Thai peanut noodles
Creamy, slightly spicy peanut noodles tossed with crisp veg and coriander — quick, veg-friendly midweek supper.
This Thai peanut noodle recipe is the weeknight hero you didn’t know you needed — quick, comforting and bright with lime and coriander. It’s vegetarian, saucy and nicely slurpable: everything good noodles should be.
Make the sauce first, soak the noodles, then flash-fry some veg. Toss everything together and you’ve got a saucy bowl with crunchy peanuts and a cheeky hit of chilli if you like it hot.
Ingredients
- 320 g dried rice noodles — choose flat rice noodles (about 6–8 mm)
- 150 g smooth peanut butter
- 60 ml light soy sauce
- 30 g brown sugar
- 15 ml sesame oil
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves — peeled and crushed
- 25 g fresh ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 120 ml warm water — divided—use some to loosen the sauce if needed
- 30 ml vegetable oil — for stir-frying
- 1 red pepper — thinly sliced
- 1 carrot — large, peeled and julienned
- 1 courgette — thinly sliced lengthways
- 3 spring onions — sliced on the bias
- 15 g fresh coriander — leaves roughly chopped
- 50 g crushed roasted peanuts
- 10 g sesame seeds — toasted if you like
- 2 limes — to juice when serving
- 15 ml sriracha (optional) — or other chilli sauce, to taste
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
Make the peanut sauce: in a medium bowl whisk together smooth peanut butter, light soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and rice vinegar until smooth. Add the crushed garlic cloves and grated fresh ginger, then whisk in 60 ml of the warm water a little at a time until the sauce is glossy and pourable. Add sriracha to taste. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper only if needed — light soy sauce is already salty.
Soak the rice noodles: place the dried rice noodles in a large heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak until just pliable but still slightly firm in the centre — usually 5–7 minutes (check the packet). Drain thoroughly in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop them cooking further.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high hob. Add the sliced red pepper and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the courgette and continue to stir-fry until the veg are just tender but still have a bite, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the sliced spring onions and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the drained rice noodles to the frying pan and toss gently with the vegetables over the hob for 2 minutes to warm through and loosen any clumps.
Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss vigorously until every strand is glossy and evenly coated. If the sauce seems too thick, add the remaining warm water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a silky, coat-the-noodles consistency. Adjust heat with extra sriracha or a squeeze of lime to taste.
Divide between four bowls and finish with a generous scattering of crushed roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped fresh coriander. Serve with extra lime wedges for squeezing over.
Tips
- Follow the rice-noodle packet times for soaking — over-soaking makes them mushy because they continue to soften when tossed in the pan.
- If your peanut butter is very thick, microwave it for 15–20 seconds to loosen before whisking; that helps create a glossy sauce.
- Make the sauce a day ahead and store in the fridge; bring to room temperature and thin with a little warm water before using.
- Toast the sesame seeds and peanuts in a dry frying pan for 1–2 minutes until fragrant for extra depth.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2 days; add a splash of water and reheat gently in a frying pan to loosen the sauce.
Substitutions
light soy sauce → tamari, same quantity (60 ml) for gluten-free
Stays closesmooth peanut butter → sunflower-seed butter, same quantity (150 g) for a nut-free option
Noticeably differentdried rice noodles → egg noodles (wheat), 320 g; result will be chewier and not gluten-free
Noticeably differentbrown sugar → caster sugar or maple syrup, same sweetness (30 g or 30 ml); maple syrup will add a subtle flavour change
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 750
- Calories
- 20 g
- Protein
- 84 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the peanut sauce ahead of time?
Yes — make and chill the sauce up to 48 hours ahead. Whisk in a little warm water before using to loosen it if it has thickened.
How do I stop the noodles sticking together?
Drain and rinse the soaked noodles in cold water to stop cooking, then toss them quickly in the hot pan with a little oil; lift gently with tongs rather than stirring violently.
Can I add protein to this dish?
Absolutely — sliced tofu (pan-fried), cooked prawns or shredded cooked chicken all work. Add cooked protein at the same time as the noodles so it heats through.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
As written it is not (light soy sauce contains wheat). Use tamari to make it gluten-free.
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