Easy to make and loaded with delicious Asian flavor, this cold noodle salad with cucumber and chili crisp satisfies all our spicy umami cravings in one delicious bite! Vegan, gluten-free adaptable, video.
During the summer months, I love making a big bowl of salad to have on hand, and this cold noodle salad has become my latest obsession. This refreshing salad has the best texure with cool, crisp cucumbers and spicy chili crisp. It’s refreshing and bright, perfect for summer heat!
It takes only 25 minutes to make, and it’s versatile-serve it as a side dish or a vegan main. Add a protein if you like. Leftover rotisserie chicken pairs well here, as well as crispy tofu. And like cold pasta salad, you can easily pack this for picnics and potlucks, or meal-prep it ahead for midweek lunches or meals on the go.
Cold Noodle Salad recipe Ingredients
- Cucumbers: Turkish, Persian, or English cucumbers work best here because of their thin skin and crunchy texture.
- Ramen noodles: Or sub other noodles, soba noodles, or rice noodles.
- Rice vinegar: The acidity balances all of the flavors in the salad, while adding a nice tanginess.
- Sesame oil: For warm, rich, and nutty flavor that enhances the depth of flavor in the dish.
- Low sodium soy sauce: Or use Braggs, gluten-free coconut aminos, tamari or smoked shoyu.
- Sugar: Or you can use maple syrup to sweeten the salad.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a little spice and warmth!
- Green onions: For a sharp, aromatic flavor that adds a bit of a pop to the dish.
- Chili crisp: Store-bought (Trader Joe’s Brand) or homemade chili crisp– our recipe is super simple to make, and once you learn it, you’ll always want to have some on hand!
- Fresh mint: Or use a mix of mint, basil, and cilantro for lots of fresh, herby flavor. Mint is very “cooling” during the summer months.
- Garnish: Toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts.
How to Make Cold Noodle Salad
Step one: Salt the cucumbers by placing the slices in a colander. Set it aside to drain for 15 minutes.
Step two: Cook the noodles. Boil the noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions, adding salt. Cook to al dente. Drain in a separate colander and rinse immediately with cold water.
Step three: Make the dressing. Add rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar (or honey) and fresh ginger to a large bowl and stir well. Add scallions and salted cucumbers.
Step four: Combine. Toss the cooled noodles into the bowl and toss well. Arrange in a large serving bowl, and spoon the chili crisp over top right before serving. Scatter torn mint leaves, sesame seeds, and peanuts over top. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice if desired!
Chef’s Tips
- Don’t skip the mint! It is a key flavor component in cold noodles that pairs beautifully with the cucumber and chili crisp.
- Make your own chili crisp. It’s so worth it! Here is our recipe for chili crisp.
- Add the chili crisp last. This way, it maintains its crunch.
Serving Suggestions and Variations
We love this salad best served cold or at room temperature.
- Top with protein: Crispy tofu, lemongrass shrimp, grilled lemongrass chicken, or leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Add other fresh veggies: grated carrots, snap peas, red onions, shredded red cabbage, napa cabbage, red bell peppers, or other crunchy vegetables in season.
- Try a spiralizer: You can spiralize the cucumbers if you’d like, creating cucumber noodles!
Storage
Store leftover Cold Noodle Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and keep for up to 3 days, perfect for meal prep. When serving, use fresh chili crunch.
Enjoy this cold salad recipe and please be sure to give our Easy Vegan Tofu Larb Salad or Kale Caesar Pasta Salad a try, too! You might also like our Curry Ramen or Garlic Noodles!
More Favorite Noodle Salads
Watch How to Make it!
Cold Noodle Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: asian recipes, passta salad, salad
- Method: various
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy to make and loaded with delicious Asian flavor, this cold noodle salad with cucumber and chili crisp satisfies all our spicy umami cravings in one delicious bite! Vegan, gluten-free adaptable, video.
Ingredients
- 2 cups thin-skinned cucumbers, sliced thin
- 8 ounces ramen noodles, spaghetti noodles, soba noodles, rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce, Braggs, coconut aminos, or smoked shoyu
- 2 teaspoons sugar or maple syrup (add more if you like it sweeter)
- 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger (more to taste)
- a pinch of white pepper
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons chili crisp, more to taste – store-bought (Trader Joes) or make your own
- 1/2 cup fresh mint (or a mix with basil and cilantro)
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts.
Instructions
- Salt the cucumbers in a colander. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes.
- Cook the noodles according to the package, and add salt to the boiling pot of water if desired. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl mix together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and ginger. Add green onions and salted cucumbers.
- Add the cooled noodles to the bowl and toss to fully coat with the dressing. Arrange in a serving dish, a shallow bowl works great, spoon the chili crisp over the top just before serving. Scatter torn mint leaves and sprinkle with sesame seeds or peanuts.
Notes
Feel free to top with protein, crispy tofu, tempeh, shrimp or grilled chicken.
Add veggies if desired- grated carrots, shredded cabbage, chopped red bell peppers or other vegetables that are in season.
Store leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge and enjoy within two days, topping with fresh chili crunch.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1 /4 cup
- Calories: 307
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 225 mg
- Fat: 7.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.4 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 8.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Tried these noodles topped with crushed peanuts and add avocado. Sooooooo tasty!
Yum! Glad you enjoyed Carissa
I halved the cucumbers and didn’t salt them since they are the drier English cucumber.
Beyond that I followed the recipe as written.
My husband requested I make it again and we are now enjoying this monthly,
Glad you are enjoying Yafa!
This salad has been our ‘go-to’ dinner during these 90+ degree days this summer. Minimal heat involved in creating a filling, yummy meal. We’ve used tofu and grilled chicken, both equally good!
Yum! Sounds perfect.
Amazing as most recipes from Sylvia. Love, love.
Nice to hear Monika. Thanks so much for the review!
This recipe was a hit at my house and will be on repeat during the summer months. Simple and delicious – just perfect!
Great to hear Mimi!
Yummy! I used rice noodles & added some shredded cabbage & carrots and edamame. I’m not a fan of mint, so I used cilantro. So good! I’ll be making this all summer. 🙂
Love it Mary, glad you made it to your taste! Appreciate you taking time to review.
So good! The salted cucumber really made a difference. I used soba and basil and the addition of a little chili crisp really brought it to life!
Great to hear Heather!
The sesame oil doesn’t change when you half the recipe. It’s delicious, but my half recipe ended up a little too oily.
Sorry about that Rachel- we are having some technical difficulties. Can you strain the salad to remove some?
Tired of seeing WFPBNO recipes with couscous and pasta- it’s processed is it not?
Hi Wendy, we try to stay away from “ultra processed foods”. These are foods with ingredients that basically you wouldn’t have in your kitchen. Pasta, couscous is processed, but to only to a slight degree. They are made with simple familiar ingredients. Not ultra-processed. 🙂
New favorite lunch! Spicy, crunchy and adaptable. I added a squeeze of lime for an extra punch.
Oooo lime sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to review!
yassss- loved this recipe!
Amazing flavors. Salting the cucumbers an essential key to the flavor.
Glad you gave this a try Shelia. Really appreciate your review!
Forgot the stars!
Oh gosh this was so easy and the crunch….yum!!! I did make the chili crunch- had no idea how easy that is to make! This is the perfect fast comfort noodle dish.
I love this recipe. And, I love that it is something I can serve to my family with members who are allergic to peanuts! Just a note to others with this issue, there are no chili crisp products that are sold around the NY area that are peanut allergy safe so having the recipe to make my own chili crisp is amazing. And delicious
Great to hear Judy!