This Cold Soba Noodle Salad is easy to make and packed with flavor and nutrition. Soba noodles are nutty noodles made with buckwheat and they are so nutritious. Tossing them with peanut sauce makes an easy, satisfying, and healthy meal.
What are Soba Noodles and Where to Find Them?
If you love pasta, and tried ramen and loved it, I think soba noodles are the next noodles you need to try!
Soba noodles are earthy, nutty-flavored noodles made from buckwheat. Buckwheat is called wheat but it’s actually a seed. Unlike other noodles, soba noodles are a great sauce of protein!
In Japan, there are so many soba restaurants serving housemade fresh soba noodles like Italian restaurants serving their housemade pasta. In those restaurants, soba noodles are served with a side of Tyuyu cold dipping sauce or in a warm bowl of Tsuyu soup. Tsuyu is a soup base made with soy sauce and bonito flake broth and it’s packed with savory umami! When topped with tempura, egg, or other toppings, it becomes a satisfying meal.
You can do so much more with soba noodles than just serving with Tsuyu. Soba noodles are served in various ways, as both cold and warm dishes. And making a salad is one of them!
Even though soba noodles are made with buckwheat, most of the products are not made from 100% buckwheat. Since buckwheat has no gluten, wheat flour is used to build a structure for the soba noodles.
If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, look for soba made with 100% soba noodles called Juwari soba. Or some products use a combination of buckwheat and rice flour to make them gluten-free.
You can find soba noodles at your local Asian grocery store. You might find them in the Asian food aisle at a regular grocery store. Soba noodles usually come in dry noodle form in individual bundles. You can just boil the noodles to achieve satisfying chewy goodness.
Tips for Cooking Dried Soba Noodles
Here are a few tips to make your soba cooking successful.
- Plenty of water: Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water, so that noodles can “dance” in a pot resulting in even cooking and preventing noodles from sticking together.
- No salt needed when boiling: Unlike pasta, you don’t need salt when boiling soba noodles.
- Rinsing in cold water: You can rinse cooked noodles in a large bowl of ice water or under the running water. Rinsing boiled noodles stops the cooking and prevents noodles from being sticky, and makes them a perfect toothsome chewy texture.
The Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- Peanut butter: The base of the sauce! Use unsalted, creamy peanut butter.
- Soy Sauce or Tamari: Add savory umami to the sauce. Use tamari for the gluten-free option.
- Rice vinegar: Adds refreshing tang.
- Maple Syrup and Garlic powder: Adds extra flavor.
- Sriracha: Adds heat to the sauce. Add more or less to make it your desired spiciness.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Just a drizzle makes the dish so rich and flavorful.
FOR the salad bowl
- Soba Noodles: Grab yourself bundles of soba noodles.
- Edamame: Edamame, especially frozen shelled edamame, is a great item to keep in your kitchen. You can throw it into soups, salads, or anything!
- Baby spinach and Salad greens: Add some greens to make this salad extra nutritious.
- Roasted Peanuts Chopped and White Sesame Seeds: Optional but great topping.
How to Make Cold Soba Noodle Salad
First, let’s cook soba noodles according to the package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of the cooking time, add edamame and cook together. Then in the last 1 minute, stir in baby spinach and cook together. So that everything finishes cooking at the same time.
Drain everything well and rinse under the running water. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl.
While the noodles are cooking, quickly assemble the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients of the sauce.
Add the sauce to the cooked noodles and mix well. Serve with salad greens and top off with peanuts and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For assembly
- 8 oz soba
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Salad greens for serving
- Roasted peanuts chopped, for garnish
- White sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cook soba noodles according to the package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of the cooking time, add edamame and cook together. In the last 1 minute, stir in baby spinach and cook together. Drain everything well and rinse under the running water. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients of the sauce.
- Add the sauce to the cooked noodles and mix well. Serve with salad greens and top off with peanuts and sesame seeds.
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