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!
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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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!
Had a really bad mental health week so hadn’t been able to make it to the grocery store. Thinking of what pantry staples I had made me even more depressed, to the point I was thinking I just wouldn’t eat. But I’ve been following Budget Bytes for a decade and know there are great, simple peanut sauces here. I’ve tried most of them, but not this, one of the simplest. I mixed the sauce in the bowl I was going to eat out of and just used a pair of tongs to pull the noodles from the pot to the bowl. No energy for extra dishes. No condiments, no lime. Just the sauce and a brick of ramen. This was SO good – better than take out, IMO. What was going to be a sad, pathetic, lonely bowl of apathy, somehow became mood medicine! I love to cook and I love food on my better days, so food as emotional uplift is already a part of me. I write this for anyone reading that is prone to depression: you may want to add this recipe to your list of What Can I Eat When I Can Barely Function. I was able to make this while so depressed I could barely lift my arms. Looking through blank eyes. Just note – if you transfer the noodles straight from the pot, decrease the water in the sauce instruction. Thank you, Beth and BB team. : )
Thank you so much, Flynn! It makes me so happy to know that this simple meal helped make a hard day at least a little bit better. <3
Seconded. Most days I don’t have any appetite or motivation to cook, and this recipe has saved me multiple times.
I only had “traditional” PB so I reduced the sugar a tish and that worked great! I also didn’t have any green onions, but we steamed some broccoli and stirred it in and my family loved it. Thank you!
Best ramen I’ve ever had, definitely my new go-to for quick noodles!
While the recipe sounds good, I do wish people would realize that ramen noodles do not equal ramen. Without a soup or dipping broth, it isn’t ramen. Ramen is the meal, the noodles are just one component of said meal. This should be titled “Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen *Noodles*.”
Excellent point, thank you for bringing that up! I’m going to update it now. :)
Actually I am Japanese and the “men” in ramen means noodles and the ra is pulled 😅so it wasn’t wrong. So now it says pulled noodles noodles. Beth you had it right the first time. 😜
To be honest, I was a bit skeptical but it was so good! Made exactly as directed, just topped with a piece of fried chicken from the corner store.