Thai noodles wrapped in a creamy, spicy peanut sauce and studded with tasty bits of carrots, cabbage, tofu and peanuts. It's a crave-worthy dinner loaded with protein, and it takes under 30 minutes to make!
Delicious Thai noodles
This is one of my favorite dinner recipes of all time: noodles coated in a creamy, sweet, spicy and tangy peanut butter sauce and smothered in crunchy veggies. It's filling, it's nutritious, and most of all it's so, so delicious.
This is one of those dinner recipes you can put together quickly at the end of a long day, in under 30 minutes. And you don't need a side or salad or anything else because all you need is right there in one plate, or bowl. I like using lots and lots of veggies to make this recipe even healthier, and the tofu adds a ton of protein.
The process of making these saucy noodles is ultra-simple and the four key steps go quickly:
- Cook the noodles according to package directions.
- Air-fry or sauté the tofu.
- Mix the sauce in a bowl.
- Chop and sauté veggies of your choice.
If you're looking simply for a side to go with another entree, you can skip the veggies and tofu and simply serve the noodles with the peanut sauce.
These Thai peanut noodles are perfect for you if you love peanut butter in savory dishes, like massaman curry, African peanut stew or sweet potato stew. I simply can't get enough of it, and I hope you'll love it too!
Recipe card
Vegan Thai Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 oz Thai rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1-inch knob ginger (julienne or cut into thin strips)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 carrots (julienne or cut into thin strips)
- ¼ head cabbage (green or purple cabbage, thinly sliced, about 3-4 cups)
- Salt to taste
- 4 scallions (or a bunch of chives, trimmed and finely chopped)
For tofu
- 14 oz extra firm tofu (water squeezed out. Cut the tofu into small cubes)
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For Thai peanut sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (I used natural peanut butter)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce (use more or less per taste)
- ¼ cup tamari (or soy sauce)
Instructions
Cook noodles
- Cook the noodles in salted water until al dente. My rice noodles took six minutes to reach the perfect texture in boiling water. Follow package directions if unsure. Strain the noodles, rinse in cool water, and set aside. You can coat the noodles with a bit of oil, if you like, to make sure they don't stick together.
Air-fry or sauté tofu
- Toss the tofu cubes with soy sauce and sesame oil. Place in the air fryer set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius and air-fry for 7-8 minutes until firm but still creamy.Alternatively, toss the tofu with tamari or soy sauce, and heat the oil in the wok or skillet. Stir-fry the tofu cubes until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Make the peanut sauce
- In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha sauce and soy sauce. Use a whisk to beat until very smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the Thai noodles
- Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in the wok or skillet over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the carrots and cabbage and continue to stir-fry over high heat for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage wilts and the carrots are tender but al dente.
- Add the noodles and tofu to the wok and pour the peanut sauce over them. Use a pair of tongs or a spatula to carefully mix everything together until the noodles, veggies and tofu are evenly coated in the sauce. Taste and add salt only if needed.
- Sprinkle the chopped green onions or chives over the noodles. You can also top the noodles with roasted peanuts before serving.
Nutrition Information
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FAQs
I used cabbage and carrots. You can also use broccoli, bell peppers, sprouts or most quick cooking veggies suited for stir-fries. Use more or less veggies according to your preference: I start with about five cups of raw veggies and they reduce a bit as they stir fry.
Yes, it's so easy to adjust the seasonings in the sauce - just use more maple syrup or sriracha sauce or vinegar or soy sauce to tweak the flavor. Make sure the sauce tastes good to you before you add it to the noodles and veggies.
I used rice noodles, which are gluten-free, and most gluten-free noodles would work in this recipe. I'd stick with more neutral gf noodles and stay away from legume-based noodles, like chickpea noodles, which have a stronger flavor
These noodles taste great hot, warm or even cold, out of the fridge. You can store them in the fridge for up to four days and in the freezer for up to three months. Freezing tofu will change its texture so if possible add the tofu before serving.
More mouthwatering noodle recipes
Recipe published May 22, 2014. Updated and republished on April 4, 2025.
Raina says
Made these noodles last night and my teenager asked for seconds, which is a first. Thanks for making mealtime easier for this mom.
TofuAnnie says
Vaishali, this looks so good! I'm planning on trying it this weekend and add to my comment later, but I wanted to thank you for adding the construction steps. I'm not a 'seasoned'(lol) cook, so for me it helps to see the steps in achieving what looks to be a yummy dish. 🙂
Vaishali says
Awesome! I am glad I did if it's helpful to you. Hope you try the noodles. ❤️
paula rothman says
hi, thanks for this recipe. making it tonight and noticed and error. I assume rice vineg and ses oil go into the drsg, but its not listed that way and 2 T rice vinegar listed twice. please update. thanks
Vaishali says
Hi, thanks for pointing out--some of the older recipes were messed up when I moved to a different recipe card and have been fixing them as I find. 🙂 Added now.
Leah says
Hi Vaishali! I wrote to you a while ago saying that we were about to start a 3-year State Dept tour in New Delhi and you wrote back a lovely message. We are here and loving it! We have a wonderful maid who isn't used to vegan (I'm here today to print out some recipes for her) but I'm slowly working her towards more vegan dishes and less animal products.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Leah, so fantastic that you're in India, and enjoying it. Delhi is a foodie's paradise.
Vaishali says
Hi Molly, that makes a lot of sense. And I agree that it would be great to get meat eaters to switch to lab-produced meat so animals don't have to die anymore.
Deb @ Saving the Crumbs says
Hi Vaishali! I dropped by your site a few years ago and just now happened upon it again. Your website and photos look great! Congratulations on a really beautiful site and kudos to your husband for contributing his photography skills.
Vaishali says
Hi Deb, welcome back, and thanks so much for your kind words. So happy you think the site looks good. I will let Desi know too. 🙂
Sally Jones says
You are wonderful! I am so enjoying your recipes and information. Thank you!
Vaishali says
Thanks, Sally. You're wonderful too. 🙂
Pallavi Kulkarni says
Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to eat peanut butter again! SIGH! I love noodles, I love peanut butter, slurp!
That bowl looks awesome. Some people substitute PB for other nut butters, but I am sure, it does not come close to the real thing 🙁 I just want regular PB, without a huge dose of migraine, please, thank you.
Vaishali says
Hi Pallavi, maybe you can try with some almond butter, if you can eat that? I think it would be delicious.
sarojinididi says
Lovely recipe, thanks. 🙂
Elizabeth says
I have one at home that won't eat bell peppers or onion 🙁 , I love onion, so I will replace them with shredded cabbage and julienned pea pods or green beans. I do not have siracha sauce, believe it or not. Does it have much flavor or is it just adding hot-ness to the dish? I do have red chili paste...could that substitute?
Vaishali says
Hi Elizabeth, the sriracha contains vinegar and garlic so it does have a distinctive flavor, but with all the other flavors in this recipe you won't really notice a huge difference if you substitute with red chili paste. Hope you try it! 🙂