Vegan Peanut Noodles

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The whole family will love these tasty vegan peanut noodles! This simple recipe is made with a delicious peanut sauce, fresh vegetables, and crispy tofu. It is a healthy, wholesome lunch or dinner to make any day of the week. The best part? These vegan satay noodles are ready in just 35 minutes!

When you crave Asian cuisine but want a healthier option, give these vegan peanut noodles with tofu a try! It is a stress-free, hassle-free recipe that saves you time and money as it is much more affordable than takeout. With just 15 minutes of prep time, this convenient recipe will quickly become part of your regular meal rotation.

These vegan peanut satay noodles are a go-to for my family on busy weeknights. You get the perfect balance of plant-based protein, healthy fats, and dietary fiber for a nourishing meal you can feel good about eating! As a bonus, the creamy peanut dressing can be used for other noodle recipes or as a dip, too! 

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love Vegan Satay Noodles

• Easy & Convenient: With just a few simple steps you’ll have the most delicious tofu peanut noodles! This recipe only takes 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook.
• Super Versatile: These vegan peanut butter noodles can be enjoyed in your favorite ways, with different vegetables and proteins for a customized meal! You can also use your favorite noodles if you prefer something else like brown rice noodles or whole wheat spaghetti.
• Perfect Texture: Between the crispy tofu, crunchy peanuts, and perfectly sauteed vegetables, the balance of texture in this peanut noodles recipe is unmatched!

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🥘 Ingredients

This delicious recipe for vegan satay noodles involves two steps – making the easy peanut sauce and throwing together the actual peanut noodle stir fry. Below you’ll find the sauce ingredients and stir fry ingredients! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for nutritional information.

For The Vegan Satay Sauce

• Peanut Butter: Use creamy or crunchy peanut butter as the base for this sauce. Ideally look for a natural peanut butter option that contains just peanuts.
• Coconut Sugar: Add a little sweetness to this vegan peanut sauce for noodles, which will balance out the savory and sharper flavors.
• Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds a kick of citrus to brighten up the sauce and add more dynamics to the flavor.
• Sesame Oil: You can use regular or toasted sesame oil to enhance the other flavors and give that perfect Asian flair.
• Tamari: Using tamari keeps this recipe gluten-free as an added bonus!
• Coconut Milk: Canned coconut milk helps to thin out the peanut butter, while also giving the most rich and creamy consistency.
• Ginger & Garlic: Minced ginger and minced garlic are the ultimate combination for this peanut butter sauce.
• Chili Flakes: Get the perfect balance of spice in this peanut tofu noodle bowl with a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

For The Noodles & Stir Fry

• Olive Oil: To saute the tofu and vegetables, use a high quality extra virgin olive oil!
• Tofu: Peanut noodles with tofu is the best combo! Extra-firm tofu adds plant-based protein to this dish, and won’t crumble when sauteing with the vegetables.
• Vegetables: Red onion, broccoli, carrot, red bell pepper, green onions, bok choy are the best combination of vegetables for this vegan peanut noodles recipe.
• Peanuts & Sesame Seeds: A sprinkle of sesame seeds and peanuts add extra protein, amazing flavor, and the perfect crunch for this peanut butter noodles recipe.
• Soba Noodles: Soba noodles are long and thin, typically being made with buckwheat. They are great for soups and stir fries, like these creamy peanut butter noodles!

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Nut Butter: While peanut butter is the most traditional flavor to use for this type of sauce, you can experiment with other nut butters like almond butter!
• Sweetener: Use maple syrup or raw honey in place of the coconut sugar.
• Vinegar: Instead of lime juice, you can also use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a touch of acidity.
• Soy Sauce: Use coconut aminos as an alternative to tamari. You can also use regular soy sauce if you are not gluten-free.
• Oil: You can use avocado oil or coconut oil for these crispy tofu noodles.
• Noodles: Use any kind of noodles like udon noodles, gluten-free rice noodles, zucchini noodles, brown rice ramen noodles, or regular spaghetti noodles if you prefer.

🔪 How To Make Vegan Peanut Noodles

Even if this is your first time, making vegan noodles with peanut sauce is much easier than you might think! Happy cooking!

