There's just something about a cold soba noodle salad that I love. I've enjoyed plenty of them over the years and this one in particular is definitely a favourite. The savoury and complex tahini sesame dressing has tons of flavour from the unique ingredients and pairs beautifully with the contents of the vegan soba noodle salad. This vegan soba noodle salad is loaded with finely shredded cabbage, sun-dried tomatoes, protein packed edamame, toasted nuts and fresh mint. Perfect on a warm, sunny day, and easy to prep and make ahead.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this vegan soba noodle salad with sesame dressing.

• frozen edamame (shelled)
• pistachios
• walnuts
• soba noodles
• napa cabbage
• sun-dried tomatoes
• mint
• tahini
• garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• toasted sesame oil
• lemon
• low sodium tamari
• maple syrup
• nutritional yeast

How to Make This Vegan Soba Noodle Salad

Cook the edamame according to package directions and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast the pistachios and walnuts in the oven (or toaster oven) at 350ºF for eight to ten minutes, until lightly browned. Chop and set aside.

Cook the soba noodles according to package directions and rinse well in cold water and set aside in a large salad bowl.

Combine all ingredients into a blender, starting with the lower amount of water and adding more as needed to thin.

Add the edamame, napa cabbage and sun-dried tomatoes to the bowl with the soba noodles.

Add about half the dressing and toss well to combine.

Add the chopped nuts and more dressing as needed and toss again. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

• Prep ahead of time: if you want to save time, you can make the edamame, toast the nuts, and make the tahini sesame dressing ahead of time. The dressing will need to be thinned again with water as it thickens in the fridge.
• Don't add all the sauce at once: this recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so don't use it all at once, otherwise the noodles will drown in it. I recommend reserving some so you can add it as needed (the noodles will soak it up over time).
• Keep refrigerated: keep these cold noodles cold because that tastes best. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge.
• Stir the noodles while cooking: if using buckwheat soba noodles, they have a tendency to stick together. While they're cooking, keep stirring to avoid this. And always rinse with cold water very well after cooking.

Substitutions

• Gluten-free: be sure to use gluten-free soba noodles that are made with either 100% Buckwheat or use another type of noodle that is gluten-free. I prefer soba noodles over rice noodles (but anything will work here).
• Edamame: use another protein source such as grilled or crispy tofu, tempeh, or shrimp.
• Pistachios and walnuts: use another type of toasted nut such as almonds and cashews or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free option.

What are Soba Noodles?

Soba noodles are a thin Japanese noodle made of buckwheat, which is a naturally gluten-free pseudo grain. However, many soba noodles are mixed with wheat flour to keep it from falling apart. You can read more about buckwheat here on Bon Appétit.

Soba noodles are also higher in protein and fibre than other noodles which is another reason I love using them.

These are the soba noodles I use at home.

Ingredients & Products I Recommend:

Kosher salt:

I exclusively use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all of my recipes. I prefer the texture, taste and consistency of this brand and highly recommend it for everyday cooking.

Tahini:

I recommend using a high quality tahini brand that you love the taste of. I absolutely love Soom tahini and highly recommend it.

Low Sodium Tamari:

Tamari is a great option for those needing a gluten-free soy sauce. I'm not gluten-free, but still primarily use this brand. It's not too salty and it tastes great.

More noodle recipes to try:

I really really love noodles, especially soba noodles, so be sure to check out these other fun recipes!

• Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Crunchy Celery
• Cold Noodle Salad with Creamy Peanut Sauce & Shrimp
• Soba Noodle Salad with Orange Ginger Miso Sauce
• Healthy Pad Thai
• Chicken Noodle Salad with Thai Bang-Bang Sauce
• Instant Pot Ramen with Crispy Pork
• Chili Crisp Pasta

Are you ready to make this vegan soba noodle salad with sesame dressing?

As always, if you make this vegan soba noodle salad please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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