Cold Sesame Noodle Salad — Viral Picnic Recipe That Travels Well
I started making this for end-of-year classroom picnics when I needed something that could sit in a cooler for 2 hours and still taste intentional.
The sauce comes together in the same bowl you toss everything in, which means fewer dishes and a more cohesive flavor since the noodles drink it up as they chill.
Cold Sesame Noodle Salad — Viral Picnic Recipe That Travels Well
Nutty, tangy noodles that hold up beautifully on a blanket in the shade.
Ingredients
Noodles
- 12 oz soba noodles or thin spaghetti
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil , tossed in right after draining
Sesame Sauce
- 1/3 cup tahini or natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup , maple syrup to keep it vegan
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger , grated
- 2 cloves garlic , grated or pressed
- 2 tbsp warm water , to thin the sauce
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or sambal , optional, for heat
Toppings
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 4 scallions , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts , roughly chopped, optional
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Soba noodles go gummy fast if overcooked. Pull them 30 seconds before the package says and the cold rinse stops the cooking immediately.
- If you are packing this for a picnic, bring the peanuts and cilantro in a separate bag and add them on site so they stay crisp and bright.
- The sauce thickens as it chills. If the noodles look dry after refrigerating, stir in 1 to 2 tbsp of warm water before serving.
- Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and store it in a jar. The flavors mellow and deepen noticeably by day two.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why This One Actually Travels Well
Most pasta salads turn into a starchy brick by the time you unpack the cooler. This one holds because the sauce has enough acid and fat to stay loose even cold, and the noodles are rinsed so they never finish cooking.
The cabbage and carrots also matter here. They do not wilt the way lettuce or cucumber would after 2 hours in a bag. They stay crunchy and add something to chew against the soft noodles.
How to Make It Your Own
Swap the soba for rice noodles if you need this to be gluten-free, just check your soy sauce label too and use tamari instead.
I have added shredded rotisserie chicken for protein when I need this to be a full meal, and thinly sliced snap peas when I have them. Both work without changing the character of the dish.
