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Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles

September 4, 2024

Chewy. Crunchy. Sweet. And Spicy. These spicy peanut udon noodles have all of our favorite food adjectives in one bowl.

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homemade spicy peanut udon noodles topped with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts on a plate
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Save This Spicy Peanut Udon Noodle Recipe

Noodles are amongst our favorite go-to easy weeknight dinner recipes. You’ll want to save these easy peanut udon noodles for the next time you need to have dinner ready in flash. Cook these noodles, green beans, and peanut butter (what can’t it do?) in less than thirty minutes! With the time you save on the main dish you can also prepare Steamed Shrimp, Broccolini, and Slaw with Sriracha Dressing for a real feast.

homemade spicy peanut udon noodles topped with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts on a plate

What Are Udon Noodles?

Udon noodles are chewy, thick cut noodles that can be either flat or round. They’re most often found in Japanese soups and stir-fries. We love them for their texture and because they’re quick-cooking. Here’s a few more answers to common questions about udon noodles:

  • Udon noodles are not gluten free. They are traditionally made with whole wheat, but there’s tons of great gluten free noodles available that could be used instead.

  • Udon noodles are usually vegan because they’re made using just flour and water.

  • How to cook udon noodles–Need to get food on the table fast? Udon noodles cook quickly, and you’ll want to boil in plenty of water, and give them a little stir so they have room to cook and don’t stick together. Udon noodles are cooked when they float.

  • Where to buy udon noodles–You can find udon noodles at most grocery stores, Asian markets (like H Mart), and even on Amazon.

udon noodles, green beans, sesame oil, tamari, sambal oelek, brown sugar, peanut butter and stock in prep bowls

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles

  • Peanut butter–This is one of those pantry workhorse ingredients. Good for the daily PB&J, and also great to use in savory dishes like this and African Peanut Soup.

  • Sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sambal Oelek–The trinity of flavorful sauces. We use these ingredients to build flavor in our Chicken Chow Mein and Sesame Chicken with Broccoli.

  • Ginger and Garlic–Cooking wouldn’t be the same without these cornerstone ingredients. Did you know that you can freeze whole ginger root? It makes it exceedingly easy to grate when it’s frozen, so this is a big kitchen win if you’re not going through fresh ginger quickly.

udon noodles and green beans being cooked in a pot of boiling water
sesame oil, soy sauce, sambal oelek, brown sugar, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, and stock being cooked in a pan
cooked udon noodles and green beans being tossed in a pan with spicy peanut sauce
green onions and cilantro being added to spicy peanut noodles and green beans in a pan

How to Make Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles

Could it *be* any easier?

  • Boil green beans and udon noodles.

  • Simmer the sauce.

  • Toss in the noodles and green beans and stir until coated, cooking for another three minutes.

  • Top with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts to serve.

homemade spicy peanut udon noodles tossed with green beans being stirred with chopsticks

How to Store Udon Noodles And Some Tips

  • If you’re going to freeze the cooked udon noodles, it’s best to freeze them before you toss them in the sauce. If you have leftovers of the spicy peanut udon noodles they’re good for 3-5 days in the fridge, and we think they’re great reheated or eaten cold.

  • You can also add a protein to these noodles, and taking a page from the chicken katsu recipe book, you could toss in some slices of Perfectly Crispy Fried Chicken to good effect.

  • This recipe can easily be made vegan, and adding tofu or tempeh would also be delicious!

homemade spicy peanut udon noodles topped with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts on a plate

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Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  10 min
  • Calories:  352

Ingredients

  • 1 (14-ounce) package fresh udon noodles
  • ½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek or garlic chili paste
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar, (optional)
  • ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 green onions finely chopped, plus more for serving
  • ½ cup vegetable stock chicken stock or water
  • ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
  • Sesame seeds, for serving
  • Crushed peanuts, for serving

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the noodles and green beans and cook for 3 minutes, or until the green beans are bright green and noodles float. Drain.

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, sambal oelek, brown sugar, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, and stock. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the noodles and green beans and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and cilantro and stir to combine.

  3. Transfer noodles to a large platter and top with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts to serve.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 352
  • Protein 12 g
  • Carbohydrates 39 g
  • Total Fat 18 g
  • Dietary Fiber 5 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 1384 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Jack

    Loved it! Didn’t change a thing. Paired it with a couple of spring rolls.

    Thanks Jack, glad you loved it!

  • Sara

    How much peanut butter?

    ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter

  • Gail

    Since Sambal is so hard to find now, I recall you mentioning that someone taught you how to make your own. Can you share that recipe?

    I wasn't given exact amounts so I'm still tinkering with that but you just need thai chilies and garlic (finely minced) and then mix it with sriracha. Hope this helps!

  • Mia

    Best peanut noodle recipe ever! I added crispy tofu for extra protein. My kids gobbled it up.

    Thanks Mia, we are so happy your family loved it!

  • Jt

    Tasty but mine came out too salty. I’d try it again with omitting the stock (I used better than bouillon, which tends to be pretty salty) and using water instead.

    Thanks Jt, we are so happy you enjoyed it. Bouillon is pretty salty, if you used low sodium stock instead of water that would be a better swap you could cut the salt but not lose flavor.

  • Courtney

    I love this recipe! I make it almost every week :)

    We love that! Thanks Courtney, we are so happy you love it!

  • Jack

    We loved this! If you’re having trouble finding Sambal try Amazon. They regularly have twin packs on there for cheap.

    Thanks Jack, glad you loved it!

  • Jenn

    This was really quick to throw together and my whole family loved it! Will definitely be making it again and again!

    Thanks Jenn, glad everyone enjoyed it!