Udon Noodle Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing (No Peanuts)
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Jump to RecipeThis udon noodle salad with sesame lime dressing is bright, fresh, loaded with crunchy vegetables, and tossed with a tangy dressing! A delicious 15-minute lunch or dinner with cucumber, avocado, snap peas, and fresh greens.
It’s delicious enough as an appetizer or side dish, or hearty enough for a full meal. This udon salad makes a great work-from-home lunch or quick dinner idea. It’s also hearty enough to meal prep for a few meals!
Want more delicious udon recipes? Try our vegetarian udon noodle soup, peanut udon noodles, and our favorite cabbage udon stir fry!
We love a simple, uncomplicated noodle bowl in this house! This tasty udon noodle salad has it all: it’s quick to make, loaded with fresh crunchy vegetables, and is so satisfying. It makes the perfect lunch or dinner, and is tossed with a super flavorful sesame dressing.
I love the variety of textures and flavors in this dish! The thick, chewy udon noodles pair perfectly with the light crunch from cucumbers and snap peas, tossed with a dressing flecked with sesame seeds for crunch.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s bright, fresh, and has a wonderful crunch!
- A hearty and satisfying lunch or dinner.
- Ready in 15 minutes, this salad is perfect for busy days or nights!
- It’s versatile: you can add or swap in your favorite fresh vegetables into this dish – read more to learn about great additions below!
- It’s vegan, vegetarian, and dairy free – a great plant-based meal idea.
- A great peanut-free udon salad recipe.
What Are Udon Noodles?
Udon noodles are traditional in Japanese cuisine and are made with wheat flour. The fresh noodles have a wonderfully chewy texture when cooked, and are a great option for a quick lunch or dinner.
While you may see udon noodles cooked in a warm broth (like our favorite vegetarian udon noodle soup recipe) cold udon noodles like this salad are a popular dish. You can find the noodles at Japanese supermarkets or get them online.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Udon Noodles
- Snap Peas
- Green Onion or Spring Onions, sliced
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce – I like using a low sodium soy sauce to reduce the amount of salt overall in my recipes.
- Lime Juice – or rice vinegar for a nice acidity.
- Brown Sugar
- Toasted Sesame Oil: The sesame oil gives the perfect toasty flavor to the dressing of this salad. Toasted sesame oil is traditional in a lot of Asian dishes, and will give you salad the perfect flavor.
- Sesame Seeds – I love adding a handful of these sesame seeds to finish off this recipe! These seeds add a nice crunch and light flavor to this dish.
- Red Chili Flakes: for a little heat! I like to add a few shakes to this recipe to give this dish a nice complex depth of flavor.
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
I also got these gorgeous hand-dyed napkins from the very talented De La Terra textiles.
Additions and Substitutions
Add in your favorite chopped vegetables into this dish: fresh bell pepper, shelled edamame, sliced mushrooms, shredded cabbage, sliced carrots, or snow peas would all be great additions.
Toasted sesame oil has a wonderful flavor and adds a lot to this recipe. If you don’t have sesame oil, olive oil is a great substitute.
Add some heat! Use chili flakes, sriracha, or wasabi paste to add a bit of spiciness to this dish.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the udon noodles according to package instructions, and drain then rinse under cold water. Set the cold noodles aside.
Step 2: Chop the vegetables: slice the cucumber, chop the snap peas, remove the pit and slice the avocado flesh, and chop your green onions.
Step 3: Add the cooked and cooled udon noodles to a bowl. Add the cucumber, avocado, snap peas, and greens onions on top.
Step 4: Make your dressing: in a small mixing bowl, combine the toasted sesame oil, lime juice, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix well to combine.
Step 5: Pour the dressing over the salad evenly.
Step 6: Toss well to combine the noodles, vegetables, and the dressing. Enjoy at room temperature or chill and serve cold.
Recipe FAQs
This udon noodle salad recipe has thick and tasty udon noodles, fresh chopped vegetables like avocado, cucumber, snap peas, and green onions, and is tossed with a sweet and tangy dressing made from sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar.
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container and enjoy within 2 days. The avocado may brown after 1 day, so the salad is best fresh.
Absolutely, this is a great make-ahead salad to meal prep for lunch! If meal prepping or making this salad ahead of time, follow all the steps, but omit the avocado. Add in the sliced avocado right before serving to preserve it’s freshness.
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
- When chopping the vegetables, make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent throughout the salad.
- For a spicier salad, add 1 teaspoon or sriracha or a few drops of your favorite hot sauce in the salad dressing.
- Season to taste! You may want to add more soy sauce or sesame oil to this dish to suite your own tastes.
More Quick Lunch Salads
- Thai Chickpea Salad with Peanut Sauce Dressing Recipe
- Beet and Apple Salad
- Lemon Quinoa Salad Recipe
- Black Lentil Salad Recipe
- Vegan Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Udon Noodle Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing
Equipment
- Pot
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces udon noodles
- 1 cup snap peas sliced
- 1 cucumber cubed or sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 3 green onions sliced
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the udon noodles according to package instructions, and drain then rinse under cold water. Set the cold noodles aside.
- Chop the vegetables: slice the cucumber, chop the snap peas, remove the pit and slice the avocado flesh, and chop your green onions.
- Add the cooked and cooled udon noodles to a bowl. Add the cucumber, avocado, snap peas, and greens onions on top.
- Make your dressing: in a small mixing bowl, combine the toasted sesame oil, lime juice, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix well to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad evenly.
- Toss well to combine the noodles, vegetables, and the dressing. Enjoy at room temperature or chill and serve cold.
Notes
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- When chopping the vegetables, make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent throughout the salad.
-
- For a spicier salad, add 1 teaspoon or sriracha or a few drops of your favorite hot sauce in the salad dressing.
-
- Season to taste! You may want to add more soy sauce or sesame oil to this dish to suite your own tastes.
Nutrition
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This salad has all the ingredients I love
Yummy