Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles are saucy, slurpy, and crave-worthy! This flavor-packed, take out style pasta recipe is ready in minutes.
“If I could give this 10 stars I would. Excellent recipe as is or adding leftover beef or chicken.”
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 slurpy 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
Craveable + Saucy Peanut Noodles
Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles are slurpy, saucy, and perfect for any any time of day. Plus they’re ready in under 20 minutes including prep time.
Cook the noodles >> make the luscious peanut sauce while the noodles are cooking >> stir them together. That’s it!
I like to make these sesame spiked peanut sauce noodles if I’m on my own for dinner (#girldinner) although my entire family 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.
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: 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: balances out the saltiness from the Tamari. If you don’t have coconut sugar you can 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.
- Siracha chili sauce: brings a touch of heat to these peanut sauce noodles. Feel free to add as much or little as you like.
- Aromatics: ground ginger and fresh garlic add a ton of flavor to this quick-cooking dish.
- Lime juice: cuts through the big, bold flavors in the peanut sauce, and freshens everything up. I also like to squeeze fresh lime juice over my noodles before digging in.
Peanut Sauce Noodle Options
I make Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles with anything I’ve got on hand and usually prefer brown rice pasta vs a corn/rice blend pasta because they have a really satisfying chew. Here’s what usually works best:
- Spaghetti
- Angel hair pasta (capellini). I like Jovial brand.
- Ramen noodles. I like Lotus Foods Rice Ramen.
If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use soba noodles or regular wheat noodles.
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:
- Put an egg on it. A drippy, fried egg on top of a bowl of Sesame Noodles is chef’s kiss!
- Add protein. Add sliced or diced Chicken Cutlets, Air Fryer Chicken Breast, Baked Chicken Breast, sauted shrimp, shelled edamame, or cubed extra-firm tofu for a protein bump.
- Add vegetables. Steamed edamame, broccoli florets, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red bell pepper and/or snap peas are all divine when added to these noodles.
Ok enough chatting – raid the pantry then dive into this bowl of deliciousness!
How to Make Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Start by cooking 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.
Step 2: Make the Homemade Peanut Sauce
While the pasta is cooking, stir together the sesame peanut sauce ingredients — it’s ok if the sauce isn’t completely smooth as the hot noodles and pasta cooking water will melt and meld everything together.
We’ve got:
- Peanut butter
- Gluten free Tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten free)
- Coconut sugar
- Sesame oil
- Siracha chili sauce
- Ground ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh lime juice
Step 3: Combine
Add the sauce mixture to the hot noodles along with minced peanuts and chopped green onions then drizzle in a bit of the hot pasta cooking water and stir to combine to create a light sauce.
Start with a few Tablespoons of hot pasta cooking water then add more until the sauce reaches your desired texture.
Scoop the Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles into bowls then garnish with extra green onions and minced peanuts plus fresh lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
SO GOOD. I hope you love this simple and delicious dish — enjoy!
More Take-Out Inspired Recipes
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli
- Potsticker Noodle Bowls
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Coconut Chicken Curry
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Pork Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free spaghetti or ramen noodles
- 3 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not gluten free
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Scoop into bowls then serve with lime wedges and toppings.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Excellent recipe! I enjoyed it very much! I just used GF pasta I had in hand. REALLY GOOD!
Oh I’m so glad you loved it, Grace! This one lives rent free in my head, lol — so good!!
I am SO disappointed. I cooked a double batch of gf rice noodles. 1. overcooked them. 2. they got cold. 3. there wan’t enough peanut sauce. The noodles soaked up what was there, & since it was cold, the noodles were breaking up. It’s a mess. But I’m still taking it to the pot luck.
I won’t make this for a while now. I have learned from my mistakes. 1. Have the peanut sauce ready, as well as all veggies chopped & ready to go. 2. The LAST thing is to cook the noodles, & reserve the water. This will have to be added at last minute. DON’T overcook rice pasta. drain and add oil to keep pasta separate.
