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These creamy miso noodles are made with shiitake mushrooms, fresh garlic, ginger, and a rich peanut miso sauce. They’re savory, a little nutty, and incredibly creamy without any dairy or coconut milk. Top them with chili oil and green onions for an easy dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes!
If you’re looking for a quick noodle recipe with lots of flavor, these miso peanut noodles are a great option! The sauce comes together right in the skillet while the noodles boil, so there’s very little prep or cleanup.
I love how the peanut butter gives the sauce a creamy consistency while the white miso adds a deeper, savory flavor. And the shiitake mushrooms make the noodles a little heartier without adding much extra cooking time.
Why This Creamy Miso Noodle Recipe Works
The secret to these noodles is the combination of white miso paste, creamy peanut butter, and hot noodle cooking water.
Peanut butter gives the sauce a rich, creamy consistency without needing any dairy-free cream. White miso adds a salty, savory flavor that balances the nuttiness of the peanut butter. Together, they make a really simple sauce with lots of depth.
And instead of adding broth or plant-based milk, the recipe uses the hot water from cooking the noodles. The starch in the water helps the sauce coat the noodles, rather than leaving you with a thin sauce that pools at the bottom of the bowl.
The sautéed shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and onion add even more flavor to the sauce, making this a great weeknight dinner with only a handful of ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card below, but here are a few key ingredients and substitutions to keep in mind.
White Miso Paste
White miso (also called shiro miso) is the main flavor in this sauce. It’s made from fermented soybeans and typically rice koji, and has a salty, slightly sweet, umami-rich flavor.
Compared to red miso, white miso is generally milder and less intensely fermented, which works well with the peanut butter and fresh aromatics.
I recommend using white miso for this recipe rather than red miso, which has a much stronger flavor and may overpower the other ingredients.
You can usually find miso paste in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the tofu, or at Asian grocery stores.
Creamy Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is what makes this miso sauce so creamy! When mixed with the hot noodle water and miso paste, it creates a smooth sauce that coats the noodles.
I recommend a smooth, creamy peanut butter for the best consistency. Both sweetened and unsweetened varieties work, but if you’re using natural peanut butter without added sugar, you may want to add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or brown sugar to balance the saltiness of the miso.
Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms have a slightly chewy, meaty texture and a rich, earthy flavor that goes really well with miso.
I use 6-8 ounces of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly so they cook quickly alongside the aromatics.
You can substitute cremini or baby bella mushrooms if that’s what you have on hand. Rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms are another option.
Noodles
This recipe works with several different types of noodles! I especially like using ramen or thick, chewy udon noodles, but rice noodles and soba would also work.
You can even use spaghetti or linguine if you want to make it more of a miso pasta dish.
Whichever type you choose, I recommend cooking the noodles just shy of al dente since they’ll continue to soften slightly when tossed with the warm sauce.
Fresh Garlic, Ginger & Onion
These three ingredients create the savory base for the sauce. I recommend using fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor, especially since the recipe has relatively few ingredients.
If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, although the flavor will be slightly different.
Chili Oil
The miso peanut sauce itself isn’t particularly spicy. Most of the heat comes from the chili oil added just before serving, so you can easily adjust the spice level to your preference.
I love using chili sesame oil, but chili crisp, sriracha, or a little sambal oelek would also work.
How to Make Creamy Miso Noodles
🎥 *Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card Below!*
Add the shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, and ginger to the saucepan with vegan butter. Pan fry for 4-5 minutes until tender and aromatic.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add your noodles of choice and cook per the package directions.
Next, lower the heat of the saucepan to low. Add the miso, peanut butter, and 1 ½ – 2 cups of hot water from the boiling pasta water to the saucepan.
Then, mix until the miso and peanut butter are combined to form a creamy sauce. Turn off the heat when it’s smooth and creamy.
Add the cooked noodles when done and mix with the miso sauce to coat. If the sauce looks too thick, add a little extra water to thin it out.
Serving & Storage
These miso peanut noodles are so tasty served warm with lots of fresh chopped cilantro and green onions on top. Add a drizzle of chili oil to taste for some heat. You can also sprinkle the miso noodles with sesame seeds.
This would make an easy weeknight dinner served along with this flavorful baked tofu recipe or this crispy marinated fried tempeh!
While they’re best served fresh and warm, these miso noodles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
I don’t recommend freezing them, since the noodles will become overcooked if they’re thawed and reheated.
Helpful Tips for the Best Miso Noodles
- Use hot noodle water for the sauce. The hot water helps dissolve the miso and peanut butter, while the starch from the noodles gives the sauce a smoother consistency.
- Slightly undercook the noodles. They’ll continue to soften when tossed with the warm sauce. This is especially important when using quick-cooking ramen or rice noodles.
- Adjust the sauce consistency as needed. Start with 1½ cups of noodle water and add more if needed. Different noodles absorb different amounts of liquid, so you may need a little extra to keep the sauce creamy.
- Taste before adding extra salt or soy sauce. White miso already contains quite a bit of salt, so I recommend tasting the finished sauce before adding any additional salty ingredients.
More Noodle Recipes
Creamy Miso Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsp salted vegan butter, vegetable oil or other oil
- 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic, about 4-5 cloves
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 5 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 8 oz quick-cooking noodles of choice, like ramen, udon, or rice noodles
- 1 – 2 cups hot water, from cooking the noodles
- Optional- 1-2 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar, if your peanut butter doesn’t have sugar added
Serving
- Chili Sesame Oil, to taste
- Sliced Green Onion, for garnish
- 1 recipe Flavorful Baked Tofu, optional
Instructions
- Boil the water: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the mushrooms: Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms, diced onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and the onion has softened.
- Cook the noodles: Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, stopping about 1 minute before they're fully cooked. Reserve 2 cups of the hot cooking water before draining.
- Make the miso sauce: Reduce the skillet heat to low. Add the white miso paste, peanut butter, and 1 cups of the hot noodle water. Stir until the miso and peanut butter have dissolved into a smooth, creamy sauce. Taste and add the optional maple syrup or brown sugar if needed.
- Toss the noodles: Turn off the heat and add the drained noodles to the skillet. Toss until evenly coated in the miso peanut sauce, adding more reserved noodle water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve: Divide between bowls and top with sliced green onions, cilantro, and chili oil to taste. Serve with flavorful baked tofu.
Video
Recipe notes
- Noodles: the type of noodles you use is up to you! You could also make this recipe into a miso pasta dish by using spaghetti, fusilli, or any other pasta of choice instead of ramen or udon noodles.
- Chili Oil: if you don’t have chili oil, you can add a drizzle of sesame oil and sriracha or sambal oelek instead. You could also use red pepper flakes.
- Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar: if your peanut butter has no sugar added, you can add in 1-2 tsp of maple syrup or brown sugar to balance the saltiness of the miso.
- Rice Vinegar: feel free to add 1-2 tsp of rice vinegar to taste. The acidity will help balance the saltiness of the miso paste.
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