This Vegan Thai Noodle Salad has a cornucopia of colors and is tossed in the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime sauce. This cold noodle salad is gluten-free adaptable and comes together in only 30 minutes. This recipe is excellent to make ahead or for Sunday meal prep. It keeps for about 5 days in the fridge. It can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd or take to a potluck.
If you love variety and umami this is the dish for you. You can customize it to account for which ingredients you have in the fridge, what you are in the mood for or even the color of your shirt.
What Makes It The Best Ever Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce?
Calling something the BEST EVER is a very bold statement, indeed. However, I confidently stick to the claim. Whenever you make a homemade dressing or sauce, it’s impossible to give a universal recipe. What makes this the BEST EVER sauce is that it is perfectly customizable to YOUR tastebuds. Whether you love or loath spice, like tangy or tart you can control the level of sweetness to tickle your tongue.
Many of us use different brands of soya sauce, peanut butter and limes are all different sizes. Therefore, each of us will make something slightly different. The only way to fix this is to tinker and adjust based on your own personal taste preferences. For example-For a sweeter dressing: add additional maple syrup or, if you prefer, you may substitute with monk sugar, brown sugar or agave.
You need more salt: if I need more salt I will usually add a little more soy sauce or a sprinkle of salt.
It’s too thick: if you need more acid, add additional apple cider vinegar and a little water. Otherwise, you may add just water (1 tbsp at a time) until you reach your desired consistency and tinker from there.
Adding additional peanut butter: never a bad idea, however, it will make your dressing thicker.
Leftover Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce?
Depending on how much dressing you like on the noodles, you may have some peanut sauce left over. It stores beautifully for weeks in the fridge. I would suggest making extra sauce and using it on buddha bowls, rice bowls or to dip my Rainbow Summer Rolls or spring rolls.
Ingredients Needed For This Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce
Listed below are the ingredients needed to make this Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce. As mentioned above this recipe is perfectly customizable. Feel free to follow the recipe as is, then fiddle with the ingredients to make it your own.
For The Salad
–White (thick cut) rice noodles or brown (thick cut) rice noodles
-Vegetable or sesame oil (optional)
-Carrot, shredded
-Red bell pepper
-Yellow bell pepper
-Purple cabbage
-Crispy lettuce
-Cucumber
-Green onion
-Firm tofu
-Chopped unsalted peanuts
-Black sesame seeds
-Fresh herbs: cilantro, thai basil, mint, lemon balm
-Lime wedges for serving
Garnish with edible pansies (optional)
For The Dressing
-1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
– soya sauce ( tamari for gluten-free)
-Lime juice (4 limes)
-Siracha (or to taste)
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Expert Tip
Something I do that makes these bowls quick and easy is prepping the vegetables as soon as you buy them! Take 15 extra minutes when you get home from the store to slice, dice, peel or cube your veggies. If you have a food processor pull it out and use it to save time. When making lunches or at the end of the day when you’re hangry and don’t feel like cooking you’ll thank yourself for doing this.
Optional Ingredients To Make This Vegan Thai Noodle Salad Your Own
The following is a list of optional ingredients you can use to make this recipe your own or to change it up if you are in the mood for something different.
Vegetable To Try
-green cabbage
-jalapeno pepper
-edamame
-radishes
-fresh peas
-jicima
-bean sprouts
-corn
-veggies that that will stay crunchy in the salad for several days.
Noodles To Try
Herbs
Do not be shy when it comes to adding fresh herbs. I always add at least one bunch of cilantro and mint to any Thai noodle salad that I make. Herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, and parsley are ESSENTIAL to blending together the rest of the flavors.
Peanut Allergy?
Substitute almond butter for peanut butter and top with toasted, slivered almonds!
More Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime you will want to try these other bowl recipes:
*Sweet & Spicy Tofu Sushi Bowl
*Curried Cauliflower Rice Bowl
*Curried Tofu Colorful Vegetables and Orange Rice
Show Me Your Salad!
If you make this Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce please take a photo of them and share it with me at @SusanCooksVegan. I’ll feature your beautiful creation on my Instagram and Facebook stories.
You can also find me on my other channels YouTube, Instagram, Facebook , Pinterest and Twitter.
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the recipe below and give this Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce a star rating.
Thanks for the love, my friends!
Susan xox
Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime Sauce
This Vegan Thai Noodle Salad has a cornucopia of colors and is tossed in the BEST EVER Spicy Peanut Lime sauce. This cold noodle salad is gluten-free adaptable and comes together in only 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 6
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 6 Serving 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boil, Blend
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 250g white (thick cut) rice noodles or brown (thick cut) rice noodles *
- 2 tbsp vegetable or sesame oil (optional)
- 1 cup carrot, shredded
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 cups crispy lettuce, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced vertically, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced (or sub for 1/4 cup chives)
- 250g firm tofu
- 1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts (can sub cashews)
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- Fresh herbs: cilantro, thai basil, mint, lemon balm
- Lime wedges for serving
- Garnish with edible pansies (optional)
For The Dressing
- 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter (Room temperature)*
- 1/2 cup soya sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes) *
- 4 tbsp Siracha (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup hot water to thin (more if needed)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and allow to soak for 4-6 minutes. Loosen with a fork and check on them every few minutes. They should be tender not mushy when ready. Strain and rinse with cold running water, tossing until the water runs clear.
- Add to mixing bowl and sprinkle with a 2 tbsp vegetable oil to prevent noodles from sticking.
- Make the dressing by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl. You can also use a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.
- Add the dressing to the noodles and toss until thoroughly combined.
- Divide noodles into serving bowls and top with vegetables, tofu, herbs and garnishes.
- Serve.
Notes
*See post for recipe substitutions and adaptations.
*See tip in post for how to get the most juice out of your limes
-If serving a large group toss vegetables with the noodles and dressing. Top with tofu and garnishes.
-If sharing after the salad has been chilled, allow the salad to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes so the fats in the dressing can soften.
-Refriderate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
