These Spicy Sesame Noodles are perfect when you have a craving for Chinese sesame noodles but also want a little kick. They’re so easy to make and much healthier than takeout!
Pasta is a staple in my house. Truth time: I probably have about 10 different kinds of pasta in my kitchen right now. It is so comforting to me because it’s what I ate all the time as a kid.
Even now I have to make pasta at least once a week. Some of my favorites are my Vegan Mac & Cheese and Thai Basil Noodles. My easy One Pot Lemon Pasta is perfect when I’m in a hurry.
Knowing how pasta obsessed I am, you probably won’t be surprised when I tell you I love the cold sesame noodles you can order at Chinese restaurants.
I just can’t get enough of them. There’s just something about the creaminess of the sauce that gets me every time.
Better Than Takeout Noodles
To save some money (I used to order the sesame noodles often), I thought I’d start making my own version. Since I’m also obsessed with spice and hot sauce, I decided to put my own caliente spin on the noodles.
My version, which I call Spicy Sesame Noodles, adds a little heat in both temperature and spiciness.
A few reasons why I love these noodles:
- they’re spicy (obviously)
- they’re filling (extra protein from the tahini and tempeh)
- they’re inexpensive to make
- they impress dinner guests
- they can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free noodles
Make it even healthier by adding steamed broccoli or another of your favorite veggies into the pasta.
Spicy Sesame Noodles with Tempeh
To add some protein, I decided to include tempeh. The method I describe in the recipe below is my favorite simple way to cook the tempeh. All you need is some tempeh, olive oil and 5 minutes.
The tempeh comes out browned and tasty! If you’re new to tempeh, check out my Teriyaki Tempeh recipe where I share more info on this interesting food.
If you make these Spicy Sesame Noodles, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
Spicy Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti or linguine (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 package of tempeh
- 1 TB oil or coconut oil
- 1 TB tamari
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional but tasty!)
- 2 TB sesame seeds (I used black but white it fine too)
- 3 scallions chopped
Spicy Sauce
- 1/4 C tamari (or soy sauce if not gf)
- 3 TB vegetable broth (and more if needed)
- 2 TB rice wine vinegar (can substitute apple cider vinegar)
- 1/4 C tahini
- 3 TB peanut butter (can sub almond butter)
- 2 cloves of garlic minced (or ¼ tsp of garlic powder)
- 1 TB maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 TB sriracha (or other chile sauce)
Instructions
- Cook noodles to package directions.
- While noodles are cooking, put tempeh block in a bowl and kind of mash it with a fork until crumbly.
- Add oil to large pan. Once heated, add tempeh crumbles and tamari and cook for about 5 minutes until heated and browned.
- Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl and stir until smooth.
- When noodles are cooked, add them to a large bowl with the sauce. Add in tempeh and mix.
- Top with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes
Nutrition
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Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist helping people thrive on a plant-powered diet. Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life.
When she’s not working with clients or creating new meals for her blog, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
We are on a similar yummy page today! Thanks for linking up for meatless Monday
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Deborah! Loving the noodle posts!
Julie Wunder says
These nooodlessss look so good!!!!! Can’t wait to try them.
Mary Ellen says
Thank so much Julie! Let me know what you think when you try them!
kateringforveggies says
Well deserved Mary Ellen! These noodles look delicious. It might even convince me to try tempeh again… My past experiences with it have been very disappointing!
Mary Ellen says
Honestly, I don’t like blocks of tempeh much. I’ve had some versions that were okay at restaurants but when I try to make it before using this technique, I didn’t much like it either. If you do try it, let me know what you think. I’d love to hear.
leecros says
Oh man, these noodles look great, Mary Ellen! I’m avoiding soy a bit these days, but I think tempeh is a little easier on my system. Do you have any thoughts on what I could substitute (if anything)?
Mary Ellen says
The tempeh is broken up and kind of reminds me of crumbled sausage. A non-soy vegan sausage would work I think. I found this page: http://www.peta.org/living/food/guide-soy-gluten-free-meatless-meat/ and the non-soy and non-gluten option of Neat might work if you crumble that up.
Beans like lentils might work as well if you kind of crisp them up a bit. Let me know if you try something else and how it goes. I can put it as an addition to the recipe.
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This noodle dish looks and sounds amazing, anything with spicy peanut flavors. Yum and thanks!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Christine! I’m all about spicy peanut flavors too!
ModVegan says
I thought it might have peanuts in it from the picture, but I was happy to go to the actual recipe and find out it doesn’t (we have allergies in my family). I can’t wait to try the recipe – believe it or not, I haven’t actually used tempeh yet, so this seems like a good place to start!
Mary Ellen says
Oh good! I almost put peanuts in it and I’m glad i didn’t! I hope you like it! Tempeh can be tough sometimes to get it just right but i find this cooking technique is so simple and tasty.
meaganleanne says
I love Thai-style dishes especially with the little crunchy peanut pieces. I can’t wait to give this a try!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Meagan! Those little bits are actually tempeh but peanuts would be really tasty as well! You can sub peanuts if you have any problems with soy.
shaheen says
Nom nom I wonder if I could do this with plainole spaghetti as I am not a huge fan of noodles.
Mary Ellen says
Shaheen, I’m sure you could use any type of pasta you’d like! I actually used spaghetti in the recipe!
kimmythevegan says
Totally thought I commented on this… but I guess not. I must have commented on your guest post maybe. Anyway – this looks super delicious and I can’t wait to try making it… maybe not spicy though, which may defeat the purpose haha ;p
Mary Ellen says
I think you did comment on the guest post! I remember you saying something about the spice. It should be fine with a little less spice (though I love anything spicy). ?
Shari says
This was super simple & super yummy for a busy weeknight dinner! Will definitely be making again
Mary Ellen says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it Shari! Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know.
Brittany says
Wow you were not exaggerating… I hate tempeh and this recipe changed my mind! My husband bought a package of it for me and I’ve been putting off using it. I just made this recipe and am eating it as I type this and it is delicious. I didn’t have almond butter so I used chunky peanut butter and it still turned out great, and the fact that it only took about 15 minutes is amazing. Thanks for the recipe, and I can’t wait to try your other ones 🙂
Mary Ellen says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tempeh and the noodles, Brittany! I usually can only eat tempeh if it’s cooked correctly and this is one way I love to do it. 🙂
Peanut butter is a great substitution for the almond butter. I’ve actually done that myself as well when I ran out of almond butter.
I appreciate the view and you letting me know that you liked the recipe!