Consider this a PSA rather than a recipe, because this idea is certainly not new. But if you don’t know about adding peanut butter to your instant ramen noodles, I’m here to tell you that it’s something you definitely need to try. I love to upgrade ramen noodles and these Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles might be my favorite so far! They’re super quick, filling, and can be customized a hundred ways. So let me show you the basics and then you can make it your own!
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I’m not sure who to credit for this brilliant idea, but adding a dollop of peanut butter to instant ramen is likely a simplified version of Dan Dan Noodles, a spicy Chinese noodle dish that combines Sichuan chiles, sesame paste, and peanuts. The chile-peanut flavor combo has been around for ages, and for good reason! It’s absolutely addictive. You can check out a couple of authentic Dan Dan Noodle recipes here: Omnivores Cookbook or The Woks of Life.
What Kind of Peanut Butter to Use
I highly suggest using natural-style peanut butter, which means it’s just ground-up peanuts and maybe a little salt, no sugar, and no added oils. The peanut flavor is much stronger with this type of peanut butter than it is with the more processed and heavily sugared varieties.
If you don’t have natural-style peanut butter available, you may need to reduce the brown sugar listed in the recipe below to make up for the sugar that is already in the peanut butter.
Can I Make it Not Spicy?
The chili garlic sauce doesn’t just add heat, it also adds garlic and acidity, which round out the sauce. So, to make a non-spicy version of this recipe you can add those ingredients individually, by making something similar to this Peanut Lime Dressing instead.
What Else Can I Add to my Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles?
You can add all sorts of proteins or vegetables to your Spicy Peanut butter Ramen Noodles to make it new and interesting every time. Here are some ideas:
- Cooked Chicken
- Shrimp
- Red bell pepper
- Spinach
- Lime
- Baked tofu
- Red onion
- Shredded carrot
- Snow peas
- Edamame
- Sesame seeds
Do I Need the Ramen Seasoning Packet?
The recipe below is designed to be made without the seasoning packet that comes with the ramen. If you prefer to use the seasoning packet, you will want to skip the soy sauce, which adds salt to the ramen noodles instead of the seasoning packet.
Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles
Servings 1Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp natural-style peanut butter ($0.25)
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce* ($0.13)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 1 3oz. packet instant ramen (seasoning discarded) ($0.25)
- 1 green onion, sliced ($0.10)
Instructions
- Combine the peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, take ¼ cup of the water and stir it into the peanut-chili paste until it forms a smooth, pourable sauce.
- Add the ramen noodles (without seasoning packet) to the boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes, or just until the noodles are tender.
- Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot with the heat turned off. Pour the peanut sauce over top and stir to combine. Top with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Begin by stirring together 2 Tbsp natural-style peanut butter, 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (or sriracha), 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp brown sugar until it forms a smooth paste.
This is what the chili garlic sauce bottle looks like, if you want to look for it in the store. You can find this in most major grocery stores, in the international aisle. If you can’t find this, you can use sriracha.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat for the ramen. Once it starts boiling, take ¼ cup of the boiling water and stir it into the peanut-chili paste, until it forms a smooth, pourable sauce.
Then add the instant ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet) to the boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes or just until tender.
Drain the cooked noodles, then return them to the pot with the heat turned off. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and stir to combine.
These noodles are definitely best when served immediately, so don’t let them sit around! Top with a sliced green onion and enjoy!
Delicious! I only had sriracha in my fridge so I used 1/2 Tbsp of that because I know my spice tolerance. This hit the spot! I was really craving peanut noodles but every recipe I found online called for fresh ginger, which I don’t have. This is definitely going into my rotation of quick and easy meals for when I’m on the go!
Oh my gosh, I’m so addicted to these spicy peanut noodles that I’ve gone through almost a whole jar of peanut butter in the last 2 weeks! The first time I had them I made them as instructed and I used up the last of our soy sauce (and our brown sugar). So, the next time I just made the ramen as directed with the seasoning packet. I mixed the peanut butter, chili sauce and 1T of honey in my bowl, drained off all but about 3T of the soup base and mixed it like that. To my very unsophisticated palate it was just as good although I do prefer the honey flavor a little more (and this way I’m not tossing the seasoning packet either). I also use Smucker’s Natural Chunky because I love the little crunchy peanut bits!
WOW! I had never thought to have ramen this way, it’s going into regular rotation. I omitted the brown sugar as my peanut butter already had added sugar, and added sriracha to taste directly into my serving instead of the sauce after reading comments about a too much heat. Served with roasted veggies and tofu, yum!
Absolutely perfect!!! This is a game changer, we are making it for the second time in less than a week and already considering the possibilities for add-ins. We only have sriracha and it’s superb!! Today I’m adding some leftover grilled chicken, some frozen broccoli that I put in the boiling water for a few minutes before the noodles, and some peanuts I shelled by hand while waiting. An excellent way to use up leftover tidbits and tired veggies. Add the lime if you have it as well!! WE LOVE THIS!!!!
Thank you so much for making my tight-budget meal taste so much better tonight! I only had sriracha on hand so I’m excited to try with the chili sauce next time! And maybe some sautéed veggies. :)
Forgot to drain the noodles so I ate it as soup. Still good.
Hi Beth! If you change the # of servings, should you also change how much water you add to the paste? TY!
Yes, you’ll probably need to double that as well. I just learned how to make it so ingredient amounts in the directions section also adjust, so let me fix that. :)
This recipe couldn’t be easier or tastier! It takes only 5 minutes to make, and I’ve made it twice now. I doubled the recipe and added chicken and broccoli. So so good!
I didn’t have natural peanut butter, so I think a full tablespoon of brown sugar made it a little too sweet for me. Other than that, this recipe is so delicious and so easy! Next time I want to try it with some shredded rotisserie chicken. Perfect quick lunch!
Forgot to actually rate the recipe in my first comment! Oops!
Why is this so GOOD!? Delish. I could eat this every day.
I really do like the recipe and it is really creamy although I will add less peanut butter bc in my opinion it over powers the other elements in the noodles. I gave some to my brother and he hates peanut butter but really liked this recipe and we both are really happy we tried this out and plan to use it in the future.
I’m late to the peanut butter ramen game but I’m so glad I finally showed up! Hits all the right notes, sweet, savory, spicy carbs! I added some leftover chicken to mine but it’s a great base for lots of different toppings.
Excellent. I used peanut butter powder in place of creamy peanut butter to make it better suit my dietary needs. We loved it, will make again and again. Next time I’ll top with something crunchy like crushed peanuts or sesame seeds, and serve with veggies and tofu. Great base recipe.
I generally like spicy foods, but this was unbearably spicy. I threw it away. Don’t think I’ll try again as reducing the chili sauce to reduce heat will also remove much of the flavor.
Why would you discard the seasoning and just use picante chicken ramen?
That’s certainly an option. :) Check the paragraph titled, “Do I Need the Ramen Seasoning Packet?” above the recipe for more details on how to adjust the recipe if you want to use the packet.