Asian Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls

These easy Thai inspired Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls are made with simple ingredients and make for the perfect plant-based bowl to serve as a cold lunch or dinner. Can be made ahead of time. Gluten-free & Dairy-free! 

Coming at you with another quick and easy Asian-inspired Bowl. A plant-based bowl that is filling and cozy and loaded with healthy arugula and our favorite cruciferous veggie – king cauliflower! This one is perfect for the cold season!

I give you,  Asian Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls!

A veggie-forward noodle bowl recipe that comes together in about 35 minutes or even less. In the spirit of quick and easy, let me quickly sum up why this rice noodle bowl recipe is GOLD!

• it’s vegan
• gluten-free
• made with simple ingredients
• loaded with veggies
• endlessly adaptable
• easy to make ahead of time
• that SAUCE!!

This recipe was born when I was trying to come up with more savory ways to use up the big batch of my homemade almond butter.  I mean almond butter sounds like a pretty unusual ingredient to use for a noodles recipe. But hey – it’s basically a spin on a Thai peanut butter sauce, which is a common flavor used in a lot of Asian cooking.

Now don’t panic – this is not one of those Asian recipes that require an elbow-long list of ingredients. In fact, we’re using only a handful of ingredients to make the creamy almond sauce and all you really need to do is whisk them all together, and toss with your cooked noodles and roasted veg.

Our choice of veggies here: oven-roasted cauliflower and arugula. Not particularly Asian, I know. But as I said, this is not an Asian recipe, merely Asian inspired. You can make this more Thai-Style by adding spring onions, cilantro, edamame beans, and roasted broccoli instead of cauli.

How to make Almond Butter Noodle Bowls:

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 400C/200C. Spread cauliflower on a large sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes or until the florets are golden brown.

Step 2 – Make the sauce: in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients with a small whisk or spoon until smooth. If your almond butter is thick, you might need to add a little bit of water to thin the sauce. Only add a tablespoon or so of water at a time until you reach the perfect consistency. It should be thick but easy to drizzle. Set aside while you prepare the rest.

Step 3 – Bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package instructions (it’s usually very quick – mine took less than 4 minutes). As soon as they’re done, drain and rinse them in cold water and drain again. Transfer cold noodles to a large bowl and toss them with 3/4 of the sauce (reserving the rest for drizzling at the end), using two forks or kitchen tongs.

Step 4 – Add arugula and half of the scallions (1/4 cup) and toss again to combine well.

Step 5 – Scoop into individual bowls, top with roasted cauliflower, remaining scallions, chopped almonds, and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Can I make this ahead of time?

If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend you store the veggies and noodles separately. I  like to store rice noodles in a large freezer bag as I can spread them out some more. When I am ready to use them the next day I put them into a heat-proof bowl and pour hot water over them. They will separate immediately.

Mix the sauce in an airtight container and store in the fridge. When combining everything,  you might need to add some more liquid to the sauce as it will firm up over time.

Tips:

• For extra flavor, cook the rice noodles in broth instead of water.
• Not a fan of cauliflower? Use broccoli instead.
• If you want to mix this up, you could make this using Soba Noodles and Broccoli. 
• Want to add some fish on top? I recommend this Maple Glazed Salmon 
• Would this taste amazing with all-natural peanut butter? You betcha! You could even add some cooked, chopped chicken breast.

5 from 5 votes

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Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls

These easy Thai inspired Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls are made with simple ingredients and make for the perfect plant-based bowl to serve as a cold lunch or dinner. Can be made ahead of time. Gluten-free & Dairy-free! 

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword rice noodle bowls, Thai noodle nowls

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 3 servings

Calories 714 kcal

Ingredients

Bowl:

• 3 cups cauliflower florets
• 9 oz rice noodles the thick kind- /250 g
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup scallions chopped (green and white parts)
• 2 tbsp roasted almond finely chopped - to serve

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup natural almond butter unsweetened and unsalted - click to see my easy recipe!
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, to keep vegan
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce more or less to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400C/200C. Spread cauliflower on a large sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes or until the florets are golden brown.

2. Make the sauce: in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients with a small whisk or spoon until smooth. If you almond butter is thick, you might need to add a little bit of water to thin the sauce. Only add a tablespoon or so of water at a time until you reach the perfect consistency. It should be thick but easy to drizzle. Set aside while you prepare the rest.

3. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package instructions (it’s usually very quick - mine took less than 4 minutes). As soon as they’re done, drain and rinse them in cold water and drain again.

4. Transfer cold noodles to a large bowl and toss them with 3/4th of the sauce (reserving the rest for drizzling at the end), using two forks or kitchen tongs.

5. Add arugula and half of the scallions (1/4 cup) and toss again to combine well.

6. Scoop into individual bowls, top with roasted cauliflower, remaining scallions, chopped almonds, and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• For extra flavor, cook the rice noodles in broth instead of water. 
• Not a fan of cauliflower? Use broccoli instead. 
• If you want to mix this up, you could make this using Soba Noodles and Broccoli. 
• Want to add some fish on top? I recommend this Maple Glazed Salmon 
• Would this taste amazing with all-natural peanut butter? You betcha! You could even add some cooked chopped chicken breast.

Nutrition Facts

Almond Butter Rice Noodle Bowls

Amount Per Serving (1 /3)

Calories 714 Calories from Fat 288

% Daily Value*

Fat 32g49%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Sodium 940mg41%

Potassium 841mg24%

Carbohydrates 95g32%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 641IU13%

Vitamin C 57mg69%

Calcium 247mg25%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Rice Noodle Bowl recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy Asian recipes you will love:

• Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing
• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls 
• Glazed Chicken Meatballs 
• Asian Turkey Fried Rice