Spicy peanut ramen | Thai-inspired recipe

These spicy peanut butter ramen noodles are delicious and addictive! They are sure to be an instant hit with their perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and nutty! They are a quick and easy meal perfect for any busy weeknight, and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

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Me and ramen noodles go way back, like way, way back. Growing up poor meant we more often than not had to just make do when it came to meals, we ate whatever was cheap and in season. Or we ate easy and cheap household staples like boxed mac n’ cheese, PB & J, and ramen noodles.

While I wish we would have known more about cooking from scratch back then, (though my mum and dad are both good cooks) I still love most of these meals just as much today as I did when I was little. Perhaps even more.

And somehow single packets of instant ramen were actually the first things to introduce me to international cooking.

While I rarely eat the dried blocks of ramen that come with a seasoning packet like you find in most grocery stores(though they do come in handy sometimes!) I still love both ramen soup and ramen noodles. And needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to start experimenting with from-scratch recipes of my own!

Thai Peanut butter ramen | my inspration

You might know by now that my inspiration in the kitchen comes from pretty much everywhere, different countries, cultures, and times in history. And for a long time, I knew I wanted to try making some Thai-inspired dishes.

But at first, I was kind of put off by the idea of adding peanut butter to savory dishes, growing up the only time I ate peanuts or peanut butter was with jelly, in desserts, or at baseball games. It wasn’t until I tasted this spicy peanut sauce that I finally understood why people put peanut butter in savory foods. And I instantly fall in love with this Thai-inspired dish!

Much like traditional Thai peanut noodles, my recipe combines salty-sweet peanut butter with sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, and of course red pepper flakes for an added kick! But I cut the ginger(sorry!), and opted to serve it on its own, though veggies make a lovely addition. I also add gochujang and decided to use ramen noodles as my base.

But my thick and creamy peanut butter sauce is still rich and packed full of flavor! And still carries many of the same authentic flavors and ingredients!

If you have a peanut allergy, do not worry, you can still enjoy this delicious recipe! Simply swap out the peanut butter for almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter! You can also use gluten-free noodles if needed!

How to make spicy peanut ramen

Ingredients.

• instant ramen noodles –you can also use rice noodles, egg noodles, or even spaghetti noodles.
• sesame oil
• fresh garlic
• soy sauce
• rice vinegar or lime juice
• brown sugar –you can also sub maple syrup, other natural sugar options
• ​crushed red pepper flakes
• gochujang paste
• creamy peanut butter – I like to use natural peanut butter, but you can use any type of peanut butter you like, even crunchy peanut butter!
• water

Directions.

Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked remove the noodles from the water and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat, until it beings to crackle, add the garlic and cook stirring often until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add the crushed red pepper flakes to the hot oil and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat, and add the brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang paste, and rice vinegar. Whisk together and cook until hot.

Add the water and peanut butter to the pan and whisk until everything is well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cooking whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and continue whisking until the sauce has finished thickening. It should be thick enough to coat the noodles.

Add the noodles to the pan and toss gently, plate immediately and top with any desired toppings and serve.

Notes

Keep a close eye on the sauce while cooking, it is important to remove the sauce from the heat before it gets too thick. It will continue to thicken and quickly if left on the heat for too long!

I prefer my peanut sauce to be thick and creamy, but if you prefer your sauce to be thinner or the sauce was left on the heat for too long, you can always add more water to thin it out.

Any leftover spicy peanut ramen can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

While this recipe can be made ahead of time if need be, I wouldn’t recommend it. The sauce gets thicker the longer it sits, and though it can be thinned out during reheating, I find it to be much easy to make and serve this dish the same day, especially since it takes under 30 minutes to make!

Serving and reheating spicy peanut ramen

While these spicy peanut noodles are great served on their own, there are defiantly some great and delicious toppings to serve them with! Below you’ll find a short of some of my favorite ways.

• cooked bell peppers and carrots
• diced cucumbers
• Asin cucumber salad
• sliced green onions
• sesame seeds 
• chili oil
• chili garlic sauce 
• a lime wedge 
• crispy tofu
• fresh herbs

While this recipe makes a great cold noodle salad, and I have eaten it straight out of the fridge more times than I care to admit. I definitely prefer these noodles hot(no pun intended) and would recommend eating them that way.

If you have leftover spicy peanut noodles, you’ll want to reheat them in a small saucepan over low heat, with 1/4 cup of water, to keep the noodles from sticking.

Stir the noodles gently with a fork every so often until they are heated through, adding more water as needed to thin out the sauce again. You may need to add a cup of water or even thin the sauce back out, depending on what consistency you prefer.

If you are worried about losing too much flavor while reheating the noodles you can use coconut milk, or rice broth in place of the water. Things like chicken broth, and ramen broth will also work well!

Looking for more reman recipes to try? Check out these!

Spicy Gochujang Noodles