers for lunch that taste just as good as they did yesterday, I knew I had to comment. These noodles are divine. The sauce is perfect. Finally a peanut sauce that doesn’t get clumpy or gluey. I used soba noodles and added julienne cucumber plus some shredded chicken for an extra oompf. I always love your recipes inspired from cooking with your Mom! Thanks, Juli!
Awesome, thanks for letting me know!!!
can’t find the recipe or what you have to say for the ads and your headline banner.. you spend too much space on advertising..won’t come back to this site…can’t even get rid of the adds at the bottom…
hi, recipe is always at the bottom of the page if you scroll down. you can get rid of the ad at the bottom with the big teal X in the upper right corner. i hope you know that content creators have ads to pay for their website costs, food costs, photography costs. we offer you 100% FREE recipes and resources. if you would prefer me to charge a monthly or yearly subscription for an ad-free experience, then i am happy to add your name to that list!
@Julie,
Just saw the comment and your response. Wow! Good for you! I would have had a really hard time biting my tongue and being as professional and polite as you were. Praises to you!
I too have been looking for a cold peanut noodle recipe and after reading your recipe and the reviews/comments, I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
We had cool lunches growing up too!
This recipe is spectacular! I found your site while googling for cold noodle recipes for school lunches, I’ve made it four times, all my kids love it, I can sneak in veggies, it uses pantry staples, it’s easy AND delicious!
THANK YOU THANK YOU!
This recipe is fantastic! I didn’t have peanut oil on hand, so I just added a tad more sesame oil (about 2tsp), and maybe 2 tbsp of canola oil. The sauce is so delicious I could have drank it. I added fresh julienned carrots and cucumbers to the noodles, and topped the noodles with spring onions, cilantro, chopped roasted peanuts, and served with lime wedges.
For rice noodles, I recommend increasing the sauce by 50% or even doubling it. I ended up making 1 lb rice noodles, and I decided to make another batch of the sauce after seeing how the noodles soaked it up and muted the sauce’s flavor.
Absolutely fantastic recipe! I’ll be making it again soon.