Close up Photo of sesame peanut sauce noodles in a bowl

Look up “restraint” in the dictionary and you’ll likely find a picture of me photographing a steamy bowl of creamy Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles without somehow diving face first into it. I cannot tell you how fragrant and fabulous these chewy noodles with peanut sauce are.

This is the ultimate quick and satisfying meal that you will crave until you try!

Watch How to Make It!

Saucy Peanut Noodles = DROOL

Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles are slurpy, saucy, and perfect for any occasion. Plus they’re ready in under 20 minutes including prep time. Cook the noodles, make the luscious peanut sauce while the noodles are cooking, then stir them together. That’s it!

I like to make these sesame spiked peanut sauce noodles if I’m on my own for dinner (if the kids and Ben are getting something gluten-y, for example) although they love these noodles too. I can also totally see myself making a giant vat of peanut butter noodles with my college roomies back in the day after coming home from a night out. What can I say – they really hit the spot.

Each bite hits the five main elements of Thai cooking – sour, salty, sweet, creamy, and spicy – in such a craveable way.

overhead Photo of peanut sauce noodles

Homemade Peanut Sauce Ingredients

  • Peanut butter: I use Jif Naturals which, despite the name, does not have the drippy consistency of typical “natural style” peanut butter. If you’re using true natural style peanut butter where the only ingredient is “peanuts”, you might need to up the sweetener in this recipe just a touch.
  • Gluten free tamari: Gluten free Tamari is soy sauce brewed without wheat and it adds saltiness and depth of flavor to these noodles. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use traditional soy sauce.
  • Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar balances out the saltiness from the Tamari. If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand you could sub in brown or white sugar.
  • Sesame oil: Sesame oil and peanut butter are like peanut butter and jelly. That is to say, their flavors pair perfectly together, especially when they’re wrapped around warm, chewy noodles. The combination is very Thai peanut sauce-esque.
  • Siracha chili sauce: Chili sauce brings a touch of heat to these peanut sauce noodles. For a mild dish, stick with 1/2 teaspoon, though feel free to add as much as you like.
  • Aromatics: Ground ginger and fresh garlic add a ton of flavor to this quick cooking dish.
  • Lime juice: Fresh lime juice cuts through the big flavors in the peanut sauce, and freshens everything up. I also like to squeeze fresh lime juice over my noodles before digging in.

Noodle Options

I’ve made Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles with gluten free spaghetti, gluten free angel hair pasta, and gluten free ramen noodles. I like Tinkyada brown rice pasta, or Barilla GF corn/rice blend pastas.

Switch it Up

As written, this noodle recipe is not only gluten free, but vegan too! That said, it’s a great base recipe to add protein or fresh vegetables to. Here are some ideas:

  1. Put an egg on it. The thought of putting a drippy fried egg on top of a hot bowl of these noodles nearly sends me into a tizzy. YUM!!!
  2. Add grilled sliced chicken, sauteed shrimp, or roasted tofu for a protein bump.
  3. Add any and all vegetables! Steamed edamame, broccoli florets, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red bell pepper and/or snap peas would be divine.

Ok enough chatting – raid the pantry then dive into this bowl of deliciousness!

Fork twirling sesame peanut sauce noodles

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. These photos show gluten free spaghetti, but angel hair and ramen noodles both work great.

BEFORE DRAINING scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking water which we’ll add to the dish at the end to make it deliciously saucy.

Pot of cooked spaghetti

Step 2: Make the Homemade Peanut Sauce

While the pasta is cooking, stir together the sesame peanut sauce ingredients. To a mixing bowl, add: peanut butter, gluten free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using traditional soy sauce), coconut sugar, sesame oil, Siracha chili sauce, ground ginger, fresh garlic, and fresh lime juice. Use a spatula to mix and mash everything together. It’s ok if the sauce is not completely smooth as the hot noodles and pasta cooking water will meld everything together.

Step 3: Stir Together

Last step is to add the sauce mixture to the hot noodles along with minced peanuts and chopped green onions. Drizzle in the hot pasta cooking water to create a light sauce – start with a few Tablespoons then add more until the sauce reaches your desired texture.

Peanut Sauce Pasta ingredients mixed together

That’s all she wrote!! Scoop the Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles into bowls then top with extra green onions and minced peanuts, plus fresh lime wedges and a few leaves of cilantro, if you’ve got ’em. SO GOOD. I hope you love this simple and delicious dish – enjoy!

Peanut Sauce Noodles in a bowl

More Take Out Inspired Recipes

Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles

4.5/5 (19 REVIEWS)

Description

Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles are saucy, slurpy, and crave-worthy! This gluten free pasta recipe is ready in minutes.

Ingredients

serves 3-4

  • 8oz gluten free spaghetti or ramen noodles
  • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 3 Tablespoons gluten free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using traditional soy sauce)
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar OR brown sugar OR white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Siracha chili sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 lime, sliced in half, one half sliced into wedges
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons roasted peanuts, minced
  • Toppings: chopped cilantro, minced peanuts, chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add gluten free spaghetti or ramen noodles and cook until al dente. BEFORE DRAINING, carefully scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking water then set aside. Drain pasta then return to pot.
  2. Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, gluten free Tamari, coconut sugar, sesame oil, Siracha chili sauce, ground ginger, garlic, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice in a small bowl then stir to combine - it's ok if the sauce isn't completely smooth.
  3. Add sauce, green onions, and minced peanuts to the hot pasta, plus a few Tablespoons pasta cooking water, then stir until noodles are coated and the sauce is completely smooth. Add more pasta cooking water as needed to reach a smooth consistency.
  4. Scoop into bowls then serve with lime wedges and toppings.

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

Video

Photo collage of sesame peanut sauce noodles