This Thai noodle bowl recipe is inspired by Thai ingredients and spices. Rice noodles are tossed with cabbage, carrots, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts, along with yum town Asian inspired savory sweet sauce, tossed with lots of fresh veggies.
This is easily a Thai noodle salad recipe too because it can be consumed cold or warm, and is loaded with so much great veggies. Thai noodle bowl takes under 20 minutes to make, and is filled with incredible flavors and textures.
An Easy Thai Noodle Salad Recipe
Mondays are the hardest. But when I know I have leftover Thai noodle bowls in the refrigerator, looking scrumptious and screaming eat-me-now, it makes my Monday so much easier. And that’s me on this lucky Monday. 🙂
My Thai noodle recipe is not your typical noodle recipe that you can find at Thai restaurants or Thailand. It is simply a quick and tasty rice noodle salad dish that I put together using simple, easy-to-find pantry friendly Asian or Thai inspired spices.
While these Thai noodle bowls are not exactly authentic, I can promise you, they are mind-blowingly DELICIOUS. And it takes less than 30 minutes to make!
Pssst: If you want more authentic Thai noodle recipes, check out my Pad Thai and Pad See Ew recipes – two popular classic Thai noodle dishes.
As for this current Thai noodle salad recipe, I have made it for over a decade, and it has been perfected and crafted over time until it became the version you see here today. That’s how tried and true this recipe is.
And it gets better. Easy Thai noodle bowl is one of those dishes that taste just as good or even better as leftovers. The sauce has soaked its way into the noodles to give it a fuller, more robust flavor.
Thai noodles can be consumed cold, hot, or at room temperature. It really is kinda like a salad. I usually don’t even bother to microwave leftover Thai noodles because I love to eat it cold or at room temperature, just like a noodle salad.
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you will need to make this delicious Thai noodle salad recipe:
- rice stick noodles – these noodles come in dried package form, and can be found in most mainstream grocery stores. They are hard and look like sticks. You’ll have to soften it by soaking them in water. Besides dry noodles, you can also get fresh rice noodles that are already softened – check out the refrigerated section in Asian grocery stores, as most mainstream stores in the U.S. do not carry refrigerated rice noodles.
- vegetables – I use shredded cabbage and carrots in my Thai noodle bowl. I sometimes buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix to make the process easier and faster. You can use any vegetables.
- cilantro – chopped. Brings about incredible fresh flavors.
- green onions – also bring about yummy fresh flavors to the Thai noodles.
- unsalted peanuts – chopped into small pieces for a nutty flavor and texture.
- chicken – rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken (refrigerated or frozen that you get pre-made from the stores), or you can use any leftover chicken
The amazing flavors for this Thai noodle recipe comes from a simple concoction of Asian and Thai seasonings and sauces. Here are the ingredients that go into the sauce:
- soy sauce – this is the regular soy sauce used in Asian cuisine.
- sesame oil – a nutty flavored oil that is commonly used in Asian cooking
- red pepper flakes – this gives Thai noodle bowl a slight kick and is fairly mild because we are only using a little. Simply omit if you prefer.
- honey – this gives the sauce a hint of sweetness
- fresh garlic – avoid substituting with garlic powder; it’s just not the same!
How to make this easy Thai Noodle Bowl
Step 1: Boil noodles
The first thing to do is to boil the noodles – these are thin rice stick noodles typically used in Pad Thai or Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup).
Boil noodles based on package instructions. Be careful not to over-boil or noodles will become mushy. Some package instructions may ask that you soak it first.
When the noodles are done cooking, drain promptly and set aside.
Step 2: Prepare Nuts and veggies
Two reasons why I love eating Thai noodle bowl during the warmer months: how little cooking is involved (just a few minutes of noodle-boiling!) and how much fresh veggies are incorporated.
Simply chop up the cilantro and green onions while inhaling the aroma of these vegetables. Go ahead and chop up the peanuts too.
As for the cabbage and carrots, I just get the pre-shredded ones, but you can also get them whole and shred them at home.
The shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and peanuts give the noodles that crunchy texture that makes the dish totally legit.
Step 3: Make sauce
Mix the sauce together by combining soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes (decrease amount for less spicy).
The sauce for this Thai noodle recipe is simple yet complex. It is a combination of sweet, savory and slightly nutty, consisting of totally opposing flavors that comes together so well.
Step 4: mix it all up!
Pour the sauce over cooked and drained noodles, and mix well.
Then throw the veggies into the noodle mixture, and keep on mixing…
I do put aside half of the chopped green onions, cilantro and peanuts prepared and use them as garnish.
This is also a good idea if you are saving some of the Thai noodle salad as leftovers.
This way you can use the set aside chopped green onions, cilantro and peanuts as garnish when you are ready to eat Thai noodles again the next day.
After tossing, garnish garnish garnish. Garnishing is a must for our beloved Thai noodles..
Every now and then, I love adding chicken to get some extra protein in my Thai Noodle Bowls. It makes it a more balance meal, and whenever I add chicken, I just stay fully longer after eating these Thai noodles.
