Delectable Plant-Based Asian-Inspired Cold Noodle Dishes

Here’s a roundup of Asian-inspired cold noodle dishes. They’re perfect for warm-weather meals, though you can enjoy them year round. You’ll find plenty of variations using peanut and gingery sauces and other luscious dressings. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these naturally plant-based dishes.

You’ll find recipes here using soba, rice noodles, and even vegetable “noodles.” Many are interchangeable, and you can always swap in regular spaghetti, though the result may not be as interesting to the palate.

Abundant with raw or barely cooked vegetables, these noodle dishes are a treat for the eye and palate.

Some of these recipes resulty in bold-flavored yet light side dishes, while others with added plant-based protein make great main dishes for cool-weather meals.

Thanks to the talented bloggers who shared links to their recipes and contributed their photos, by permission.

Cold noodle dishes have a long history in many Asian cultures. Here are some of the types of noodles featured here, which you can find more about in the guides on this site:

Cold Udon Noodles

Cold Udon Noodles with Crisp Asian Vegetables: Here’s an appealing way to enjoy crisp, colorful vegetables. Full of veggies that need only a little prep but no cooking, this is a tasty, colorful dish for lunch or dinner.

Cold Peanut & Tempeh Noodles with Broccoli & Carrots: This delectable dish of cold peanut and tempeh noodles is an amalgam of Indonesian and Thai-influenced ingredients and seasonings. Though this recipe recommends udon noodles, you can swap in Chinese wheat noodles or linguine.

Cold Soba Noodles

Peanut Satay Soba Noodles with Cucumber: This soba noodle dish comes together quickly, and is a perfect main dish for a warm weather meal with simply prepared tofu or tempeh. It’s easy, tasty, and on the table in about 20 minutes.

Soba Noodle Edamame Salad with Soy Dressing: From Food Pleasure and Health, a soba noodle salad that’s hearty and flavorful. Made in 30 minutes or less, it’s gluten-free if you can find 100% buckwheat soba noodles.

Cold Asian Noodle Bowls with Daikon and Carrot: The classic vegetable due in Japanese cuisine is added to cold Asian noodle bowls featuring soba, making a lovely warm-weather dish.

Cold Bean-Thread (Cellophane, Glass) Noodles

Orange Bean-Thread Noodles with Crisp Vegetables: Flavored with an orange-infused sesame-ginger dressing, this bean-thread noodle salad is a perfect accompaniment to your favorite tofu or tempeh dish. Perfect for warm weather, this dish is more about the vegetables than the noodles.

Bean Thread Noodle Salad with Tahini, Lime, and Ginger: Tess Challis, author of Food Joy, contributed this recipe for an easy bean thread noodle salad flavored with tahini, lime, and ginger. She writes: “Bean-threads are a longtime favorite of mine. Found in any Asian market, they’re so fun and versatile. I love their springy texture and versatility — plus, they’re good either hot or cold.”

Cold Rice Noodles

Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Plant-Based “Steak”: Rice noodles and strips of beefy-style vegan plant protein (or seitan), plus cucumbers, cilantro, and an optional hint of mint come together in a Thai-inspired cold dish that’s both hearty and refreshing.

Sesame-Ginger Cold Rice Noodles: This simple dish of cold noodles is flavored with bottled or homemade sesame-ginger salad dressing and embellished with colorful vegetables.

Vegan Rice Noodle Bowl: From Hey Nutrition Lady, this cool and refreshing noodle bowl is packed with Asian flavors. It’s totally gluten-free, and has a zippy peanut sauce to complement. You can mix and match the vegetables as you see fit, to make your noodle bowl your way, which makes this recipe family-friendly and versatile as well!

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetable Rice Noodle Salad: From Three Olives Branch, this simple pickled vegetable rice noodle salad is a great cold dish for BBQs! Full of banh mi flavors with carrot and daikon.

Any noodles you’d like (including ordinary pasta)

Easy Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce: If you’re a fan of the kind of sesame noodles found on Pan-Asian restaurant menus, you’ll love these naturally plant-based, easy cold noodles with sesame sauce.

Spicy Vegan Peanut Pasta Salad: From Food Meanderings, a little spicy, quick and full of veggies, this Asian-inspired pasta salad is a delicious way to use up leftover spaghetti noodles. It’s fast and easy to make and is perfect for dinner, lunch boxes and potlucks!

Cold Spicy Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles: Sesame noodles or peanut butter noodles — why choose? Combine the two in luscious cold sesame peanut butter noodles, with a dollop of tahini, a dash of spice, and plenty of crisp raw vegetables.

Tahini Noodles: From Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen, tahini noodles are a deliciously quick and easy meal. In this simple recipe, your favorite pasta is tossed together with vegetables and savory tahini sauce. It can be served warm or cold, and it’s terrific for either lunch or dinner.

Vegetable “Noodles”

Rainbow Noodle Salad: From Salt and Lavender, rainbow noodle salad is a fun, colorful dish that’s made entirely of vegetable noodles. A creamy avocado-lime dressing makes it extra flavorful!

Zucchini Noodles with Peanut Satay Sauce: A roundup of cold noodle dishes wouldn’t be complete without a couple of entries for zucchini noodles. With all uncooked ingredients (unless, like me, you prefer broccoli lightly steamed), it’s a salad disguised as a luscious noodle-y dish.

Thai-Style Zucchini Noodle Salad: Hannah Kaminsky offers an easy swap for green papaya, using more readily available zucchini noodles to re-create a favorite classic Thai-style salad.

Shiratake Noodles

Shirataki Noodles with Lettuce and Chili Sauce: Here’s a perfect quick, cold accompaniment to veggie-filled stir-fries or simple tofu dishes. This cool dish might remind you of the flavor of Asian summer rolls — without all the soaking, rolling, and fuss.