Cold sesame noodles are one of my favorite cold take-out style dishes. Here is my sesame noodles recipe, grain free, zucchini style.
I'm forever in search of quick, easy tasty recipes. If you are too, join me for sesame noodles using peeled zucchini. And if you don't care for zucchini, cucumber noodles go well with this sauce, too. Or better yet-use both zucchini and cucumber noodles.
If you haven't made noodles from vegetables yet: You can use a julienne slicer, or a spiralizer, which is what I use.
Sesame Noodles {grain-free}
You can use any nut or seed butter for this recipe. The only exception maybe is tahini which may be too bitter on its own, but mixed with another nut or seed butter, it becomes milder. For the zucchinis, I keep the green skin on the zucchini or cucumber, but feel free to peel it off. I use fairly large zucchinis to fill 4 bowls, so you may need a few more if your zucchinis are on the small size.To make this low-carb/Keto: Replace the honey with your favorite low-carb sweetener. Use the equivalent of 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar.The original recipe had fish sauce (½ teaspoon) in it and more salt (½ teaspoon), but I've modified it over the years, and this is the most authentic version, in my opinion.
Equipment
- Spiralizer or vegetable juliene peeler
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cashew butter or almond, peanut, or a seed butter
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon mild vinegar white wine or mild vingegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large zucchinis trimmed
- ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup warm water
- black sesame seeds as garnish optional
Instructions
- Combine the cashew butter, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and salt in a bowl and use a fork or whisk to blend the ingredients until smooth.
- Add the water about ¼ cup at a time to the sauce and whisk gently to thin it. You may not need the entire cup of water, depending on the thickness of your nut butter.
- Slice the zucchini into noodles using a spiralizer or julienne peeler.
- Place the noodles across 4 bowls and add sauce to each bowl and blend with the noodles. Top with sliced green onions and other toppings.
- Serve cold or room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a day or so.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 178mgPotassium: 948mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 708IUVitamin C: 59mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg
Lisa says
I use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. I also infuse the oil with alot of garlic. Wonderful recipe. Duck is a fab meat to slice thin and put on top also.
Erica says
Lisa, that sounds great. Love the idea of duck, it's a great alternative.
Jodi says
Sorry, this is probably a very silly question, but is the zucchini raw or cooked? And I too thank you for posting a soy free recipe...cause I cant eat soy anymore than I can eat dairy or gluten.
Erica says
You're welcome! Not silly, at all. It's raw. But, if you find you can't handle raw right now, you can cook it for a few minutes in a skillet to soften it, then cool it (before adding the sauce). Yes, soy is a top allergen, and it's good to avoid if you're sensitive to it.
Emily says
Thanks so much for not using soy sauce! I will be making this as soon as I figure out a way to keep the deer away from my zukes & cukes.
Erica says
You're welcome! Yes, I know sometimes it feels like Asian-style recipes need soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari sauce, but I've found that's not the case. Good luck with the deer!