Spicy Peanut Noodles with Fried Shallots

Delicious, filling spicy peanut noodles that are quick enough to whip up on a weeknight! The peanut sauce is rich and savory, and you can control the spice level by adding as little or as much sriracha as you'd like! The fried shallots are an awesome addition to this dish, but they aren't necessary. If desired, you can skip the shallots all together and the dish comes together in about 15 minutes!

This recipe happens to be vegan, but is something even non-vegans (like myself) are sure to enjoy. The homemade peanut sauce makes this dish filling enough that you won't be missing meat in the meal! This is a great option to work into your rotation if you're looking to reduce your meat consumption.

How spicy are these Spicy Peanut Noodles?

This recipe is what I would consider to be mild, and most people who cannot tolerate spicy food should be able to comfortably enjoy this dish. If you'd like to avoid the spice, consider halving the quantity of sriracha or omitting it all together. If you want to make this dish truly spicy, wait until the peanut sauce has come to the right texture, then add sriracha to taste. If you're serving this dish to people with varying spice tolerance, crushed red pepper flakes are a great option for everyone to dial in the spice to their preference.

How to Make Spicy Peanut Noodles

• Make the fried shallots (optional): Thinly slice the shallots then fry them in hot oil until crispy.
• Cook the noodles: Begin boiling a large pot of water for the noodles. Prepare the noodles per package instructions for al dente while preparing the sauce. Drain and cover to keep warm until needed.
• Prepare the spicy peanut sauce: Mix the cornstarch with ½ cup hot water until fully dissolved. In a small pot, combine the cornstarch slurry and the rest of the sauce ingredients (creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, sriracha, lime juice, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger). Warm over medium-low heat and mix well. Allow the sauce to cook down until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low until ready to use. If needed, add a splash of water to the sauce and mix well if it thickens up too much while waiting.
• Finish the dish: Pour the prepared peanut sauce over the cooked noodles and mix until fully coated. Plate the noodles into the serving dishes and top with the crushed peanuts, fried shallots, green onion, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Additional topping ideas:

My favorite toppings are fried shallots (recipe included), green onions, crushed peanuts, crushed red pepper flakes, and black sesame seeds. Some other toppings to consider are chili oil / chili garlic sauce, grilled chicken breast, tofu, sautéd bell peppers, julienned carrot, fresh cilantro, broccoli florets, snap peas, snow peas, or really any crunchy veggie! 

Substitutions

• Peanut Butter: I make this creamy peanut sauce using creamy peanut butter, and my go-to is JIF brand. You can substitute natural peanut butter, chunky peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, Chinese sesame paste, sunflower seed butter, or really any nut butter you prefer. This will alter the taste a bit, but should still make for great spicy noodles!
• Lime Juice: For the acid in the sauce I like to use fresh lime juice, but you can substitute rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar if you prefer. You can also serve the noodles with lime wedges for squeezing for more tang!
• Soy Sauce: The soy sauce in this recipe can be substituted for tamari, low sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos as needed!
• Brown Sugar: The brown sugar can be swapped for white sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
• Water: Rather than using water in the sauce, give it a little more flavor by subbing chicken broth.
• Noodles: The most commonly used noodles for this dish are rice noodles (like in pad thai) but my favorite noodles to use are long pasta like spaghetti noodles or long fusilli (as pictured). 

Key Tips - Spicy Peanut Noodles

Use long, thick noodles.

• Long, thick noodles are the best option for the peanut sauce. My favorite for this is long fusilli (as pictured). Long fusilli is hard to find, I usually buy mine online.
• Other long thick noodles such as spaghetti, bucatini, fettuccine, or fresh ramen noodles are all great options!

Sauce and fried shallots can be made ahead of time.

• If desired, the fried shallots can be made ahead of time. Just store them in an airtight container at room temp (after cooling), they should keep well for at least a month.
• The peanut sauce can also be made ahead and warmed up when ready to use. Prepare the sauce as described, then transfer to and airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use. When preparing the meal, warm the sauce up over low heat before tossing with the noodles. You may need to mix in a few tablespoon of water when reheating to keep the proper consistency.

Control the spice level by adding more or less sriracha.

• Adjust the sriracha quantity to fit your desired spice level. I use around 1 tablespoon of sriracha for a mild heat. ½ tablespoon will add a bit of flavor to the dish, without making it spicy, and should be suitable for people who don't tolerate spicy foods. If you're a spice lover, consider using 2 or more tablespoon of sriracha, taste the sauce and add more until it's perfect.
• Optionally, serve with crushed red pepper flakes as a topping, so everyone can dial in their own spice preference!

Dietary Restrictions - Spicy Peanut Noodles

This dish is naturally Vegan & Vegetarian.

This dish is naturally Dairy-Free.

Make it Gluten-Free:

• Use gluten-free pasta. Chickpea pasta is my favorite GF variety! Rice noodles are also a very popular choice for peanut noodles.
• Make sure you're using gluten-free soy sauce, such as tamari.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, some people may prefer to have more than one serving. I typically serve this dish as 2 large dinner portions. Plated in the pictures is two servings per bowl.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Fried Shallots

Jacqueline Schell

Quick and easy spicy peanut noodles! Thick noodles tossed in a savory peanut sauce, topped with crushed peanuts, green onion, and fried shallots.

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 440 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 oz. dried noodles or pasta long fusilli, spaghetti, or similar
• 2 green onions greens sliced thin
• ¼ cup crushed peanuts
• crushed red pepper flakes optional

For Spicy Peanut Sauce:

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (for mild) add more to taste if desired
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ½ tablespoon freshly minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger or sub ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ cup warm water

For Fried Shallots (Optional):

• 2 large shallots ~¼ lb
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

 

Preparation - Fried Shallots (Optional)

• Peel the shallots and slice them into thin slices, creating small rings. Separate the rings with your hands after slicing.
  
• Warm the veggie oil over medium heat in a small pot. Meanwhile, place a mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl, and line a plate with paper towels.
• Once the oil is hot, add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn golden and crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes.
  
• When the shallots are ready, pour the mixture through the strainer. After straining, transfer the shallots to a paper towel lined plate and blot off any excess oil.
  

Preparation - Peanut Noodles

• Begin boiling a large pot of salted water for the noodles. Prepare the noodles per package instructions for al dente while preparing the sauce. Drain and cover to keep warm until needed.
  
• Mix the cornstarch with the warm water until fully dissolved. In a small pot, combine the cornstarch slurry and the rest of the sauce ingredients. Warm over medium-low heat and mix well. Allow the sauce to cook down until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low until ready to use. If needed, add a splash of water to the sauce and mix well if it thickens up too much while waiting.
  
• Pour the prepared peanut sauce over the noodles and mix until fully coated. Plate the noodles into the serving dishes and top with the crushed peanuts, fried shallots, green onion, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes

Create a toppings bar if you're serving this to a crowd, and let everyone top their own bowl!

Add more sriracha to the sauce to control the spice level to your preference! 

The noodles pictured are long fusilli, they are hard to find, but you can buy them online! 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25 batchCalories: 440kcal

Keyword Noodles, Pasta, Peanut Noodles, Peanut Sauce, Spicy Peanut Noodles

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