This quick and easy soba noodles recipe is healthy, simple and addicting. Loaded with tender vegetables, clean flavors, and succulent texture- keep it vegan or add your favorite protein. Make it in 35 minutes!
Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.
Omar Khayyam
These sesame soba noodles originate from our vegetarian restaurant. Our customers raved about them and complained if we removed them from the menu, so we kept them on the menu for years, changing the veggies depending on the season. Something about the toothsome texture and nutty flavor of soba noodles paired with the delicious sauce was almost addicting.
The secret to these noodles is truly in the sauce! Savory, nutty, earthy, and just slightly sweet, it will make you want to lick your bowl!
The best part? Once all the ingredients are prepped and ready, it takes just minutes to cook. The simple soba noodle sauce highlights the buckwheat flavor of the noodles and perfectly enhances the fresh veggies.
Soba Noodles Ingredients
- Soba noodles- buckwheat noodles
- Vegetables: shiitake mushrooms, carrot, garlic, ginger, napa cabbage, bell pepper, green onions
- Oil: sesame oil
- Vinegar: rice vinegar
- Sweetener: maple syrup
- Soy sauce: low sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, coconut aminos, tamari, or smoked shoyu
- Sesame Seeds: toasted white sesame seeds or black sesame seeds
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Soba Noodles
STEP ONE: Thinly slice all your ingredients. Cut the carrots in thin strips either using a julienne peeler, a mandolin or a spiralizer. Cutting them with a knife is fine too! Keeping them evenly cut will ensure a uniform texture.
STEP TWO: Cook the soba noodles. Cooking soba noodles couldn’t be any easier! Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, just slightly on the al dente side. If using 100% buckwheat soba noodles, do not add salt to the cooking water, it can effect the texture and sturdiness of the noodle.
Drain in cool water to remove starches. This helps the texture and prevents the soba noodles from getting gummy and gluey. Toss with a little oil, and set aside.
STEP THREE: Make the soba noodle sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients: sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce.
STEP FOUR: Stirfry! Heat oil over medium-high heat in a carbon steel wok or skillet. Add napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrot strips, and a sprinkle of salt. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add bell pepper and white part of the green onion, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
STEP FIVE: Add the soba noodles and the sauce. Toss together 1-2 minutes, letting it thoroughly heat through.
STEP SIX: Sprinkle with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Add a sprinkle of the cilantro or black sesame seeds if desired. For extra spicy, add red pepper flakes to taste!
Soba Noodle Variations
- For extra protein, stir fry seasoned shrimp or chicken until cooked through and toss this with the soba noodles.
- Add a handful of leafy greens (kale, baby spinach) to the stir fry right at the end to increase the nutrition.
- Roasted veggies like cauliflower, cubes of roasted sweet potatoes, or butternut squash are a nice hearty addition during the colder months.
What to Serve with Soba Noodles
Serve soba noodles hot or at room temperature as a main dish or as a side dish with your favorite protein. Here are some ideas:
- Top with a fried egg.
- Top it with Miso Salmon or Miso Eggplant
- Add crispy tofu, or Baked Tofu
- Add chicken (leftover rotisserie chicken, stir-fried strips or cubes) stir-fried shrimp or steak strips
- Add this crispy sesame tempeh
How to Store Buckwheat Noodles
Leftover soba noodles will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saute pan or in the microwave.
Soba NoodleS FAQS
Nutty and earthy in flavor, soba noodles look like spaghetti, but are made of buckwheat flour and may be one of the healthiest noodles to eat!
Buckwheat flour is gluten-free, incredibly nutritious, containing fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and protein.
Authentic soba noodles that are made from 100% buckwheat flour are gluten free. But sometimes, soba noodles can contain 20-40 percent wheat flour- so always check the ingredient label.
Udon noodles are a hearty thick noodle made from wheat flour, not buckwheat buckwheat flour, while soba noodles are thinner and often made wit buckwheat flour giving then a nutty earthy flavor.
Though they are very similar in size, soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour, not wheat like spaghetti. They are darker in color and are gluten free.
Because soba noodles vary greatly from brand to brand, always cook them according to the package directions, which are typically 7-9 minutes.