Prepare The Tofu, Cook Noodles: Remove the tofu from the packaging and press between kitchen paper towels to remove excess liquid. Dice into ½ inch cubes and set aside. Prepare a large pot of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the noodles as directed on the package instructions. Then drain and set aside.

Combine Sauce Ingredients: Prepare the creamy peanut sauce by heating all of the sauce ingredients in a small pot over a low heat. Stir to combine and cook until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

Saute Tofu: Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the diced tofu until lightly golden brown all over. Drain on a kitchen paper towel.

Saute Veggies: Heat remaining oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, broccoli, carrot, bell pepper, half of the green onion and all of the sliced bok choy. Cook until the raw veggies have just begun to soften.

Combine Noodles, Sauce, & Veggies: Add the prepared satay sauce and cooked noodles. Stir and cook until well combined.

Add Tofu & Serve: Add the tofu, remaining green onion, some toasted peanuts and sesame seeds. Stir together and then serve.

💭 Expert Tips

• Choose The Right Tofu: Use extra firm tofu to prevent the tofu from falling apart when stirring. Also, be sure to press it before for crispy tofu.
• Make Ahead: Satay sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
• Adjust Spice: Adjust the spiciness of this dish by adding more chili flakes if desired. You can also add in some of your favorite hot sauce for spicy peanut noodles.
• Rinse Noodles: If you are using rice noodles or other starchy noodles, rinse them with cold water to stop them from cooking further and to wash away the excess starch.

📖 Variations 

• Try Different Protein: Instead of tofu you can make this dish with chicken, duck, or tempeh, or edamame.
• Try Different Veggies: Try out other fresh veggies like orange bell peppers, snap peas, red cabbage, green cabbage, green beans, or frozen edamame. Any of your favorite vegetables will do!
• Dipping Sauce: Instead of using the sauce to make creamy peanut noodles, you can also store it in a jar and use it as a dipping sauce throughout the week. It is delicious as a dip for egg rolls or spring rolls. If you have been curious about how to use vegan peanut satay sauce with other vegan recipes, this is a great way!

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Enjoy these easy vegan peanut noodles topped with fresh cilantro or fresh basil. Have it cold as a Thai noodle salad, or eat it warm for a comforting lunch or dinner. Here are a few of my favorite pairings:

• Appetizers: Pair these vegan peanut sauce noodles alongside vegan egg rolls, spring rolls, edamame, or vegetarian wontons.
• Rice: Enjoy the noodles with a side of steamed white rice, brown rice, or tofu fried rice.
• Curries: Vegan Thai peanut noodles go along great with curries, like this tofu Thai yellow curry or this vegan panang curry.
• Family-Style: Serve along other Asian foods and noodle dishes for a family-style dinner, sampling a little of everything! Try out recipes like these vegan teriyaki noodles with vegetables, Thai basil eggplant stir fry, and Thai sweet potato soup.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

Soba noodles are naturally gluten free, and this recipe is already vegan! Here are two other dietary modifications you can make:

Peanut-Free Option: Use almond butter in place of the peanut butter if you have a peanut allergy or simply wish to avoid peanuts. You will also need to omit the toasted peanuts, but feel free to replace them with toasted almonds.

Nut-Free Option: For a completely nut-free version of this vegan satay noodles recipe, use sunflower seed butter and add in some toasted sunflower seeds or extra sesame seeds for the added crunch.

🫙 Storage Directions

Here is how to store and keep these vegan rainbow peanut noodles:

• Refrigerating: Allow the veggie peanut noodles to cool and then place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the tofu will not defrost well.
• Reheating: To reheat, either heat the vegan peanut Thai noodles in a microwave or place in a large pan and heat over a low heat until hot. You may need to add a little water to the pan to prevent sticking and thin out the sauce as it will thicken a bit in the fridge. You can also skip this altogether and enjoy them as vegan cold peanut noodles.

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🍛 More Healthy Asian Recipes!

• Tofu Broccoli with Sesame Noodles
• Sweet and Sour Tofu
• Tofu Summer Rolls
• Vegan Chow Mein
• Frozen Vegetable Stir Fry
• ​​Vegetable Stir Fry Sauce
• Avocado Sushi Roll
• Tofu Egg Roll In A Bowl

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