Stir Fried Creamy Peanut Noodles

These Peanut Noodles are plant-based Thai-inspired rice noodles cooked in a creamy, sweet peanut sauce. If you are a fan of quick and easy noodle recipes, this one is a must-try.

Peanut noodles in a large black bowl with a wooden spoon, decorated with Thai basil and chili slices.

I love making Asian-inspired recipes for dinner, like my Szechuan Tofu, Vegan Stir Fry, Teriyaki Noodles, or Crispy Orange Tofu because they are so fast to put together and most of them are easy to make vegan.

On a busy night, it’s always great to have a quick dinner recipe that is comforting, packed with flavors, and cheap. This Thai peanut noodle recipe ticks all the boxes. It takes less than 15 minutes to make, and it’s low cost, but it still tastes like a restaurant-style noodle meal.

Plus, peanut butter is packed with plant-based proteins, so it’s a filling dinner.

What Are Peanut Noodles?

Peanut noodles, also called peanut butter noodles, are a Thai-inspired meal made from noodles cooked in a sweet peanut butter sauce.

It’s a very simple side dish or meal in which you can stir in any stir fry vegetables or proteins.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

All you need are a few ingredients:

Ingredients for Peanut Noodles in bowls and ramekins.

Peanut Butter – Use natural peanut butter with no added oil or salt. You can use other nut butter like almond butter, but the recipe wouldn’t be peanut noodles anymore!
Noodles – Peanut noodles taste amazing with any kind of noodles. I love thick rice noodles, but you can also make ramen peanut noodles.
Rice Vinegar or lime juice
Garlic – You can either use fresh crushed garlic or garlic powder.
Brown Sugar – You can also use coconut sugar or any sugar-free crystal sweetener if you’d like to reduce the amount of carbs.
Sesame Oil – Sesame oil brings a delicious flavor to the noodles.
Tamari Sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos.

How To Make Peanut Noodles

It takes under 15 minutes to make this easy Thai noodle recipe.

First, cook the noodles following the package instructions. If you are using instant ramen, discard the flavoring packets provided. I prefer thick pad-Thai-style rice noodles, but any noodles work here.
Drain the cooked noodles over a sieve. If you are using rice noodles, rinse them under cold water to remove the starch and prevent the cooled noodles from sticking together.

Next, prepare the peanut sauce. Whisk the water, tamari sauce, sesame oil, garlic, rice vinegar, and brown sugar in a small bowl.

Whisk until the sugar is well dissolved.

Peanut butter sauce on the cooked noodles.

Place the noodles into a large wok or non-stick pan and pour the prepared sauce on top.

Bring the pan over medium-high heat and stir-cook the noodles until they are warm and the sauce is glossy and coats all the noodles. If too thick, add a splash of extra water to thin out the peanut sauce.

Serving Noodles

If you love spicy peanut noodles, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sriracha sauce or a pinch of red chili pepper to the pan.

When the noodles are warm, feel free to serve them with some of the below:

Sesame Seeds
Fresh Thai basil
Chopped green onions
Chili slices
Crushed toasted peanuts

Peanut noodles served on a black plate with chopsticks.

Adjusting The Flavors

If you love your noodles spicier or saltier, feel free to serve with extra soy sauce or tamari sauce if gluten-free. To make the dish spicy use cayenne pepper, chili pepper, or fresh jalapeno slices.

Adding Vegetables

You can make these noodles much more filling by adding some stir-fry vegetables to the mix.

In a non-stick wok, warm a teaspoon of sesame oil and stir-fry two cups of the below vegetables before adding the cooked noodles:

Carrot Sticks
Zucchini Slices
Baby Bok Choy
Snap Peas
Red Bell Pepper Strips

Adding Proteins

To boost the proteins in this noodle recipe, stir in the noodles some baked marinated tofu or baked marinated tempeh.

Or, stir-fry some of the below high-protein ingredients, before adding the noodles:

Edamame – up to 1 cup
Mushroom Slices

Storage Instructions

You can store the peanut noodles in an airtight container or a sealed large bowl in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Leftovers can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to one month. Thaw the frozen meal in the fridge the day before.

Rewarming Noodles

These peanut noodles tend to stick together after they cool and spent time in the fridge. To loosen the noodles and rewarm the dish properly, place them in a large non-stick pan or wok. Add 1/4 cup cold water and cook them until warm while stirring.

Peanut Noodles leftovers rewarmed in a plate.

Allergy Swaps

Below are some ingredients to swap if you need them.

Gluten-Free – I always use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce, it’s naturally gluten-free. Make sure your noodles are wheat free. Try rice noodles, quinoa noodles, or buckwheat noodles.
Low-Carb – Use a low-carb sweetener, and pick low-carb noodles, like edamame noodles or konjac noodles.
Nut-Free – You can make this recipe with sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
Oil-Free – You can swap sesame oil for tahini or leave it out and add more water to thin out the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find below my answers to your most common questions about this peanut butter noodle recipe.

Can I Use Almond Butter?

If you have an allergy to peanuts, or simply want to decrease the saturated fat of the recipe, you can replace the peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter.

Which Noodles Are Gluten-Free?

The best Asian gluten-free noodles for this recipe are rice noodles, made from rice.
Bean noodles are high-protein and gluten-free, including black bean noodles, and edamame noodles. Be careful with Japanese soba noodles, they are made from gluten-free buckwheat flour but most of the time contain wheat as well!

More Quick And Easy Asian Recipes

If you like this recipe, you’ll love these other Asian-inspired dinner recipes.

Teriyaki Noodles

Orange Cauliflower

Vegan Stir Fry

These delicious Miso Glazed Eggplant melt-in-your mouth with the most delicious sweet and savory miso glaze. Bonus, this delicious Asian-style recipe is also vegan and gluten-free.

Miso Eggplant

Did You Like This Recipe?

Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!