Cool Soba Noodle Salad
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A crisp, textural soba noodle salad recipe with a delicious sweet-and-salty miso dressing, cucumbers, and colorful tomatoes. Serve chilled or at room temperature for quick lunch or dinner.
This tasty soba noodle salad is full of crunchy fresh vegetables, all tossed in a savory, spicy miso dressing.
I first made this quick and easy dish one very hot summer day, when cooking was the last thing I wanted to do. Since then, it’s become one of my go-to quick salad recipes to throw together.
Soba noodles in chilled salads
I love the flavor and texture of soba noodles, and the fact that they work so well in cold noodle salads.
- Soba noodles area variety of Japanese noodle made with buckwheat flour. They have a nutty, earthy flavor — nothing like your typical Italian pasta noodles — and they pair beautifully with bold Asian seasonings like peanuts, miso, soy, chili and sesame.
- Buckwheat is actually a type of seed, not a grain, so noodles made with buckwheat are an excellent option for those who cannot tolerate wheat, but still crave a noodle fix.
Soba are available as gluten-free noodles (made with one-hundred percent buckwheat) or made with a blend of buckwheat and wheat flour.
Ingredients for noodle salad
- Soba noodles
- English or Persian cucumbers
- Red bell pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green onions (scallions)
- Fresh basil or mint
Toss in your own tasty additions:
- Cubed maple-glazed tofu
- Cooked edamame
- Pickled ginger (chopped)
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh sprouts (such as radish, broccoli or microgreens)
Cold noodle salad options
I tested this recipe with noodles made with a blend of buckwheat flour and wheat flour, which are readily available in grocery stores.
- If you want a totally gluten-free noodle salad, look for look for grain-free miso paste, and choose pure buckwheat noodles. Make the dressing with tamari rather than soy sauce.
Be sure to rinse the noodles well and be sure not to overcook because they can turn gummy. Rice noodles are also a great gluten-free option that would work perfectly! Soba noodles can be cooked a day or two ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to mix the salad.
Cool Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
For the salad
- 1 8-ounce (227 g) package soba noodles
- 2 cups sliced English or Persian cucumber
- 1 pint (475 g) assorted color cherry tomatoes , halved
- ½ red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- ½ cup fresh basil or mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili, or to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Make the salad
- Cook the soba noodles in boiling water according to package directions (usually 7-8 minutes). Rinse with cold water and drain. Transfer to a large serving bowl.
- Pour half the dressing over the noodles and toss gently. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, red bell pepper, green onions and basil. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss again to coat. Sprinkle with the crushed chili and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Dressing can made up to 5 days ahead. Store it in the refrigerator and stir to blend if it separates.
- The soba noodles may be cooked up to 1 day ahead. Drizzle lightly with oil and store in the refrigerator. Run them briefly under cold water and drain before tossing with the dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
I had this recipe set aside to make, but I just never get around to it. Probably because I wouldn’t know what to do with the big jar of miso after the couple of tablespoons!
Oh Your noodle salad looks really really yummy! And I loooove edamame!
Liza, get home safely! Hope you ate well (I think you probably did).
Susan, I like the sound of your recipe too. Perfect for eating poolside!
I just made a very similar dish but without the miso. I used soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and lime. I’ll have to try it next time. I just love these fresh and easy Asian noodles dishes, and yours looks so tasty. Now, go back to the pool to lounge a little bit more. 🙂
I can’t wait to get home and make this (well, I can wait to get home, but when I get there, I will make this for sure!)
This is exactly the type of thing I love to eat during the summer! I was actually just about to put together a pasta salad of some sort 🙂
It does look good and perfect for summer. And healthy too, with the buckwheat noodles and miso paste.
What a great idea to use miso in the noodle salad…
::scurrying to the kitchen to make sure I have miso paste::
looks delicious…this is my kind of meal…quick, simple, and healthy!!
Thanks for sharing…