Satisfy your cravings with this delicious and easy-to-make peanut pasta salad recipe. This pasta salad with peanut sauce and veggies is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner and it is packed with so much flavor and healthy ingredients.

peanut pasta veggie salad in white bowl with serving spoon

This peanut sauce and veggie pasta salad is a Thai style pasta salad and one of my favorite go-to meals for meal prep, picnics, and the warm summer months. I love it because it is loaded with veggies and delicious flavor and it is served cold (or room temperature) which is perfect when it is hot outside.

My family loves it because it is delicious. I love it because I can get them to eat lots of veggies by adding it to pasta and creamy peanut sauce. It is a win in my book.

I like to make a large batch of this pasta salad and have it for lunch during the week and sometimes I make it for our family dinner.

What you need

Spaghetti: Any noodles that are long like spaghetti will work. You can use soba noodles if you are trying to avoid gluten.
Red bell pepper: For crunch, color, and flavor.
Sugar snap peas: For color, flavor, and crunch.
Scallions: These green onions add a light onion flavor to the pasta salad.
Bean Sprouts: I like to add this for extra health benefits. It goes so well with the peanut sauce.
Creamy peanut butter: I prefer creamy peanut butter for this recipe but if you love peanuts and crunch, you can certainly use crunchy peanut butter.
Soy sauce: This is the salty flavor in the pasta salad. It also helps thin the sauce.
Toasted Sesame Oil. This is optional but really adds great background flavor to the sauce.
Rice wine vinegar: Add a tart note to the peanut sauce.
Water. This will help thin the sauce a bit.
Red pepper flakes. Adds a little heat and flavor.
Sesame seeds: For garnishing the peanut pasta salad. It adds more nutrition and a little crunch.

How To Make Peanut Pasta Salad!

Making this peanut-flavored pasta salad with veggies is so simple. Here is what it looks like:

peanut pasta salad ingredients in a large bowl

peanut sauce for pasta salad in a small bowl with a whisk.

1. Prep Your Veggies: Prepare your vegetables by blanching the sugar snap peas and bean sprouts. Cut the other vegetables into thin strips and add to a large bowl.

2. Make Your Sauce: Make your soy peanut sauce by adding the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste (if using), and toasted sesame oil.

pasta for peanut pasta salad in a colander

peanut pasta salad tossed together in a large bowl.

3. Cook your pasta. Cook your noodles according to the package instructions. I like to add a little oil to the pasta after draining so it doesn't stick.
4. Combine. Add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss well making sure everything is coated in the peanut sauce. Top with a sprinkling of your sesame seeds.

Tips

This peanut pasta salad is very forgiving and customizable. Make it your own with your favorite veggies or use what you have on hand in the fridge. Here are some tips for the best experience:

If you love a cold peanut pasta salad, after assembling the pasta, store it in the fridge for up to one hour so it can chill.
Swap out the veggies: The vegetables I used are just a starting point. You can also try using cabbage, edamame, cucumbers or shredded carrots.
Make it peanut-free: If you like the flavor of peanuts but don't have any on hand you can use almond butter or even tahini as a great substitute
Add protein: If you want a little more protein in your pasta salad try adding in some chicken or tofu.

How to Store

This pasta salad stores really well in the fridge for up to one week covered. It is also a great meal for outdoor gatherings or picnics since the peanut sauce will not spoil.

You can eat this salad cold straight from the fridge or gently warm it in the microwave for a minute to loosen up the sauce.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

If you love this easy peanut pasta salad with veggies, you may also like these:

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Quick And Easy Peanut Pasta Salad

This pasta salad with peanut sauce and veggies is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner and it is packed with so much flavor and healthy ingredients

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti
1 large red pepper cut into thin strips
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup bean sprouts
1 bunch scallions cut into small pieces white and green parts
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
⅛ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
black or toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Peanut sauce

Prepare the sauce by mixing the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame, red pepper flakes and water in a medium bowl until it all blends together and has a smooth consistency. You can add more water if needed to the sauce to thin it if it is too thick.
½ cup creamy peanut butter, ¼ cup soy sauce, ⅛ cup rice wine vinegar, ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Pasta salad

You will need to blanch the bean sprouts and sugar snap peas in boiling salted water (about 2-3 minutes).
1 cup bean sprouts, 2 cups sugar snap peas
While you are doing this you can slice your peppers and scallions and have those ready.
1 large red pepper, 1 bunch scallions
When your vegetables are done blanching, take them out of the water and rinse under cold water to slow down/stop the cooking.
Next, boil some water for your pasta.
When the water is boiling add your pasta and cook until al dente (where the pasta has a little bite to it still).
1 lb spaghetti
Drain your pasta and add it to a large bowl.
Add your sauce (leave a little sauce out as you can add more if needed but you cant take it away if it is too much) and your vegetables and toss together.
Top with sesame seeds if you are using.
black or toasted sesame seeds
Enjoy!

Nutrition