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Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles [Zoodles Recipe]

Name: Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles [Zoodle Recipe]
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup Natural Peanut Butter (unsweetened); 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Tamari for gluten-free); 1 Tbsp Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (or lime juice); 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup; 1 tsp Ginger (finely grated); 1 large Garlic clove (finely grated); 1 tsp sriracha (or chili paste or pinch cayenne pepper); Water (as needed to adjust consistency); 2 Tbsp Avocado Oil; 2 Green Onions (thinly sliced; green and white separated); 1 large Carrot (1 cup shredded); 1/2 large Red Bell Pepper (1 cup thinly sliced); 1/4 lb Purple Cabbage (1 cup thinly sliced); 1/2 lb Zucchini (4 cups spiralized)

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Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles are zoodles sauteed with fresh, everyday vegetables and tossed in a delectable Thai peanut sauce. Zucchini pasta is an easy dinner recipe that can be served warm or chilled as a pasta salad for lunch.

Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles

This Thai zucchini pasta is noodle-y, vegetable-y, peanut-y, and packs SO much personality into one meal! It’s literally sweet and spicy summer in a bowl and a great recipe for zucchini season. Serve zucchini pasta warm as an easy dinner recipe, or chill it for your weekday lunch. Either way, Thai zucchini noodles answer all the demands of healthy, delicious, minimalist cooking all year, just like my Zoodle Quinoa Buddha Bowl.

Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles Recipe Ingredients

avocado oil (or your oil of choice)
green onions
red bell pepper
carrot
purple cabbage
zucchini noodles (zoodles)
5-minute peanut sauce (peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, garlic, sriracha or chili paste, water)
garnish: crushed peanuts, cilantro, lime

Chopsticks lifting a bite of Thai zucchini noodles in white bowl

What’s the best spiralizer for zucchini noodles?

I have owned and LOVED this OXO spiralizer for a few years. [not sponsored btw, just an OXO fangirl]. It does everything I need, and at $40, it has more than paid for itself many times over.

Spiralizer with zucchini spaghetti noodles

Handheld Spiralizer:

If you don’t have a countertop spiralizer, you can use this handheld Titan Vegetable Julienne Peeler and Slicer. I owned this before I got the OXO tabletop version.

Can you cut zucchini noodles ahead?

Yes! In fact, we spiralize our zucchini noodles as part of our weekly meal prep routine. Then we refrigerate them in an airtight container and use them through the week for pretty much everything we eat, like salads, wraps, stir fry, eggs, and of course, this Thai zucchini pasta recipe.

Can you freeze zucchini noodles?

No. I would not freeze raw zucchini noodles just as I would not freeze most raw vegetables.

However, once cooked, I would consider freezing them, but only in a pinch because their texture may still be weird and potentially unappealing.

How to avoid watery zucchini noodles

1. Don’t overcook – If you like zucchini noodles springy and not soggy, cook them al dente, leaving them slightly firm.

2. Go easy on the sauce – Zucchini noodles aren’t starchy like wheat pasta, so there’s nowhere for excess moisture to go, except to the bottom of the bowl. So for this Thai zoodle recipe, the trick is to use just enough peanut sauce to barely coat the zoodles.

3. Salt – Salt draws moisture away from zucchini noodles. To do this, sprinkle a little salt over the noodles and let them sit for 20 minutes. Then dab the noodles dry with a paper towel.

To be honest, I’m too impatient for the salt method, so I skip it and rely on the first two methods.

Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles Recipe Steps

Step 1: Prep the vegetables

Spiralize the zucchini, shred the carrots, slice the bell peppers and cabbage, and chop the green onions (separate white and green parts).

Thai zucchini noodles ingredients sliced into piles on wood cutting board: Cilantro, purple cabbage, green onions, zucchini noodles, red bell pepper, carrots, and peanut sauce

Step 2: Make the 5-minute peanut sauce

Whisk the peanut sauce ingredients together. If it needs thinning, add water in small amounts to reach desired consistency. You want it to be somewhat pourable so you can coat the zoodles easily.

