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Simple-to-make Chili Crisp Peanut Noodles. Full of delicious spicy Thai flavors and made in just 30 minutes. These noodles are tossed in a delicious peanut sauce made with Thai red curry paste. Then simply add in plenty of vegetables, top with crispy halloumi cheese, and toss with chili garlic oil, herbs, and sesame seeds. Once everything is together, you’ll have the most delicious vibrant peanut noodle bowls.
Monday noodles! Oh, how I love these bowls. There’s something about peanut noodles that are just so delicious. But I really have to be in the mood for them. And something about these warm summer days always puts me in that mood. Maybe because it’s somewhat of a lighter noodle dish, yet still so filling, and obviously full of flavor. Spicy, sweet, saucy, and vegetable-filled.
Totally delicious.
To be honest, these noodles were really inspired by my chili crisp chicken cucumber rice bowl. And also a bowl of peanut noodles I made years back. The noodles from years back had one very unusual ingredient, crispy halloumi. Halloumi is a Greek grilling cheese that’s not usually used in a peanut noodle dish. But who’s to say you can’t toss in something different?
I love a crispy, chewy bite with my noodles. Most people would use tofu. However, I really don’t enjoy tofu, so halloumi has always been my go-to replacement. It often shocks people at how well it pairs with so many different flavors.
The details
As with most peanut noodle dishes, this is not very involved, but there are a fair amount of ingredients in the sauce. Don’t let that scare you! The sauce is a really yummy mix of peanut butter, tamari (or soy sauce, of course), red curry paste, honey (to balance out that spice), and then lots of ginger.
Nothing fancy, but a really great mix of flavors. And of course, the peanut butter in the sauce makes it especially delicious.
I like to make the sauce first and toss it with warm noodles. For the noodles, I use either a linguine rice noodle or a traditional Italian linguine noodle. Either works well, it’s just more what you prefer and or are in the mood for.
I’ll usually make the sauce while the noodles boil.
Once I have the noodles tossed I then cook the halloumi and chili garlic oil. Both are quick. Simply pan-cook the halloumi in a skillet until it’s crisp. It takes about 5 minutes and is super easy.
To the same skillet, I add sesame oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook the mix together until the garlic turns a pretty golden color and becomes crisp. Just be sure to watch closely. The garlic can go from crisp to burnt real fast.
At this point, toss the halloumi with the oil, herbs, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
Serve the noodles topped with the halloumi and an extra drizzle of the chili crisp oil.
I know this may seem involved, but it’s really not. Just make the sauce, toss with the noodles, then crisp up some garlic in a skillet. Worth every step too!
The noodles are extra saucy, with just the right amount of spice. And I love all the fresh vegetables and herbs. This is a really nice summery noodle dish!
Looking for other light summer recipes? Here are some favorites:
Chili Mango Summer Rolls with Ginger Peanut Sauce
Peanut Chicken Spring Roll Bowls
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Lastly, if you make this, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chili Crisp Peanut Noodles with Crispy Halloumi
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 496 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles or long cut pasta
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 8 ounces halloumi cheese, cubed and patted dry
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to a large bowl with the carrots and peppers.2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, curry paste, ginger, and 1/3 cup water. Pulse until combined and smooth. Pour the sauce over the warm noodles. Tossing well.3. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the Halloumi and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet.4. To the skillet, add 1/4 cup sesame oil, the garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook until the garlic crisps, about 5 minutes. Toss the Halloumi with 1/2 of the garlic oil, cilantro, basil, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Add the lime juice. 5. Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the halloumi, herbs, and additional chili garlic oil. Enjoy!
Such a family favourite for us!
We add extra veggies and generally use tofu because it’s easier to get.
But seriously, so great!!! Thank you
Hi Sam,
Love to hear this!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a great day! xT
Hi,
I absolutely love this recipe & it is a go to staple. I like to use bread cheese instead of halloumi cheese. I was wondering what would be a good side dish or salad to go with this meal?
Hi Lindsay,
Awesome!!😎 Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! I serve this on it’s own, but a side salad might be nice:) xT
Hi, are the portions quite small? Don’t see how 8 ounces / 220 grams of pasta can make up for six portions?
