Looking for a delicious easy dinner recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes? These spicy peanut noodles fit the bill! They’re packed full of flavor, are gluten-free and vegan and faster than any takeout dish!

This recipe is a throwback one for me! If you lived in Montreal in the early 2000s then you probably survived off the late night eats of “two dollar chow” or “two chow” aka two dollar chow mein. All you needed was a toonie and you had a delicious noodle dish to soak up the alcohol that was likely coursing through your body.

Now to be fair *delicious* is probably a stretch. Anything tastes delicious after that many drinks but for two dollars it seemed like a culinary delight!

In hindsight I’m pretty sure the recipe was packaged ramen noodles with peanut butter, soy sauce and sriracha but it scratched an itch we all needed at 2:00 AM.

These days I’m asleep at 9:00 PM and only occasionally enjoy a singular glass of red wine but my love for peanut noodles remains. That being said, my version is much, much, much better. It requires a few more ingredients but it’s still delicious and comes together in 15 minutes. The perfect meal for those busy weeknights…or late night escapades I suppose!

Ingredients in Peanut Noodles

• Rice Noodles – I like the Lotus Foods Pad Thai Noodles but you can use any kind of rice noodles you prefer.
• Sesame Oil – for cooking your veggies.
• Scallions – Cook with the white and light green parts only and reserve the dark green for garnishing after cooking.
• Garlic – ideally use freshly minced garlic rather than the refrigerated kind.
• Ginger – I grate my ginger using a microplane. No need to peel!
• Bell pepper – any color works here.
• Edamame – Use the pre-shelled kind if you can find it. Totally fine to use frozen here!
• Natural Peanut Butter – We want to be using natural peanut butter than contains just peanuts with or without salt. Peanut butter spreads like jiffy don’t make a very smooth sauce but will work in a pinch.
• Tamari – or soy sauce if you aren’t gluten-free.
• Water – to thin out the sauce.
• Lime juice – ideally use freshly squeezed lime.
• Sweet Chili Sauce – you can find this in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
• Sriracha – you can skip this if you don’t want them to be too spicy but can add more if you like really spicy peanut noodles.
• Maple Syrup – to balance the sauce with a little sweetness. Feel free to use honey instead if that’s all you have.
• Salt + pepper – add more or less to taste and sodium preferences.

How to Make Peanut Noodles

STEP 1: MAKE RICE NOODLES

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

STEP 2: COOK VEGGIES 

To a large pan or wok heat your sesame oil over medium heat. Add your scallions, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and edamame and cook for 2-3 minutes or until edamame is thawed.

STEP 3: MAKE SAUCE

Directly to your pan add your peanut butter, tamari, water, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, maple syrup and lime juice and stir until sauce has come together.  Bring sauce to a simmer and then reduce heat to low to cook for 5 minutes.

STEP 4: ASSEMBLE

Stir in your rice noodles and toss to coat in sauce. Top with any additional toppings and serve.

What to Pair with Peanut Noodles

These spicy peanut butter noodles taste delicious all on their own, but if you’d like to up the protein in this dish here are my suggestions:

• Roasted tofu or chickpeas – to keep this recipe vegan i’d recommend adding tofu or chickpeas.
• Grilled chicken – perhaps one of these chicken thigh marinades or easy stove-top chicken speaks to you.
• Pan fried shrimp – fry up a little shrimp on the stove top with a little sesame oil and garlic and voila!
• Salmon – These noodles with peanut sauce pair perfectly with this easy miso salmon!

FAQs

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: Store peanut butter noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on stove top or in microwave.

Freezer: Recipe can be cooked and frozen in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge or for several hours on countertop. Reheat on stove-top or in microwave.

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