Spicy peanut butter ramen is a delicious change of pace for your instant ramen packets. Made in minutes, this dish is savory and has just the right kick of heat to keep you going back for more.
Instant ramen is already delicious, but with so many limited flavors, why not change things up a bit? This Thai ramen noodles recipe is exactly the change of pace you need. Unless you want to try Ramen with Egg and Cheese or our Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles.
By adding in some peanut butter and spice, we get a wonderful savory dish perfect for any time of day. What we love most about this recipe is that the spice isn't overpowering, instead, you get the taste of heat without breathing fire.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's easy to make! Made with a few ingredients and totally customizable, you can adjust the recipe as needed.
- It's fast. You can have the flavorful peanut butter sauce ready in less time than it would take to cook your noodles, so by the time the ramen is done, so is your meal.
- It's cheap. One of the best reasons to reach for a packet of ramen is the price tag, so it makes sense that this is one of the most affordable recipes on our site.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Instant ramen- Any flavor of instant ramen will work fine for this recipe because we are discarding the flavor packet and only using the noodles.
Peanut butter- You'll need some creamy peanut butter. You can use natural peanut butter or stick to basic brands like Skippy or Jif.
Sesame oil- I like to use toasted sesame oil for added depth of flavor (it makes it taste more authentic too). This can be omitted completely if you don't have any on hand though.
Soy sauce- Using soy sauce will give us a lot more flavor and some salt to enhance the flavors in this dish.
Brown sugar- Use brown sugar to help cut back on some of the acidic taste and make the sauce feel more balanced.
Chili flakes- You will need some red pepper flakes for added spice. You can add in more if you want your noodles spicier.
Chili sauce- Use chili sauce, chili garlic sauce, or even sriracha for a nice kick of heat.
Green onion- Use a sliced green onion for added freshness, crunch, and color. It makes a nice garnish when sliced at an angle.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Add your ramen to a pot of boiling water.
Cook according to package directions or until your desired doneness.
Add the peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili flakes, and chili sauce in a bowl.
Whisk together until smooth.
Add ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to your bowl of peanut sauce.
Whisk until smooth.
Add your cooked and drained noodles to the bowl with peanut sauce.
Stir and toss well to evenly coat the noodles.
Top it off with some sliced green onions, and then serve immediately.
🧾 Substitutions
Ramen. If you don't have instant ramen on hand, you can replace it with thin spaghetti noodles instead. The ramen works great because they're fast-cooking thin noodles, but since we're discarding the seasoning packet anyways, feel free to simply swap the pasta types.
Chili sauce. You can find chili sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store, but if not, feel free to swap it for sriracha sauce instead. Note that sriracha is spicier, so use it in moderation until your level of heat is achieved.
Brown sugar. You can swap the brown sugar for some honey, maple syrup, or agave if you're looking to use a natural sweetener instead.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Peanut sauce
If you'd like your peanut sauce to be thicker, feel free to reduce the water added to the mix. This is simply meant to thin it down to a consistency that is needed to evenly coat all of the noodles.
We use reserved pasta water instead of regular water because the pasta after has starches in it from the noodles, which help to thicken the sauce enough that it clings to the noodles instead of dripping off the fork or chopsticks.
Serving size
One packet of instant ramen is 2 serving sizes (according to the package).
Due to the serving size of ramen, this recipe will make 1 large portion or two smaller portions. If making this recipe for more than one adult person, you may wish to double the recipe.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
If you plan on making this recipe in advance, please keep the cooked noodles and peanut sauce separate from one another until ready to serve. As the noodles rest, they will absorb the sauce and cause some flavor loss and textural changes.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
You can keep leftover ramen stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 or 3 days. Reheat again before serving.
🍳 Reheating
Reheating these noodles is easy and can simply be done in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes in a microwave safe bowl.
You can also reheat in a pot on the stove. If your noodles feel dry or are sticking together, feel free to add in a splash of water to help fix the situation.
Fun note: You can also serve these noodles cold, and they'll still taste pretty good!
