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Don’t miss this super-flexible vegan rice noodles recipe. It’s ready in under 10 minutes, 100% savory and delicious as-is, and easily dressed up with the vegetables and protein of your choice.
Why we love this recipe
High on the list of life skills is having a few ridiculously quick and easy — yet ridiculously delicious — recipes in your back pocket, ready to feed you during your busiest moments. This recipe is:
- Savory and satisfying
- Flexible when you can’t be (or just don’t feel like it)
- Ready in under 10 minutes
- Dirt-cheap
- Made from pantry ingredients
- Great as-is
- Or ready to accept any veggies and protein you feel like adding
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Rice vermicelli are very thin, gluten-free noodles made from rice, salt, and water. They’re pretty widely available, but if you can’t find them locally, you can order them here. Get a bunch. They last in the pantry practically forever.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use tamari or another good-quality gluten-free soy sauce variety.
- Toasted sesame oil has a deep flavor that adds a lot to this dish. You can use the variety with hot chili if you like things spicy. Don’t confuse this ingredient with regular sesame oil meant for cooking.
- Safflower oil is our go-to neutral-tasting oil these days, but you can substitute the one you have. Canola, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend, among others, would be fine.
- We love sliced scallions in this dish, but if you don’t have any, you can substitute a minced shallot in a pinch without any further changes.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make this recipe in under 10 minutes. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post. And get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Mix the sauce ingredients right in the serving bowl.
- Boil the rice noodles according to package instructions. The brand we use only takes three minutes!
- Toss the noodles into the sauce. (You can rinse them to remove some starch if you want, but I don’t bother.)
- Add the sliced scallions and toss to incorporate. Here’s where you can add any vegetables or protein that you like. That’s it! Serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert tips and FAQs
Sure! It’s great at room temperature, so you can make it earlier in the day and leave it covered on the counter until ready to serve.
Leftovers will keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge, for up to a week. Bring to room temperature or rewarm on half power in the microwave before serving, since the sesame oil will firm up slightly when cold.
How to serve it
These noodles are just perfect as-is, whether you’re looking for a super-simple main dish or a side dish. If you’d like to toss in some vegetables and protein, that’s great, too. Some easy wins would be:
Vegetables
- Raw or steamed snow peas or snap peas
- Shredded green or red cabbage
- Shredded carrots
- Thinly sliced red bell peppers
- Bean sprouts
- Steamed broccoli, asparagus, or green beans
- Miso Brussels sprouts
Protein
- Salt and pepper tofu, cubed smoked tofu, or char siu tofu
- Shelled edamame
- Roasted pumpkin seeds (or pepitas, the hulled version)
- If you’re not vegan, this recipe is also fabulous with a ramen egg, shredded chicken, sautéed shrimp or scallops, thinly sliced steak, or pork meatballs
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Vegan Rice Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces (300 grams) rice vermicelli noodles
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) safflower oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari
- ½ teaspoon sriracha, more to taste
- ½ cup sliced scallions
- Fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook according to package instructions, usually just a few minutes (ours cook for 3).
- While the noodles cook: Into a serving bowl, pour the safflower oil, toasted sesame oil, tamari, and sriracha. Whisk to combine well.
- Drain noodles and add to sauce. You can rinse them before adding to the sauce if you like to reduce the starchiness, but I don’t bother. Toss with tongs to coat well.
- Add scallions and a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional lime wedges.
Notes
- Rice vermicelli are very thin, gluten-free noodles made from rice, salt, and water. They’re pretty widely available, but if you can’t find them locally, you can order them here. They last in the pantry for a long time.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, use tamari or another good-quality gluten-free soy sauce variety.
- Toasted sesame oil has a deep flavor that adds a lot to this dish. You can use the variety with hot chili if you like things spicy. Don’t confuse this ingredient with regular sesame oil meant for cooking.
- Safflower oil is our go-to neutral-tasting oil these days, but you can substitute the one you have. Canola, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend, among others, would be fine.
- We love sliced scallions in this dish, but if you don’t have any, you can substitute a minced shallot in a pinch without any further changes.You can rinse them to remove some starch if you want, but I don’t bother.
- If you’d like to add vegetables, here are some great options: Raw or steamed snow peas or snap peas, shredded green or red cabbage, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red bell peppers, bean sprouts, steamed broccoli, asparagus, or green beans, and miso Brussels sprouts.
- For protein, try: Salt and pepper tofu, cubed smoked tofu, or char siu tofu; shelled edamame; roasted pumpkin seeds or pepitas. If you’re not vegan, this recipe is also fabulous with a ramen egg, shredded chicken, sautéed shrimp or scallops, or thinly sliced steak.
- This recipe is great at room temperature, so you can make it earlier in the day and leave it covered on the counter until ready to serve.
- Leftovers will keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge, for up to a week. Bring to room temperature or rewarm on half power in the microwave before serving, since the sesame oil will firm up slightly when cold.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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