This cold Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce is a filling Vegan entree that is perfect for an on-the-go lunch or light dinner.
I’m one of those really weird people who has no problem eating my leftovers cold. Heck, sometimes I even enjoy it more.
Edit: am I actually not weird? Let me know in the comments below 😉Â
But considering it’s still summertime and the AC is on full swing, I think this is one of those meals that anyone will enjoy chilled.
While there is no lettuce in this salad, I’m going to be a rebel and still call it one. It’s loaded with crunchy veggies like cabbage, carrots, and cucumber. Also, I guess technically the freshly chopped cilantro can count as a green, right?
Either way, we’re going to pair said veggies with a creamy peanut sauce (dressing?) and round it all out with some Soba Noodles. Now that’s a meal!
If you haven’t heard of Soba Noodles before, they are essentially noodles made from Buckwheat. You can usually find them in the Asian/Oriental section of most grocery stores, but can also purchase them online. They keep well as leftovers but are more flavorful than traditional pasta, which makes them a great ingredient for an on-the-go lunch.
Speaking of on-the-go lunches, this recipe is featured in my latest video where I give you two more lunch ideas! They’re perfect for school or work, and don’t require to be heated up before eating. You can view the full video here:
This recipe is also part of my monthly collaboration with my friends Jasmine and Chris of Sweet Simple Vegan. Be sure to check out their recipes for a Rainbow Pesto Hummus Sandwich and Ramen Noodle Stir Fry!
A Few Final Thoughts:
- This recipe can be made ahead of time for meal prep, but I would recommend storing the peanut sauce with the noodles to keep them moist. You may want to make a double batch of sauce and drizzle a little extra over your meal every day for an extra burst of flavor.
- If you’d like to add more plant based protein to this meal, feel free to add in some chopped tofu or tempeh!
- Not all Buckwheat Noodles are gluten free, so if you are GF, please be sure to read the ingredients before you purchase.
Finally, if you post a photo of this recipe to Instagram, be sure to tag me @frommybowl + #frommybowl! It makes me so happy to see your yummy recreations 🙂
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Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce (Vegan)
Prep Time: 16 minutes- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 people 1x
Prep Time:
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Pin RecipeDescription
This cold Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce is a filling Vegan entree that is perfect for an on-the-go lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
- 6.2 oz Buckwheat Noodles (2/3 of a pack)
- 2 cup Red Cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 1/2 cup Carrot, grated
- 1 2/3 cup Cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
- Sesame Seeds, to sprinkle on top (optional)
For the Peanut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter (should be runny)
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Tamari (or Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp Ginger, grated (about 1/2″ knob)
- 1/2 tsp Coconut Sugar
- 2–4 tbsp Filtered Water
Instructions
- Rinse and prep all veggies.
- In a small bowl, prepare the Peanut Sauce. Combine all ingredients and stir until an even dressing forms. Begin with 2 tbsp of water, then add water in 1 tbsp increments until the sauce reaches your desired consistency, as necessary.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your Soba Noodles according to package instructions; mine required only 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add the Cabbage, Carrot, Cucumber, and Cilantro to a large bowl. Pour the Peanut Sauce over the veggies and mix well. Then, gently fold in the rinsed Soba Noodles until everything is well distributed.
- Garnish with Sesame Seeds and serve immediately, or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
If you are Gluten Free, be sure to get GF Buckwheat Noodles
If you have a Peanut Allergy, feel free to substitute with Almond or Sunflower Butter
Coconut Sugar may be substituted with Brown Sugar
Want to save this Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce for later? “Pin” the Pinterest image below!
60 comments
Oh goodness, I don’t know if I can do ANY leftovers cold. Chilled roasted vegetables and even certain curries taste pretty decent, but I need to have everything else warmed! I actually do like the taste of cake out of the freezer sometimes XD anyways, soba noodle salads are definitely something I enjoy cold, especially buckwheat soba (which sounds really tasty right now)! This looks so delicious, and I was really shocked as to how high in protein buckwheat soba noodles are! It’s amazing!
Oh WOW this was freakin’ DELICIOUS! I ate this for three days straight and am still loving it! I think the lime really makes this recipe, because it adds an extra depth to the dressing. I didn’t have red cabbage, but used Chinese cabbage instead, which worked really nicely in this salad. It’s a super light meal but at the same time really filling, which I love. Thanks for the inspiration and this great recipe!
I’ve been watching you channel/following you for over a year now and never ever commented, but this time I had to! Haha
Keep up the great work! Best wishes from Weimar, Germany 🙂
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This is such a great review! Thank you so much Laura, I really appreciate it 🙂 I agree that the lime makes the dressing!
This recipe was DEVINE. The flavors and the textures really complimented each other, not to mention, it was very easy to look at. Made a batch as part of my meal prep this week and it was a welcomed addition. Thanks for a great recipe, Caitlin!
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So glad you enjoyed it Jenni! 🙂
One of the most unique and delicious meals I’ve ever had! The flavors of cilantro, lime, and peanut butter pulled together were incredible. I enjoy making Caitlin’s recipes because they are quick and easy, but taste like they are from a 5 star restaurant. I am a medical student and health is my priority, so I am constantly on the look out for nutrient dense vegan meals and Caitlin’s recipes all pass the test. If you want the jackpot of recipes, make sure to buy her new e-book!
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Thank you so much Whitney! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I appreciate that your blog introductions are not five miles long, talking about every single event that led to the creation of the recipe. Your intros are quick, informative, and to the point, which I love!
