A Fresh & Fast Noodle Salad
Whether you use instant ramen (just the noodles—toss that seasoning packet) or fresh ramen noodles, this cold sesame noodle salad comes together super fast! Fresh ramen noodles—which can be found in the chilled produce section of many grocery stores—cook in 2-3 minutes, so they’re just as fast as dried, instant ramen. Either way, we love the twisty curlicue of these classic Japanese noodles in this veggie-loaded summer noodle salad, and we think you will, too! For a more traditional, brothy ramen, try our easy chicken ramen.
Reason #1 To Love This Noodle Salad: The Best Ever Ginger-Sesame Dressing
This salad is all about freshness. The noodles are cooked quickly—ramen noodles cook fast, so keep an eye on them!—and then tossed with a whole bunch of crisp vegetables. Veggies + noodles give excellent texture, but the big, bold flavors of this cold noodle salad come primarily from this Asian-inspired dressing. Zingy, savory and just-barely kissed with a bit of heat, this dressing is a balanced, complex swirl of deliciousness. Here’s what’s in it:
- Lime juice & zest.
- Brown sugar
- Fish sauce. A key ingredient in many of the cuisines of Southeast Asia, we’ve come to love the deeply savory flavor that fish sauce can bring to a recipe. There are quite a few brands available in the U.S., and it’s fine to use whichever one you prefer! We really love Red Boat Brand Fish Sauce.
- Vegetable oil
- Toasted sesame oil
- Chili paste, such as sambal oelek.
- Fresh ginger
Reason #2 To Love This Noodle Salad: Crunchy Vegetables x10
Toothsome ramen noodles and a silky sesame dressing—that alone is a great combination. But add some crunchy raw vegetables to the mix, plus some peanuts, fresh herbs, sesame seeds and bright green diced scallions? Well, that puts this cold noodle salad recipe right over the top. Adding veggies also means that this recipe can serve as a light meal all on its own, OR as a hearty side dish. You can feel free to play around with the veggie combination, but we especially love to use these ultra-crispy crunchy ones:
- Red bell peppers
- Shredded cabbage
- Cucumbers
How To Make Cold Sesame Noodle Salad
You’ll only have to turn on the stovetop for a few minutes, so even on the hottest day of the year, this cold noodle salad recipe is easy to make. Here’s how to do it:
- Cook the ramen noodles! Fresh or instant—either way, it should just take about two minutes.
- Chop chop chop! Lots of chopping here, and there’s no way around it. Put on a favorite album / podcast and hop to it.
- Whisk together that lime-y ginger-and-sesame noodle salad dressing.
- Toss it all together! You can eat it right away, if you’re in a rush, but this salad is extra delicious and refreshing if you can give it an hour or two in the fridge to chill. In other words, it’s an ideal make-ahead dish.
Tools You’ll Need
Oodles of Noodles!
Summertime is noodle salad season, and we’ve got gazillions of them! Our current faves are:
Cold Comfort
Hearty, healthy noodle salads like this are a summertime go-to in our homes, and we hope this recipe earns a spot in your warm-weather rotation, too. If you try it out, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
