Crunchy Vegetable Rice Noodle Salad
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This fresh, vibrant rice noodle salad is like an Asian-style summer roll in a bowl, combining crisp vegetables, herbs, and a spicy, tangy-sweet almond butter and lime dressing.
Make this wholesome fresh vegetable noodle bowl, a refreshing salad that’s full of vibrant flavor and crisp, colorful ingredients. Rice noodles make a perfect base for all the crunchy veggies and flavorful peanut sauce.
Rice noodle salad with lots of vegetables
This salad is kind of like a deconstructed summer roll or Vietnamese spring roll, loaded with fresh cooling herbs and crunchy vegetables.
This noodle salad recipe is a fresh meal-in-a-bowl you can make with supermarket vegetables. It’s inspired by fragrant herbs and ingredients typical of Southeast Asian cooking, each one delivering refreshing crunch and fragrance.
Fresh ingredients for vegetable rice noodle bowl:
- Cilantro, Basil and Mint: A holy trinity of herbs that create a flavor bomb in just about anything you put them in, especially when they’re used in combination.
- Shallots and Green Onions: The savory, sharp bite of these members of the allium family makes them indispensable in cuisines around the world.
- Garlic: The fact is that the smell of sizzling garlic makes your mouth water!
- Ginger: The gentle warmth and zesty nature of ginger adds a perfect kick.
- Carrots: These tapered roots add sweetness, vibrant color, and texture to dishes, especially when raw or lightly cooked to preserve their crunch.
- Almonds: These nuts make a delicious butter when blended to a paste, which forms the base of the creamy, spicy-sweet dressing in this recipe.
Crunchy Vegetable and Rice Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) smooth almond butter, preferably unsweetened, or other nut butter such as cashew or peanut
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral vegetable oil such as avocado or canola
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) agave nectar, honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 plump garlic clove, grated
Vegetable and Noodle Bowl
- 4 ounces rice stir fry noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained and rinsed in cold water
- 2 cups matchstick-cut carrots, about ½ pound carrots
- 2 cups half-moon sliced seedless cucumber
- 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 cup loosely packed each fresh cilantro, mint and basil leaves
- Handful mixed baby greens
Garnish ideas:
- Sesame seeds
- Crushed roasted peanuts or chopped roasted almonds
- Thinly sliced fresh red chili pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Whisk all ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl until smooth.
Assemble the salad
- In another large bowl, toss the drained noodles with the carrots, cucumber, scallions, shallot, herb leaves and half of the dressing.
- Serve in bowls over mixed greens, with additional dressing spooned over to taste. Garnish with fresh red chili, peanuts and/or sesame seeds.
Notes
- Add some protein to bulk up the salad: Such as glazed tofu, cooked shrimp or salmon.
- Dressing will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
This will be on repeat in my house all summer. I don’t know if it’s because I have two teenagers and / or because 3 people in my house are a bit vegetable averse, but 4 oz of rice noodles would definitely not have been enough for us.
Lol – I know what you mean! I created the recipe to maintain a balance of veggies to noodles, but of course you should up the amount for hearty eaters. You might also want to double the dressing as well.
This was beyond delicious! Followed your recipe exactly and it was so fresh and wonderful. We will be putting this in our rotation for sure! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Happy to hear you loved it Rhonda!
Is the nutrition count per serving?
Hi Emily – Yes it is for one serving.
This salad is so fresh and satisfying. We added tofu that was sautéed in sesame oil and sriracha. We will definitely make this again and again
So delicious and super easy! I could drink the dressing. We used peanut butter because of a tree nut allergy but otherwise, followed the recipe. So refreshing on a hot summer day! Highly recommend!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this. My family loves it!
We’ve made it 3 times.
That is fantastic!! So glad you are enjoying 🙂
So gorgeous and fresh, Happy New Year! 🙂
Happy New Year Laura! Hope it’s sweet 🙂
This looks so good — I am getting hungry just reading the recipe! heading to the grocery store now! XO