Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles
Updated Feb. 16, 2026
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh
- 2tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
- 3½tablespoons soy sauce
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2tablespoons sesame paste (preferably Chinese)
- 1tablespoon smooth peanut butter
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1tablespoon finely grated ginger
- 2teaspoons minced garlic
- 2teaspoons chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chile oil, or to taste
- Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch by ⅛-inch by 2-inch sticks
- ¼cup chopped roasted peanuts
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
647 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 90 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 797 milligrams sodium
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
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. They should retain a hint of chewiness.
- Step 2
Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil.
- Step 3
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chile-garlic paste.
- Step 4
Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss.
- Step 5
Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.
- The Chinese sesame paste called for here is made of toasted sesame seeds; it is not the same as tahini, the Middle Eastern paste made of plain, untoasted sesame. But you could use tahini in a pinch. You need only add a little toasted sesame oil to compensate for flavor, and perhaps some peanut butter to keep the sauce emulsified.
Private Notes
Comments
I learned how to make a version of this from a Chinese native years ago before Chinese ingredients were widely available. You can get a similar "feel" by substituting thick (or standard) spaghetti for Chinese noodles, substituting toasted sesame oil for the paste (but don't omit the p'nut butter, smooth or crunchy), adding cayenne pepper if you don't have chili-garlic paste, and using any thin, crunchy vegetables to garnish, including beansprouts, fresh cilantro, etc.
I have made this recipe scores of times over the years, often for a crowd. I usually multiply the sauce recipe many times (I use a stick blender), and add a fairly minimal amount of the sauce to the noodles when they're still warm (I like DeCecco linguine -- I don't have a favorite Asian brand, and Italian pasta can always be reliably cooked to the proper tooth). Chill the undersauced noodles until you are ready to serve, and then mix in as much extra sauce as you need -- no dryness!
This is tasty, but note that it's not 1 lb dried noodles - the recipe says fresh or frozen, but those are hard to find where I am, so just a note for those of us working from dry. I used 1 lb dried noodles and wound up with enough noodles to feed an army.
I may never order sesame noodles from a Chinese restaurant again. I love this dish. I do make about 1 1/2 times the recipe for the dressing just in case I want extra. Made it for a friend yesterday who has never tasted cold sesame noodles before and she raved about it.
I used thick spaghetti and tripled the amount of sauce. I added chopped cilantro and bean sprouts along with the cucumber (English) and it was just amazing, as good as a restaurant.
Delicious! I made the Chinese sesame paste (easy). I made the mistake and used stir-fry rice noodles. The rice noodles were not terrible, but they lacked the hardiness of a flour/pasta-type long noodle. This recipe is a room-temperature serving and I think it would be much better served warm.