30-Minute Asian Noodle Salad
on May 19, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Elevate your weeknight dinners with this vibrant Asian Noodle Salad featuring crisp vegetables and a creamy peanut sauce that perfectly balances sweet, savory, and spicy flavors – ready in just 30 minutes!
🥗 This salad stores beautifully in the refrigerator, making it ideal for busy weeks. Prepare it once and enjoy delicious, ready-to-eat meals for days! The flavors actually develop and improve over time!
My 2 Best Tips For Making Asian Noodle Salad
Cook Noodles Carefully: Follow the directions on the package for cooking your rice noodles, as each brand is different! If cooked with a boiling water method, let the noodles cool a bit before adding everything else. Room temp or even a little warm is okay for the noodles, but you don’t want them hot. They’ll soak up all the dressing and make your veggies wilt.
Prep & Make Ahead: This recipe is great for either prepping ahead the ingredients, such as cutting up all the veggies, or even making the salad and storing in the fridge to eat all week. That’s what I usually do and just store it in lunch-sized portions for a quick grab-and-eat meal.
🩷 Melissa
A colorful, flavor-packed salad with tender rice noodles, crisp veggies, and a creamy, zesty peanut dressing. Perfect as a light lunch or side dish.
This salad stores beautifully in the refrigerator, making it ideal for busy weeks. Prepare it once and enjoy delicious, ready-to-eat meals for days! The flavors actually develop and improve over time, unlike many salads that wilt and become soggy.
The homemade peanut dressing—featuring fresh ginger, garlic, and the perfect balance of soy sauce and rice vinegar—delivers authentic Asian flavors that will make you rethink even your favorite takeout.
Plus, you control the ingredients, meaning less sodium and no preservatives.
Asian Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 1 cup shredded or julienned carrots
- 1 cup julienned red and/or yellow bell peppers
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Lime wedges, for serving
For the Peanut Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon white sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha, or to taste
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool.
- In a mini food processor or blender, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, sugar (or honey), sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, toss together the cooled noodles, carrots, bell peppers, green onions, and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Top with chopped peanuts and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- This salad is great served cold or at room temperature.
- The peanuts are my favorite part of this dish so I always serve this with additional peanuts on the side because I always want a few more.
- This dish is really easy to make vegan and gluten free with a few simple swaps. It’s one recipe I keep on hand when feeding friends and family with those dietary needs!
- Want to make it a meal? Add cooked shredded chicken, shrimp, or tofu. Grilled shrimp with this is a personal favorite.
- Taste and adjust the dressing! For a thinner consistency, add a tablespoon of warm water. For more tang, increase the rice vinegar. If you prefer less heat, reduce the sriracha or substitute with a milder chili sauce.
- Follow the directions on the package for cooking your rice noodles. Often times you’ll just soak them for 30 minutes in hot water and sometimes you’ll cook them for a few minutes in boiling water like traditional noodles, it will vary by brand.
- If you are cooking them in a boiling water method just give them some time to cool before adding everything else.
- Room temp or even a little warm is okay for the noodles but you don’t want them hot. They’ll soak up all the dressing and make your veggies wilt.
- This recipes stores surprisingly well in the fridge and I’ll often make it, portion it up for lunches and eat it all week long.
- Or just prep the ingredients ahead: Make the dressing and chop vegetables up to two days in advance, storing them separately in the refrigerator. This way, you can quickly assemble the salad when you’re ready to eat.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
Rice noodles are traditional and work beautifully in this recipe, but you can substitute with soba noodles, udon, or even whole wheat spaghetti if that’s what you have on hand. Each noodle type will give the salad a slightly different texture and flavor profile, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
This recipe is naturally gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free rice noodles and replace the soy sauce with gluten-free soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos. Always check individual ingredient labels if you’re preparing this for someone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Yes! This versatile salad pairs wonderfully with grilled chicken, shrimp, tofu, or thinly sliced beef. For vegetarian protein options, edamame or chickpeas also make excellent additions. Simply cook your protein separately and add it to the salad before serving.
More Fantastic Salad Recipes To Try
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
