Thai Peanut Noodle Salad
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Thick rice noodles are smothered with an easy-to-make, rich peanut dressing. Load it up with fresh and vibrant veggies, and serve it hot or cold for a refreshing bowl of delicious flavors! This Thai peanut noodle salad is perfect for potlucks, Sunday meal prep, or a winning side dish!
This Thai peanut noodle salad contains so much goodness: sweet corn, crunchy carrots, spicy radishes, bell peppers, and cucumbers. It’s loaded with herbs like mint, Thai basil, and cilantro, which brighten up the whole dish. Then, it’s topped with chopped peanuts, some sesame seeds, and strips of nori. It’s light and fresh with tons of crisp veggies!
The velvety peanut sauce is made with a secret and surprising ingredient… feta! The feta replaces the traditional salty soy sauce, making it extra creamy and delicious. It’s unconventional, and not at all traditionally Thai, but it’s delicious! The crumbly texture of the feta melds into the other sauce ingredients, softening in the warming process and becoming smooth and luscious.
Is this an authentic Thai peanut noodle salad?
This noodle salad features the flavors we love in Thai cuisine, including peanuts, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, and rice noodles. However, it is not an authentic recipe. This recipe includes ingredients not commonly used in Thailand, such as salty feta cheese.
Although this is not an authentic Thai recipe, we are confident you will love it and dream of slurping noodles from a Bangkok food cart.
Ingredients notes
Thai noodle salad with peanut sauce calls for an array of crisp summer vegetables, some rice noodles, and pantry staples that make up the sauce. It’s full of veggies and easy-to-find ingredients. This is what you need:
- Rice noodles: When you’re buying the rice noodles, make sure you pick some that are wide-ish ribbons. The tiny vermicelli noodles are more common, but they’re very delicate. I find it hard to toss the noodles with the sauce and veggies without the noodles breaking if I use vermicelli.
- Thai noodle salad: Corn, shredded purple cabbage, cucumber, carrot, radishes, mint, cilantro, thai basil
- Peanut sauce: All-natural salted peanut butter, feta, water, garlic clove, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, and lime juice.
- Toppings: Extra feta cheese, chopped peanuts, nori, and sesame seeds.
Additions to try
This Thai peanut noodle salad is super versatile: you can add a whole array of vegetables to this dish! It’s a great recipe for clearing out whatever is left in the fridge, because peanut sauce makes everything taste amazing. Add some sauteed mushrooms, some crunchy bell pepper, sliced red onion, edamame, sugar snap or snow peas. Sprinkle on some sliced green onions, bean sprouts, or crushed peanuts or cashews. To add some tropical flair, sliced mango or pineapple chunks will do the job.
You can also top it off with some crispy tofu, shrimp, or Thai chicken, if you’d like to add a protein source.
What to serve with Thai peanut noodle salad
Can serve this as a vegetarian main (as long as you omit the fish sauce!) or as a side dish – it complements other Thai-inspired recipes, but works well as a refreshing contrast to hearty proteins. Here are some of our favorite recipes to pair it with:
- Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Satay Sauce
- Thai Fish Cakes with Mango Avocado Salsa
- Thai Peanut Pomegranate Chicken
- Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
- Thai Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Satay Sauce
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, you can ask it in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Is this recipe vegetarian?
It can be! This Thai peanut noodle salad recipe does use fish sauce in the peanut sauce, so to ensure it’s totally vegetarian, you’ll want to omit it. You don’t need to replace it with anything; the sauce will still taste great without it.
How do I store leftover Thai noodle peanut salad?
Store your leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. Thai noodle salad stores well and can be enjoyed straight from the fridge, too, making it an ideal option for meal prep.
Can I make this Thai peanut noodle salad spicy?
You can make this a spicy Thai peanut noodle salad by sprinkling red chili flakes over your dish before serving or by incorporating spice into the sauce. To heat things up, add a touch of sambal oelek or sriracha to the sauce!
Can I make this ahead?
You can make this Thai noodle salad with peanut sauce ahead by making the peanut sauce in advance and storing it until you’re ready to dress the noodle salad. Prep all the veggies, and boil the noodles right before you’re ready to serve so they don’t get gluey. If you leave them sitting too long, they’ll start to stick together.
Thai Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup all-natural salted peanut butter
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (plus ¼ cup of the brine)
- 1 cup water
- 1 large garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce (omit for vegetarian)
- Juice from 1 lime
Thai Noodle Salad
- 2 ears corn (husk removed)
- 10 ounces thick rice noodles
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cucumber (sliced)
- 1 carrot (julienned)
- 1 bunch of radishes (sliced)
- ½ cup EACH: mint, cilantro, and Thai basil
Toppings
- Extra feta cheese, chopped peanuts, nori, and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place all the peanut sauce ingredients into a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil then whisk until creamy. Note: the sauce should be a lot thinner than you think it should be. If it's not, add some more water. It will thicken up considerably once you add it to the noodles.¼ cup all-natural salted peanut butter, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, 1 cup water, 1 large garlic clove, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce, Juice from 1 lime
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the corn and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove the corn from the water with tongs. When the corn is cool enough to touch, cut the kernels from the cob.2 ears corn
- Add the rice noodles to the corn cooking water and cook according to package directions – usually 6-7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the noodles, and then run them under cold water to cool.10 ounces thick rice noodles
- Place the noodles back into the pot. Add the corn and all of the remaining ingredients. Pour the peanut sauce over top and gently mix so everything is well combined. Add up to 1 cup of the reserved cooking water (a little at a time!) to loosen the sauce if the noodles seem too dry.2 cups shredded purple cabbage, 1 cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 bunch of radishes, ½ cup EACH: mint, cilantro, and Thai basil
- Serve the Thai peanut noodle salad with any or all of the toppings.Extra feta cheese, chopped peanuts, nori, and sesame seeds
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Thank you so much!!
Oh my gosh! I just made this tonight and it was AH-MAZING. Even my 3 year old loved it. I subbed almond butter for peanut and didn’t have any Thai basil, but it was still delicious. The mint was a delightful twist.
I’m so happy to hear you and your family liked the recipe! Hooray!!
Yum, this looks so delicious. I love the idea of using feta in the dressing. That’s genius. Can’t wait to make this.
Thank you so much! It really does work well in this recipe!
Kristen, I would love you to add calories, protein, carbs, etc for a portion. I track everything since my heart attack for my dietician and it would save having to calculate all of your wonderful recipes.