When the temperature starts to rise, I crave cool, refreshing meals that come together fast yet still deliver on flavor. This cold Asian noodle salad checks those boxes. It’s colorful, crisp, packed with fresh veggies, and tossed in a flavorful, savory-sweet dressing with just the right amount of crunch. I added shredded chicken to boost the protein and make it an even more satisfying main dish option.
This salad is ready in about 30 minutes, start to finish, and it holds up well for several days when stored. That means it’s a great option for lunch meal prep. All I have to do is portion it into containers for easy grab-and-go lunches. My husband recently took one to work and came home raving, too. If that doesn’t make this recipe a winner, I don’t know what does.
Recipe Highlights
- Well-rounded and nourishing – Made with lean chicken, noodles, crispy veggies, and a simple homemade dressing, this salad is a satisfying balance of protein, carbs, and good-for-you fats. It’s also loaded with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, making it an easy (and delicious) way to help meet my daily nutrition goals.
- Quick with almost no cook time – The only component that requires cooking is the ramen noodles. Then, all that’s left to do is whisk together the dressing, toss everything in a bowl, and I’ve got a fresh and flavorful meal in less than 25 minutes.
- Perfect for meal prep – Because it stores so well, I package portions of this salad in containers for grab-and-go lunches for my family. My husband especially loves taking this recipe for a healthy lunch option at the hospital where he works.
- Good potluck option – The first time I made this salad I brought it to my daughter’s end-of-season soccer potluck BBQ. The recipe makes 9 cups total, so I served it as a side dish salad and got a lot of rave reviews from tasters.
Noteworthy Ingredients
This isn’t the complete list of ingredients for this salad, just a few notes I wanted to call out about some of the key components. For the full recipe and nutrition information, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Chicken – Use either cooked and chopped or shredded chicken breast or chicken thigh meat or leftovers from when I make a whole grilled chicken. Or, to save time, I’ll sometimes pick up a rotisserie chicken and use that, discarding the skin to cut down on saturated fat.
- Noodles – I like these gluten-free ramen noodles a lot, so that’s what I use most often for this recipe, but any ramen noodles will work. I just discard the seasoning packet, or I get large packs of these noodles which just have the noodle cakes. I’ve also tested this recipe with these gluten-free wide ramen rice noodles, soba noodles, and vermicelli rice noodles. All of those versions are delish.
- Peanut butter – I recommend using natural, creamy peanut butter with a drizzly consistency for a smooth, pourable salad dressing with Thai-inspired flavors.
- Coconut aminos – Coconut aminos is a condiment that has a similar savory taste to soy sauce, but it’s slightly milder and sweeter. Plus, it contains 70 percent less sodium than traditional soy sauce and is gluten-free. If you don’t have it, sub in half the amount of soy sauce, shoyu, or tamari and mix with the same amount of water (for example, to replace 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari with 1 tablespoon water).
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Get Creative With Add-Ins
This noodle salad recipe is extremely versatile and lends well to a variety of ingredient add-ins. To add more color and texture, consider stirring in one of these, too:
- Thin sliced radishes
- Red cabbage (or use a mix of green and red cabbage)
- Thin sliced red onion
- Sliced snap peas
Make It Peanut Free
If I’m serving someone who has a peanut allergy, it’s easy to make this salad peanut-free by swapping the peanut butter for a creamy almond butter, cashew butter, or tahini, and also omitting the chopped peanuts.
Make It Gluten Free
For gluten, free, use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce. And use 3 gluten-free noodle ‘cakes’ such as these Lotus Foods Brown Rice and Millet Ramen or use these gluten-free noodles and discard the seasoning packets.
How I Prepare My Quick Cold Noodle Salad
One of my favorite things about this Thai-inspired cold noodle salad is that it’s virtually failproof. Even my teens can make it start to finish. However, I do have a few tips throughout the process that ensure every bite is flavorful and the veggies stay crisp.
- Prepare the dressing. Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. At this point, I give it a quick taste test and add more salt as needed. Then, if it’s too thick, I whisk in an extra tablespoon or two of cold water to help thin it out, making it pourable so that it coats all the salad ingredients once combined. This dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to finish the salad.
- Combine the ingredients. I always start by adding the heaviest ingredients to a large bowl. This prevents more delicate items from getting crushed, which can make the salad soggy. Then, I add the cooked chicken, noodles, and dressing, and toss everything gently until it is combined and well coated.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Garnish, Serve, and Store
I often prepare this salad in advance and let it chill in the fridge so that it’s nice and chilled, though it’s also tasty at room temperature. Then, before serving, I top it with chopped peanuts plus some more chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.
When meal prepping, I package individual servings into my favorite lunch prep airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, because the veggies and noodles become too soggy once thawed.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Cold Noodle Salad Recipe
Crispy, light, sweet, and savory, this cold noodle salad is a filling main course that’s ready to eat in less than 25 minutes. Simple to prepare, it’s naturally dairy-free, egg-free, and high in protein. With simple swaps it can also be gluten free and peanut-free, if needed. Perfect for meal prep, as the salad tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2 (2.8-ounce) packages ramen noodles*
- 3 cups thinly sliced napa or savoy cabbage (may substitute green cabbage or kale)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into thin, short strips (1 heaping cup)
- 1 cup shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup very roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup julienned or shredded carrot
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2½ cups cooked, chopped or shredded chicken breast or thigh meat (may use rotisserie chicken)
- ⅓ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
- Optional for garnish: additional cilantro, sesame seeds, lime wedges
For the Dressing:
- ⅓ cup creamy natural peanut butter (one with a drizzly consistency works best)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- Zest and juice of 1 small or ½ medium lime (1 teaspoon zest + 2 tablespoons lime juice)
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos**
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha (omit for less spice or increase for more)
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 2 tablespoons water
- Pinch of fine salt, if needed (omit if using soy sauce or tamari)
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions, then drain and cool to room temperature.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, coconut aminos, sesame oil, Sriracha, garlic, and ginger until well combined. Taste and season with salt as needed.
- If the dressing is too thick (not pourable), whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of water; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the cabbage, bell pepper, edamame, cilantro, carrots, and green onions; toss to combine.
- Add the cooked chicken, noodles, and dressing to the bowl and gently toss until everything is well mixed and coated.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, additional cilantro, and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve or chill until ready to serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
*Use any favorite ramen noodles. If there are seasoning packets, you can discard them. I like these gluten-free ramen noodles and these wider gluten-free ramen noodles. For gluten-free ramen noodles without seasoning packets, I use two of the ramen cakes from this pack.
**May sub soy sauce or tamari for the coconut aminos. To replace 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari with 1 tablespoon water.
For gluten free, use gluten-free ramen noodles (like those suggested above), plus use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce.
For peanut free, use another favorite natural nut or seed butter with a drizzly consistency. Also, omit the chopped peanuts or replace with another chopped nut or seeds.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe (1 1/2 cups)
- Calories: 365
- Fat: 15 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 963 mg
- Carbohydrate: 40 g
- (Fiber: 6 g
- Sugar: 5 g)
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Casey Colodny of The Mindful Hapa.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
