Spicy Asian Zucchini Noodles

The Hangry Cure: No-cook, Whole30-friendly Spicy Asian Zucchini Noodles with Almond Butter Sauce

Crush that peanut noodle craving without going off the rails with our Whole30-friendly Spicy Zucchini Noodles

You know that craving. The one for something creamy and noodle-y that you can twirl around a fork and shove into your hangry face when you’re eyeballs deep into a Whole30. When all you want is spicy peanut sauce-covered noodles but you’re a) on a Whole30 and no peanuts or noodles there, and b) you don’t feel like cooking.

Been there. That’s why this Spicy Zucchini Noodle dish with its creamy almond butter sauce is just what you need to crush that take out craving. Even if you’re not Whole30-ing. 

Start with ‘Zoodles

I use the Inspiralizer vegetable spiralizer to cut the zucchini into long noodles or ‘zoodles’. It’s by far the BEST spiral cutter I’ve tried (and I’ve owned several if that means anything). It’s easy to use, has a variety of noodle shapes/thicknesses and it’s easy to clean.

Warning: Depending on how big your zucchini is, these can get really long so if you’re planning to dine with anyone other than your dog, you may want to cut them into smaller lengths – lest you experience that terribly awkward noodle slurping, face spattered with sauce moment.

Add some crunch factor

Though this is a recipe, there are no hard and fast rules as to what you can add for vegetables. I used shredded red cabbage, snow peas, green onion, and carrot – but you can easily substitute packaged broccoli slaw, sliced red pepper, broccoli florets or any other raw vegetable you’ve got knocking around in the crisper.

Don’t make it complicated – just choose a mix of colors and you’re on your way to a rock star meal in just 15 minutes.

Toss and serve

Pour that creamy almond butter sauce over the top of your big ol’ pile of vegetable loveliness and give it a good toss. Don’t worry if the sauce seems really thick – by the time you fetch a serving bowl, cut a few lime wedges and pick up your fork the zucchini will have started to give off a little moisture and you’ll be good to go.

There’s no time for cooking when all you want to do is eat

But if a warm bowl of creamy noodles with a kick is what your heart desires then by all means – lightly sauté the zucchini, carrot, cabbage, snow peas and green onions in large skillet with a tablespoon of coconut or avocado oil until just crisp-tender. Add the sauce, stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow everything to warm through. Top with your protein of choice – leftover chicken or fish or even rotisserie chicken works great. Sprinkle with cilantro and eat.

Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 9 reviews

Spicy Asian Zucchini Noodles

This chilled ‘noodle’ salad packed with crunchy veggies features a creamy almond butter dressing with a spicy kick. Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as an entree with your protein of choice.

Prep: 15 minsTotal: 15 mins

Pin for Later Rate recipe

• Email Recipe

Print Recipe

Servings: 4-6 1x

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 large zucchini, washed and ends trimmed – cut into ‘noodles’ using a spiral cutter or vegetable peeler
• 1 large carrot, washed and ends trimmed – cut into ‘noodles’ using a spiral cutter or a julienne vegetable peeler
• 1/2 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Sauce

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter (without added sugar)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil (may substitute olive oil) 
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (may substitute 1/4 tsp dried ginger)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne, to taste
• 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp water
• Juice of 1 lime
• Lime wedges for serving

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Cut zucchini and carrots into spirals or ‘noodles’ using a spiral vegetable cutter or handheld vegetable peeler (in which case, you get ‘ribbons’ rather than ‘noodles’) and place in a large bowl.
2. Add red cabbage, snow peas green onions and cilantro. Toss lightly to mix then set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. This will be thick but once you add it to the zucchini and the zucchini ‘sweats’ you’ll have the right consistency.
4. Toss sauce with vegetables and garnish with additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
5. Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 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

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe
• Calories: 260
• Fat: 22 g
• Sodium: 135 mg
• Carbohydrate: 12 g
• (Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 5 g)
• Protein: 6 g

Dietary

Dairy-FreeEgg-FreeGluten-freeGrain-FreePaleoVeganVegetarianWhole30

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: The Real Food Dietitians

What’s your favorite way to serve vegetable ‘noodles’? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Pin now to make later!

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.