There are many ways to enjoy a delicious vegan soba noodle recipe but favorite has to be creating a peanut sauce stir fry! Who doesn’t love a rich and creamy peanut butter sauce over buckwheat soba noodles with plenty of vegetables for color and nutrition?!
This recipe is simple to make and fairly quick to toss together for a week night meal.
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Are Soba Noodles Vegan?
Generally speaking, yes! Soba noodles are typically vegan friendly as they don’t contain dairy or eggs. However, you just never know what might be hidden in any packaged food so always read the label to be sure.
Are Soba Noodles Gluten Free?
Soba noodles refer to a type of noodle made from buckwheat. Despite the name, buckwheat is a gluten-free option. Therefore, buckwheat noodles (soba noodles) may be gluten free.
However, many soba noodles also use regular wheat flour creating a product that is not gluten free. If finding gluten free soba noodles is a concern for you, be sure to read the label carefully. It may be helpful/ necessary to contact the manufacturer (or check their website) for clarification.
How to Make Vegan and Gluten Free Peanut Sauce
Creating a vegan and gluten free peanut sauce is fairly straight forward! Many peanut sauce recipes are naturally vegan (honey being the main non-vegan ingredient to look out for).
However, most peanut sauce recipes call for soy sauce which is not gluten free. If you need a gluten free peanut sauce recipe, simply substitute the soy sauce for a gluten free alternative like tamari or coconut aminos. The rest of this recipe is naturally gluten free.
Cooking Soba Noodles for Stir Fry
Soba noodles cook very quickly and can easily become overcooked and mushy in a hot recipe like stir fry. If the noodles are gluten free, they are more likely to become mushy as there isn’t gluten to help hold the noodle together.
To cook soba noodles for stir fry, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Read package directions for cooking time and cut this time down by at least 25%. The noodles will continue to cook a bit once added to the hot stir fry, so you want to slightly undercook them in the boiling water. If a package states cook time is 4 minutes in boiling water, only cook the noodles for 3 minutes before adding to the stir fry. If you like a firmer noodle texture, reduce cook time by up to 50%.
- Add the noodles at the end of cooking. Toss the partially cooked noodles into the stir fry after the vegetables and sauce are cooked together. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the noodles are coated with sauce because the heat from the sauce and vegetables is enough to finish cooking the noodles.
- If the noodles are going to sit between getting cooked and being added to the stir fry, keep the noodles in cold water. If you aren’t adding the partially cooked noodles directly to the stir fry, you’ll want to drain away the hot water then place the noodles into a bowl of cold water, ideally with some ice cubes in it. This prevents the noodles from continuing to cook (leading to overcooked noodles).
Vegetables to Use in Peanut Sauce Stir Fry
For this recipe I’ve selected a variety of colorful vegetables to add that are fairly standard and easy to find.
However, with any stir fry recipe, you can use whatever vegetables you like and have on hand. Stir fry is a great end-of-week meal to use up any vegetables you didn’t get to eat through the week!
I try to aim for a few different colors in a meal because different colored vegetables (and fruits) indicate different antioxidants and nutrients! Variety and color in your vegetable selection can translate into a wider range of nutrients.
Add Extra Protein to your Meal
The protein for this meal comes from the peanut butter in the sauce, the edamame as well as some protein in the buckwheat soba noodles.
Along with the healthy fats from peanut butter, edamame and sesame oil, and carbohydrates from the noodles, this peanut sauce stir fry creates a fairly balanced meal.
However, some people enjoy meals higher in protein so you can certainly add some cooked tofu or tempeh to this stir fry for a boost of protein!
Don’t forget all the delicious ways to serve this vegan soba noodle recipe. You can top your stir fry with sesame seeds, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro or a squeeze of fresh lime juice!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you share your creations on social media, tag @lettucevegout because I’d love to see what you make!
Vegan Soba Noodles Peanut Sauce Stir Fry (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- Medium-sized Pot
- Large pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- ½ C red onion , sliced
- 2 C bell pepper , sliced (I used 1 green and 1 red)
- 1 C carrot , julienned
- ¾ C edamame , shelled (about 2 C with the shell still on)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1-2 tbsp ginger , minced or finely grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ pack buckwheat soba noodles (180 g)
- Cooking oil
Sauce:
- 1/3 C natural peanut butter
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- Juice of ½ lime about 1 tsp
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (tamari if gluten free)
- 1 ½ tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies by slicing the onion, pepper and carrots; finely mince the garlic and ginger; steam the edamame (or microwave according to package directions).
- Prepare the buckwheat noodles by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Set up a large bowl filled with cold water and ice. Cook the noodles for 1/2 to 3/4 of the allotted cooking time on the package (ex. if package states cook time of 4 minutes, boil for 2-3 minutes). Drain the hot water from the noodles then place into the cold ice water. You can also time the cooking of the noodles so they can go directly into the stir fry hot (after veggies are cooked and coated with sauce, toss in the partially cooked, drained, hot noodles in last).
- Shake together all of the sauce ingredients in a jar.
- Heat a large wok or frying pan to medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes, with a splash of oil to prevent sticking.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute.
- Toss in the bell pepper and carrot and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
- Turn down the heat to medium and stir in the sesame oil.
- Add in the peanut sauce and edamame. Mix together. Right before serving, toss in the partially cooked and drained soba noodles (if they're sitting in cold water, drain this away). Take the pan off the heat and toss the noodles with the hot vegetable and sauce (there's enough heat to finish cooking the noodles).
- Serve topped with sesame seeds, green onion, chopped cilantro and/ or a squeeze of fresh lime juice!
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This is an updated post. Original post date February 2017.
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