Cold Peanut Ginger Noodles

By Melissa Clark

Updated June 9, 2026

  • Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
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Ready In
25 min
Rating
5(2,731)
Comments
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This is a simple, streamlined version of the classic cold noodle dish. A combination of crunchy peanut butter and sesame oil gives the dressing an earthy nuttiness, which contrasts with the heat of chile crisp and tanginess of lime juice. But the real draw is a sprinkling of chopped crystallized ginger, which adds sweet-spicy chewiness amid the noodles and cucumbers. You can make this a few days in advance: It holds up very well in the fridge. Just toss well before serving since the dressing tends to pool at the bottom of the container.

Featured in: Pasta Salad Is Great. These Nutty Noodles Are Even Better.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • Salt, for the pot

  • 16 ounces Chinese egg noodles, spaghetti or linguine

  • 1 cup crunchy peanut butter

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, more as needed

  • 2 tablespoons chile crisp, more to taste

  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

  • 1 ½ cups thinly sliced cucumber

  • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger, more for garnish

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, more to taste

  • Chopped cilantro or basil (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

71 grams carbs; 64 milligrams cholesterol; 596 calories; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 476 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain, reserving about ⅔ cup of starchy pasta water.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, chile crisp, sesame oil and ginger. Whisk in enough of the pasta water to make a loose, smooth dressing.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cucumber slices to the bowl on top of the dressing, but don’t mix in. Drizzle cucumber lightly with a little more soy sauce.

  4. Step 4

    Add the drained pasta, scallions, crystallized ginger and lime juice to the bowl and toss well, adding more pasta water if needed to make a glossy dressing. Taste and add more chile crisp, soy sauce and lime juice as needed. Top with cilantro and extra ginger if you like, then serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,731 user ratings
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Comments

helene

Protein hack: For a dish like this I usually blend up silken tofu (with a few tablespoons of water if the motor is screaming) and add directly to the sauce. voila: protein, fiber, silkiness, added volume to stretch the quantity and no detriment to taste! (Sometimes I have to scale up the original sauce to account for flavor dilution)

Steven

The crystalized ginger seems like overkill for a savory dish, I skipped it.

Sally

Chile crisp is a crunchy, savory Chinese condiment made by infusing neutral oil with dried chiles and crispy fried aromatics, like garlic and shallots. Unlike smooth chili oil, the star of the show is the thick, spoonable texture of the savory, fried ingredients.

jro

Agree with all the comments that 1 cup is way too much peanut butter. It made the dish heavy and upset my stomach due to being too rich.

Margarette

I added a few tank I added a few tablespoons of honey. I used organic peanut butter and I thought it needed a bit of sweetness

tokyokie

This was a huge, huge let down. Followed the recipe to a T and it turned into a big, gloopy, unbalanced mess. No amount of extra veg or soy sauce or lime juice or chile crisp or herbs could salvage it. If you are on the fence about trying this one, as I was, and are reading good and bad reviews, trust the bad ones.

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