Cold Thai Noodle Salad Recipe with Sesame Peanut Sauce

If you're looking for the perfect cold Thai noodle salad recipe, I got you! And although it's not authentic thai cuisine by any means, it's a delicious recipe that everyone always loves!

Cold Noodle Salad

This thai noodle salad recipe is a total winner. And even though it's not an authentic recipe, it's still an absolute favorite. 

Whether its served as a quick healthy snack, as a side dish for midweek meals, or for meal prep, everyone always loves them. I can't tell you how many people have reached out and said that they are "THEE best noodles!" Well, i guess you can actually tell if you look at the star rating below! Haha. 

So what makes this tasty side dish so special? This noodle salad is a great made-ahead salad that's filled with delicious ingredients like crunchy veggies, spicy peanut sauce, lime juice and tons of vibrant asian flavors.

And that's not even the best part. This delicious salad isn't just a great dish when served cold, but they're incredible when served hot or even at room temperature, too. 

If you want authentic pad thai, spring rolls, and more legit thai cusine, check out Hot Thai Kitchen or Simply Suwanee. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Soy Sauce: You can use coconut aminos or tamari if you're gluten-free or don't have any soy sauce
• Sweet Chili Sauce: If you want a substitution for sweet chili sauce, you could just add a bit of brown sugar and some hot water for to mimic the texture. 
• Sesame Oil: I love sesame oil for taste but you could use olive oil if you're out. 
• Creamy Peanut Butter: If you're not into creamy peanut butter, you could absolutely use crunchy peanut butter.
• Seasoned Rice Vinegar: This is the best vinegar for have on hand for asian cuisine. If you're unfamiliar with it, grab some the next time you're at the grocery store. You will be obsessed with the fresh flavor!
• Chili Crisp: If you can't find this hot crispy chili oil sauce at your local grocery store, I recommend ordering it on amazon. Or you could always swap it for another hot sauce like sriracha. 
• Garlic: fresh garlic cloves are best in this cold noodle salad but you could use the jarred minced garlic if you had to. 
• Lime: It wouldn't be a thai salad with lime and in this case, fresh is best!
• Noodles: I always have linguini noodles on hand so that's how I typically make this noodle salad. But you could absoutely use soba noodles, glass noodles, brown rice noodles, vermicelli noodles or another one of your favorite noodles. Honestly the best type of noodles are the ones you like! So do your thing! Oh and if you want it to be a vegan thai noodle salad recipe, just make sure to use a noodle that doesn't have any eggs. 
• Red Bell Pepper: You could leave out the red bell pepper or swap them for another mild pepper. 
• Carrots: Carrots add crunch and color to these cold noodles but you could leave them or swap for other crunchy veggies out if you're not into carrots. 
• Fresh Cilantro: If you're not a fan of cilantro but still want it to have some fresh herbs, try mint or even fresh basil.
• Green Onions: Green onions are ideal but you could swap the scallions out for chives or leave them out completely. 
• Red Onion: Regular white, yellow or sweet onion also works but red adds just a little more color to this beautiful salad. 
• Optional Add-ons: If you want to add even more fresh veggies to these cold noodles, go for it! Some of my favorite crunchy vegetables include shaved red cabbage, yellow bell peppers, napa cabbage, green beans or radish. You could also top this thai noodle salad with crunchy peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh basil, or even a few dashes of fish sauce. For protein, add sliced chicken breast, dried shrimp, or seared tofu. 

How to make the Creamy Peanut Sauce

There are so many different versions of thai peanut sauce... but this is seriously the best ever peanut sauce!

This peanut dressing is super simple to make and takes minutes to mix up.

SImply begin by grabbing a small bowl, a whisk, and some measuring cups. Combine soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, hot crispy chili oil, minced fresh garlic and the juice from one lime. It you want it a little thinner, slowly stir in a little bit of hot water. 

If you can't find the crunchy hot chili oil, you can either order it from amazon or swap it out for sriracha. The texture will be different but it will still be just as tasty!

But let's be real, you need this crunchy hot chili oil in your life! It's SO GOOD!!

Once it's all mixed up, give it a taste or go ahead and make a double batch of the thai peanut sauce because you're going to want this on everything!

How to make Asian Pasta Salad

Making this Cold Noodle Salad Recipe is super easy! 

• Cook your Pasta: First, you'll want to cook your pasta in salty water. To test if your water is salty enough, simply taste it and if it tastes like the ocean, you're good to go! If you live in a small town like me, you might not be able to find authentic thai food or real asian noodles but that's ok! Regular old spaghetti or linguine will work just fine for this crunchy thai noodle salad!  Once you have the salty water boiling, cook according to the package instructions on the box. When it's al dente, strain the noodles to remove the excess water. Then run cold water over them so they stop cooking. 
• Make the Creamy Peanut Sauce: Grab a small bowl and whisk together soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil, fresh garlic and lime juice. Give the peanut dressing a taste and adjust to your flavor preferences.... And if you like it extra saucey, just make a double batch of the thai peanut sauce and serve it on the side or mix it in. 

• Chop the Fresh Veggies: Finely chop carrots, red onion, red bell pepper, scallion and cilantro into small pieces. If you don't feel like chopping, you could put the shredder on your food processor to save some time. 
• Mix it all Together: Mix Pour your cooled noodles in a large bowl and place the veggies on top. Then add your Sesame Peanut Sauce on top and toss the whole thing together until each noodle is coated.
• Serve or Store: Serve this Thai noodle salad immediately or store the leftovers in an airtight container. It's a great made-ahead salad that will last for 3-4 days. 

What goes with them?

This cold thai noodle salad recipe goes with so many things. Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with it. 

• Hibachi Chicken
• Thai Inspired (Canned) Tuna Lettuce Wraps
• Laab (Larb Gai) Minced Thai Chicken Salad with Chile + Fresh Herbs
• Asian Avocado Salad 
• Rice Cooker Coconut Rice
• Asian Slaw Hot Dogs with Sriracha & Kewpie Mayo
• Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Bake for Two
• Teriyaki Tuna Tostadas with Avocado & Spicy Mayo

For more cold pasta salads, check out this pasta salad recipe collection. 

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xoxo,

GCS aka Kenz