Thai Peanut Noodles (Vegan)
Today we are making vegan Thai Peanut Noodles! These are noodles with stir fry vegetables, coated in a creamy coconut peanut satay sauce. This is a sauce that comes from Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian cuisines. It is often made using coconut milk, roasted or fried peanuts, soy sauce, onion, sugar and a few other spices. However, although it was influenced by Thai and Malaysian culture, its origin is still confirmed to have been from the Indonesian island of Java.
This Thai peanut sauce sauce is usually used in Peanut Satay. Satay (or sate) is a Southeast Asian meat dish of skewered meat, served with this peanut sauce. Hence, this became the “peanut satay sauce”. I figured this sauce could also be used on a variety of other dishes, because anything with peanuts, sugar and soy sauce can’t go wrong. So I decided to use it in a creamy noodle recipe, one that comes together in 15 minutes!
Here we use a quick mix of sauteed garlic and onions as a base, then cabbage and carrots as the veggie add-ins. Feel free to use any mix of vegetables you’d like, cut lengthwise to go with the consistency of this dish.
This recipe is enough for a two person dinner, because it takes one entire cup of cooked noodles. Noodles are filling enough as is, but adding peanut butter and coconut milk to the mix makes them even more so. I would double or even triple this recipe if making it for a whole family!
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles
Super Hearty: Since this recipe is so hearty and full of fresh vegetables and flavor, it makes for a great meal prep! Additionally, you can even make it soy-free or gluten-free with the substitutions listed below in the recipe card, which is great for different diets. It’s a quick weekday dinner that I can pack for work the next day, and doesn’t require extensive cooking or cleaning!
Versatile Peanut Sauce: Side note – I love using the peanut sauce as a dipping sauce for spring rolls! I make extra just to keep it as a dip. It’s great for dipping with baby carrots or celery sticks, with appetizers such as spring rolls, or coating it on tofu.
Substitutions
Coconut Milk: Use full-fat, canned coconut milk here. You can substitute this with pure coconut cream, mixed with some hot water to thin it out into milk before using.
Tamari: Use light soy sauce or dark soy sauce as a substitute. To begin with, add a little less because it has more sodium than tamari. For a soy-free version, opt for coconut aminos and increase the salt as desired in the recipe.
Noodles: I used fettuccine noodles here, which aren’t traditional to Thailand, but make for a great base (as do udon noodles)! For a gluten-free option, use rice vermicelli, brown rice noodles, soba noodles chickpea noodles, ramen noodles, regular spaghetti noodles or any other kind of noodles that are gluten-free. However, be careful on some of these noodles! They may contain egg depending on the type (which is not vegan).
Peanut Butter: For best results, use a creamy natural peanut butter with no added ingredients. The only ingredient should be peanuts! I do not recommend to substitute almond butter or another nut butter. The taste of peanut butter is unique in peanut satay sauce.
Coconut Sugar: Use brown sugar or even 100% pure maple syrup, which will make an even sweeter sauce. Feel free to try xylitol in it, which acts as a healthier version of white sugar.
Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles Notes
- Feel free to add other flavors on top of the noodles! Drizzle some sesame oil or lime juice, top with green onions, red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, sesame seeds or fresh cilantro.
- For extra protein, add in frozen edamame, crispy tofu or tempeh!
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions before measuring them for the recipe below.
- Other fresh veggies to add in can be baby corn, snow peas, bell peppers, snap peas or purple cabbage.
More Healthy Recipes You’ll Love
Noodle Bowls with Miso Ginger Dressing
Creamy Green Avocado Spinach Pasta
If you make this vegan Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Peanut Satay Sauce Noodles
Equipment
- Stovetop Pan
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ carrot, shredded lengthwise
- ⅓ cup white cabbage, shredded
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup cooked fettuccine noodles Cook the noodles then measure 1 cup out of it // substitute: gluten-free noodles
- Crushed peanuts to serve on top
For the Peanut Sauce
- ½ can full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup peanut butter, softened
- ¼ small onion, grated
- ½ tbsp tamari soy-free option: coconut aminos
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- Pinch red chili powder
Instructions
- In one bowl, whisk together all the items for the peanut sauce and set aside.
- In a stovetop pan over medium heat, add the oil. Once it is hot, add in the onions and garlic.
- Stir them around for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrot and cabbage. Stir this around for a few minutes, until you can bite into a cabbage piece and it is cooked through.
- Add in the cooked noodles and stir to combine with the vegetables.
- Add in the peanut sauce and combine it thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir it around for another minute, then turn off the heat and top with crushed peanuts to serve!
Notes
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Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