More Favorite Soba Noodle Recipes
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Longevity Noodles
- Japanese Farm-Style Teriyaki Chicken
- Seasoned Japanese Rice with Furikake
- Miso Tofu Wrap with Winter Squash and Furikake
- Spicy Cold Noodle Salad
Let us know how you like this!
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
Soba Noodles Video
Soba Noodle Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegan, main,
- Method: stirfry
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy Soba Noodles Recipe is healthy and simple. Loaded with tender vegetables, clean addicting flavor and succulent texture. Keep it vegan or add your favorite protein.
Ingredients
- 8–9 oz. soba noodles
- 1 tablespoon high heat oil (such as peanut oil, coconut oil or avocado oil)
- 2 cups napa cabbage, shredded
- 5–6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 large carrot cut in thin strips
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1-inch knob of ginger, minced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
- 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped fine- separating the white from the green stems
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Soba Noodle Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Smoked Shoyu
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, (just slightly on the al dente side). Drain in cool water to remove starchiness. (This helps the texture and prevents the soba noodles from getting gummy and gluey).*See notes for more cooking tips.
- Stir together the Soba Noodle Sauce ingredients: sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce.
- Stir fry. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wok or skillet. Add napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrot strips, and a sprinkle of salt. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add bell pepper and white part of the green onion stir-frying for 2-3 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
- Add the soba noodles and sauce. Toss together 1-2 minutes letting it thoroughly heat through.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Add black sesame seeds for garnish if desired.
Equipment
Notes
TIPS for cooking: Since the buckwheat does not contain gluten it can break more easily. Don’t stir while cooking and test for doneness before cooking time finishes. Cook in plenty of water. Don’t salt the cooking water. Do not overcook. Rinse immediately and thoroughly in cold water.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Serve as a main dish or as a side dish with your favorite protein.
Optional additions: hard-boiled or fried egg, crispy tofu, chicken breast, shrimp, steak strips.
Leftovers are best eaten in a day or two after making.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ¼ cups
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 692.3 mg
- Fat: 14.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 56.5 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 11.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I can’t comment on the rest of the recipe but I made the soba noodle sauce (sub 2tbsp NSA syrup for 1tbsp maple syrup b/c I’m diabetic). It was wonderful with cooked buckwheat soba noodles and various stir fried veg! It’s already in my recipe book 😉
Thanks Lulu! So glad you made this work!
Such a tasty and healthy meal! I topped this with your Sesame Ginger Baked Tofu, which was a perfect addition. I omitted the carrots and increased the shiitakes to 4 oz and cabbage to 2.5 cups. Next time I will add even more of both. Bravo!
Wonderful Karen! Love that you enhance it. Really appreciate the review!
Great recipe, I’ve made it twice in a week. I’m a slow chopper and slicer, so prep took closer to an hour.
Thanks for the review Jax!
Another great recipe! I love how the sauce isn’t overwhelming in volume or taste. I’d double the veggies next time.
Glad you enjoyed Jenna!
I forget to say that I added hoisin sauce at the end. Super yummy!! Thanks
Awesome Sara! Glad you enjoyed.
My new favorite noodle recipe! I love it ands I love how easy it is to put together. I have 4 kids so I need something quick but yummy and good for them and sometimes that’s hard to do!
Thank you
I am so glad you and the kids are enjoying them Sara!
Waayyyy too sour. Sauce needs adjusting.
Sorry this didn’t work for you Maria. Feel free to adjust to your taste- add more maple syrup or a touch of oil to balance it out.
Easy, fast, and delicious. Will double next time.
Great! Glad you enjoyed this!
I cook Asian food a lot and the veggies are added in completely the wrong order in this recipe. The cabbage and carrots get totally over cooked and the bell pepper doesn’t get cooked enough. Decent if you switch it up.
Thanks for your thoughts Elizabeth. Everything is cut in a way that cooks quickly and evenly, it seems to work for this recipe.
Really nice recipe! I used lo mein as I couldn’t get soba at the store this time. It is so easy to make and full of flavor! Love it, thank you!! 😍
Yay! Thanks so much for reviewing. ❤️
So tasty and simple!
Glad you liked this one!