Easy vegan veggie peanut satay noodles! This stir fry is packed with fresh veg and creamy peanut butter sauce.
If there is one easy, quick weeknight meal I regularly make, it’s noodles. And creamy peanut sauce is one of my all time favs.
It’s funny, because I used to hate peanut butter (and most nuts in general) and now I don’t know how I could live without them.
The peanut butter and coconut cream make for the most velvety, sweet and totally addictive satay sauce. I am almost certain you will be going in for seconds, and thirds.
Where does satay sauce come from?
Satay sauce is an Indonesian dish usually served with rice and skewers. Although lots of countries have their own variation of this dish.
In this recipe, we are using satay sauce in a noodle dish rather than as a dip. Take a look at my Thai inspired tofu skewers with a satay sauce.
What you’ll need for veggie peanut satay noodles:
- Red onion – sweeter than white although you can use either
- Light brown sugar – to caramelise the onions
- Peanut butter (good quality) – we are using smooth but if you like texture you can sub for crunchy peanut butter. Try to avoid ones with lots of added sugar.
- Coconut milk – you’ll want to chill this the day before so it separates as we are using the coconut cream not the water
- Soy sauce – regular soy sauce for that umami saltiness
- Maple syrup – sweetens out the salty spicy flavours
- Chilli flakes – you can use more or less to your preference
- Ground ginger – ginger powder adds a subtle undertone
- Vegetables of choice – we are using carrot and broccoli but use whatever you have on hand – bell pepper, babycorn, mushrooms, courgette/zucchini
- Noodles – any noodles you like, wholewheat/ramen/rice
The veggies can be switched for what ever you have in the fridge/is in season, you can’t really go wrong.
I love using broccoli and carrots as base vegetables for stir fries. But any and all would work! Or omit them and just have with the creamy peanut sauce!
To up the protein add some cubed tofu or vegan soy curls or chicken pieces. Fry with the veggies before adding the sauce.
The base to this sauce is caramelised red onions. They are sweet and packed with flavour.
They get mixed with the stir fry veggies and then tossed with the noodles and satay sauce.
You want to use a good quality peanut butter for this. Cheap ones are usually packed with sweeteners and additives and will affect the flavour! So opt for a natural one.
How to make veggie satay noodles:
This dish doesn’t take long to put together so have everything ready to go. Chop your veggies and onion.
Heat coconut oil on medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions. Don’t cut them too thick or they’ll take longer to cook.
After a few minutes add the brown sugar leave to cook for about 10 minutes until softened and caramelised.
In a saucepan add all the satay sauce ingredients – coconut cream, peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger and chili flakes.
Bring to a gentle simmer and whisk until combined then take off the heat. If you want it spicier add some extra chilli flakes. If you want it saltier add a bit more soy sauce!
Transfer the onions to a bowl then use the same pan with a little more oil to cook the veggies on medium to high heat. Stir fry for a few minutes until softened
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Add to the pan with the veggies along with the onions.
Lastly, pour the satay sauce over the noodle and veggies and stir well.
Best served straight away but leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge. Top with some chopped sprin onion/scallions and extra chili flakes.
For more noodle recipes you may enjoy these:
As always if you make these veggie peanut satay noodles be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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[the photos for this recipe were updated in July 2020, the recipe remains the same!]
Veggie Peanut Satay Noodles
Make these vegan veggie satay noodles for a super tasty, quick and easy weeknight meal. Peanut butter and coconut sauce with loads of fresh veggies. Ready in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 1 red onion
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup / 60g smooth peanut butter
- 1 tin (400ml) coconut milk, chilled
- 2 tbsp soy sauce + extra for topping
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Everything else
- 2 carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 125g (about 6) chestnut/cremini mushrooms
- 5oz / 140g wholewheat noodles
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onion and fry in vegetable/coconut oil on medium heat. Once translucent, add the sugar and turn down the heat. Stir and cook for about 10-15 minutes until sticky and caramelised.
- Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger and chilli. You can omit the chilli or add less if you don't want the spice.
- Stir and then add the cream from the tin of the coconut milk a tbsp at a time. Turn back up the heat so it is gently simmering. You will end up using all of the cream from the coconut milk, add a little of the water if you want a thinner consistency.
- Meanwhile, fry the vegetables in a separate pan. Start with the carrots, then add the peppers and lastly the mushrooms. If you are adding tofu or seitan you may want to fry in a separate pan and then add to the vegetables.
- Boil some water in a saucepan and add the noodles. Cook according to packet instructions. I use wholewheat noodles that take 5 minutes.
- Once cooked, drain and put the noodles back in the saucepan. Add the satay sauce and stir until all the noodles are coated. Lastly, add the veg and stir.
- Serve and top with extra chilli, soy sauce and chopped scallions.
Notes
I used Whole Earth smooth peanut butter and Sainsburys wholewheat medium noodles.
Use any veggies you like or have on hand and add vegan protein such as tofu or a more filling meal!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 640Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 1093mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 7gSugar: 18gProtein: 18g
Chris
Monday 19th of February 2024
Hi Tamsin, I wanted to leave a comment and say thank you for this amazing easy recipe. This recipe was a huge hit in my household. I was told it was in my top 3, which says a lot. I did add tofu and I baked a loaf of sourdough to mop up the plates. I’ll be adding this to my monthly rotating recipes. Definite 5 star recipe. Thank you.
Tamsin
Wednesday 28th of February 2024
Hi Chris, aww thank you so much for your comment! I am so glad you all enjoyed it so much. Those additions sound delicious too!! Hope you'll enjoy it many more times :) Tamsin xo
Bails
Tuesday 18th of July 2023
Wow this was delicious and I’ll be making it regularly. Thanks for such a lovely recipe.
51 Craveable Asian Vegetarian Recipes in 2022
Saturday 5th of March 2022
[…] 17. Vegan Satay Noodles […]
Jodie Foreman
Sunday 31st of January 2021
Our friend made this for us. Delicious. I asked for the recipe. Quick question. Why chill and separate coconut milk to get cream? Why not just use coconut cream?
Jodie Foreman
Monday 1st of February 2021
Terrific. How much should I use?
Tamsin
Monday 1st of February 2021
Hi Jodie, glad you enjoyed it. You can definitely swap for coconut cream. I find coconut milk is more readily available and always have it in the pantry but if you have coconut cream you can use that! And add a bit of water if you need to thin in. Tamsin xo
Glynis
Friday 20th of November 2020
This is quick easy & tastes flippin Devine. I recommend if you haven’t a lot of time to spend in the kitchen this is the one to make.
Tamsin
Saturday 21st of November 2020
Hi Glynis, thank you so much for your comment, so glad you enjoyed it :) Tamsin xo