• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Evergreen Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Cookbook
    • Recipes
    • Resources
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Published: Aug 13, 2015 · Modified: Feb 5, 2022 by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

    This soba noodle salad features a yummy sesame ginger sauce, crisp veggies, and buckwheat noodles. This dish is meal prep friendly and requires very little cooking (just the noodles!).
    Jump to Recipe
    Digging into sesame soba noodle salad with chopsticks

    Growing up, we ate so many noodles that I was convinced they were their own food group. And to this day, there are few things that make me happier than a heaping pile of noodles. Pasta, ramen, udon, vermicelli...I don’t discriminate, I’ll take them all. Thankfully, Anguel feels the same way. Warmer months are however a tad more challenging when it comes to squeezing in our regular dose of noodles. Things got a bit desperate a couple weeks ago, as we rallied through the 30°C/86°F heat and sweated our way through steaming bowls of veggie Pho. It was delicious, but as we mopped our foreheads and made an outfit change back at home, we knew there had to be another way.

    On a mission to find the perfect summer-appropriate noodle fix, we’ve now eaten our way through many bowls of noodles. We tried a few variations, but this Soba Noodle Salad turned out to be our favorite. It’s easy to prepare, has very limited cook time (think 5 minutes on the stove), and is jam-packed with colorful veggies. It also keeps well during the week, which is a total win for our lunch game.

    Buckwheat noodles (soba) form the base of this dish. These noodles are popular in Japan, and served either hot or cold.  You can always multiple varieties at Asian grocery stores; but luckily, buckwheat noodles are mainstream enough that most standard grocers carry them too. If you can, pick noodles that have a short ingredient list. All you really need is buckwheat flour and water. However, most brands add in other types of flour (like yam flour or wheat flour) to cut the buckwheat. It tends to be cheaper and the taste is a bit milder. Choose whichever you prefer, but know that buckwheat flour is gluten-free when many of the other fillers are not. Eden Foods is the only brand that our grocery store stocks with a 100% Buckwheat noodle. Buckwheat noodles are high in fiber so we find they’re more satiating than a comparable amount of pasta noodles. Healthy choices, for the win.

    Besides cooking the noodles, the rest of the dish simply requires you to whisk together a marinade and slice up some fresh veggies. The fragrant sesame marinade doubles as a flavor booster to the tofu, before getting poured on top of the noodles to coat them in delicious sauce. You might notice this recipe doesn’t call for cooking the tofu. While we usually pan-fry or bake our tofu, it isn’t really necessary in this dish (especially in this weather). Tofu doesn’t need to be cooked before getting eaten, it’s more just a flavor and texture thing. So we encourage you to cut yourself some slack in the kitchen and just dump the tofu directly in the marinade. It’ll mean minimal time over the hot stove. But if you prefer to cook it first, by all means do your thing.

    The Soba Noodle Salad can be served warm or cold, which gives you a lot of flexibility with prep. We usually eat this dish warm in the evening (just after we make it), but then eat it cold straight out of the fridge for lunch the next day. Either way, this Soba Noodle Salad is super easy to make and tastes great. We hope you enjoy!

    Table scene of two sesame soba noodle bowls on a white table

    Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

    This soba noodle salad features a yummy sesame ginger sauce, crisp veggies, and buckwheat noodles. This dish is meal prep friendly and requires very little cooking (just the noodles!).
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4
    Author: Bri
    Pin Recipe
    Digging into sesame soba noodle salad with chopsticks
    Print

    Ingredients

    Sesame Ginger Dressing:

    • 3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
    • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

    Noodle Salad:

