If you’re after a quick, protein-packed salad that actually satisfies, this crispy ramen noodle salad is it. Ready in under 30 minutes, loaded with crunchy veggies, juicy chicken and a creamy satay peanut dressing good enough to drink, it’s the kind of throw-together meal you’ll return to again and again.
The inspiration for this recipe is two-fold. Firstly, I have been OBSESSED with crispy rice salads recently – it’s such a brilliant way to add satisfying texture to a salad, and a great way to use up any rogue leftover rice.
And secondly, back home in New Zealand, this kind of Asian-style salad tossed with crunchy noodles is a classic (maybe a little 90s!) you’ll find everyone has a version of. When I moved overseas, those crunchy noodles became impossible to find, so I’ve swapped them for baked instant ramen, and you know what? It totally works.
It’s the type of salad you can really play around with, based on what you have on hand. Crunchy, colorful veggies are key (I’ve gone for red cabbage, carrots, scallions, cucumber, and lots of fresh herbs,) but you could swap in edamame beans, green beans, asparagus, crunchy lettuce, or bell peppers.
The very moreish satay-inspired peanut dressing is GORGEOUS and is the perfect protein-packed sauce to tie everything together. While I’m using grilled chicken too, the salad works equally well without it, or with a different protein of your choice. Think grilled or hot-smoked salmon, steak, or shrimp.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Instant ramen noodles. All you need are a couple of packets of instant ramen! I’m using the ramen that comes in bricks as you can see above. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have crispy noodles available to buy, you can use those and cut the prep time down a bit.
- Peanut butter. Use good quality, natural peanut butter for the best flavor. That means peanut butter that lists just peanuts and sometimes salt in the ingredients. You could use another nut butter if you like (almond or cashew are great) or try sunflower seed butter if you need to avoid peanuts.
- Veggies. You can really play around here based on what you like and what you have on hand. I’m going for crunchy red cabbage, scallions, cucumber, carrots and a little red chili. Broccoli or broccolini, edamame beans or green beans are great options to add in.
- Herbs. If you don’t like cilantro (coriander), swap it for flat-leaf parsley, basil, chives, more scallions or more Thai basil. If you can’t find Thai basil (it has a subtle aniseed flavor that works well here but can be tricky to find sometimes), just use regular basil or more cilantro.
- Sweet chili jam. This is an excellent shortcut to deep flavor (hello garlic, ginger, chili, lime etc), so I love using it in the dressing here. I’m using my easy homemade chili jam, but you can use a store-bought version, sweet chili sauce or even honey.
- Fish sauce. I promise this isn’t going to make your salad taste fishy. It just adds a deep savory flavor that salt can’t replicate, but if you don’t want to use it, just use a little more light soy sauce, or skip it.
How to Make the Crispy Ramen Salad
Break up the ramen cakes into smaller pieces, then arrange on a lined oven tray or baking dish, drizzle with sesame oil and pop into the oven to get deeply golden and crispy.
Add the ingredients for your peanut satay dressing into a bowl or a jar, mix into a thick paste, then drizzle in the water, mixing as you go. You want the dressing to be pourable but still thick – a little like the consistency of heavy (double) cream.
Prepare the rest of your salad ingredients, then add them to a large mixing bowl (or save time and use the bowl you’ll serve the salad in). Pour over the crispy ramen, then drizzle with about half of the satay dressing.
Toss, scatter with extra sesame seeds and serve immediately with the extra dressing on the side.
Crispy Ramen Salad FAQs
Sadly, it won’t. The longer the salad sits in the dressing, the ramen will start to absorb the liquid and soften up. It will still taste delicious, but if you’re serving this to guests or taking it to a potluck, I recommend only adding the crispy ramen and dressing as you’re ready to serve.
The salad will keep well for 4 days in the fridge, so it’s a great one for meal prep (though just remember the crispy noodles will lose their crispiness as they sit in the dressing). The recipe makes more dressing than you’ll probably need because I like to have extra for serving alongside the salad, so if you end up with leftovers, it keeps well for at least a week stored in the fridge and is LOVELY served with so many things – or just on toast.
Both things are true! While it’s substantial enough to stand by itself, especially if you’re using chicken in the salad, it works wonderfully alongside other elements. Skip the chicken in the salad itself and serve it alongside grilled steak, salmon or shrimp, or serve it alongside a couple of different salads as part of a spread.
Watch how to make it
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Crispy Ramen Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Method
- Make the crispy ramen noodles. Heat your oven to 360F/180C. Break up your ramen noodle cakes into small pieces, and arrange them on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, mix through the noodles, then pop into the oven for 10 minutes to get golden and crispy.
- Mix the dressing. To a measuring jug, large jar or mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam. Mix the ingredients into a thick paste using a fork or a mini whisk. While mixing, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of water and continue to mix until you get a smooth, creamy sauce, like the consistency of heavy (double) cream. Add a little more water if you'd like the dressing thicker.
- Assemble the salad. Add the shredded cabbage, diced carrots, diced cucumber, sliced red chili, Thai basil leaves, cilantro leaves, most of the crushed peanuts, 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds and the shredded or chopped cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl.
- Dress the salad and serve. When you’re ready to serve, pour over the crispy golden ramen noodles, then drizzle with roughly half of the dressing. Toss well so that everything is well-coated in the dressing, then scatter with the remaining crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, and serve right away, with the remaining dressing on the side.
