Chewy soba noodles get tossed in a rich, savory almond butter and lime sauce to make these rich and delicious Vegan Almond Butter Soba Noodles with Tofu.
You guys.
These Vegan Almond Butter Soba Noodles with Tofu…I can’t even.
This may be one of the best savory dishes I’ve shared on the blog, and it couldn’t be more easy to prepare! But first a…
Life Update
Brett, Harper and I have been in Blacksburg, Virginia for only 3 days and we have quickly fallen in love with everything about this little city. Yes, I’ve lived here before back in College when I attended Virginia Tech, but Blacksburg has changed so much since when I went to college (gosh, I feel old!) I’m guessing having an apartment to ourselves for the first time in about a year has also helped stir up so much love for this quaint place.
I feel like I’ve done so much since arriving Saturday night. I quickly started walking everywhere, thanks to the beautiful weather and the pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and crossways. My legs are so tired though as they’ve definitely lost their long-distance-walking-stamina that I had built up during our year in NYC and our last two years in China. Harper is also loving our walks and is enjoying her big girl stroller and getting out from the depths that is our basement apartment.
Speaking of “our” apartment, a friend of my sister Ruth is letting us live in their basement apartment for 5 weeks. While it’s a little darker than we would normally like, it is just what we need. Brett and I have a kind-size bed to sleep in. Harper has her own room. I have a kitchen with an oven and stove-top. We have a little living area with lots of seating and floor space for Harper to do tummy time. It’s basically everything we need and we couldn’t be more grateful for these random stranger’s hospitality!
I will say that trying to photograph recipes for you guys in a basement has given me quite the challenge! Thankfully there is a door that leads to the outside and during the middle of the day it provides enough light for me to get some decent shots of the recipes I’ve been whipping up. Of course the perfectionist in me isn’t satisfied with the quality, but I’m thankful that I can continue blogging during our time in Blacksburg.
Since we’ve been on our own in Blacksburg, I’ve finally been able to start working through the list of recipes I’ve brainstormed over the last few months. You’d think being the only one that can cook in a house would be stressful, but I’m loving being able to cook whatever I want, whenever I want. As long as Brett is full, he’s happy.
About This Soba Noodle Recipe
This Vegan Almond Butter Soba Noodles with Tofu recipe has been on my list to make for ages and it was so satisfying to finally bring it to life in the kitchen. I don’t know where I got the idea to use almond butter for a savory sauce, but I basically tweaked our favorite Low Fat Peanut Sauce and used almond butter instead of the peanut flour and lime juice instead of the rice vinegar. The final product is the richest, most amazing savory sauce that I want to pour on anything and everything.
I paired this almond butter sauce with some 5 minute buckwheat soba noodles, sautéed tofu and veggies and topped everything off with green onion. You could easily pair this sauce with rice and tempeh or use it as a dipping sauce for Homemade Spring Rolls!
I’d love to know if you give this recipe a try and what you think. Leave your comments down below, rate the recipe, or take a photo and share the final product with me on Instagram by tagging @theconscientiouseater. Be sure to share this recipe with anyone else you think would enjoy it!
Don’t forget to rate the recipe in the recipe card below!!!
Vegan Almond Butter Soba Noodles with Tofu Recipe
Chewy soba noodles get tossed in a rich, savory almond butter and lime sauce to make these rich and delicious Vegan Almond Butter Soba Noodles with Tofu.
Ingredients
TOFU & VEGGIES & NOODLES:
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 8 ounces (or more) soba noodles*
- 1 cup frozen stir-fry vegetables**
- optional garnishes: sliced green onion, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes
ALMOND BUTTER SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2-6 tablespoons water
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. This will be used to cook the noodles later
- Heat a large, non-stick frypan over medium heat and coat the bottom with cooking spray or oil.
- Drain the block of tofu and press out as much excess liquid as possible. Cut the block into 1/4-inch thin strips and then cut the strips into bite-sized pieces. Place the cut tofu in a single layer on the hot frypan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook on one side until golden brown. Flip the tofu over, sprinkle the second side with more salt and pepper and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown. Watch the tofu carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.
- While to tofu is browning, mix all of the almond butter sauce ingredients (except for the water) together until smooth. Add in two tablespoons of water and mix well. Add in more water if you desire a runnier consistency. The sauce will thicken the longer it sits.
- Once the tofu has browned on both sides, remove it to a plate and set aside.
- Spray the same frypan with more cooking spray or coat the bottom with a little more oil and add in your frozen or leftover vegetables. Stir the vegetables occasionally and allow them to cook through.
- While the vegetables are cooking, and the soba noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Once cooked through, drain the water and rinse the noodles with cold water.
- To serve, place some noodles, sauteed tofu and vegetables into a bowl and top with the almond butter sauce, green onion, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes for kick.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
*I find pasta serving sizes usually aren't enough for us, so cook more noodles if necessary!
**I often used leftover roasted or sauteed vegetables for this dish, but frozen is a quick and easy option. Use whatever cooked vegetables you have on hand!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 409Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 772mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 23g
Nutrition information is a rough estimate provided by Nutrionix and should be used for informational purposes only.
Dena says
Faith, I have tried and loved so many of your recipes but this one might be my favorite! You have made plant-based eating so much more enjoyable for me. Thank you for creating and sharing so many wonderful recipes!
Dena
Faith says
Dena I’m so so glad to hear that! We absolutely loved this recipe so I’m so glad to hear you loved it too. Thanks so much for commenting and saying hi!
Marie says
Oh YUM! This is definitely on my list of recipes to try. Looks delicious! Do you keep leftover sauce in the fridge? If so, do you know how long it will last?
Faith says
You have to make this Marie! It’s delicious! If you mix everything together then it’s probably best eaten right away But if stored separately? the extra sauce should last a few days in the fridge as well as any extra roasted/frozen veggies. The soba noodles tend to stick together once chilled but you could toss them in a little oil right after they finish cooking to prevent that. The fresher the noodles the better though!
Marie says
Thank you so much for the reply! I live by myself, so would probably not make the whole recipe at once. But thought about making the full amount of sauce at once so that I just had to add freshly cooked noodles to make it more convenient the next day. But it looks delicious though, so it might not be anything of the sauce left…haha. But good to know that it´s an option !
Faith says
Yes that’d work great Marie! We do the same thing sometimes. Just roast a bunch of veggies, make a batch of sauce and just cook enough noodles for you when you want it! Let me know what you think!