Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad (vegan, gluten free, oil free)
Apr 09, 2020 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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Make this Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad!
This Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad will brighten up any day and make your tummy happy, too 😉 It’s a delicious bowl full of vibrant fresh veggies and nutty, buckwheat soba noodles tossed in a creamy peanut butter dressing. You’ve got the crunchy, creamy, zesty, fresh and comforting elements all in one bowl.
You can make this Asian inspired salad when you’re in the mood to get your veggies in, but also want something hearty and filling. Trust me when I say that just about everything tastes good tossed in this delicious dressing, so pick your veg and let’s get tossing.
Altogether, this recipe takes me roughly 10 minutes to make because buckwheat noodles cook fairly quickly, and the rest is just vegetable chopping prep. To make this dish in a pinch, you could prep the veggies in advance, use leftovers from the fridge, or even pick up store-bought already cut veggies. It’s a wonderful meal that also keeps well in the fridge for a few days too, if meal prep is your thing.
This Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad is vegan, gluten-free (even the noodles*!), refined sugar free and oil free. I’m leaving measurements up to your discretion or in other words, you decide how much veg and how much noodle to use! On days where I’m hungrier, I’ll add more noodles, and on summer days I like to add more refreshing veg. I leave it up to you!
what’s in this Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad?
- Gluten free soba noodles* → Despite its name, buckwheat actually does not contain any wheat BUT most buckwheat noodle soba on the market is made with a small amount of wheat flour. When picking your soba noodles, make sure you choose one made with 100% buckwheat. More on finding gluten-free soba in my Gluten Free Zarusuba post.
- Fresh vegetables → I opted for julienned raw veggies including cucumber, purple cabbage, watermelon radish and carrots.
- Edamame → For a little protein boost that pairs well with the Asian flavour in the dressing.
- Peanut butter dressing → Made with my 5 Minute Healthy Peanut Sauce, all you need to do is thin your sauce down until you achieve the desired dressing texture.
- Toppings on toppings → I leave the rest up to you! Some great toppings to consider are toasted cashews or peanuts for garnish, mint, Thai Basil, a drizzle of sesame oil, sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
secrets to success
A note on substitutions: If you’re missing any of the veggies I suggest, don’t sweat it. The beauty of this dish is that it’s quite customizable, even down to the noodles. Can’t find gluten-free soba noodles? Try rice noodles instead, or whatever gluten-free noodle you have on hand. If you’re not allergic to gluten, even better. Go ahead and use regular soba noodles or other noodle of choice.
To make your salad easy to eat, I recommend aiming to slice your veggies somewhat evenly. Julienne your carrots and cucumbers and aim for roughly the same size, or use a grater or peeler to achieve this. For the purple cabbage, I like to use a speed peeler, or mandolin to achieve thin, ribbony pieces. This will also make for less bitterness in your bite.
Massage, massage, massage! Don’t forget to massage your ingredients with your peanut butter sauce, and don’t be afraid to use your hands. Toss everything evenly, and if you’re storing leftovers, I actually recommend tossing dressing before doing so. Of course, you’ll want to eat things fairly quickly (within 1-2 days), but the healthy fat in the peanut butter sauce actually keeps the noodles from sticking together.
if you like this recipe, try…
- Spicy Almond Butter Noodles
- Gluten-Free Zaru Soba
- Miso Mushroom Ramen
- Gluten Free Shoyu Ramen
- Radiant Radish Salad
- Rainbow Tempeh Rolls
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and for a chance to be featured! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too!
Crunchy Rainbow Soba Salad (vegan, gluten free, oil free)
Ingredients
- 1 serving of gluten-free buckwheat soba noodles or noodles of choice
- 1/2 cup cooked shelled edamame beans
- cucumber julienned
- carrots shredded or julienned
- purple cabbage shredded
- watermelon radish or radish of choice, julienned or thinly sliced
- peanut butter sauce*
- optional
- fresh mint
- fresh thai basil
- sesame seeds
- green onion sliced
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your noodles according to package directions.
- While the noodles are cooking, prepare veggies of choice, and add to a large mixing bowl.
- When noodles are ready, blast with cold water to stop cooking and cool noodles down. Then, add to the mixing bowl along with edamame and peanut butter sauce.
- Use your hands to massage dressing into ingredients and coat evenly. Garnish if desired, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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