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This quick and delicious Cold Soba Noodle Salad is filling, rich in veggies, and tossed in a simple peanut sauce. Vegan, gluten free, oil free option, nut free option.
The Soba noodle salad is made with chewy buckwheat noodles and crunchy vegetables, all tossed in a creamy, umami-rich peanut sauce. Packed with healthy plant-based ingredients, it’s guaranteed to satisfy any eater.
Table of contents
- All about this soba salad
- Ingredients for soba noodle salad
- How to make soba noodle salad
- serving suggestions
- How to store soba noodle salad
- Substitutions and Variations
- Frequently asked questions about recipes
- Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce recipe
All about this soba salad
While I’ve been known to love a classic kale salad any day of the week, this twist on the traditional salad dish still ticks all the boxes for a delicious salad. Crispy veggies? Check over. Tasty dressing? Check over. Served cold? Check over.
It’s just as quick and easy as your favorite salad – ready in 20 minutes or less with just 11 fresh ingredients.
Try this recipe for a lighter weeknight dinner or a refreshing summer lunch. It’s also a great addition to the meal prep rotation as it keeps well all week long.
Ingredients for soba noodle salad
For our homemade peanut dressing you need soba noodles, a mixture of crunchy vegetables and 6 simple ingredients. Here are a few key salad components you won’t want to skip:
- Fresh vegetables: Crispy red cabbage, carrots, sliced cucumbers, and fresh cilantro are my personal favorites, but don’t be afraid to switch things up. Zucchini, spring onions, edamame, lima beans, peas or sautéed mushrooms.
- Peanut butter: Natural, creamy peanut butter is essential. Avoid store-bought peanut butter made with added sugar, preservatives, or additives of any kind. The only ingredients should be peanuts and salt.
- lime juice: The acidity in fresh lime juice brightens the dressing. For an extra flavor boost, add a teaspoon of fresh lime zest too!
- Soy sauce: Adds a salty umami component that is addictive. For a lower-sodium version, try low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos. Use tamari for gluten free.
- Ginger: Nothing beats the freshness and sharpness of fresh ginger. For an even spicier peanut dressing, add sriracha, chili paste, or chili flakes to taste.
How to make soba noodle salad
- Cook In a large saucepan of salted, boiling water, cook the soba noodles according to package directions until tender. drain, Then wash under running cold water until completely cool. Put aside.
- whisk Beat together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and water until smooth.
- in a big bowl, throw the cooked noodles with half the peanut sauce. Add to Cabbage, carrot, cucumber, cilantro and remaining sauce. Mix well to evenly distributed.
- surcharge Place immediately at room temperature with sesame seeds or in the fridge for 15 minutes and serve chilled.
Caitlin’s cooking tips
- Double the peanut sauce for meal prep. If you’re planning on making this cold salad for weekday lunch, I recommend making a double batch of the creamy peanut sauce. Pack a side of extra peanut sauce with the salad and drizzle just before enjoying. So it stays aromatic and creamy!
- Use a liquid, natural peanut butter. The best natural peanut butter is pourable and made only with peanuts. If your peanut butter is particularly thick, you likely need additional water to thin the sauce. This dilutes the creamy, nutty flavor, but works in a pinch!
serving suggestions
This cold, crunchy salad is the perfect light dinner, filling lunch, or afternoon snack. Serve alone or with other side dishes like edamame salad with mashed cucumbers, vegan summer rolls with braised tofu or creamy mushroom dumplings. I would highly recommend serving it with a refreshing drink like peach bubble tea (milk tea) or an iced chamomile matcha latte.
If you’re looking for tastier salad recipes with fresh veggies, you’ll also love this Fresh Thai-Inspired Salad with Tempeh, this Cooked Ramen Noodle Salad with Kimchi, and this Crispy Ginger Cabbage Salad recipe!
How to store soba noodle salad
Store leftover vegan soba noodle salad in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For best preservation, store this salad in airtight containers such as a glass Mason jar or Tupperware with a tight-fitting lid.
Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten Free Option: Buckwheat soba noodles are usually gluten-free, but not always. Always read the ingredients before purchasing. To make this recipe gluten free, you will need soba noodles and tamari instead of soy sauce. If you can’t find a gluten-free brand, you may enjoy this similar recipe: Zucchini Pasta Salad with Peanut Sauce.
- Oil-free variant: Omit the toasted sesame oil from the homemade peanut sauce.
- Add extra protein: If you want to make this cold soba noodle salad recipe even savory, I have several options to choose from! Try Easy Baked Tempeh, Baked Sweet Chili Tofu, or the easiest Crispy Tofu. You can even make my stovetop peanut tempeh for an even sassier salad.
- Peanut Butter Substitute: If you’re looking for a milder, creamier sauce, try a more neutral nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter.
Frequently asked questions about recipes
Soba and udon noodles are Japanese noodles that share many similarities but differ in a few important ways. Soba noodles are darker in color (usually brown/grey) and have a stronger flavor. Udon noodles are similar in color to Italian noodles, but are often wider and thicker. Soba noodles are also usually gluten-free, while udon is wheat-based. For more information, see this article.
If the pasta and veggies are tossed enough in the sauce, they should remain fairly creamy, but you can always make a second batch of sauce to drizzle over the top leftovers and make them extra creamy again.
These Japanese noodles can usually be found in the Asian/International section of most grocery stores, but you can also buy them online.
Readers have shared good luck with a variety of pastas, including fly noodles, rice noodles, and chickpea rotini.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to pass it on Facebook or Instagramdon’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also appreciate if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thanks for the support 😊
For the salad:
- 8th ounces soba noodles*
- 3 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 head)
- 2 carrots finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 English cucumber thinly sliced
- 2/3 Cup coriander chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame for sprinkling (optional)
For the sauce:
- 1/2 Cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon lime juice about 1 large lime
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger Finely grated
- 1 teaspoon Sugar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil Optional
- 1/4 Cup warm water and more if needed
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Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook according to package directions, usually 4 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Put aside.
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Make the peanut sauce: While you’re cooking the noodles, add the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and warm water to a small bowl. Whisk well; The mixture should initially become lumpy and then smooth out into a lighter, creamy sauce. If needed, add additional water in 1-tablespoon increments until sauce reaches desired consistency.
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Combine: Place the cooked noodles in a large bowl along with half of the peanut sauce. Use tongs to mix well; this will prevent the noodles from sticking. Then add the cabbage, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and remaining peanut sauce. Mix well with tongs until evenly distributed.
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Surcharge: Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately or refrigerate for 15 minutes and serve chilled. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Gluten free: If you’re gluten-free, look for soba noodles (aka buckwheat noodles), which are 100% buckwheat flour and not a wheat/buckwheat blend. Use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari as well.
- nut allergy: Substitute tahini for the peanut butter for a similar flavor! If you are only allergic to peanuts, you can also substitute almond butter.
Calories: 458kcalCarbohydrates: 62GProtein: 18GFat: 19GSaturated Fatty Acids: 4GPolyunsaturated fat: 5GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 9GSodium: 1133mgPotassium: 705mgFiber: 4GSugar: 9GVitamin A: 6066ieVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 3mg
This recipe is also part of my monthly collaboration with my friends Jasmine and Chris from Sweet Simple Vegan. Be sure to check out her recipes for a Rainbow Pesto Hummus Sandwich and Ramen Noodle Stir Fry!
