Fresh and delicious Rice Noodle Salad with spicy peanut sauce.
Rice Noodle Salad is a quick and easy summer meal. Tons of crunchy veggies, flavorful herbs, crispy toppings, and a creamy spicy peanut butter sauce make this dish absolutely irresistible. Serve it as a pretty buddha bowl, or mix everything together for the best bite.
IIt’s been pushing 30°C here in Germany lately, and honestly, turning on the stove feels like punishment. So I’ve been leaning into no-cook meals like this cold rice noodle salad: quick, refreshing, and absolutely packed with flavor. Between the crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and creamy spicy peanut sauce, it’s the kind of dish I could eat every day (and sometimes do). Plus, it all comes together in 15 minutes—perfect for lazy summer lunches or effortless dinners.
We love it the most Vietnamese style, like this or this. Other times we make it with spiralized veggies and lots of peanut butter.
And sometimes, it’s pretty much just a big mix of whatever we have at home. Because we don’t want to go out to buy any special ingredients.
Today’s Rice Noodle Salad with spicy peanut sauce is one of those random versions too. Random, but pretty good nonetheless. So make it!
How to make Rice Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Soak the noodles
Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions (it’s usually a quick soak in hot water). Rinse with cold water and drain well.
Prep your veggies
While the noodles soak, chop your cabbage, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, and herbs. Thaw your edamame if frozen.
Make the sauce
In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, garlic, hot sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce is smooth and pourable.
Assemble the salad
You can go two ways here:
- For presentation: Arrange the noodles, veggies, and toppings in bowls, then drizzle with sauce.
- For flavor: Toss everything together in one big bowl so every bite is coated in that spicy, creamy goodness.
Top and serve
Finish with peanuts, fried onions, fresh herbs, or anything else you love. Serve cold or at room temp.
I know some people love the look of a perfectly styled Buddha bowl. And yeah, it’s photogenic. But personally? I think this salad tastes way better when it’s all tossed together. The noodles soak up the sauce, the flavors blend, and it just hits different. It might not be as Instagram-friendly, but the leftovers are way more exciting.
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
Looking for more refreshing summer meals? Try these!
- Raw Vegan Lasagne
- Hummus Potato Salad with Roasted Veggies
- Zucchini Noodles with Pesto and Tempeh
- Cold Tahini and Cucumber Soup
- Skordalia – Greek Garlic and Potato Dip
- Pulled Jackfruit Summer Rolls
- Quick and Easy Udon Noodle Stir-Fry
Rice Noodle Salad w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz/100 g rice noodles
- 1 persian cucumber (or 1/4 english), thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups/100 g shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup/75 g matchstick or shredded carrot
- 1 cup/150 g frozen edamame, thawed
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
- small bunch of cilantro
- 2 tbsp toasted peanuts, chopped
- 2 tbsp fried onions
for the peanut sauce:
- 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- salt, pepper
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Divide between serving bowls.
- Top rice noodles with cabbage, cucumber, carrot, edamame, and bell pepper.
- For the dressing whisk together peanut sauce ingredients and 4 tablespoons of water (or more, if you want it thiner).
- Drizzle salad with peanut sauce, and top with peanuts, fried onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
So colourful! I adore peanut sauce and can put it on almost everything. Where did you get the edamame?
Same with me, PB sauce goes with everything 😍
I used to buy my edamame in Asian shops or edeka. But since rewe started to sell them in paper box, that’s where I get it usually.
Evi
Such a fabulous combination of rice noodle salad and peanut butter sauce. It makes such a heavenly lunch. Loved the toppings with fried onions and cilantro.
Thank you 🙂
A beautiful salad! Where did you get edamame in Germany? I’ve looked in every supermarket or ethnic store around here… nothing!
Thanks, Adina!
Here in Hamburg they sell frozen Edamame in pretty much every Asian shop, Bioladen, Edeka and Rewe. Rewe also has some in a small plastic package in the fridge, next to salads and salad dressings 😉
That’s the difference between Hamburg and here… closest larger town is 60 km away (Kassel). 🙁 I will have a look in Rewe again, maybe I get lucky. 🙂 Thank you.
Yes, here it seems everything is so easy to buy, especially when it comes to vegan products or specialty produce…
BTW this is the one I buy in Rewe, maybe you can buy it from the online shop? Would be cool 😉
https://shop.rewe.de/p/rewe-bio-edamame-junge-sojabohnen-300g/8363050
Fried onions?
Hi Brenda,
You can find crispy fried onions in most supermarkets or Asian shops, usually together with other toppings and condiments. But a homemade version is even better 😉