When peanut butter, sesame and noodles come together, life is good.
One of my all-time things to eat are Sesame Peanut Noodles, a classic Thai-inspired dish that provides as much comfort as it does flavor. And making it in your Instant Pot just makes life that much easier and pleasier.
Even better? They taste great hot OR cold!
Instant Pot Sesame Peanut Noodles
One of my all-time things to eat are Sesame Peanut Noodles, a classic Thai-inspired dish that provides as much comfort as it does flavor. And making it in your Instant Pot just makes life that much easier and pleasier.
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine
- 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups garlic or vegetable broth (go for more broth if you want a thinner sauce vs. a thicker one; I used 3 teaspoons Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 3 cups water)
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced (I use Squeeze Ginger)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (I used a mix of black and white), plus more for toppingÂ
- 1/2 - 1 cup peanuts, crushed, plus more for topping
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for spice and you can add more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Break the linguine in half and add it to the Instant Pot in a crisscross fashion. (NOTE: I know some will come after me for breaking pasta, but it needs to so it'll fit and cook evenly in the pot. Plus is makes more portions! I promise it'll still feel plenty long)
- Add in the broth, sesame oil and soy sauce. Secure the lid and hit Manual or Pressure Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done.
- When the lid comes off the pot, it may appear a bit liquidy with some of the noodles clumped together. Have no fear! This is normal and will soon change. Grab a mixing spoon/spatula and stir for a few moments until the noodles becomes freed up and springy.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and toss until well combined.
- Serve either hot or chilled topped with additional sesame seeds, peanut butter, scallions, and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Jeffrey's Tips
I personally prefer these noodles on the more "al dente" side with a substantial bite and a thicker sauce as opposed to a slicker one. How thick your final sauce is depends on how much broth you use to pressure cook the noodles in. Go for up to 3 1/2 or even 4 cups if you want it thinner and 2 1/2 if you want it thicker.
If you wish to have slicker noodles, simply add a few dashes of sesame oil to the noodles in your bowl and swish around until combined. This comes in handy after they’ve been refrigerated a while
If using spaghetti instead of linguine, cook for 8 minutes instead of 6.
This recipe is perfect to eat hot OR cold! It's perfect to snack on right out of the fridge 😉
Susan
Will this work with whole wheat pasta? Or soba noodles? Any change in cook time?
What about adding a vegetable like broccoli? Or some rotisserie chicken to make it a meal?
Miri
I cook broccoli separately in the microwave and add it when serving. Broccoli will overcook at even 1 min in the IP.
I have added cooked chicken after it has cooked too.
Jake
I like it! Yum !!!
Silvy
I cook broccoli for 0 mon low pressure and they never overcook
Gina McBride
looks amazing. If I were to use rice linguine noodles, would I reduce my cook time?
Gina McBride
I used A Taste of Rice rice linguine noodles. Reduced cook time to 4 minutes, turned out perfect! Next time I will cut recipe in half, because it sure makes a lot.
Tracy Heinze
Is this product the same as Asian rice noodles? The flat ones? Just wondering if they will cook the same. Thanks
Annie
Can this recipe be cut in half? If so, are any adjustments needed? (I have a 6qt IP)
Sandi Tracy
Yes I wanted to also know if you can cut in half. Just two of us.
Jeffrey
Of course!
Debra Hamilton
One of my favourite deli items as well. I’m thrilled to have a recipe!
DeDebra Hamilton
It was so good, great flavour!
Diane
I want to add pre cooked chicken pieces do I add before pressure cooking or after? Do I need to make more sauce too?
Lauren
Would this be good by adding cilantro?
Jenn
In our house we use teddy peanut out with no sugar added. Do you think we need to add something sweet ? Or maybe more honey?
Jacqueline
I’m planning on making this tonight! Can I double it for a 6qt pot or will it be too much? I’m also going to sauté jumbo shrimp and toss it in, so it’s like a Pad Thai!
Allyson
How long do I cook pasta if cutting in half?
Thank you!
Miri
Same time.
Karen
Would it be possible to add Shrimp to the recipe? Would I add it to the noodle and then pressure cook?
Jeffrey
You can add it at the end and sauté until cooked. Pressure cooking shrimp for 6 minutes in this situation will be too long.
Vivian
Great recipe! Thank you! I live in the mountains of Costa Rica and a half hour drive to the closest town so no hoisin sauce on hand. I used Black Bean Garlic Sauce which I had. Still great flavor but different of course. Yummy!!! Gracias!
Roxanne
I really want to make this tonight but forgot to buy linguine. What would cook time be with fresh pasta?
Jeffrey
Ah! I don’t suggest fresh pasta to be pressure cooked. It it’s too delicate and will become mush.
Roxanne
Thank you, yes probably not a good idea. Well I’m going to give this a go stovetop…. but won’t judge the recipe on that😉
Kendra
Fantastic, thank you!
Toy
HI, I tried this today and it was too heavy for me. I’m thinking of cutting the peanut butter in half. What would happen if I lighten the amount of oil as well? Thanks. 🙂
Michele
There is no need to add the oil. Once it is all cooked you may like to add a bit of toasted sesame oil to the bowled dish, just to add more sesame flavor.
