Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad

May 30, 2017

Soba Noodle Salad!

It’s (mildly) spicy. It’s peanutty and noodley. It’s a friend to all vegetables. It’s salad that’s… not really a salad.

It’s got big punchy flavor from fresh garlic and lime juice, and it’s extremely filling thanks to that creamy peanut sauce and the tangled pile of carbs known as soba noodles, and it’s also colorful and crunchy and fresh, so yes, it is my favorite category of food.

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Can We Talk About How Neat Soba Noodles Are?

First things first – soba is so cool.

It comes in those little bunches wrapped with a little strip of cute paper, and after it’s cooked and soaked in some sauce (peanut sauce is life), it becomes so satisfying and chewy in the way that only the BEST noodle-based salads of the world can be.

But hey, guess what? It’s also gluten free because soba = buckwheat.

And guess what x2? This noodle situation is a dream for all those low-key cooks out there because it can be eaten straight-up cold. Delicious and colorful and flavor-boss-mode, right out of the fridge. Which is basically how I eat half of my noodles to begin with, so I guess this is all working out according to plan.

Ingredients for Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad.

Soba Noodle Salad Your Way

For this recipe, I actually revisited an older soba noodle salad recipe from 2014-ish that had been long since forgotten and revised it just slightly:

A little more heat, some new veg, and a swap of lime juice for vinegar.

This is just how I did mine (bell peppers, chicken, sometimes some purple cabbage or cilantro), but you are looking at a recipe that is begging to be customized.

Make it with extra chicken. Or meatless. With only green vegetables. Or spicier peanut sauce. It’s totally your call, and it’s totally going to be bomb delicious when you pull it out of the fridge for lunch/dinner/snack/repeat.

Close-up of soba noodles and bell peppers.

So What Are Soba Noodles Made Of?

Soba noodles are made from 100% buckwheat flour.

So…what’s buckwheat flour then? Exactly what you’d think: flour ground from buckwheat. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and also has four times as much fiber than regular flour. Wowzers.

Buckwheat flour gives soba noodles a very yummy and very delicious texture and flavor. And it’s good for you to boot!

Would it be weird to say I am happy for you? Good things ahead, Soba Adventurer.

Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad wrapped around a fork.

Let’s Keep The Noodle Salad Love Going

Lemongrass Vermicelli Salad (a serious showstopper)
Peanut Noodle Salad (our favorite way to combine veggies, protein, and noodles)
Chipotle Sweet Potato Noodle Salad with Roasted Corn (a plant-based favorite)
Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing (made with crunchy chow mein noodles…YUM)

Common Questions About Our Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad

Can this salad be prepped ahead of time?

Yes! If you’re making this ahead of time, toss everything together except the veggies. Those are best when added just before serving.

This feels like salad that’s heavy on the noodles. Is that right?

Our favorite kind of salads are heavy on the noodles! As written, yes, this recipe is heavy on the noodles. If you want a higher chicken/veg to noodles ratio, you could double the amount of chicken, or vegetables, or whatever you want.

Is this enough sauce for 8 servings?

It is, technically, but sometimes I double the sauce because I am a sauce hog. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a little extra peanut sauce in the fridge.

Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad Recipe

4.8 from 73 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8

Print Recipe

Description

This Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad features red peppers, cabbage, chicken, soba noodles, and a quick homemade spicy peanut sauce. Salads don’t get much yummier than this.

Ingredients

Units

For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:

5 tablespoons peanut butter
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
2 tablespoons sesame oil (optional – for flavor)
2 tablespoons honey
juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chili sauce like sriracha (more or less depending on spice tolerance)
1/2 cup peanuts

For the Salad:

1 lb. chicken breast
1 red bell pepper
3–4 cups chopped purple cabbage
10 ounces soba noodles
fresh cilantro or basil to taste
crushed peanuts for topping

Instructions

Video

Spicy Peanut Sauce: Puree sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add the peanuts last so you can control how chunky it is (I like to leave it a little more on the chunky side).
Chicken: Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is cooked through, set aside until cool enough to handle and shred the meat.
Vegetables: Chop the red pepper, cabbage, and cilantro to your desired size for the salad.
Noodles: Cook the noodles according to package directions (usually just boiling for a few minutes).
Assemble: Toss everything together with enough dressing to generously coat everything. Serve hot or cold!