Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Sauce
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Here’s a hearty sweet potato noodle recipe that’s perfect for weeknights. It’s spiralized sweet potatoes, blistered cherry tomatoes, and baby spinach tossed in a spicy cilantro cashew cream sauce. This easy-to-make meal is ready in just 20 minutes!
These quick-cooking sweet potato noodles are one of those easy dinners that feel a little special without asking much of you. They’re saucy, satisfying, and perfect for busy weeknights when you want something cozy and full of flavor. Tossed in a creamy cashew sauce, they have that same slurpable appeal as pasta, just with a bit more color and personality.
If it’s your first time cooking sweet potato noodles, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how versatile they are. They cook fast, soak up sauce beautifully, and pair especially well with bold flavors. That’s where the Asian-inspired cashew cream comes in—a smooth blend of raw cashews, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha that’s rich and savory, with just enough heat to keep things interesting.
Fresh cilantro gives the sauce its bright, herby finish, while nutritional yeast adds a subtle savory depth that rounds everything out. Blended until silky, the sauce coats every strand of noodle and pulls the whole dish together. It’s simple, comforting, and the kind of meal you’ll want to make again the moment the bowl is empty.
Tips for making sweet potato noodles
If you were wondering how to make sweet potato noodles that are long and spiral-y, here are a few helpful tips:
- Get yourself a real spiralizer. It works well for all sorts of vegetables from soft vegetables like zucchini to firmer vegetables like beets, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. A julienne peeler still works in a pinch but it requires more effort and the noodles will be straight and often short.
- You don’t need to boil the sweet potato noodles, just sauté them for a few minutes in a non-stick pan. A non-stick pan is important because they will stick like crazy to a traditional pan.
- Be careful not to overcook the noodles. You want them to be tender-crisp, but not soft and mushy.
- Toss them lightly with tongs to mix with the sauce, being careful not to break them.
Sweet Potato Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
Sriracha Cilantro Cashew Sauce
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews (see notes)
- ¼ cup cilantro (packed)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (can sub parmesan cheese)
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Sea salt (to taste)
Sweet Potato Noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 lb total spiralized into noodles)
- 8 ounces spinach leaves
- Toasted cashews and cilantro (to serve)
Instructions
- Place the cashew cream sauce ingredients in a blender, along with 1 ½ cups of water, and blend on high until it is very smooth.1 ½ cups raw cashews, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon Sriracha, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Sea salt
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes, or until they start to blister. Remove them from the pan.2 cups cherry tomatoes
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the sweet potato noodles to the pan and toss well. Cook the noodles, tossing them with tongs several times, for 8-10 minutes, until they are crisp-tender.4 medium sweet potatoes, 8 ounces spinach leaves
- Add the spinach to the pan and let it wilt. Stir the cream sauce through the noodles and top with some toasted cashews and cilantro.Toasted cashews and cilantro
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
What FUN! never used Sweet Potato as a pasta substitute – used both spiralizer and julienne peeler. got side tracked so sliced my tomatoes before charring 🙁 still good, but I think charred and whole would’ve been perfect! thanks for this delicious recipe – appreciate that the number of ingredients are limited, and ones I typically always have on hand, and how quick and ez it comes together!
I don’t really like yams and the cashew sauce on its own I wasn’t sure about at first. BUT!!! When I put everything together it was amazing! I made it for dinner and then the next two days for lunch. These flavours work amazing together. I was so impressed! Another win from your awesome blog!
I think the best compliments are when someone says, “I don’t normally like ….. but I like this!” Awesome!!!
How does it reheat?
It reheats ok, although the noodles will get really soft. It will still taste good, though!
Never used my spiralizer so excited now.yum
I hope you like it as much as I do! I’ve become totally obsessed with mine. 🙂
I’m so trying this!!!
Hope you like it as much as I do!!
Kristen, I absolutely adore spiralized anything and especially with a creamy dreamy sauce — this looks amazing!
Thank, Audrey!
I am just dying over these pictures! You can’t get much more gorgeous than these. As if I didn’t already love sweet potatoes enough, these pictures would sure make me a fan. That sauce sounds divine! And the toasted cashews???! BAM! Love!
Thank you so much, Brielle! You just put such a big smile on my face!! 🙂
LOVE the addition of sriracha in the dressing. I’m all over anything that involves sriracha. Although I’m not vegan, I’ve been trying to incorporate more meat-less meals in my diet to get more veggies. This definitely sounds like a must-make! Your pictures are gorgeous as well 🙂
I’m so with you on sriracha. I couldn’t live without that stuff! I’m not vegan either but sometimes it feels good to have a meat-free meal. 🙂
That creamy sauce looks just gorgeous! I just got a spiralizer last week so will definitely be turning back to this for inspiration 🙂
Thanks, Becca! Hooray for spiralizers. 🙂
I need this in my life. Must get a new spiralizer because mine just isn’t going to cut into a sweet potato. And OMG this dish. It’s so genius. Cashews really are the best for creamy sauces, vegan or not.
I so agree with you about cashews and their crazy ability to make the best cream sauces. I use them all the time instead of dairy cream because I like them so much better.
that sauce sounds so flavourful and delicious! i haven’t tried sweet potato noodles yet but i’m sure they will be good with that sauce on top 🙂
Thanks, Mel! They really are delicious. 🙂