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
This recipe tastes incredible as is, but don't be afraid to mix things up by adding in some favorites like sauteed mushrooms, cooked shredded chicken, diced pork, or actual salted peanuts (without the shells, of course).
Tofu or cooked shrimp could also pair wonderfully with these noodles, making them into a much more filling meal.
💭 FAQs
Yes, just like many other pasta varieties out there, ramen noodles are simply made using a base of flour, water, and salt. This makes the noodles vegan-friendly, and our recipe can be made vegan-friendly as well by simply swapping the soy sauce for some coconut aminos or vegan soy sauce.
I always keep my house stocked with the cheaper instant ramen varieties, but Nissin and Maruchan are some of the more popular ramen noodle companies.
When we don't feel like dirtying up a pot on the stove, we often find ourselves cooking ramen in the microwave. Place a brick of ramen in a microwave-safe cereal bowl, add enough water to cover the noodles (break them if needed) and heat for 5 minutes before draining and adding the seasonings.
More great pasta recipes to check out soon
- Instant Pot Kraft Mac and Cheese
- Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta
- Easy Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet
- Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
📖 Recipe
Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 package (3ounce) Instant ramen, discard seasoning ($0.11)
- 2 Tablespoons Creamy peanut butter ($0.10)
- 1 Tablespoon Toasted sesame oil ($0.10)
- 2 Tablespoon Soy sauce ($0.20)
- 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon Chili flakes ($0.05)
- 1 Tablespoon Chili sauce or sriracha sauce ($0.13)
- ¼ cup Reserved pasta water ($0.00)
- 1 Green onion, sliced ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add your ramen to a pot of boiling water.
- Cook according to package directions or until your desired doneness.
- Add the peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili flakes, and chili sauce in a bowl.
- Whisk together until smooth.
- Add ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to your bowl of peanut sauce.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Add your cooked and drained noodles to the bowl with peanut sauce.
- Stir and toss well to evenly coat the noodles.
Notes
Substitutions
- Ramen. If you don't have instant ramen on hand, you can replace it with thin spaghetti noodles instead. The ramen works great because they're fast-cooking thin noodles, but since we're discarding the seasoning packet anyways, feel free to simply swap the pasta types.
- Chili sauce. You can find chili sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store, but if not, feel free to swap it for sriracha sauce instead. Note that sriracha is spicier, so use it in moderation until your level of heat is achieved.
- Brown sugar. You can swap the brown sugar for some honey, maple syrup, or agave if you're looking to use a natural sweetener instead.
Recipe Tips
Peanut sauce- If you'd like your peanut sauce to be thicker, feel free to reduce the water added to the mix. This is simply meant to thin it down to a consistency that is needed to evenly coat all of the noodles.
- We use reserved pasta water instead of regular water because the pasta after has starches in it from the noodles, which help to thicken the sauce enough that it clings to the noodles instead of dripping off the fork or chopsticks.
- One packet of instant ramen is 2 serving sizes (according to the package).
- Due to the serving size of ramen, this recipe will make 1 large portion or two smaller portions. If making this recipe for more than one adult person, you may wish to double the recipe.
Make Ahead Instructions
- If you plan on making this recipe in advance, please keep the cooked noodles and peanut sauce separate from one another until ready to serve. As the noodles rest, they will absorb the sauce and cause some flavor loss and textural changes.
Storage
- You can keep leftover ramen stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 or 3 days. Reheat again before serving.
Reheating
- Reheating these noodles is easy and can simply be done in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes in a microwave safe bowl.
- You can also reheat in a pot on the stove. If your noodles feel dry or are sticking together, feel free to add in a splash of water to help fix the situation.
- Fun note: You can also serve these noodles cold, and they'll still taste pretty good!
Recipe Add-Ins
- This recipe tastes incredible as is, but don't be afraid to mix things up by adding in some favorites like sauteed mushrooms, cooked shredded chicken, diced pork, or actual salted peanuts (without the shells, of course).
- Tofu or cooked shrimp could also pair wonderfully with these noodles, making them into a much more filling meal.
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