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This 10-Minute Cold Soba Noodle Salad is the fast main or side dish you have been waiting for! Packed with flavor, it comes together in a flash using pantry staples. It’s even better the next day, so consider this a meal prep dream dish.

A white bowl filled with soba noodles topped with green onions and celery

At its base, this cold salad is a simple 10-minute meal or side dish. But the hidden beauty of this recipe is that you can add so much to it to suit your needs. Use up whatever veggies you have in your crisper drawer.

Don’t have soba noodles in the pantry? Use spaghetti, udon, angel hair, ramen noodles, or whatever is already in your cupboard. This is the ultimate “use what you have” kind of recipe, and that’s a beautiful (and delicious) thing.

Add some protein and this becomes a full meal. It’s also incredible served with a side of Air Fryer Egg Rolls or Air Fryer Potstickers and your favorite dipping sauce.

What’s In This Cold Soba Noodle Salad?

  • Noodles! Soba/buckwheat is delicious, but use what you have!
  • Veggies – celery and green onions, but use whatever you want
  • Delicious sauce goodness – soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil
  • Extras – sesame seeds, and hot sauce or wasabi (if you dare. I do!)

dried noodles, celery, green onions, soy sauce, and other ingredients on a white board

Variations

Add some delicious roasted veggies to the finished noodles. Related: Roasted Frozen Broccoli and How to Roast Frozen Vegetables. Other fresh veggies that will rock: sliced cucumber, green beans, snap peas, shredded cabbage, bok choy, carrots, sliced peppers. And maybe a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.

Want to make this a complete meal? Add your favorite protein like Air Fryer Tofu, shredded chicken, Spicy Pork Meatballs, shrimp, or a big topping of chopped peanuts. To up the extraness of the sauce, add a splash of fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp of peanut butter, some grated ginger (related: How to Freeze Ginger), chopped garlic (related: How to Freeze Garlic).

5 photos showing the process of making cold soba noodle salad

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Since this dish is served cold, consider meal prepping it up to 2-3 days ahead. You can add the sauce before storing it in the fridge, or add to individual portions when serving.
  • The noodles can dry out after a few days in the fridge, even in an air-tight container. A splash of rice vinegar perks them right back up!

A close up shot of a bowl of cold noodle salad topped with sliced celery and green onions

More Fast Meals You’ll Love

5 from 15 ratings

Cold Soba Noodle Salad {Vegan, Vegetarian}

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 13 minutes
A white bowl filled with soba noodles topped with green onions and celery
This Cold Noodle Salad is a fast main or side dish that is packed with flavor.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Cook noodles according to directions on the package (most will recommend cooking in boiling water from 5-8 minutes. It depends on the brand).
  • While the noodles are cooking, slice up the celery and green onions. 
  • Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
  • Pour the cooked noodles in a strainer in the sink, and rinse instantly with cold water until the noodles have cooled.
  • Add noodles to the sauce in the bowl, add celery and green onions, and gently toss to coat.
  • Top with sesame seeds and cooked proteins if desired.

Notes

Store for up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container.
 
The noodles can dry out after a few days. A splash of rice vinegar perks them right back up!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupsCalories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 215mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 93IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

 

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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12 Comments

  1. The Cold Soba Noodle Salad is a great easy, fast and flavorful dish! We served this alongside a fish stir fry that was a bit spicy and the Cold Soba Noodle Salad was a nice compliment.
    What a fabulous recipe! Will make this many times again!5 stars

    1. Ohhhh I love the idea of serving it WITH something spicy. I usually cover mine with chili sauce, but using it as a compliment would be great too! 🙂

  2. I was intrigued by this recipe. I’ve never cooked with Soba noodles but with the promise of a quick and tasty meal, I decided to give it a shot. It was super easy to throw together and was very flavorful even with so few ingredients. This recipe will be added into the weeknight rotation. Thanks!5 stars

  3. Tried this last night – it is super easy! I added more veggies – some carrots, cabbage, and red bell peppers. Packed some for my lunch today, I like it cold.5 stars

  4. Love that you call it “hot cock”! That’s what we call sriracha! This looks yummy and super easy, I’ll have to try it. Thx! -Heather

  5. Love this recipe! I will be trying it soon. thank you so much for sharing. And quick recipes that also taste great and are a little different are a huge plus for me. Thank you!
    ~Erin5 stars

  6. YUM! YUM!! It’s always nice to have a Go To tried and true standby! I’m going to share this with Amber – it’s right up her alley!5 stars

  7. Yum! I wonder if you could serve it hot too? I love hot foods but a nice cold salad is always good in the summer months 🙂5 stars

  8. Our favorite sushi restaurant serves a small portion of a variation of this as an amuse-bouche. The only difference is they replace the chili sauce for wasabi. Thanks for the recipe!5 stars