These Vegan Satay Noodles are super easy to make and a go-to weeknight meal of mine. The slightly chewy rice noodles are coated in a creamy, flavorful savory peanut sauce and loaded up with lots of veggies. Topped off with some crispy air-fried tofu and scrambled vegan Just Egg, these noodles are a winner.
why we love these noodles
Well for starters, who doesn’t love noodles? I think besides the fact that this is a noodle dish, the peanut sauce for this vegan satay is absolutely delicious! These easy vegan noodles are creamy, peanutty, fast, savory, salty, and super filling. The tofu is crispy if you air fry it giving the dish a nice crunch!
If you love peanut noodles, you’ll also love these Creamy Miso Peanut Noodles!
what is a satay?
A satay is typically a Southeastern Asian dish that uses grilled meat on kebabs or skewers. It is sometimes served with noodles, often in a peanut sauce. Today, I’m taking inspiration from the traditional peanut sauce used in these satays and making a vegan noodle satay with tofu in it. If you’re looking for a more traditional satay recipe with grilled tofu or ‘meat’ on kebabs, you can check this one out (although this one uses real chicken, but you could swap it with seitan or storebought vegan chicken).
the peanut sauce ingredients
This easy vegan peanut sauce recipe uses 10 ingredients that will flavor the entire dish. All of these ingredients really help to make the sauce aromatic and savory with an umami flavor. Traditional satay peanut sauces may have a bit of tamarind in them too. (Tamarind is one of the key ingredients in pad thai noodles). If you have tamarind paste on hand, you can add a teaspoon or so in. It adds a nice sour undertone to the sauce. Lime juice also helps add some sourness to the sauce.
What you’ll need for the peanut sauce:
- Peanut Butter
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Green Onion
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Sambal Oelek
- Lime Juice
- Brown Sugar
- Water
how to make the peanut sauce for the noodles
We can’t have peanut satay noodles without an amazing peanut sauce. It’s SUPER simple and only takes 5 minutes to make. Before mixing the sauce together, you’ll want to melt your peanut butter to make it easier to mix up. I placed mine in a heat-proof bowl and microwaved it for about a minute. I’ve also found that using warm water helps a lot to loosen the sauce since the peanut butter can seize up (and thicken) as it cools down.
I use a large pyrex measuring cup to mix everything together. All you need to do to make the sauce is give all the ingredients a good stir until they are incorporated and creamy. Like most sauces, the longer all of the ingredients sit together, the better it will taste! I typically mix up my sauce prior to starting on the noodles, so all the flavors have some time to develop.
vegan satay noodle ingredients
This dish is great because you can really incorporate what you have on hand. I used green and red bell peppers, carrots, and green onion as my main veggies, but don’t feel limited to just those! If you love broccoli, add broccoli. If you’re craving bok choy, add some in!
To make this dish, you’ll need to gather the following:
- Peanut Sauce (see above)
- Green Onion
- Ginger + Garlic
- Peppers
- Carrot
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Cornstarch
- Rice Noodles
The rice noodles:
The best noodles to use in this recipe are rice noodles. Rice noodles are used in dishes like pad thai. They have a really nice chewy texture and add lots of dimension to these satay noodles. Other types of regular pasta (like spaghetti) will be too soft in texture. If you don’t have rice noodles, you could substitute udon noodles or Hokkien noodles, both of which you can find in the international aisle of most big box grocery stores.
I’m using straight-cut rice noodles by Taste of Thai. Straight cut just means that these noodles are thinner in width. These noodles are naturally gluten-free and pretty easy to work with!
how to make the crispy air fried tofu
I added a bit of tofu to this dish for some extra protein. I recommend using extra or super firm tofu since it holds its shape much better. To make the air-fried tofu, all you need to do is press and drain it. Then cut it into 1/2 inch cubes and coat all the sides in cornstarch. I placed my tofu in the air fry basket and coated the cubes in some cooking spray. Then, I air-fried them at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping them and reapplying oil halfway.
baking the tofu
If you don’t have an air fryer, no worries! You can also bake the tofu. I’ve found that baking doesn’t get the tofu quite as crispy and it takes longer, but it will still be delicious. You can bake the tofu at 425F for about 25-30 minutes flipping halfway.
how to make the vegan satay noodles
To make this noodle dish, you first need to prep your rice noodles. You can follow the instructions on your package. For the noodles I used, I covered them in a heat-proof bowl with very hot tap water for 20 minutes. You want to let them soak while you cook the veggies and then toss them in a wok or pan with the sauce to finish cooking.
