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Imagine a noodle salad so cool, it makes even the hottest summer days jealous. When hot days and even hotter flavors are calling Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is the perfect antidote to a sweltering summer… it’s super chill!

Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Looking for a cold salad that’s great for hot summer days (and year round!), Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is great. It contains loads of healthy vegetables that you can customize if you like. It’s also an easy and healthy option that’s ready in under 30 minutes for a super speedy side or main.

Check out all the veggies in this Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce! OMG! It’s SO deliciously refreshing! (And yes… I know I needed a manicure).

Where did I get the Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe?

As I mentioned in my Orzo with Chorizo and Dates post, I’m spending more time trying not to reinvent the wheel. I know you’d rather not spend a ton of time searching for great recipes online, so I’ve done some of that work for you. Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce, by Hetty Lui McKinnon, is another of my New York Times Cooking favorite finds.

Here is the NYT recipe description that inspired me to make this recipe!

“Soba, Japanese buckwheat noodles, are ideal for salads because they taste particularly great when served cold. Crunchy vegetables are highlighted here, adding lots of crisp, fresh texture. Substitute with any raw vegetables you have on hand, such as cabbage, carrot, fennel, asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower. The spicy peanut sauce is very adaptable: If you don’t want to use peanut butter, you can use any nut or seed butter, like cashew, almond, sunflower or even tahini. Both the soba and the peanut sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge overnight, but wait to combine them until you are ready to eat for the best texture and consistency. The peanut sauce thickens as it sits, so add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up, if necessary.”

The NYT Cooking Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

How I changed the Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe

The big change I made to this recipe was using gluten-free soba rice noodles by Lotus brand. I’m a big Lotus brand fan. They make a lot of gluten free versions of pastas that normally might be difficult to find gluten free. You can also get big packages of their brown rice ramen at Costco. If you don’t have the Lotus Soba noodles for this recipe, you can substitute the brown rice ramen like I’m planning on doing this Shabbat.

I also used super chunky peanut butter instead of smooth. I mean, why would anyone use smooth peanut butter when they can use super chunk???

If you’re crew is afraid of Vegetables…

Another great thing about the Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is that you can change the vegetables if your crew is anti-vegetable.

Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce Veggies. I used my OXO mandoline to cut the zucchini and radishes into small matchsticks. Super speedy!

However, it would be worthwhile to note that you can hardly see the zucchini and radishes in the final result once the sauce is added, lending a little bit of color and a lot of flavor to the dish. My vegetable phobic relative actually loved it and we didn’t tell him until after he ate it what was inside lol.

Here’s the Recipe for Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love the Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce because it takes under 30 minutes to prepare, it’s loaded with healthy vegetables and nuts for protein, it’s a cold dish rather than hot, and it’s insanely delicious!

You can substitute your favorite vegetables in it if you like, and if you have someone in your family that has an aversion to cilantro (it tastes like soap!), you can leave it out completely or use dried cilantro that is much milder in taste.