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This Cold Soba Noodle Salad is loaded with fresh vegetables like bell pepper, carrot and red cabbage and finished with a creamy almond butter sauce. It’s light, refreshing and requires minimal cooking!
If you’re in need of a healthy weeknight dinner that doesn’t require turning on your oven, then let me introduce you to this delicious cold soba noodle salad!
This is my go to when I’m craving something fresh, but satisfying. You get crunchy fresh veggies, plenty of noodles and a delicious almond butter sauce to finish everything off. The sauce is creamy with the perfect balance of sweet, salty and tangy.
Add your favourite protein like tofu, chicken or salmon and you have yourself the perfect tasty meal for summer.
Ingredients & substitutions
Almond Butter Sauce
- Almond butter: almond butter makes the base of our sauce. Choose a natural almond butter with a drippy consistency. Peanut butter would also work great.
- Tamari: for some saltiness. Coconut aminos can also be used.
- Lime: fresh lime adds some acid and brightness to the sauce.
- Maple syrup: a touch of sweetness to help balance out the other flavours. Feel free to use honey instead.
- Garlic: fresh garlic is best!
- Ginger: adds a little kick to the sauce.
- Sesame oil: this adds a little richness to the sauce. You could also use avocado oil if you don’t have sesame oil on hand.
- Sriracha or red pepper flakes: completely optional, but I recommend it if you like some heat!
Soba Noodle Salad
- Soba noodles: soba noodles are a type of Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. A lot of soba noodles are actually made with a combination of wheat flour and buckwheat flour, so if you’re gluten-free make sure to choose one that is made with 100% buckwheat flour. My favourite is King Soba Noodles! Rice noodles would also make a good substitution in this dish.
- Fresh veggies: I used a combination of red pepper, cabbage and carrot but other vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, chopped spinach or cooked broccoli would also work.
- Edamame: for some additional texture and a little boost of protein.
- Green onion: the perfect addition for this noodle salad.
- Chicken bone broth: this is added at the same time as the almond butter sauce to help give the pasta a creamier finish. If you live in Alberta, I recommend Bone to Broth, but any quality bone broth can be used!
- Garnishes: I love finishing my salad with fresh cilantro, sesame seeds and fresh lime juice. Peanuts or cashews would also work great and would add a nice crunch to the salad.
- Protein of choice: to make this a more balanced meal, I recommend adding a source of protein. I used baked tofu, but chicken, salmon or tempeh would all pair well.
How to make this cold soba noodle salad
- Make the sauce: add all the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed.
- Cook the noodles: cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse well under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- Assemble the salad: add the veggies, edamame and green onion to the noodles and gently toss to combine.
- Serve: just before serving, toss with the sauce and bone broth. Garnish and serve!
Recipe tips
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Soba noodles don’t take very long to cook so make sure to follow the package instructions. If overcooked, soba noodles become soft and mushy.
- Rinse the noodles well with cold water after cooking. This removes excess starches that can cause clumping.
- Wait until you’re ready to eat to add the almond butter sauce and bone broth. The noodles will absorb a lot of the sauce and can become soggy as it sits. To keep the salad flavourful and creamy, add the sauce just before serving or set some sauce aside to toss with leftovers later.
- Nutrition tip: if you find you get bloated from eating a lot of raw vegetables, feel free to lightly sauté the cabbage, carrots and red cabbage before adding to the noodles. Cooked vegetables are easier to digest so may be better tolerated. I actually prefer to eat the dish this way in the colder months!
Storage
If not eating right away, I recommend storing the soba noodle salad and almond butter sauce separately. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sauce will keep for up to a week. It will thicken up a bit in the fridge and can be thinned with water if needed.
More healthy lunch & dinner recipes
If you make this Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Almond Dressing, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or tag me on Instagram.
Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Almond Sauce
This Cold Soba Noodle Salad is loaded with fresh vegetables like bell pepper, carrot and red cabbage and finished with a creamy almond butter sauce. It's light, refreshing and requires minimal cooking!
Ingredients
Almond Butter Sauce
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 4 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 5 thin slices ginger ~2 tsp
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Water as needed
- Optional: sriracha or red pepper flakes to taste
Soba Noodle Salad
- 8 oz soba noodles
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 2 large carrots cut into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked edamame
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chicken bone broth
- For garnish: fresh cilantro leaves, sesame seeds, lime wedges
- Optional: protein of choice (chicken, tofu, tempeh, salmon)
Instructions
- Make sauce: Add sauce ingredients to a small food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add water as needed to thin into a sauce consistency (you don’t want it to be too thick). Alternatively, mince the garlic, grate the ginger and then whisk together in a bowl.
- Cook noodles: cook soba noodles according to package instructions, being careful not to overcook. Drain and rinse with cold water while moving them around with your hand to remove the access starch. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with a little oil to prevent them from sticking.
- Assemble salad: Add the veggies, edamame and green onion to the soba noodles and gently toss to combine.
- Serve: when ready to eat, add the almond butter sauce and bone broth and gently toss. Top with cilantro, sesame seeds and fresh lime.
Notes
If you're gluten-free, make sure that you're using noodles that are 100% buckwheat. A lot of them are made with a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour. I love King Soba Buckwheat Noodles.
Soba noodles don't take very long to cook, so make sure to follow the package instructions. If overcooked, soba noodles become soft and mushy.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how it was!
