This Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is a healthy gluten-free and vegan recipe that is easy to make. It’s loaded with ingredients like cucumber, carrots and red cabbage and topped off with sliced green onions and sesame seeds!

A bowl of soba noodle salad with vegetables topped with cilantro

What are soba noodles?

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, which has an earthy and slightly nutty flavour.

You might be wondering are soba noodles gluten-free? Contrary to having “wheat” in its name, buckwheat is actually entirely gluten-free. It’s in fact not even a grain. Buckwheat is considered a seed.  It’s also extremely nutritious and high in vitamins and minerals like magnesium, folate and vitamin B.

One thing to note: Many soba noodles you’ll see in stores are NOT 100% buckwheat. Some contain a mix of regular wheat and buckwheat, so these noodles are not gluten-free. Make sure to check the label if they are 100% buckwheat noodles or not. This brand is my favourite.

Ingredients in this recipe

  • Soba noodles: The star ingredient! Make sure to look for 100% buckwheat soba noodles for a wheat-free option.
  • Cucumber: I like to spiralize them, but you can slice them or shred them.
  • Red cabbage: Not only is it filled with nutrients but it makes this salad look pretty!
  • Carrots: shredded or sliced works best
  • Green onions: Adds a bit of bite to this noodles
  • Sesame seeds: Make sure to use toasted ones for the best flavour.
  • Peanut butter: Natural or regular peanut butter both work for the sauce.
  • Tamari: You can substitute soy sauce if needed.
  • Rice Vinegar: This gives the sauce some “punch” to it.
  • Maple Syrup: For a hint of sweetness
  • Sesame oil: Don’t replace this with another oil! You want that sesame flavour.
  • Sriracha: This is what makes it a spicy peanut butter sauce!

How to make this soba noodle recipe

Cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Prepare the sauce, and slice, chop and shred the vegetables. You can cut the vegetables in any way you like.

Bowls on a marble counter filled with soba noodles, shredded cabbage, spiralized cucumber, shredded carrots, chopped green onions, sesame seeds and peanut butter sauce

Add all of the Soba Noodle Salad ingredients to a mixing bowl and toss together until everything is well combined.

  • A clear mixing bowl with soba noodles, shredded carrots, cabbage, cucumber, green onions and sesame seeds in it
  • Soba noodle salad with peanut butter sauce in a clear mixing bowl topped with sesame seeds

Serve chilled or at room temperature and optionally top with extra sesame seeds, green onions and cilantro.

  • two bowls of soba noodle salad topped with sesame seeds, green onions and cilantro
  • A bowl of soba noodle salad with chopsticks on top

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

  • Shred the vegetables into small pieces so they can easily be evenly distributed throughout the salad. You can also buy pre-shredded vegetables to save you some time.
  • Use toasted sesame seeds. (or if you have raw ones, toast them) Toasted sesame seeds have a much more rich flavour than raw ones.
  • If your peanut sauce is too thick, add a touch more water to thin it so it can be mixed in the salad more easily.

More noodle recipes to try

Soba noodle salad with peanut sauce in a white ceramic bowl with wood chopsticks on top

If you tried this Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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A bowl of soba noodle salad with vegetables topped with cilantro

Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Jessica Hoffman
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: Asian
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

This Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce is easy to make and a healthy meal option! 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces soba noodles
  • 1/2 cucumber, spiralized or cut into strips
  • 1 cup cabbage, shredded
  • 1 large carrot, sliced or shredded
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • Cilantro to top (optional) 

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
  2. While the noodles cook, prepare the peanut sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients together. 
  3. Once the noodles are cooked, rinse them under room temperature water to slightly cool them down slightly, then add them to a mixing bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients. 
  4. Toss the soba noodle salad and peanut sauce together until combined.
  5. Optionally top with some extra sesame seeds, green onions and cilantro. 

Notes

Shred the vegetables into small pieces so they can easily be evenly distributed throughout the salad. You can also buy pre-shredded vegetables to save you some time.

Use toasted sesame seeds. (or if you have raw ones, toast them) Toasted sesame seeds have a much more rich flavour than raw ones.

If your peanut sauce is too thick, add a touch more water to thin it so it can be mixed in the salad more easily.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
  • Calories: 300
  • Sugar: 4g
  • Fat: 11g
  • Carbohydrates: 45g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 11g

Keywords: how to make soba noodles, healthy soba noodle recipe, soba noodle salad