Step 3: Saute the vegetables

Sauté the onions, bell pepper, and carrots in a large skillet on medium-high heat.

Sliced cabbage, sliced red bell pepper, sliced carrots, and sliced green onions in black sauté pan with wooden tongs

Add the zucchini noodles and sauté for a few minutes until they’re al dente. Do not overcook them.

Pile of zucchini noodles over vegetables in black sauté pan

Remove skillet from the heat until you’re ready to add peanut sauce. This helps prevent overcooking the zoodles.

Step 4: Add the peanut sauce

Gently fold in the peanut sauce in small amounts until you reach the noodle-to-sauce ratio of your dreams.

Thai zucchini noodle ingredients in black sauté pan coated with peanut sauce

Serve the peanut sauced noodles heated, at room temp, or chilled…your choice. Garnish with any of the following:

green onion tops
chopped peanuts
chopped cilantro
fresh lime wedges

Thai zucchini noodles in white bowl surrounded by bowl of peanut sauce, sliced lime, cilantro, and chopsticks

Pro tip: Bring the peanut sauce to room temperature (or briefly microwave) to soften it, making it easier to coat the noodles.

Thai Zucchini Noodles Meal Prep Steps

Meal prepping saves time and lets me hop right into a beautiful, healthy dinner instead of reaching for the frozen heat-and-serve. Here’s how I meal prep this recipe on Sunday to eat later in the week:

1. Prep all produce (slice and spiralize) and store in one large airtight container. I prefer to store the zoodles separate from the other vegetables.

2. Make the peanut sauce and store separate from the vegetables.

3. On serving day, resume the saute instructions in the recipe and serve warm.

Recommended Tools

chef knife and cutting board
spiralizer
vegetable peeler (for the carrots)
small mixing bowl
Microplane zester (to grate garlic and ginger)
silicone tongs
12″ nonstick skillet
airtight container

Vegan Asian easy dinner recipes

Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles [Zoodle Recipe]

Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles are zoodles quickly sauteed with fresh vegetables and tossed in a delectable peanut sauce. Zucchini pasta is an easy dinner recipe that can be served warm or chilled as a pasta salad for lunch.

5 from 57 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1-cup servings

Author: Traci – TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce (makes 1/2 cup)

1/3 cup Natural Peanut Butter unsweetened
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Tamari for gluten-free
1 Tbsp Unseasoned Rice Vinegar or lime juice
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Ginger finely grated
1 large Garlic clove finely grated
1 tsp sriracha or chili paste or pinch cayenne pepper
Water as needed to adjust consistency

Vegetables and Zoodles

2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
2 Green Onions thinly sliced; green and white separated
1 large Carrot 1 cup shredded
1/2 large Red Bell Pepper 1 cup thinly sliced
1/4 lb Purple Cabbage 1 cup thinly sliced
1/2 lb Zucchini 4 cups spiralized

Instructions

Make the 5-minute peanut sauce

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together PEANUT BUTTER, SOY SAUCE, RICE VINEGAR, MAPLE SYRUP, GINGER, GARLIC, and CAYENNE until well-combined.
Slowly pour in small amounts of WATER and continue whisking until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Cook the zoodles and vegetables

In a large skillet, heat OIL on medium-high heat.
Add GREEN ONION (white part only), CARROT, BELL PEPPER, and CABBAGE; sauté a few minutes until tender.
Add spiralized ZUCCHINI; sauté about 2 minutes until zoodles start to soften. Turn off the heat.
Gently fold in PEANUT SAUCE in small amounts as desired for consistency.
Serve warm or chilled. Garnish options: green onion tops, crushed peanuts, cilantro, and lime.

Tried this recipe? I’d love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

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The Kitchen Girl

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.