Hey Ellie,
I think it depends on the crowd you are feeding, but feel free to make your servings the size that you like! Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Hi! Love this recipe. Can the dish (minus the cheese mixture) be stored at room temp for the day before serving for dinner? Thanks!
Hi Lauren,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it and your review! Sure, I don’t see why not! xT
This recipe turned out very tasty! I love that it’s halloumi instead of a meat and I loved the peanut sauce.
I knew I wanted onion so I sautéed all the veggies and I can’t imagine wanting them completely raw now that ive tried it this way. I definitely recommend taking the time to Sautee the veg. I wasn’t sure what stage the lime juice was intended so I put it in the sauce. It’s really good!
Hey Lauren,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Yet another fabulous recipe.
Love the sauce, I adjusted it a bit to personal taste following the helpful comments from other cooks.
I tried it out on my husband first, he loves it, but I think our kids will love it too, and that really is a recommendation! 😂
Thank you so much.
Hey Sara,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xx
Very tasty! However I heated up veggies a little bit first.
Hey there,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xx
Overall I really enjoyed this recipe, but next time I will use less Thai curry paste! I found the taste overpowering (not the spice level, but the flavour of the paste itself) and couldn’t really make out the peanut butter or honey in the sauce. I’ve never made halloumi cheese before and am happy to have been introduced to such a yummy food. I accidentally screwed up that stuff and cooked the halloumi in the garlic oil, but I think that was maybe a happy mistake!
Hey Janine,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! Sorry about the curry! xT
Delicious. We used pre cooked udon noodles and it was perfect. I found it a bit too salty with the halloumi so next time I’ll replace it with chicken or another protein.
Hey Isabelle,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit!⛄️ xT
This was tasty, though a bit intense. I think next time I’d add more fresh veggies and put them all on top at the end so they stay cold, maybe with a vinaigrette along with that delicious lime juice and peanut/herb mix. The noodle sauce is very curry-flavored and strong, but it was good. Maybe a bit of tahini paste instead would be lighter. I enjoyed having something different for dinner, especially such a combination of cold and warm and various flavors and textures. Thanks for the recipe, your dishes are always delicious and interesting! You are my #1 go-to site for main dishes, and I’ve really been enjoying your cocktails too.
Hey Holly,
Thanks so much for your kind message and trying so many recipes! I appreciate you making this one and sharing your feedback, sorry you didn’t love it! xx
Ok I’m writing something because out of all the recipes I’ve done from your site this one is absolutely outstanding. Yes it also requires a lot of ingredients and prep compared to the some others but omg is it worth it! It’s probably not a week night meal but definitely a week end one. Thought the halloumi really made this recipe stand out from the standard peanut-sauce-noodles-with-chicken recipes. Thanks again and greetings from France!
Hey Cecile,
Happy Sunday!🌾🌽 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes!! xx
These noodles were phenomenal but we didn’t think the halloumi complemented them well. We added Asian marinated chicken which paired much better in our opinion – we would leave the halloumi out next time. We also sautéed the veg and added onions and green beans! (Also the recipe calls for green onions and then never mentions them?)
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Friday!!❄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! The green onions are used as garnish. xx
Really enjoyed this meal. I made extra sauce for leftovers knowing that the rice noodle would absorb some! Added some extra veggies for some more color. This was a quick and easy meal!
Hey Haley,
I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed!❄️ xx
I’m rating this for second time! We used Panela cheese – for those who have this option it’s much more budget friendly than halloumi (and we couldn’t find halloumi or our typical grilling cheese). I started cooking the bell peppers, carrots and added onions and corn (we had some leftover that needed to be used). I found this tastier than the noodles softening the vegetables as written (but just my personal opinion!) We also added some leftover steak pieces and they were amazing. Lastly, the peanut sauce is heavenly. Thanks as always for an amazing dinner night!
Hey Nicole,
I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I love your recipes! This was awesome, but you did not explain what to do with the peppers,carrots and scallions. I assumed to mix it in uncooked, but I felt as if a step was missing from the directions.
I boiled the rice noodles, mixed in the sauce, added the veggies, then topped it with the halloumi with garlic sauce and additional peanuts. My family loved it.
Hi Maida,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it! Sorry for any confusion, the peppers and carrots are used in step 1, you drain the noodles over them to warm them. Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xx