Looking for a ridiculously quick and easy dinner that's packed with flavor? These Noodles with Peanut Sauce are seriously delicious and can be ready in minutes. The recipe serves two, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

Overhead view of a bowl of noodles with peanut sauce with chopsticks on top and peanuts and cilantro all around, second bowl of noodles in the background, and recipe title at top of image

(This recipe for Noodles with Peanut Sauce was originally published in May 2011, but was updated with new photos in 2020).

Every weekend for just about the next two months, I have something going on and I'm actually getting a bit overwhelmed just looking at my calendar. Also, hoping I don't forget to show up somewhere! So, this past Friday evening, I was thrilled to not have a single thing to do. Besides make dinner and sip wine. And watch Dateline.

Once I got home, I was starving and wanted to make something for dinner that didn't require a trip to the grocery store, so I checked the pantry and saw a jar of peanut butter staring at me. I remembered buying noodles with peanut sauce for lunch at Trader Joe's recently that were so darn good I immediately started to crave them again, so I decided to recreate them myself.

How to Make Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is ridiculously easy to make and while there are lots of versions that don't require heating at all (just whisking together ingredients), I find that cooking them over medium heat effectively melds the flavors together and makes the sauce a great consistently.

Plus, there's nothing quite like pouring the warm peanut sauce over a bowl of tender noodles for some delicious low-stress comfort food.

All you have to do is whisk the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Then place over medium heat until the sauce thickens.

Collage showing process for making peanut sauce, including ingredients in saucepan and sauce cooked and thickened in saucepan

And pour it over the noodles of your choice. Toss to coat noodles.

Serve noodles and top with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and more red hot pepper flakes.

Closeup view of a bowl of noodles with peanut sauce with chopsticks on top with peanut and cilantro all around

What Kind of Noodles to Serve with Peanut Sauce?

I used rice noodles here, but you could also use soba noodles, udon, or ramen. In fact, you don't have to use an Asian noodle at all and can even use spaghetti, fettuccini, angel hair, or any pasta shape of your choice.

Other Uses for Peanut Sauce

Really, you don't have to use noodles at all to enjoy this peanut sauce! Here a few other ideas for serving it:

Serve it as a dipping sauce for sautéed or roasted vegetables or chicken satay
Use it as a stir-fry sauce
Include it in homemade spring rolls
Use it as a salad dressing

Potential Additions to Noodles

Sometimes I crave super simple dinners and these noodles with peanut sauce fit the bill. However, there are also lots of ways you can make this dish more of a meal. Herre are a few additions I recommend:

Grilled chicken
Shrimp
Ground pork
Tofu
Bell peppers and broccoli

My only regret is that this recipe makes just enough peanut sauce for two servings of well-dressed noodles and after enjoying a bowl, I wanted to put the peanut sauce on everything.

But don't worry because it's easy to make a double or triple batch!

Landscape head-on view of a bowl of noodles with peanut sauce with chopsticks and cilantro and peanuts all around

As far as Friday night dinners go, this one is perfection. Simple, flavorful, and very quick. And wonderful for enjoying on the couch with a loved one while watching Dateline.

I should also note that these noodles with peanut sauce pair very well with a chilled glass of white wine or a cold beer.

Happy Friday!! What's your ideal Friday night dinner when you're staying in?

If you like this quick and easy dinner, check out my Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice or my Shrimp and Feta Orzo Salad. I can't wait to try these Easy Black Bean and Rice Burritos from Now Cook This!

📖 Recipe