These sesame soba noodles are a light, healthy meal that tastes incredible! A sweet-and-tangy almond butter sauce adds a fabulous creaminess, while quick pickled veggies bring pops of flavor and crunch.
This fresh and flavorful recipe for sesame soba noodles comes courtesy of my friend Phoebe Lapine and her incredible book, The Wellness Project. This book isn't your normal wellness book, rather it's her personal journey to finding health, wellness and balanceāand it also includes 20 delicious recipes, of which these noodles are my fave. Like my Healthy Soba Noodle Salad, this recipe is light, flavorful, easy to make, and 100% pure ingredients. Just the way I like to eat!
What Makes These Sesame Soba Noodles So Amazing
Here are all the reasons I love this recipe, and why I know you will too!
- Super soba. The base of this recipe is soba noodles, which are SO good. Varieties made with buckwheat are naturally gluten-free and they have a wonderful nutty flavor. We add some zucchini noodles too to up the veggie factor, but you can go all-in on the soba if you want.
- Creamy-dreamy sauce. On top of the soba noodles is the dreamiest sesame-almond butter sauce ever. Creamy, flavorful, a touch spicy, and the perfect complement to the rest of the dish. I could honestly eat this by the spoonful. (And I also save extras for dipping Quinoa Summer Rollsā¦yum!)
- Crispy-crunchy pickled veggies. I love me a good pickled radish, but I never give myself the time to properly make them. Little did I know you can make them in just 10 minutes with only three ingredients. Quick pickled cucumbers and radishes give the perfect amount of tang and bite and a welcome crunch!
What Youāll Need
Here are the ingredients youāll need to make these scrumptious soba noodles. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Buckwheat soba noodles ā The thing you need to be mindful of if youāre following a gluten-free diet is that most soba noodles aren't made from 100% buckwheat flour. The brands I like are King Soba and Eden.
- Radishes and cucumbers ā For those crunchy quick pickles.
- Rice wine vinegar ā This is also labeled as rice vinegar.
- Salt
- Almond butter ā I use unsalted almond butter so I can control the sodium level.
- Garlic
- Lime juice ā Fresh lime juice adds a bright pop of citrus.
- Tamari ā Or low-sodium soy sauce if youāre not gluten-free.
- Raw honey or maple syrup
- Toasted sesame oil ā Regular sesame oil is meant for cooking and has a more neutral flavor, while toasted sesame oil adds a nutty flavor.
- Zucchini ā Spiralize these into noodles, or buy zoodles at the grocery store if you donāt have a spiralizer.
- Black sesame seeds
How to Make Sesame Soba Noodles
Youāll find the full instructions for making these sesame soba noodles in the printable recipe card, but hereās a quick overview.
- Cook the noodles. Follow the package directions and boil them in salted water, then drain and rinse. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Make the quick pickles. Combine the radishes, cucumber, vinegar, and salt in another bowl. Let the veggies sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Make the sauce. Blend the almond butter, garlic, lime juice, tamari, sweetener, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.
- Put it all together. Toss the zoodles, soba, and dressing, then divide into bowls. Add the pickled veggies and sesame seeds and serve.
Tips and Variations
Follow these simple tips to make the perfect sesame soba noodle salad.
- Adjust the noodle-to-zoodle ratio. Feel free to make this entirely with zoodles or soba noodles by doubling the amounts of each.
- Change up the sauce. You can also make this a Thai-inspired sauce by swapping in peanut butter and omitting the sesame oil. Or you can use cashew butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter.
- Make it spicy. Garnish with chili crisp or add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Add some extra garnishes. Toasted cashews, cilantro, julienned carrotsāthere are so many ways to top these noodles!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these sesame soba noodles warm or coldāI prefer them cold and theyāre awesome for meal prep lunches like this. To add more protein, serve the noodles with edamame, Crispy Baked Tofu, or Honey Sriracha Chicken.
How to Store Leftovers
Store sesame soba noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to store the quick pickles separately to maintain their texture, but if youāve already combined everything together, thatās fine too.
More Meal Prep Lunch Ideas
Sesame Soba Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces buckwheat soba noodles
- 1 bunch radishes cut into 1/2
- 2 cucumbers cut into 1/2
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1/4 cup unsalted creamy almond butter
- 1 small garlic clove
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
- 1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dark toasted sesame oil
- 2 large zucchini spiralized into noodles
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water until room temperature, shaking out all the excess. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the radishes, cucumber, vinegar and salt. Allow the veggies to marinate for at least 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- In the bowl of a small food processor (or blender), puree the almond butter, garlic, lime juice, tamari, sweetener (honey/syrup), sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of water. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency of a traditional peanut sauce.
- Add zucchini noodles to the bowl with the soba noodles and pour dressing on top. Toss until evenly coated with dressing, then divide evenly between bowls. Garnish with pickled veggies and black sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
