This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
Equal parts cozy and exciting, these Thai Peanut Noodles are a weeknight meal dream come true. They’re creamy, nutty, tangy, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for another bite. Bonus: They’re ready in 20 minutes flat.
Pasta? Again? You betcha.
Twirly Forkfuls of Spicy Noods
Apparently there is a huge debate about the way many Americans (hi, it’s me) use the terms ‘pasta’ and ‘noodles’ interchangeably.
Apparently only specific types of noodles are pasta? Some noodles are not considered pasta. I dunno, man. I don’t make the rules and honestly, I don’t follow them either. 🤷♀️
I just know that these Thai Peanut Noodles are an absolute weeknight game changer in my house.
The flavors are big and bold, the effort is minimal, and the clean up is simple.
Have I been known to serve up these Thai peanut noodles exactly as they are, nary a vegetable in sight? Yes. Busy nights are…well…busy nights.
But when I’ve actually planned to make these noodles and am not just doing the last minute wing-it routine for dinner, I pretty much always serve them with our Asian cucumber salad. I first shared that salad last summer and it still has me in a chokehold. Goes majorly great with these noodles!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Big Flavor, No Fuss: We don’t use a lot of ingredients here, but the ones we do use pack in big, bold flavor without a lot of effort.
- Versatile: Toss in your favorite protein (think grilled teriyaki chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken), throw in a bag of stir fry veggies, or make it vegan by using a honey substitute.
- 20 Minute Dinner Winner: The sauce cooks while the water for the pasta boils and this is ready in just 20 minutes!
Ingredient Notes:
Spaghetti – We like to stay stocked up on protein spaghetti. This brand is my favorite – cooks and tastes just like traditional pasta but has a little more protein.
Sesame Oil – Adds loads of flavor and should not be skipped or substituted. Grab it at Walmart. You’ll want it for that Asian cucumber salad or our bacon fried rice too.
Peanuts – We use salted, roasted peanuts here.
Red Pepper Flakes – We use these to spice up the sesame oil. You can use more or less depending on how spicy you like things.
Cilantro – Swap this out for basil or parsley if you’re not a cilantro fan.
What Readers are Saying!
“Super quick and easy peanut sauce recipe. I make it a little less spicy for the family and generally add some grilled chicken.” – Jenn
How to Make Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles:
Add the sesame oil and red pepper flakes to a small pot and let it warm while you boil the water for the spaghetti. This will flavor the oil.
Pour the oil through a fine mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to remove the red pepper flakes.
Helpful Tip!
Don’t burn the oil! If it starts to smoke, it’s burnt and you’ll want to dump it out and start over.
Add the peanut butter to the warm oil and stir to combine. Stir in the soy sauce and honey until smooth.
Add the cooked spaghetti to a large bowl and top with the sauce, green onion, peanuts, and cilantro. Give it all a good stir and add a splash of pasta water as needed to get the consistency right.
Mix-Ins:
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s just so simple, but I am nothing if not a tinkerer when it comes to recipes! I’ve added quite a few different goodies over the years. Here are some favorites:
Stir Fry Veggies: I buy bags of these by the mixed salad in the produce section. Stir fry them and add them right in with the pasta.
Chicken: Grilled, shredded, cubed, it doesn’t matter. If we have leftover chicken, it’s going in this one.
Tofu: My daughter doesn’t eat a lot of meat, which means we do a lot of meatless meals these days. Our air fryer tofu is great with this.
More Pasta Favorites:
MORE ASIAN INSPIRED DISHES!
- Egg Roll Dipping Sauce
- Instant Pot Lo Mein
- Spam Fried Rice
- Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
- Korean BBQ Sauce
Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1/3 cup sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes more or less, to taste
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup peanuts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions.
- While noodles are cooking, heat the sesame oil and red pepper flakes over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Do not let the oil smoke. If it does smoke, it's burnt and you'll need to start over with fresh oil.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the pepper flakes and saving the oil. Stir the soy sauce, honey, and peanut butter into the oil until smooth and creamy.
- When noodles have finished cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the rest. Toss the noodles in the oil mixture.
- Stir the noodles well to coat in the sauce, adding a bit of pasta water as needed to loosen it up to your liking.
- Toss with the peanuts, green onions, and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Do Thanh says
I love spicy food, looking this Thai noodle makes my mouth water, in Vietnam, we have one food look similar, but it is not vegetarian food, we have fried beef and bean sprouts. Definite try this food oneday
Bit.ly says
Since it was founded, the company has grosn into a prominent online sports betting and bettinng company.
But in most cases, bet365 is great in general and itt has a sensible staking cost.
Don’t fall into thee trap that thousands of players will fall into.
pinterest followers says
Concentrate rather upon caring for your Linked –
In user profile. Based in Bath, Lee is the founder of digicoms with a successful track record spanning almost 21 years
working in the UK, France and Malta. At replacing your organizations Pinterest
amount of fairly often, Pinterest SEO bonus may begin to better develop.
pinterest followers says
Wait, how can they keep it a secret if the whole world already knows.
With more and more people purchasing over the internet, the sales cycle has the potential to become less personalized,
but the companies that are succeeding are the ones that
recognize this hurdle and overcome the challenge with good
customer service and a content marketing plan that keeps
customers interested in a continued conversation. You
can alsoo “like”, “repin” and comment on things that you see oon other people’s boards.
pinterest followers says
Simply hover the picture with yoyr mouse and you will be given the option tto
either repin or like the picture. Here are some more advanced approaches to Pinterest marketing.
At replacing your organizations Pinterest amount of fairly often, Pinterest SEO bonus mayy
begin to better develop.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
This is probably my FAVORITE RECIPE EVER.
Randi Warick says
This recipe is fantastic and a new family favorite! I use srirachi sauce versus red pepper flakes, and sometimes add chicken!
msr says
6 TBS soysauce was way too much.
Jana says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I’ve tried several peanut noodle recipes and this one blows them all away. My husband kept saying how great it was. One thing, it’s very spicy. Too much for me but perfect for my husband. I even cut the red pepper flakes in half. I’ll cut back even more next time and he can use sriracha sauce at the table.
Ruthie says
oh my goodness… this looks amazing! I hope you’ll come and share it at my link party tomo! http://www.whatscookingwithruthie.com xoxo~Ruthie
Megan @ The Pink Flour says
I hadn’t had Thai food for awhile until last week and now your recipe makes me crave it again! May have to try this this weekend 🙂
Ronja @ a dash of faith says
I love Thai food and anything with cilantro, and these spicy, peanut buttery noodles sound absolutely delicious!
Michelle @ Taste As You Go says
We are alike in so many ways! Not only do I make simple meals of pasta, butter, garlic, and Parmesan (it’s comfort food to me), but I also like to eat spicy peanut noodles. This recipe looks so simple to make that I’m definitely going to pin it to Pinterest for cooking inspiration!
Joy @ Baking-Joy says
These sound delicious! Any recipe (sweet or savoury) with peanut butter in is a winner for me 🙂
Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) says
This is right up my alley! I LOVE a good peanut noodle dish, and I can practically taste this one through my screen!