20-Minute Peanut Noodles
Published 2/11/2024
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Hungry? Tired? Craving something delicious and easy? These 20-Minute Peanut Noodles are here to save dinner. It’s an easy meal that doesn’t sacrifice taste. The flavorful peanut sauce combines simple ingredients like creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, and honey. It’s ridiculously easy to make and will be your new go-to on a busy or cozy day.
These 20-minute spicy peanut noodles have been a lifesaver for me in this busy time of life transitioning back to work after maternity leave. They are quick to make and require minimal effort, but the end result is a mouth-watering dish that you can enjoy anywhere — whether it’s in front of your TV or at your office desk. You can enjoy this noodle recipe hot or cold, making them perfect for any kind of seasonal craving 😀
What’s In 20-Minute Peanut Noodles
Note: these are the featured ingredients in the recipe. For all ingredients and their measurements, check out the recipe card below!
- Spaghetti pasta: no need for fancy egg noodles, rice noodles, or soba noodles. Good old spaghetti pasta works perfectly fine for this dish. It’s readily available in most households and is quick to cook.
- All-natural peanut butter: I prefer all-natural peanut butter for this recipe because it doesn’t contain any added sugars or oils. It gives the dish a rich, nutty flavor without being too sweet.
- Soy sauce: soy sauce adds a deep umami flavor to the dish. You can use either light or dark soy sauce, depending on your preference.
- Sriracha: this popular hot sauce provides a spicy kick that perfectly balances out the sweetness of the peanut butter and honey.
- Fresh ginger: ginger gives the dish a warm, spicy flavor that takes the flavor profile to the next level.
- Honey: a touch of honey adds a subtle sweetness to the dish that complements the other flavors perfectly.
Variations and Substitutions
Spaghetti: Any type of long pasta can be used for this recipe. Ramen noodles are a close second for us.
Sriracha: If you don’t have sriracha, garlic chili sauce, gochujang, or chili crisp would taste fantastic! Just keep in mind that the spice level will vary depending on which one you use.
Rice vinegar: Swap the rice vinegar for white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar if you need to! They all have a similar acidity level and will work well in the recipe.
Get saucy: For a saucier dish, you can easily double up the sauce ingredients if you prefer.
Top Tips for 20-Minute Peanut Noodles
You might want to save more pasta water than the recipe calls for: We did this because sometimes, when the pasta sits and soaks up the sauce for a bit, it can turn thick. A little extra water added to the noodles will cream the pasta back up.
Toss in some veggies: You can add any vegetables of your choice to the dish for extra flavor and nutrition. Some suggestions include broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and snap peas. Simply stir-fry them before adding them to the noodles.
Store toppings and noodles separately: When storing leftovers, keep the toppings and noodles separate. This will prevent the toppings from getting soggy and keep the noodles fresh.
Storage + Freezer Directions
Store any leftover peanut butter noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, allow the hot noodles to cool before transferring to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with 20-Minute Peanut Noodles
These spicy Thai noodles will be satiating enough on their own. But let’s face it, sometimes we be feelin’ hungry-hungry, and I’m totally here for it. In that case, adding some extra protein is always a great idea.
For instance, Juicy Grilled Chicken or Sautéed Shrimp are both great mixed in the noodles or served on the side. You could also toss in some Crispy Pan Fried Tofu or these Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs for a tasty vegetarian option!
20-Minute Peanut Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz. spaghetti pasta
- ⅓ cup all-natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup pasta water
Toppings
- 3 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- Fresh squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 7-9 minutes or until they are cooked to al dente. Set aside 1 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta. Once strained, set the pasta aside.
- In the same pot, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, honey, and ½ cup pasta water and whisk the ingredients together.
- Heat over low heat until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and toss the pasta with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon more of pasta water to the pot and stir until smooth.
- Top with all of the toppings and enjoy immediately.
Tips & Notes
- Any type of long pasta can be used for this recipe.
- If you don’t have sriracha, you can use garlic chili sauce, gochujang, or chili crisp. The spice level will vary depending on which one you use.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- We remove more pasta water than the recipe calls for, just in case we need more to cream the pasta.
- If you would like a saucier dish, you can double the sauce.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
We added frozen veggies and the recipe turned out amazing. Will be making this monthly!
Great idea to add frozen veggies!
This was so good! I used lo mein noodles and added chicken and a red bell pepper. This peanut sauce is amazing. I’ll be adding this recipe to my rotation, thank you!
So glad you loved it, Julie!