Spicy Sesame Zoodles? I say yes. And throw in some crispy tofu for good measure. This is SO totally how we roll.
Are you down with this?
It starts with zoodles (zucchini noodles) tossed with a thick and intensely deep spicy sesame peanut sauce that will then eventually get loaded up with crispy tofu that has been made crispy by just pan-frying it with the same spicy sesame peanut sauce, but waiting until those crispy browned bits appear in the pan / wondering if this is going to be weird / actually loving the texture of the browned bits in contrast with the tofu and sesame zoodles.
We are letting this browned bits situation happen intentionally so it feels like we did more work (making an additional crispy topping) than we actually did (re-using the same sauce for everything and calling it good). Do you like this strategy?
No need to go out of our way for multiple sauces with this recipe. You know I’m weak for a one-sauce wonder.
How to Make Our Sesame Zoodles (1 MIN):
Now that you’re excited about all these chili flavors and crispy-creamy textures, I’m going to present you with the hot vs cold dilemma.
I know. Let me blow your mind for a hot second -> I DID NOT COOK THE ZOODLES. Repeat: DID NOT COOK.
I let them be raw and crunchy because sometimes I find that cooked zoodles are 50% awesome and 50% sad and soggy. When I made this as lunch for myself the other day, I was very okay letting it be more crunchy and salad-like in nature, and also cold. Cold sesame noodles are a thing, you know. So why can’t cold sesame zoodles have their moment to shine? The idea of taking this to the hot level was kind of weirding me out once I had the vision of trying to replicate those yummy cold sesame noodles.
It almost always happens like this – that I have an idea for what I want to make for dinner and then at the last minute I jump ship on whatever my idea was, delete all those grocery items from my grocery list and add a few new ones (or skip the grocery store altogether – amiright?), and just make something that’s way easier and more convenient than my initially overambitious plan.
But usually that’s a good thing, because usually what that means is that I end up making something that is faster, more practical, and tested + approved for everyday life while still being super delicious. Maybe even halfway healthy.
Just everyone cross your fingers that it’s not takeout sushi again. Ughhhh I’m weak.
In this case, sesame zoodles won out over takeout sushi and over my initial idea for a more complicated and time consuming recipe. Easy. Delicious. Halfway healthy. Check check check.
I’m telling you, those browned crispy bits. Let them get REAL nice and crunchy.
Spicy Sesame Zoodles with Crispy Tofu
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Spicy Sesame Zoodles with Crispy Tofu! SUPER easy recipe with familiar ingredients – soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, garlic, zucchini, and tofu. Vegan / Vegetarian
Ingredients
Chili Sesame Sauce:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup sesame oil
- 1/3 cup light low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili paste (like sambal oelek)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Zoodles and Tofu
- 12 ounces extra firm tofu
- 4–6 zucchini
- sesame seeds and scallions for topping
Instructions
- Chili Sesame Sauce: Shake all the sauce ingredients in a jar or toss them in the food processor and give them a whirl. If you’re going to have this cold, refrigerate your sauce for a while.
- Tofu: Press excess moisture out of the tofu. Cut into bite sized pieces. Heat a tiny bit of oil in a nonstick pan. Add the tofu and stir fry until golden brown. Add about 1/2 cup sauce and simmer until the sauce starts to evaporate / absorb into the tofu and becomes browned in the pan. Keep gently flipping and scraping browned bits off the bottom – after a while, you should end up with nicely golden brown tofu with some little yummy browned bits from the sauce.
- All Together: Spiralize your zucchini and toss with about 1/4 cup sauce per serving. Top with tofu, sesame seeds, and scallions. Serve immediately.
Notes
I did NOT cook the zoodles. I wanted this to be more like a salad, cold and creamy and crunchy. Whether or not you cook the zoodles, when the sauce hits those zoodles they’re going to get a little watery. I found that this was only a problem when I didn’t serve immediately, so to avoid excess moisture, serve it right after you toss it up!
You may want to use more tofu depending on how many servings you are wanting to get out of this. I was fine with 12 ounces as 6 servings (just doing a small scoop of tofu on each pile of zoodles) but if you were super hungry you might want more.
