An easy cold soba noodle salad topped with a crisp cabbage slaw and creamy sesame chili sauce. A refreshing salad that comes together quick.
Why You’ll Love This Cold Soba Noodle Salad
- An easy, refreshing meal to make for summer. The only ingredient that requires cooking are the noodles. Everything else comes together quick without any additional cooking required.
- Meal prep for quick meals during the week. I like to make the slaw and sauce ahead of time to save a lot of time during the week.
- Easy to customize. Change out the veggies or protein you like to help make this bowl more to your liking.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Soba Noodles: For gluten-free, make sure to use 100% buckwheat soba noodles or use rice noodles as a quick alternative.
- Cabbage: I used red cabbage, but green cabbage works just as well. Save time by buying bagged shredded cabbage.
- Scallions: You can also use thinly sliced red onions.
- Vinegar: You can find Chinkiang black vinegar at your local Asian market. It helps add a more unique savory flavor to our sauce compared to other vinegars. You can swap for rice vinegar or extra lime juice.
- Tamari: Try with soy sauce or coconut aminos as an alternative.
- Chili oil: This will lead to a really lovely creamy and flavorful dressing. If not a fan, feel free to swap with sesame oil or omit entirely.
- Five spice: It provides a balanced blend of flavors including sweet, sour, and spice plus strong aromatics that add a lot of depth of flavor to the sauce. If you need a substitute, while not perfect, a pinch of cinnamon and fennel seeds. You can also do another pinch of allspice or omit all together.
- Allspice: Just a pinch goes a long way to add some good savory flavor.
- Vegetable broth: This will help add way more depth of flavor to your sauce.
- Chinese sesame paste: Peanut butter works too!
- Pepper: I used a red chili pepper, but feel free to use jalapeño or serrano based on your heat tolerance. Can also be omitted.
How to Make a Cold Soba Noodle Salad
Make the Sauce: In a blender cup, combine the sesame paste, chili oil, vinegar, tamari, garlic, sweetener, five spice, allspice, and broth. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust with more tamari or vinegar if needed. Set aside.
Prepare the Slaw: In a large bowl, add the shredded cabbage, chili pepper, and scallions or onion. Add lime zest and juice, sesame oil, agave (if using), and a generous pinch of salt. Use clean hands to massage the slaw until slightly softened. Set aside to marinate.
Cook the Noodles: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water until completely cool. Transfer to a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, tamari, and sweetener, then pour over the noodles and toss to coat. Add a few ice cubes to keep the noodles cool while prepping the rest.
Prepare the Protein:
- For smoked tofu: crumble it as-is or pan-fry. To cook, heat a pan over medium-low heat with avocado oil (if using). Add crumbled tofu and spread evenly. Let cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir occasionally until golden.
- For edamame: cook according to package directions, then set aside.
Assemble the Bowls: Add a spoonful of sauce to the bottom of each bowl. Top with a serving of noodles, more sauce, and your choice of tofu or edamame. Add a generous scoop of cabbage slaw. Garnish with torn mint, cilantro, and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Rinse and chill your noodles. Rinse your noodles really well under cold water, which will prevent your noodles from sticking together.
- Pair it with a good protein source to make it more satisfying. For ease I often make this paired with edamame, but you can also use your favorite crumble (try some minced tofu or this tempeh hash). For a soy-free option, try this paired with a TVP option that is made with pea-protein instead or some crispy lentils.
- Adjust flavors to preference. After mixing the sauce, taste and adjust the flavors as needed. You may need more salt, a little more acid, or extra sweetener to get the sauce just right to your liking.
- Add more veggies. Use this as a way to add as many veggies you like. Try adding julienned cucumber and/or carrot to this too.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would prep your cabbage slaw, sauce, protein and store them all in separate airtight containers. I do recommend prepping the noodles fresh when you plan to enjoy so that the noodles stay in good quality. Most brands cook up in 6 minutes, so it shouldn’t take too long to make and assemble on any given night.
While buckwheat is a gluten-free grain, most soba noodles are made with a mix of buckwheat flour and regular flour. If you want to make this as a gluten-free equivalent, look for 100% buckwheat soba noodles from brands like Eden Organics or Lotus Foods. If unable to find 100% buckwheat soba noodles, you can also use any of your favorite gluten-free rice noodles. You’ll also want to make sure you use a gluten-free tamari or soy sauce.
Soba noodles are very starchy, and when cooked that starch can cause the noodles to stick together. To fix this, just make sure to rinse your noodles under cold water to wash off the starch. For extra insurance, you can also toss the noodles in just a touch of sesame oil to help prevent them from sticking while you finish prepping other ingredients.
Make It Balanced
This recipe when paired with a good protein source provides a great amount of nutrient variety. You get a balance of complex carbohydrates from the noodles, a good amount of veggies, protein from either tofu or edamame, and healthy fats from our sesame dressing. Here are some other protein sources that can work really well here.
- For ease: edamame, smoked tofu
- Non-soy: crispy lentils or pea based TVP
- High-protein: high-protein tofu, shredded tempeh, soy curls, or seitan
More Summer Pasta Salad Inspiration
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Description
An easy cold soba noodle salad topped with a crisp cabbage slaw and creamy sesame chili sauce. A refreshing salad that comes together quick.
Sesame Chili Sauce
Cabbage Slaw
Noodles & Protein
Assembly
- To a blender cup, combine the sesame paste, chili oil, vinegar, tamari, garlic, sweetener, five spice, allspice, and broth. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust with more tamari or vinegar based on your preference, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cabbage, pepper, and scallions. Add the lime zest and juice, sesame oil, agave, and a generous pinch of salt. Use clean hands to massage the ingredients into the cabbage to soften it. Set aside to marinate.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. While the noodles cook, add the lime juice, tamari, and sweetener to a medium mixing bow and whisk together. Once the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse the noodles thoroughly under cold water until completely cool. Transfer the noodles to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Top the noodles with a few ice cubes and set aside.
- For a quick protein option, crumble the smoked tofu or cook the edamame according to package instructions. If you want to cook your tofu, heat a pan over medium-low heat with oil. Once hot, add the crumbled tofu and spread it out evenly in the pan. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To assemble, drizzle a few spoonfuls of the sauce into the bottom of your bowl. Add a serving of the dressed noodles, followed by a generous sprinkle of the crumbled tofu or edamame, and another drizzle of the sesame sauce. Top with a generous scoop of the cabbage slaw. Garnish with some torn mint and cilantro, and serve with a wedge of lime. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Rinse and chill your noodles. Rinse your noodles really well under cold water, which will prevent your noodles from sticking together.
Pair it with a good protein source to make it more satisfying. For ease I often make this paired with edamame, but you can also use your favorite crumble (try some minced tofu or this tempeh hash). For a soy-free option, try this paired with a TVP option that is made with pea-protein instead or some crispy lentils.
Adjust flavors to preference. After mixing the sauce, taste and adjust the flavors as needed. You may need more salt, a little more acid, or extra sweetener to get the sauce just right to your liking.
Add more veggies. Use this as a way to add as many veggies you like. Try adding julienned cucumber and/or carrot to this too.
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