15 Minute Peanut and Sesame Noodles

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These simple peanut and sesame noodles are the perfect Asian-style side dish or main meal, with an irresistibly silky peanut sauce.

A portion of peanut noodles in a bowl topped with sesame seeds and chopped nuts.

It’s time for another 15 minute recipe! Because I just don’t have the brain power these days to spend any longer in the kitchen. These peanut and sesame noodles are coated in a luscious peanut and sesame sauce that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.

A bowl of peanut and sesame noodles being twirled with a fork.

Asian-style noodles

These peanut noodles aren’t inspired by any one country in particular – I suppose they’re just a mixture of all of my favourite flavours from Asian cuisine.

The end result is a simple noodle dish that could be served alongside any other Asian-inspired dish, or even just on their own.

Probably not authentically anything… but delicious all the same, and oh-so-easy to make.

How to make simple peanut noodles

Noodles and green beans in a saucepan.

Step 1: Boil some noodles and veg

First, get your noodles on to boil. I chose some simple dried egg noodles, which cook in about 5 minutes.

I always like to add some extra veggies when I’m boiling noodles or pasta, as it’s so easy to do, and extra veg are always beneficial. This time I added some chopped green beans, as that’s what I had in the fridge. To be honest, any green veg would work well here – see below for some more ideas.

A silky peanut sauce in a food processor bowl.

Step 2: Blitz up the sauce

Next, the sauce… ohhhh, the sauce.

This incredible, silky peanut sauce can be whizzed up in a food processor in about 2 minutes, so do it while the noodles are cooking. I used my mini food processor (almost identical to this one on Amazon UK* – here’s a similar one on Amazon US*). It’s perfect for making small batches of sauces (as well as dressings, dips, etc.), and it’s easier to use and clean than my larger food processor.

The sauce is made from all sorts of tasty things, which all happen to live in my kitchen cupboards permanently. As long as you have a fairly well-stocked pantry, you’ll probably already have everything you need to make this peanut sauce:

  • peanut butter
  • sesame seeds
  • soy sauce
  • sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
  • honey
  • garlic

When these simple ingredients are blitzed up together, they make the most irresistibly exquisite sauce. It’s salty, it’s sweet, it’s spicy – it’s got a bit of everything.

Peanut sauce in a food processor bowl being scooped with a spoon.

Step 3: Combine!

When the noodles are cooked, drain them, and add the peanut and sesame sauce. I find a pair of kitchen tongs is best for tossing the noodles through the sauce.

Peanut noodles in a pan with green beans.

Step 4: Garnish with plenty of toppings

Garnish may sound like an optional extra, but it’s a pretty important part of this recipe.

Without the garnish, you have an admittedly delicious, but pretty simple bowl of peanut noodles.

With the garnish, you have a completely irresistible bowl of noodles, with all sorts of different textures and flavours.

A bowlful of creamy peanut butter noodles topped with green veg and nuts.

How to garnish peanut noodles

I always think it’s a good idea to highlight individual ingredients from a recipe in the garnish. So I topped my bowl of noodles with extra chopped peanuts and sesame seeds, to give a beautiful crunch.

Fresh veggies are also always welcome – some chopped spring onions not only an extra pop of vibrant green to the plate, but also a fresh flavour that lifts the dish and stops it from being too stodgy. Some fresh coriander (cilantro) would have the same freshening effect.

Aerial shot of peanut noodles with lots of toppings.

How can I adapt this recipe?

If you’d like to make this recipe your own, feel free to mix things up a bit:

  • Swap the green beans for a different green vegetable, such as edamame (I love the frozen ones), broccoli, pak choi, peas, or anything else remotely similar.
  • Add lots of extra stir fried vegetables for a more substantial dish (more like a peanut-flavoured chow mein).
  • If you’re missing one ingredient from the sauce, experiment with a substitution, e.g. cashew butter instead of peanut butter, or a small piece of onion instead of the garlic.
  • For a vegan version, swap the egg noodles for rice noodles, or even just rice.
Peanut noodles being scooped by a fork.

How to serve peanut noodles

I served my peanut and sesame noodles on their own for lunch.

Each bowlful contains a very impressive 20g of protein (read more about vegetarians and protein here!), as well as fresh veg and carbs – so there’s no real pressure to add anything else on the side.

However, if you do fancy serving something alongside your peanut noodles, to add a bit of interest, there are all sorts of things that would work well:

However you serve your peanut and sesame noodles, just heap them up high, add plenty of toppings, and enjoy!

Peanut and sesame noodles being twirled by a fork.

Peanut and Sesame Noodles

These simple peanut and sesame noodles are the perfect Asian-style side dish or main meal, with an irresistibly silky peanut sauce.

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Comment
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 556kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 175 g (~ 6 oz) green beans, sliced
  • 225 g (~ 8 oz) dried egg noodles (or vegan noodles, if needed)
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (I used dark)
  • 1/2 tbsp sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp water
  • To garnish (choose at least 2): Sliced spring onions, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, fresh coriander (cilantro), etc.

Instructions

  • First, cook the green beans and dried noodles in a pan of boiling water. The noodles I used cook in about 4-5 minutes, so I boiled the green beans for a couple of minutes before adding the noodles. The beans should end up soft enough to eat, but still with a bit of bite.
  • While the noodles are cooking, add the next 7 ingredients (peanut butter through water) to a food processor (I used a mini one), and blitz for around 60 seconds, until smooth. It should all come together into a smooth, runny sauce – add more water if needed.
  • When the noodles are ready, drain the water, and add the sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes over a medium heat to warm the sauce.
  • Serve the peanut noodles topped with your choice of garnish.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Peanut and Sesame Noodles
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 556 Calories from Fat 112
% Daily Value*
Fat 12.4g19%
Saturated Fat 2.8g14%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 704mg29%
Potassium 376mg11%
Carbohydrates 94.7g32%
Fiber 6.2g25%
Sugar 8.7g10%
Protein 19.9g40%
Calcium 125mg13%
Iron 7mg39%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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These peanut noodles would be perfect served alongside some vegetarian egg fu yung:

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16 Comments

  1. Can the sauce be made the night before? I made your delicious mushroom tagliatelle today and this looks equally divine.5 stars

    1. So I made it, and it really was delicious. A few different things I would do…the next time : I added a bit of sesame seed, oil and more water, I doubled the ingredients, I would stick to smooth peanut butter if you’ve got it, because the crunchy one takes more time to blend unless you put quite a bit more water, addressed the final product with spring onions, roasted sesame, seeds and nuts, and definitely Lime was needed at the end to really elevate the dish. Fabulous dish5 stars

    2. I don’t see why not, just make sure it’s stored in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry up or get a skin on it! You can always add an extra splash of water to help revive it if needed.

  2. Yummy! So quick and easy. Didn’t blitz the sauce, just whisked with a fork. Used garlic granules and a blob of ginger paste. Topped with chopped red pepper for some colour. Fab!5 stars

  3. Excellent recipe. Thanks for the inspiration. I added extra of everything for extra flavour. I just dont know why I find it so hard to cook the basic noodles correctly. They are so fickle!

  4. These sound luscious. I have a fairly good sesame noodle recipe, but this sauce has added flavors to open a whole new dimension of flavor for us.

  5. I have been eating so many Christmas cookies lately that I NEED to eat healthier non-Christmas food in the interim otherwise I’d probably go crazy. These peanut noodles look awesome!

  6. mmm i love making Asian noodles! it is my new favorite thing lol. i really like adding ginger to mine to really bring out the asian-ness off it :-P