Lisa
Hi, I’ve bought this several times in deli’s, and love it. It’s usually served cold and the noodles are “slippery”. This recipe has good flavor. But, again, the result, especially when served cold, is that they are always clumpy. Like a block. Of course, if you use peanut butter, and it’s cold…. So what am I doing wrong? What can I do different to get that result? Other than using a ton of oil, I don’t see how to make it “slippery” like I want. Suggestions?
Michelle L
“If you wish to have slicker noodles, simply add a few dashes of sesame oil to the noodles in your bowl and swish around until combined. This comes in handy after they’ve been refrigerated a while”
Jocelyn
You can shred some cucumbers and add them. My favorite Thai peanut noodles are slippery because of the shredded cucumber
Debbie
Hi Jeffrey
Can I use chicken better than bouillon instead? I don’t have the ones you have?
Jessica
I’d like to make this recipe tonight, but cut it in half. Do I just cut all the ingredients in half? Does the 6 mins pressure cook time need to be shortened? Thanks!
Brenda
I would like to make this adding chicken and a bag of broccoli slaw. Would I saute the chicken beforehand and pressure cook with everything else? I am thinking adding the broccoli slaw after pressure cooking to avoid overcooking. What do you think.
Michelle
I am gluten free and would be using gluten free noodles. How would I adjust the cooking time and the addition of more broth used for gluten free noodles? Thank you, BTW, for making me not afraid of my Instapot!
Julie Darcy
This reminds me of Instant Pot’s own Chicken Pad Thai recipe, but sounds like yours will be better. If I wanted to add chicken, any thoughts on how to do it? Saute first or no? Add to the noodles while they’re cooking? There’s so many different types of noodles out there with different cooking time on the package, are they really that consistent in the IP? Thanks in advance, and sorry to be all one-off-ish!
Julie Darcy
I wanted to make this so bad I just jumped in and tried it, so I answered my own question! I sliced up about a pound of raw chicken cutlet meat into small strips and tossed it on top of the noodles to cook. I made my sauce on the thicker side, but smoothed it out with a bit of extra broth. I am finishing up a class on Zoom, but I’ve had a couple forkfuls of it and it’s delicious! Highly recommend adding chicken–I could have easily added more chicken, like 1.5 lbs would have been perfect.
Miri
I like to add leftover Costco chicken to it after cooking. So yummy!
Destiny Masters
I’m going to cheat and steal the sauce recipe and do it with rice noodles. I’ll eyeball the broth portion since the noodles will already be cooked and not need as much broth. Jeffrey, you have such a great brain for creating these dishes. Thanks for sharing. So glad that your passion has allowed us to become better and braver with our IPs. 🙂
Joan Hawley
Jeffrey This is delish and as easy as can be. Thank you for the extra info regarding ingredient options – that reassures me that I can work with what I might have on hand or tailor to my tastes and still have the dish be successful.
Pamela Belknap
This was DELICIOUS! There are only two of us, so we have leftovers for 3 more meals. Fantastic. We just love all Jeffrey’s recipes.
Lorraine
I love sesame peanut noodles but need to avoid all that day from the peanut butter. Could a substitute low fat brand like Better than peanut butter work in this recipe?
Karen K
I made this with spaghetti and went to eight minutes pressure cook, the pasta was a bit aldente’. The sauce a bit too thick, so next time I will half the PB. IT WAS TASTY THOUGH!
Mike R
This was so good!!!
I went out on a limb and sauteed mushrooms, red peppers, green onions, a pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs and some garlic in the sesame oil to start. Once the chicken was no pink I added the broth and noodles and followed the rest to the letter. Comfort food indeed!!
Oh, and I learned the veggie and chicken trick from the also excellent Asian Garlic Noodles recipe. Thank you for making these great recipes so accessible!
Mike R
Oh and if anyone isn’t sure how to crush peanuts… Put em in a big Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin.
Geraldine
Thanks for these directions Mike. Great way to add veggies and protein!
Annabelle
Has anyone made this with leftover noodles? Maybe 2 TBSP of soy& hosen and 1/2 cup of broth on saute to heat it threw then the other ingredients? I always make to much pasta and hate to let it go to waste! Thanks
Lynne Margolis
What size pot did you use? I don’t see a size anywhere. I have a 3-quart and would like to halve the recipe; would the cooking time change?
Mindy
I made a half recipe of this last night in my 3 quart. There are no changes to the time.
Tara McClain
I only have chicken stock on hand. Would this alter the flavor adversely? I can make a quick run to the store tomorrow if veggie stock is better. Hoping for a quick reply. 😬 Thank you!!
Karen
I have a recipe similar to this one, with tofu and lime juice, and udon noodles. I’m glad we can now make it in the instant pot! This looks delicious!!!
Mike Harris
This dish is a home run, and very flexible to add/adjust to.
I can’t wait for leftover lunch already.
Keep up the great work!
Barb
Too much peanut butter. Didn’t look like the picture. I’ll cut the peanut butter down to a tbs or 2 next time. Definitely worth another try. I did use chicken stock. Very flavourful.
Jei
This was so yummy…I added a bag of shelled edamame for some protein. This was a hit in our house tonight!
Gisele Phipps
This is one of my go to recipes. I made it again today (Good Friday) as I always do a meatless day on Good Friday. I like to chill it and add a lot of fresh veggies to make a Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad. It is so delicious and feels fairly healthy. I add a little chili oil for a bit of a zip.