Storing this: I would store the sauce separate from the zoodles and tofu, and then toss it all together just before serving.
How spicy are we talking here? It looks amazing but my other half is not a spice person, so I might have to tone it down a bit.
I’d say it’s medium! I’d probably start with just a little of the chili paste and then taste and add more if needed.
Looks so DELICIOUS! Cant wait to try it!
★★★★
I made this last week and it was really delicious! I mixed everything together and promptly served it so didn’t have any watery zoodles. It was very easy to make and the peanut sauce is incredible. Thanks for a really quick terrific meal!
★★★★★
Glad to hear that, Tracy!
Love love love this! I make it weekly!!!
★★★★★
ls there anyway to make this dish school lunch friendly? It will literally sit for a few hours in a lunch bag. Thanks.
★★★★★
I made this for dinner and it was delicious. It had just the right amount of spice too. I sauteed the zoodles, but next time I will keep it raw. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hi! I would love to try this. My son is allergic to peanuts. I try and use almond butter(barneys, which is wonderful) , in place of peanut butter in some recipes. Do you think this would work?
Just saying that I have made this for me and my boyfriend FOUR TIMES since discovering it earlier this month! Thank you for a yummy, low carb, go to meal!
★★★★★
Haven’t tried it yet, but looks delicious! What spiralizer do you use? I’m in the market for a new one!
We love the Inspiralizer!
I’ve never ever left a comment or rated a recipe… anywhere on the internet before. But this was SO GOOD. I feel like the world needs to know. Such a home run recipe!!!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can you omit the sugar in the sauce recipe, for a sugar free meal?
Yep! Our sub in some raw honey.
Made this tonight and it was fantastic ! I added a large spiralized carrot for extra color and served with a bit of brown rice on the side. Mmm!
★★★★★
Hi!
Looks so yum…can you use natural peanut butter for this or is the regular kraft peanut butter better? Thanks! : )
Either will work!
Just made this with my meat-eating fiancé and we both LOVED it. Neither of us have ever liked tofu or cooked it and we were so surprised and happy with the result! Pinned it and will DEFINITELY make it again! The sauce is unreal!! Thank you!
So glad to hear that, Chelsey!
Hi it sounds delish and I was about to bake but is 1/3 c of sesame oil a typo? That’s a crazy lot of oil. I thought sesame oil is usually just for seasoning but I don’t have a recipe blog.
Do you have to drain/strain tofu first?
Yep! You’ll need to drain it and then also press out the water.
This looks awesome. The only thing is that I’m allergic to peanuts … by chance do you have any ideas on what I could use instead of peanuts?
Almond butter might do the trick!
Yummy! I was weary that the sauce looked too thick but one tossed with zoodles it took on a great creamy texture.
I did use chicken, and halved the sesame oil as I find that flavor to be overpowering. But all in all, amazing!
★★★★
Glad to hear that, Courtney!
I’m making this tonight, again! I have made this about 5 times and even the pickiest eaters have eaten this at my house and loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe. And… The crispy bits are amazing!
★★★★★
They really are the best part!
Instead of sugar I used a date for more of a natural sugar. Great recipe!
Great idea! Thanks for the comment!
Super easy, quick, and delicious. Even my toddler loved it!
This was delicious. We microwaved the zoodles for 2 minutes (2 zucchini), and used chili oil to taste instead of chili paste, because that’s what we had. But wow. It was delicious. All finished and I want it again. Immediately.
Could you salt the zucchini before hand to pull summer of the moisture out?
Oops… some
Can someone please recommend a brand of tofu that works great in a Recipe like this? (Thanks, have never cooked with tofu before.)
Any extra firm tofu should do the trick!
Delish!! Quick after work dinner. Took me much longer to make than the recipe said, but worth it. I’ve been looking for plant based, low carb dinners, and this meets the criteria. Thanks!
Delish! Quick after work dinner. My carnivorous boyfriend really liked it. Took me longer than the recipe said, but totally worth it for a yummy plant based, low carb dinner. Plus I have left overs for lunch tomorrow. Thank you!
★★★★★