Anyone else as hungry as I am just looking at this??
The fresh factor in this Thai noodle dish is out of control. I could eat it all day long.
Ahhh Thai noodle bowl. The perfect summer noodle dish.
Great as a party dish
This Thai noodle recipe makes an awesome party dish, because
- You can set it out and let it sit for a few hours, and it still maintain its texture and flavor, and tastes good.
- can be served warm, lukewarm, cool, or cold.
Really, it just TASTES GOOD under all circumstances. End of story.
While this Thai noodle recipe is not a traditional Thai noodle dish, it has the flavors and ingredients that is Thai-inspired, and more impressively, the ability to BLOW YOUR MIND.
Thai noodle bowl is also an easy, simple noodle dish that tasty fabulous that you can whip together on a busy evening, and satisfy your Thai noodle cravings without breaking the bank and eating out all the time.
Noodle fan or not, give this one a try! You’ll thank me later!! 😉
Tips and Tricks
A few things to keep in mind when making this easy Thai noodle recipe!
- Use other noodles: No rice noodles? No problem! You can use yellow noodles, udon noodles, or even spaghetti noodles.
- Watch noodles for doneness: You want the noodles al dente – they’ll be soft and chewy and a bit sticky, but not mushy. Do not overcook noodles! They’ll start disintegrating when picked up.
- Rinse noodles after cooking: After draining the noodles, rinse with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Personalize the sauce to your heart’s content: Want it spicy? Add sriracha or more red pepper flakes. Like it with a bit more South East Asian flair? Add fish sauce. On a low-sodium diet? Reduce the soy sauce. Not a garlic fan? Use less cloves than recommended! You can even add peanut butter to make the sauce creamier.
- Personalize the veggies too: Use whatever vegetables you have on hand – a great way to use up those leftovers from the last grocery run! If the veggies don’t work well fresh, quickly blanch them before adding to the bowl.
- Herb it up: Thai dishes are typically packed with herbs, bringing a fresh dimension to the flavors. In addition to cilantro, top your noodle bowl with fresh herbs e.g. basil, mint, and parsley.
- Top it off: Garnish the bowl for additional texture and a nutty flavor – you can also use chopped cashews and fried onions/shallots. Add a squeeze of lime juice for added freshness.
- Quick meal pep: This is a great dish to make ahead of time. In fact, it tastes even better after sitting overnight in the refrigerator, making it a time-saving option for busy days.
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally love to add chicken to my Thai noodle bowl – shredded rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken that comes ready-made frozen or refrigerated, or whatever leftover chicken I have on hand! Here is a delicious lemon balsamic chicken recipe that works great with our as well.
If you’re not a chicken fan, substitute for shrimp, tofu, pork, beef, or even just a fried egg or two.
Yes you can add whatever veggies you like to this! I would keep to veggies that you don’t mind eating raw, this way you don’t have to cook the veggies and can toss them into the noodles when you are mixing everything in the sauce. Some other vegetables you can try are bean sprouts, chives, bell peppers, cucumbers, and herbs.
If you like your veggies a bit softer, you can definitely blanch them before adding them to the bowl.
When reheating rice noodles, always sprinkle some water onto noodles before reheating in the microwave to prevent noodles from drying out.
Leave out the red pepper flakes in your sauce mix and follow the rest of the recipe. If you want more flavor to your sauce, you can add more honey or other ingredients like ginger, rice vinegar, or peanut butter.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Other Asian Inspired Recipes
- Asian Salmon Salad
- Asian Peanut Chicken Salad
- Baked Cream Cheese Wontons
- Thai Sweet Potato Skins (by my blogger friend, Kitchen Sanctuary!)
More Noodle Recipes
- Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
- Tom Yum Fried Noodles
- Mee Goreng Mamak (Malaysian Fried Noodles)
- Instant Pot Chicken Ramen
Simple Thai Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
- 5-6 oz rice stick noodles (dry)
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken optional
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1/8 cup sesame oil
- 5-7 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook rice noodles by boiling them in hot water, or based on package instructions. Remove from heat and drain promptly to prevent noodles from getting mushy.
- In a small bowl, mix together all "sauce" ingredients.
- Pour sauce onto drained noodles and mix well.
- Add shredded cabbage, shredded carrots and shredded cilantro to noodle mixture. Also add half of the chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and chopped peanuts. Reserve the other half for garnish. Optional: add shredded rotisserie chicken to noodles (see Note 1). Mix well the noodle mixture.
- Garnish with the rest of the chopped cilantro chopped green onions and chopped peanuts when ready to serve. Enjoy!
Fabulous! Second time is a week I’m making this for my family who are fairly picky eaters. First time I made it with chicken, now I’m adding shrimp instead
Delicious additions! Thanks for sharing, Peter. Happy to hear that you all enjoyed it.
Can I add bean sprouts to the recipe?
Absolutely!
Loved the recipe, was easy to follow and was delicious. Will be making again.
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks Joanne!