To prep the rest of the dish, follow these simple steps:
- Heat a few teaspoons of sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Saute the green onion, ginger, and garlic for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sliced peppers, carrots, and celery. Stir fry for about 3-5 minutes until they are starting to get tender.
- Add the softened rice noodles to the wok and pour on half of the peanut sauce. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Toss in the prepared tofu and the rest of the peanut sauce.
- Top the vegan satay noodles with cilantro, sesame seeds, lime juice, and more green onions. Serve with your side of choice, like these crispy vegan egg rolls!
substitutions and add ins
These noodles are a great way to use up produce in your fridge, so even if you don’t have the exact ingredients, you can use what you have on hand. Below are some substitutions you could make or ingredients you could add in if you’d like:
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Bok Choy
- Just Egg
- Snap Peas
- Edamame
vegan satay noodles tips & tricks
This recipe calls for rice noodles. You can also use Udon or Hokkien noodles.
The rice noodles I’m using need to be soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes prior to adding them to the stir fry. This helps soften them but doesn’t lead to them being overcooked.
Rice noodles have a tendency to stick together very easily. Give them a good stir as you pour the hot water over them. Continue to stir them for the first minute of soaking. Then, after they soften you can stir them again to prevent clumping and to help separate the noodles.
Looking for more vegan Noodle recipes?
- Vegan Sesame ‘Beef’ Udon Noodles
- ‘Chicken’ & Parm Stuffed Shells (Vegan)
- Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese
- The Best Vegan Chicken Parmesan
- Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake
Did you make These Vegan Peanut Satay Noodles?
⭐️ I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below! ⭐️
Vegan Satay Noodles with Peanut Sauce
These Vegan Satay Noodles are super easy to make and a go-to weeknight meal of mine. The slightly chewy rice noodles are coated in a creamy, flavorful savory peanut sauce and loaded up with lots of veggies. Topped off with some crispy air-fried tofu and scrambled vegan Just Egg, these noodles are a winner.
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce use coconut aminos for GF
- 1 tsp sambal oelek
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, melted
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, grated, about 1 ½ tbsp
- 1 tbsp minced ginger, about 1 large knob
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp green onion, chopped
- Juice of ½ lime
- 2-3 tbsp warm water
Tofu:
- 1 15oz block of extra firm tofu, drained & pressed
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Other:
- 1/2 of a 16oz package of rice noodles, (8 oz total)
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tbsp minced ginger
- 2 carrots, peeled and ribboned
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
Garnish
- Cilantro
- Green Onion
- Lime Juice
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
To Make the Peanut Sauce:
- In a large pyrex measuring cup or a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together.
- Give all the ingredients a good stir until they are incorporated and creamy. If you’d like a thinner sauce, add a teaspoon of warm water at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
- Like most sauces, the longer all of the ingredients sit together, the better it will taste!
To Make the Rice Noodles:
- Cover the rice noodles in a heat-proof bowl with very hot tap water for 20 minutes. Stir the rice noodles as you add water to prevent them from sticking together.
To Make the Tofu:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400F. (See notes for baking).
- Press and drain the tofu to remove most of the liquid.
- Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and coat all the sides in cornstarch.
- Place the tofu in the air fry basket and coat them in cooking spray.
- Air-fry them at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping them and reapplying oil halfway.
To Make the Stir Fry:
- Heat a few teaspoons of sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Saute the green onion, ginger, and garlic for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sliced peppers, carrots, and celery. Stir fry for about 3-5 minutes until they are starting to get tender.
- Add the softened rice noodles to the wok and pour on half of the peanut sauce. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Toss in the prepared tofu and the rest of the peanut sauce.
- Top the vegan satay noodles with cilantro, sesame seeds, lime juice, and more green onions.
Notes
- If you like really saucy noodles, double the sauce ingredients.
- This recipe calls for rice noodles. You can also use Udon or Hokkien noodles.
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can bake the tofu. Bake it at 425F for 25-30 minutes until crispy (flipping halfway).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Saturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgProtein: 15g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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hi, just wondering… if the the satay sauce is available, then cant i use that?? if so, then how much tablespoon or teaspoon of it shall i use???
The peanut sauce in this recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups. If you’d like to use another sauce you have on hand, I would substitute in that amount.