22 noodle salad recipes to slurp through all summer long

You can definitely make friends with these noodle salad recipes. These recipes are light and refreshing but still full of flavour – Tony Tan’s bún chả combines charred pork patties with thin vermicelli and herbs, the prawn, cabbage and soba numbers sings with a sesame-miso dressing, while the dang myun is an all-refreshing dish with chilled noodles, raw tuna and kimchi daikon.

Whether you prefer your noodle salad with a more robust flavour profile; rich with soy sauce and a splash of sesame oil, or you prefer something a bit light with lots of lime juice, fragrant mint and vegetables, there’s a salad for you. And remember, a salad is always customisable. What kind of noodles do you prefer? Thick and chewy udon? Paper-thin, transparent rice noodles? Or nutty and silky soba? Depending on your choice, these salads make excellent sides, or can be eaten as a main.

Whichever of these noodle salad recipes you choose, we’re betting that you’ll come back for seconds.

Salmon soba noodle with ginger butter and radish in bowl with orange napkin with gold fork.

Salmon with ginger butter, soba noodles and radish

Dive fork-first into this umami salmon and soba noodle dish, served warm with an ever-so slightly spiced ginger butter.

Rice noodle salad with grilled steak, lime and Vietnamese mint

A quick, satisfying meal that punches above its weight in the flavour game.

Sesame-crusted bonito and edamame with green-tea soba noodles

Now that’s a salad.

Green bean noodles with chilli oil and Sichuan pepper (Ma la liang fen)

Dainty Sichuan’s ma la liang fen (Green bean noodles with chilli oil and Sichuan pepper)

The must-have cold noodle dish from the Melbourne Sichuanese restaurant.

Prawn and soba noodle salad with sesame-ginger dressing

A go-to summer recipe that’s light and satisfying in equal measure.

Yum woon sen (Thai glass noodle salad)

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for glass noodle salad.

Grilled chicken and rice noodle salad

A hot and sour dressing adds a sweet and spicy hit to this classic combination of chicken, aromatic herbs and rice noodles.

Udon noodles recipe stir fried with mustard greens, mushroom, tofu and peanut sauce

Stir-fried udon noodles with mustard greens, tofu and peanut sauce

A fast vegetarian udon noodle recipe that takes little time to make but is big on flavour.

Seared soy beef with soba and cucumber

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for seared soy beef with soba and cucumber.

Tony Tan’s chilled tossed noodles

Australian Gourmet Traveller and Tony Tan Chinese entree recipe for chilled tossed noodles

Lemongrass beef with rice noodles

Noodle salads are excellent in all weather – particularly when it’s steamy because there’s minimal cooking involved. This dish works well with sliced sirloin; we’ve made it quicker by using minced beef instead.

Rice noodles with snow pea sprouts and prawns

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rice noodles with snow pea sprouts and prawns.

Chicken noodle salad with turmeric-lime dressing

Light, simple and deceptively easy to make.

Rice noodle bowl with herbs and chilli-lime dressing

To make this bowl even more of a meal, add some cooked prawns, or grilled beef or chicken.

Dang myun with raw tuna and kimchi daikon

Australian Gourmet Traveller Korean noodle recipe for dang myun noodles with raw tuna and kimchi daikon

Chicken noodle salad with Sichuan peppercorns

A chilled noodle salad is just the ticket when the mercury soars.

Prawn, cabbage and soba noodle salad

A quick and easy salad that sings with that sesame-miso dressing.

Vietnamese-style beef and vermicelli salad

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for Vietnamese-style beef and vermicelli salad.

Coconut-poached prawns, rice noodles and Asian herb salad

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for fast coconut-poached prawns, rice noodles and Asian herb salad.

Bún chả (Hanoi grilled pork with rice vermicelli)

Fire up the barbecue for this popular north Vietnamese dish. It’s smoky with charred pork, crunchy with a refreshing noodle salad, and comforting with a light, sweet broth.

Sichuan chicken salad with chilled noodles and cucumber

Chicken with chilled noodles, cucumber and Sichuan-vinegar dressing

This chilled Sichuan chicken salad packs a mouth-numbing punch. Double the recipe for an enviable work lunch the next day.

A white plate with soba noodles, chicken, edamame, spring onion and coriander.

Green-tea soba with chicken and green miso

Green is good, and it tastes just so.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

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