The only reason I say to add oil, is that when I cook spaghetti, I add olive oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking to each other. I also rinse it in hot water prior to adding the oil.
What do you think?
Hi Kathie! Rice noodles are notoriously hard to use which is why the recipe calls for spaghetti or ramen noodles. The recipe also calls for serving this dish hot, versus cold or re-warmed in the microwave. Lastly, did you double the peanut sauce since you doubled the noodles? That would be essential in making sure there was enough sauce to coat everything. I hope this helps!
I am so glad I found you with your gluten free recipes! I have 2 ladies at church that are gluten sensitive. there is to be a baby shower after church tomorrow that is also a pot luck. Also, my BIL is now a vegan, & there are limited things he can eat. This fit the bull for BOTH. I am going to bring the Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles. It will be cold when I take it, but there is a microwave where the pot luck is being held. I think that adding shred carrots is a great idea, too! (Thanks to Melissa,).
This recipe was so easy to work with and the end result was absolutely delicious. I appreciate the clear instructions. This Iowa girl will make it again.
LOVE to hear that, Melanie! Thank you so much for your feedback – I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Can you use soba noodles with this recipe?
You could use soba if you don’t need to eat gluten free!
The measurements on this recipe are completely off. I am not sure if the author intended the recipe to have a 1:1 ratio of peanut butter to soy sauce/tamari but it is an obscene amount of soy sauce flavor. Even if you triple the amount of PB you are still left with a sauce that tastes like a salt lick.
Is it possible you mismeasured your ingredients, Seth, or didn’t add the pasta cooking water to thin out/dilute the sauce as instructed? I have never received feedback that this dish is too salty as written.
made for a friend whom always declined anything w/ peanut butter as ingredient, so had as a side dish in buffet. He practically ate the entire bowl single handed, n requested it many times thereafter
For me, I followed this method with exception of adding some very cold slivers of English Cukes, & adding some cucumber clear pressed juice in bottom of serving bowl
Had a version similarly once & it jumped in my mouth ????
I love noodles! Gonna try the Sesame noodle recipe soon. Thank you, Kristin
I hope you love it, Mary!
Great, easy recipe. With no particular reason to be limited to GF choices, I used some thin, whole wheat spaghetti I had on hand, and the result was delicious. The beautiful, appetizing photos, as well as the many appealing recipes on this site have made it my new favorite go-to source for new meal ideas.
You are too kind, P. A.! Thank you so much for your feedback – I’m thrilled you loved the recipe!!
Made this to take to a gathering of friends. It was super easy to make—prepped everything while the water was boiling and quickly threw it all together when the noodles (used GF spaghetti) were ready. Added a heaping cup of shredded carrots and some fried tofu with the cilantro and green onions. The sauce tasted just a smidge too salty for my liking until I added the carrots. Everyone loved the dish and couldn’t believe it was GF! I’ll definitely make this again!
I’m SO glad the dish was a hit, Melissa! Love the idea of adding carrots!
I so badly wanted this to good since it was my first time attempting to make peanut sauce. It was entirely too salty. There was very little I could do to salvage it sort of adding a considerable amount of sugar.
I’m so sorry to hear this, Lorena! Is it possible the Tamari was mis-measured? Did you add the pasta cooking water to the sauce to thin it out? There really shouldn’t be a reason that this dish would be too salty as written (aside from a sensitive palate to salt, of course, which I understand1)
This recipe has it all. It’s so easy to make and tastes delicious. Every one loves it. Sometimes I add meat and vegetables, but on it’s own its very filling and satisfying. I always increase the recipe – IMO as written it only makes 2 large servings.
I’m so glad you love this recipe, Sky!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Can you please make a 1 page recipe print out. The current button produces 23 pages.
Recipe looks good though.
Hi Amy! Are you by chance using your browser’s print function? When I click “print recipe” at the top of the post, or the “print” button within the recipe card, it prints normally on one page.