This soba noodle salad is excellent! Next time, I think I’m going to add more greens such as lettuce or kale, because I love my veggies! Personally, I love lime so I used two ? Absolutely simple and delicious! Caitlin is the queen of salad dressings ??
★★★★★
Thank you Claire! I loooove lime too 😉 If you want to really amp up the flavor you could also add some lime zest to the dressing! And hey, the more veggies the better in my opinion 😀
Loving this! I am exploring veganism for the first time and should have no problem with tasty recipes like these (plus Thai/Vietnamese noodle salads are one of my favorite foods ever). This is delicious and I’m looking forward to my next 2 days of lunch! Thank you for easy, affordable, and delicious recipes!
★★★★★
So, so, SOOOO good!
Being vegetarian (and not having any coconut sugar hehe) I tried the dressing with a teaspoon of honey! It tasted a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Still can’t get over how delicious yet easy this dish is! I also added in some red onion to the salad!! Such a versatile recipe, will defs make it again.
★★★★★
4/5 stars. I made this without the soba noodles and cilantro, because I didn’t have them on hand. One thing I think I did wrong is add too much water to the dressing, you definitely need to keep it thicker to dress the veggies nicely. I had a lot of watery dressing on the bottom of my bowl. If I had to change one thing, it would be to leave out the cucumbers. They cucumbers got soggy by the next day. I’d recommend something hearty like a bell pepper instead.
Overall, thanks so much for your creative recipes! I really enjoy your site.
A must-try! WOW—this has become a meal prep go-to in my house for myself and my non-vegan boyfriend, and a friend of mine has started making this regularly as well! It’s ALWAYS so good and can easily be modified for whatever you have on hand.
Could I replace the peanut sauce with something else like almond butter, or is there something else you would recommend because I haven’t been blessed with the taste buds to like anything peanut related
Yes, almond butter will work great!
Super yummy dressing! I added a little sesame chili oil to it, because I like spicy. So good! I also added some sauteed shiitake mushrooms and shelled edamame to the veggies for a filling main dish. I will make this again and again. Thank you!
My boyfriend and I LOVE this recipe! It is so simple and the sauce is amazing—I have also made the sauce a little thicker and used it as a dip for summer rolls, and it was perfect!
So glad to hear that, Jane!
Can’t find a gf soba and wondering if it would taste good with rice noodles?
Yes, though the rice noodles may stick together with time.
I couldn’t find Soba noodles so I used olf fashioned Bowtie pasta, came out great!
Glad to hear it, Bethany!
I love love looove peanut sauce, and probably would eat it more often if it wasn’t for the fat in the peanut butter. Instead of peanut butter, I used PB2, It was delish, the lime and cilantro really brought everything together. thank you!
★★★★★
I love this recipe, it is so so delicious and so healthy! Have made it four times now, so good for lunches during the week. Thank you!
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Amazing! Thanks for the review, Frances!
The soba noodle salad with peanut sauce was AMAZING! Thank you!!! This has become one of my easy dinners to make after work (with cooked chicken added) and to bring as a side dish to an event.
Can’t wait to make this! If I made this on a Sunday evening for meal prep for lunches, how long would it last? Or would it be best to just dress the noodles in the sauce and then add the veges each day?
I would dress the Noodles in about half of the sauce to prevent sticking, and then top with the remaining sauce on the day of 🙂
I just made this and it is so delicious! I didn’t have soba noodles, but I had some chick pea rotini so I used that instead. I also added some chopped scallions and red pepper flakes. sooooo goood! Thanks for this recipe Caitlin!
Love that idea, Jeff!
This recipe is amazing!! I had to use rice noodles instead (I come from a small town in Australia and could find soba noodles) and I also added your crispy tofu and it was such an amazing combo
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Thanks so much, so glad you liked it! Good one for improvising on the noodles!
Hi,
How many calories per serving?
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Hey there! We don’t do any calorie calculations for recipes (just a personal preference). But if you feel so inclined you can use some online calculators/resources to calculate the calorie amounts for almost any recipe.
WOW SO SO good! crisp and fresh. i added fresh peanuts for a little crunch. delicious
★★★★★
Sounds great! Thanks for making!
The dressing is delicious, however i couldn’t find buckwheat noodles, so i used rice noodles instead and THAT WAS A MISTAKE. Next time i’ll definitely try different noodles
★★★★★
Oh no! Definitely give it a shot with soba noodles, you won’t be disappointed!
Lovely! I’ll try this one as it looks like the perfect thing to bring to work. The colours alone would lift my spirits, just in case work would be stressful (and it can be!) Lovely quotes, too.
Let us know how you like it! It’s definitely perfect for the warmer weather right now!
I am not big on raw food at all lol. I even considered cooking the veg at one point lol. But I stuck the course and I am so glad I did. Best raw salad I’ve tasted.
★★★★★
Glad you tried it out and enjoyed it!
This recipe is amazing. The ingredients are cheap, it’s easy to prepare, and it makes enough to last the whole week! This has been a perfect lunch for work days this summer. Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re so very welcome, Amelia!
Hi, I’ve made soba noodle salad following other recipes in the past and I found all of them to stick in a one big chunk after refrigerating. I am guessing it’s due to peanut butter getting cold. Does your recipe do that too? Is there a way to circumvent that from happening for the leftover?
They should stick less if adequaltely tossed with the veggies!
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
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I’m so happy you tried and hope all your friends love it, too. Thank you, Raju!