Looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes? These Spicy Peanut Noodles are perfect! It’s flavorful, gluten-free, vegan, and comes together faster than any takeout meal.
This recipe is a nostalgic recipe for me! If you lived in Montreal in the early 2000s, you probably survived by eating “$2 chow mein” or “2 chow,” also known as $2 chow mein, late at night. All I needed was a toonie and a nice noodle dish to soak up the alcohol that would be coursing through my system.
To be honest, “delicious” is probably an overstatement. After drinking a lot of alcohol, anything you eat is delicious, but it seemed like you could get a good meal for $2.
In retrospect, I’m pretty sure that recipe was for packaged ramen noodles with peanut butter, soy sauce, and sriracha, but it scratched the itch we all needed at 2 a.m.
These days I go to bed at 9pm and only occasionally have a glass of red wine, but my love for peanut noodles remains. That being said, my version is much better. It requires a few more ingredients, but it’s still delicious and ready in 15 minutes. I think it’s the perfect meal for a busy weeknight…or a late night escape.
Why make this recipe?
Faster than takeout – That’s right…this meal is ready in just 15 minutes.
Gluten-Free + Vegan – Using rice noodles instead of ramen and tamari instead of soy sauce, this recipe is 100% gluten-free. This recipe is also vegan.
Easy to Meal Prep – Prepare this meal in advance so you can have Spicy Peanut Noodles all week long.
peanut noodle ingredients
Rice Noodles – I like Lotus Foods Pad Thai Noodles, but you can use any type of rice noodles you like. Sesame oil – for cooking vegetables. Green onions – Cook using only the white and light green parts, reserving the dark green for garnishing after cooking. Garlic – Ideally, use fresh, minced garlic rather than refrigerated garlic. Ginger – I use a microplane to grate the ginger. No need to peel! Bell peppers – Any color will work here. Edamame – If you can find the shelled ones, use them. It’s perfectly safe to use this frozen! Natural Peanut Butter – You want to use natural peanut butter, not just anything that contains peanuts with or without salt. Peanut butter spread won’t make a smooth sauce, but it can be used in a pinch. Tamari – soy sauce if you are not gluten-free. Water – to thin the sauce. Lime Juice – Ideally use freshly squeezed limes. Sweet Chili Sauce – You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores. Sriracha – You can omit this if you don’t want it too spicy, but you can add more if you like your peanut noodles really spicy. Maple syrup – to balance out the sauce and a little sweetness. If honey is all you have, you can use honey instead. Salt + Pepper – Add more or less depending on taste and sodium preference.
How to make peanut noodles
Step 1: Make rice noodles
Cook rice noodles according to package directions.

Step 2: Cook the vegetables
Heat the sesame oil in a large pot or wok over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the peppers and edamame and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the edamame is thawed.

Step 3: Make the sauce
Add peanut butter, tamari, water, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, maple syrup, and lime juice directly to the pot and stir until the sauce comes together. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble
Mix the rice noodles and coat with the sauce. Top with additional toppings and enjoy.

What to pair with peanut noodles
These spicy peanut butter noodles are delicious on their own, but if you want to get your protein boost with this dish, here are some suggestions.
Roasted tofu or chickpeas – To make this recipe vegan, we recommend adding tofu or chickpeas. Grilled Chicken – Perhaps these marinated chicken thighs or other easy-to-cook chicken on the stovetop resonate with you. Pan-Fried Shrimps – Stir-fry small shrimps on the stove with a little sesame oil and garlic and voila! Salmon – These noodles with peanut sauce are the perfect accompaniment to this easy miso salmon.
Easy replacements and replacements
Add Protein – You can add any type of protein. You can also add shrimp, chicken (diced or ground), beef, tofu, or enjoy it with eggs. See other suggestions above.
Add different veggies – You can add more veggies or even different veggies. Good choices include mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, and snap peas.
Substitute for Peanut Butter – If you are allergic to peanut butter, you can replace this peanut butter sauce with tahini or sunflower seed butter for a peanut-free version.
FAQ
Yes, you can use any noodles here. Ramen or spaghetti noodles both work well.
I don’t think it’s too spicy, but you can reduce or increase the amount of Sriracha depending on how spicy you like it.

Precautions for storage
Refrigerator: Peanut butter noodles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Freezer: Recipes can be cooked and frozen in airtight containers or Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for a few hours. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More delicious noodle recipes:
peanut noodles

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Looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes? These Spicy Peanut Noodles are perfect! It’s flavorful, gluten-free, vegan, and comes together faster than any takeout meal.
Author: Davida Lederle Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
yield: 4 one person 1×
category: dinner
method: cook
cooking: asian
diet: gluten free
8 oz rice noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 Green onion, chopped*
2 Garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cup Frozen + peeled edamame
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 cup Salt reduction tamari
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1–2 tsp sriracha
1 tablespoon Maple syrup juice, 1 lime Salt + pepper, to taste Optional toppings: green onions, crushed peanuts, cilantro, lime wedges, additional sriracha
Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot or wok over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the peppers and edamame and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the edamame is thawed. Add peanut butter, tamari, water, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, maple syrup, and lime juice directly to the pot and stir until the sauce comes together. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the rice noodles and coat with the sauce. Top with additional toppings and enjoy. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. See instructions above for freezing.
*Cook the white part and light green part together, and save the dark green part for garnishing after cooking.