    • 6 ounces extra-firm tofu (about ½ block tofu)
    • 9 ounces soba noodles (see note 1)
    • 3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
    • 3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
    • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • 3 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced (more for garnish)
    • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (more for garnish)
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more for garnish)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Make Dressing: In a medium baking dish (one that's big enough to hold the tofu), whisk together tamari, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, Sriracha, maple syrup, garlic powder and fresh ginger.
    • Start the Noodle Salad: Pat tofu dry with a clean dish towel and cut into bite-sized pieces. Transfer tofu to the dressing, pressing it down to submerge it in liquid.
    • Cook noodles: Cook buckwheat noodles according to the package's directions (do not overcook!). Strain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Shake off excess water, then transfer noodles to a large bowl.
    • Assemble: Pour dressing over noodles (use a slotted spoon or your fingers to hold back tofu for now). Toss noodles until evenly coated. Add tofu, carrots, celery, bell pepper, scallions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Gently toss to mix. Garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, and/or red pepper flakes, to taste.

    Notes

    1. Buckwheat soba noodles: Usually they're made with a mix of wheat flour and buckwheat flour, but there are also 100% buckwheat flour options available. If you need a gluten-free soba noodle, read the labels to confirm. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1190mg | Potassium: 580mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 9188IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a rating below and tag us @evergreenkitchen on instagram!

    More Mains

    • Vegetarian air fryer eggplant parmesan with marinara sauce on a dinner plate.
      Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
    • Halloumi Thai Curry in a skillet topped with cilantro, jalapeno, and herbs.
      Easy Halloumi Curry
    • Vegan Potato Leek Soup topped with chives and pepper in a bowl with a spoon.
      Vegan Potato Leek Soup
    • Vegetarian Orzo Pesto Salad with tomatoes, peas, and cheese in a bowl.
      Easy Orzo Pesto Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      LEAVE A COMMENT Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Kayla says

      April 17, 2018 at 1:01 am

      I just stumbled upon your blog and it's an instant fave. Fresh, vibrant, flavourful, wholesome... it's just perfect! (And the photography is STUNNING.)

      There's still snow in Toronto right now (cries) but I absolutely need to try these noodles ASAP. Soba is love. 🍜

      Reply
      • Bri says

        April 20, 2018 at 11:28 pm

        Hi Kayla -

        Thank you so much for your kind words! So glad you enjoy the blog & photos, that makes us so happy to hear.

        We've heard Toronto has been getting some pretty rough (winter?!!) weather these days. Crossing our fingers the sun & warmth are coming out soon.

        Do let us know how the soba noodles go! Agreed, soba = love. Cheers xx

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Evergreen Kitchen! We're all about delicious vegetarian food you actually want to eat. Here you'll find craveable dinner recipes, meal prep ideas, healthy-ish desserts, and everyday cooking resources.

    More about us →

    Get the Cookbook!

    Evergreen Kitchen Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone Cookbook Cover
    Learn more about Evergreen Kitchen:
    Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone

    Spring Features

    • Vegetarian Lentil Nicoise Salad
    • Whipped ricotta dip with honey, thyme, and pepper in a bowl.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
    • Black Lentil Salad with Feta in a bowl with a fork.
      Mediterranean Black Lentil Salad with Feta
    • Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon on a green plate with a fork.
      Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon
    • Lemon Spinach Orzo in a bowl topped with feta and dill.
      One Pan Lemon Spinach Orzo with Feta
    • Roasted veggie sandwich with avaocado and chipotle mayo on a serving platter
      Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Peri Peri

    Fan Favorites

    • Close up of crispy breaded air fryer tofu with panko breadcrumb crust
      Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu
    • Lemon dill and chickpea sandwich cut in half
      Vegan Smashed Chickpea Sandwich
    • Mushroom stroganoff in a white plate with fresh thyme and parmasen
      Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff (One Pot)
    • 12 peanut butter coconut power balls on a marble background
      Best Peanut Butter Coconut Balls
    • Close up of crispy air fryer breakfast potatoes (home fries)
      Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with a piece of bread sitting on the edge of the bowl, with a white spoon and sliced lemon
      Instant Pot Bean Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    Contact us

    Recipes

    Jump to Recipes

    As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Evergreen Kitchen!