Hetti Misenti
Difficulty Level: easy
If you’re looking for a fast dinner or snack that’s both filling and savory, this spicy peanut butter noodles recipe should top your to-cook list. Not only is it super easy to make, but the peanut butter sauce will be something you go back to time and time again.
The sauce is rich, nutty, a little sweet, and spicy. It’s worth cooking because it turns basic pantry ingredients into a filling meal in about 20 minutes. Amazingly, the dish works hot or cold, so leftovers can be made into an easy lunch the next day.
The hardest part of the cooking process is getting the peanut sauce smooth, but all that needs is a splash of hot water added a little at a time. Outside of that, nothing can go wrong. Plus, you can customize the spice level by reducing the sriracha, chili, and pepper flakes to your liking. Check out the ingredients and cooking steps below.
Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles Recipe Ingredients
- 12 ounces of dried rice noodles, wheat noodles, or lo mein noodles
- 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter, preferably unsalted
- 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/3 cup of hot noodle cooking water, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, such as avocado oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons of sriracha or chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts, for topping
Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles Recipe Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Cook the noodles until tender but still a little chewy.
- Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the hot noodle water. Once done, drain the noodles. If using rice noodles, rinse them briefly under warm water to help stop sticking.
- While the noodles cook, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil in a large skillet over a low to medium-low heat.
- Add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the skillet. Cook these for 2 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant.
- Turn the heat to low and add the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, honey or maple syrup, red pepper flakes, and 1/3 cup hot noodle water.
- Whisk until the sauce is smooth. Add more noodle water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the sauce looks too thick.
- Add the cooked noodles to the skillet. Toss well until the noodles are coated in the peanut sauce.
- Stir in most of the sliced scallions, saving a few for topping.
- Serve warm with chopped peanuts and the remaining scallions on top.