Cold Peanut Soba Noodles
Chilled buckwheat noodles in a creamy, tangy peanut sauce. A ten-minute assembly job that's better cold than hot — ideal for lunch prepped the night before.
By Vegan Cook. Published 5 August 2026
Ingredients
Serves 2.
- 200 gsoba noodles
- 3 tbspsmooth peanut butter
- 2 tbspsoy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsprice vinegar
- 1 tbsplime juice
- 1 tspmaple syrup
- 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tspchilli flakes or sriracha, to taste
- 3 tbspwarm water, to loosen
- 2spring onions, sliced
- 1 tbspsesame seeds, toasted
- 1/2cucumber, julienned, to serve
Cookware
- Pot
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
Method
Read each step end-to-end before starting.
- 01
Cook the soba
Boil the soba noodles for the time on the packet, usually 4-5 minutes — no more, as they turn mushy fast. Test a strand early.
- 02
Rinse cold
Drain and immediately rinse under cold running water, tossing with your fingers, until fully cooled. This stops the cooking and washes off the surface starch that would otherwise glue the noodles into a clump.
- 03
Whisk the sauce
In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil and chilli. It will be stiff at first — add the warm water a spoon at a time until it becomes a smooth, pourable sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
- 04
Toss
Add the cold, well-drained noodles to the sauce and toss until every strand is coated.
- 05
Serve
Top with spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and julienned cucumber. Eat cold, or chill until lunch — loosen with a splash of water if the sauce tightens up in the fridge.
Allergen profile
Every recipe here is fully plant-based. Cross-contamination risk depends on your kitchen, so check all packaging.
Swap note
Contains peanut, soy and gluten. Use 100% buckwheat noodles and tamari for a gluten-free version; the peanut and soy are structural to the dish.