Spicy Peanut Ramen
These spicy peanut butter ramen noodles are delicious and addictive! They are sure to be an instant hit with their perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and nutty! They are a quick and easy meal perfect for any busy weeknight, and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 blocks instant ramen* They usually come in a pack of four
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1-3 clove(s) garlic minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter I like to use natural peanut butter, but you can use any type of peanut butter you like, even crunchy peanut butter!
- 1/2 water
For serving
- sliced green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked remove the noodles from the water and set aside.
- Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat, until it beings to crackle, add the garlic and cook stirring often until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the crushed red pepper flakes to the hot oil and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat, and add the brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang paste, and rice vinegar. Whisk together and cook until hot.
- Add the water and peanut butter to the pan and whisk until everything is well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cooking whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and continue whisking until the sauce has finished thickening. It should be thick enough to coat the noodles.
- Add the noodles to the pan and toss gently, plate immediately and top with any desired toppings and serve.
Notes
*you can also use rice noodles, egg noodles, or even spaghetti noodles.
Keep a close eye on the sauce while cooking, it is important to remove the sauce from the heat before it gets too thick. It will continue to thicken and quickly if left on the heat for too long!
I prefer my peanut sauce to be thick and creamy, but if you prefer your sauce to be thinner or the sauce was left on the heat for too long, you can always add more water to thin it out.
Any leftover spicy peanut ramen can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
While this recipe can be made ahead of time if need be, I wouldn't recommend it. The sauce gets thicker the longer it sits, and though it can be thinned out during reheating, I find it to be much easy to make and serve this dish the same day, especially since it takes under 30 minutes to make!
If you have leftover spicy peanut noodles, you'll want to reheat them in a small saucepan over low heat, with 1/4 cup of water, to keep the noodles from sticking.
Stir the noodles gently with a fork every so often until they are heated through, adding more water as needed to thin out the sauce again. You may need to add a cup of water or even thin the sauce back out, depending on what consistency you prefer.
If you are worried about losing too much flavor while reheating the noodles you can use coconut milk, or rice broth in place of the water. Things like chicken broth, and ramen broth will also work well!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!