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Fresh and flavorful Thai noodle salad made with tender noodles, crisp vegetables, and a creamy peanut dressing. An easy, colorful recipe perfect for lunch, dinner, or potlucks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Thai noodle salad is the perfect combination of fresh, colorful, and full of bold flavor. The tender noodles soak up a creamy, tangy peanut dressing while crisp vegetables add the perfect crunch in every bite. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients and is easy to customize with your favorite veggies or protein.
Whether you serve it as a light main dish, a side for grilled meats, or bring it to a potluck, this vibrant salad is always a crowd-pleaser and tastes even better after the flavors have had time to mingle.
Ingredients Needed
- Linguine Pasta
- Sesame Oil
- Green Onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Peanut Butter
- Honey
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Chili Garlic Sauce
- Bean Sprouts
- Carrots
- Peanuts
How To Make Thai Noodle Salad
- Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water, until tender but firm to the bite
- Drain well and place pasta in a large serving bowl.
- Toss cooked linguine with 1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
- Heat remaining sesame oil over medium heat, add green onions, garlic and ginger.
- Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili garlic sauce to the pan.
- Cook for one minute longer
- Add bean sprouts and carrots to the pasta.
- Pour peanut dressing over pasta and toss.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts, green onions or scallions, sesame seeds and cilantro.
Tips and Tricks from Leigh Anne
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Cook just until tender, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep them from getting mushy.
- Add in other veggies. Thinly sliced red bell peppers and green cabbage are another great addition to this salad.
- Customize with protein. Add grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or tofu to turn this salad into a satisfying main dish. It’s a great way to use leftover cooked protein.
- Adjust the dressing to taste. Like it spicier? Add a little sriracha or red pepper flakes. Want it sweeter? Stir in a touch more honey.
- Make it ahead. This salad is perfect for prepping in advance. Store the dressing separately if making more than a few hours ahead, then toss everything together before serving for the freshest flavor and texture.
- Serve at room temperature. But it can also be served warm or chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of noodles should I use for Thai Noodle Salad?
Rice noodles are the most traditional choice but I like to use spaghetti noodles or linguine. It’s what I usually have on hand.
Can I make Thai Noodle Salad ahead of time?
Yes! You can fully assemble and then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Give it a good toss before serving. If it seems a little dry after being in the fridge for a few days, give it a splash or two of sesame oil. or a few splashes of water.
Can I add protein to this salad?
Definitely. grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or tofu are all delicious additions and turn this salad into a satisfying main dish. It’s also a great way to use up leftover cooked protein.
Is it possible to make this salad gluten free?
Yes. Use rice noodles and be sure to choose a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari for the dressing. Always check labels to ensure all ingredients meet your dietary needs.
This Thai noodle salad is the kind of fresh, vibrant dish that never goes out of style and you never get tired of. With its amazing flavors, colorful vegetables, and irresistible peanut dressing, it’s a recipe that’s as easy to make as it is to love. Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or sharing at gatherings, it delivers big flavor with minimal effort. Once you try it, you’ll find yourself coming back to this bright and delicious salad again and again.
Check out more of my favorite pasta salad recipes:
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Thai Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz. linguine divided
- 3 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 6 green onions chopped (save some for garnish)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger grated
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce I used 1 Tbsp. as some of my family don’t like too much heat
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
- 1 cup finely grated carrot
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts chopped green onion and chopped cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Cook 12 oz. linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water, until tender but firm to the bite
- Drain well and place pasta in a large serving bowl
- Toss with 1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- In a large frying pan, heat remaining sesame oil over medium heat, add green onions, garlic and ginger
- Saute for a couple of minutes
- Then add peanut butter, honey and soy sauce, along with rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce
- Cook for one minute longer
- Add to the pasta, bean sprouts and carrots and toss together
- Garnish with chopped peanuts, green onions and cilantro
- Serve at room temperature
- Good made ahead and left out until serving time
Tips & Notes:
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Nicky says
Love this recipe, even though my lack of kitchen skills stretch that 10 minute prep time into a much longer duration. But everyone loves it every time I make it. My subpar chopping skills aside, if I can make this, anyone can.
HB Girl says
So I just finished making this salad for the second time in ONE week. The first time it was good… really good, but this time I felt more familiar about the ingredients and it came out even better. I used a whole box of linguine because that’s how it comes and I didn’t want to try to figure out how much 12 oz were vs 16 oz. So, I just upped all the ingredients (except chili garlic sauce-yikes! even just 1 T is hot) a bit over the original recipe which made it saucier (which was good, because the first batch became understandably a little dry as time went on) and this batch ROCKS. The flavors are so good.
A couple of things I did to make it even more exceptional was I only put 1/2 of the bean sprouts in at the beginning and then kept adding more as we at the left overs because I like crunch factor and bean sprouts tend to cook pretty easily in the warm noodles. And because I like the crunch factor so much I also added chopped peanuts–again, some while dish was hot, and more as time went on. I’m thinking maybe next time I’ll even add some water chestnuts to the sauce before adding it to the pasta.
The whole thing takes only about 30 minutes to make (including cooking the noodles) so it’s a dish worth having in your arsenal. Now, I want to have a dinner party just so I can make this for my friends.
I am so happy to have found this recipe, THANK YOU so much for posting it!
Leigh Anne says
I love that you love it!! I’m with you on the crunch factor, the more the better and I love the tweeks you made. Thanks!
Patty says
I would love to try this, can it be made without bean sprouts?
Leigh Anne says
Sure, just leave them out.
SinNH says
Can this be made without pasta? I’m trying to cut carbs by any means without sacrificing taste. I have a veggetti spiralizer, maybe spiralized zucchini?
Leigh Anne says
I have never done it that way but I don’t see why not. Let me know what you think.