Enjoyed chilled or at room temperature, this Soba Noodle Salad tossed in a honey-soy dressing is exactly what you need for a quick, light meal.
What are some of your go-to warm-weather lunches? When I am not developing or testing a recipe, I like my summer lunch to be light and fuss-free. Today I made an easy and refreshing Soba Noodle Salad (蕎麦サラダ) that’s ready in less than 20 minutes.
In this recipe, I toss earthy Japanese soba noodles in a simple honey-soy dressing and garnish it with green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Simple yet bright in flavor, this salad is a true favorite of mine.
Table of Contents
What Are Soba Noodles?
Soba noodles are Japanese buckwheat noodles. They have a completely different flavor and texture from the popular ramen and udon noodles. Soba is often served cold, such as Zaru Soba, or in hot soup, such as Soba Noodle Soup.
In the US, some of the common brands like Hakubaku Organic Soba or Eden Foods Soba (100% buckwheat; gluten-free) are available online or at your local grocery stores.
In Japan, there are different types of soba noodles depending on the percentage of buckwheat used in the noodles.
100% vs. 80% Buckwheat Flour
Juwari Soba (十割そば) is made of 100% buckwheat flour, so it is gluten-free. It has a dry and rough texture so the noodles are easily broken compared to Hachi-wari Soba. Ju-wari soba has a strong buckwheat aroma and flavor, and it is hard to make because of the crumbly texture.
Hachiwari Soba (八割そば) is made from 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour. Hachi-wari means 80% in Japanese. The noodle is much smoother and has an al dente texture. Unlike Ju-wari Soba, it’s easy to swallow and chew. However, the buckwheat aroma is less than that of Ju-wari. Hachiwari soba is also known as Nihachi Soba (二八そば)—ni (two) and hachi (eight) for the ratio.
It’s hard to say which soba is tastier as it really is up to personal preferences.
Ingredients for Soba Noodle Salad
Here’s what you’ll need to make Soba Noodle Salad:
- Soba noodles
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Dressing: neutral oil, roasted sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, honey, and soy sauce (or tamari)
How to Make Soba Noodle Salad
- Make the salad dressing: Heat the neutral oil, sesame oil, and red chili pepper flakes in a saucepan and cook until fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the honey and soy sauce. Set aside to cool.
- Boil the soba noodles: Cook according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse off the starch under cold running water. Drain well and set aside.
- Assemble: Combine the chilled noodles, the cooled dressing, freshly chopped green onions and cilantro, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Toss everything together and serve immediately.
Customize Soba Noodle Salad
This Soba Noodle Salad recipe is the perfect blank slate for customization. For substance, feel free to add veggies or proteins and turn the salad into a main dish. Here are some delicious opt-in ingredients:
- Thin strips of cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, or red cabbage
- Edamame, sugar snap peas
- Pickled veggies such as kimchi or Quick Spicy Japanese Pickled Cucumber
- Blanched Broccoli or a handful of arugula
- Hard-boiled eggs or Ramen Eggs
- Shredded leftover chicken or Miso Salmon
- Grilled or pan-fried tofu
Cooking Tips and Techniques
- Soba noodles cook much faster than spaghetti noodles, so this dish comes out very quickly. If you’re serving other dishes, make sure other dishes are also ready to go.
- Remove any starch by draining the noodles well and running them under cold water. Soba noodles will keep better without starch.
- Toss everything together when you are ready to serve, or else soba noodles will absorb the dressing and become soggy. You can prepare the dressing, chop all the herbs, and boil the soba noodles ahead of time.
How to Store
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
FAQs
Are Soba Noodles Healthy?
The Japanese consider soba noodles a healthy carb choice, especially among the variety of noodles. Low in fat, soba noodles are a great source of amino acids, manganese, protein, and fiber. They are definitely healthier than udon, ramen, or regular spaghetti.
For gluten-free, look for soba noodles made with 100% buckwheat. Make sure to check the ingredient list. Some Japanese grocery stores offer Juwari Soba (十割そば) made of 100% buckwheat flour.
👉🏼 Learn more about soba, including its origin and nutrition on my pantry page.
Can I use another type of noodles?
Sure! You can make this dish with spaghetti noodles, udon noodles, ramen noodles, rice noodles, or konnyaku (konjac) noodles.
More Soba Noodle Recipes
- Zaru Soba (Traditional Cold Soba Noodle)
- Toshikoshi Soba (New Year’s Eve Soba Noodle Soup)
- Soba Noodle Soup
- Oroshi Soba
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Soba Noodle Salad
Video
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes)
- 3 Tbsp honey (use maple syrup for vegan)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
For the Salad
- 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) (2–3 bundles)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 1 handful cilantro (coriander) (0.7 oz, 20 g)
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. In a large pot, bring water to a boil (you do not need to salt the water).
To Make the Dressing
- Combine 1 Tbsp neutral oil, 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, and ½ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) in a small saucepan.
- Whisk it all together and infuse the oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. The oil should be sizzling but do not burn the chili flakes. If you smell something burnt, the heat is too strong or you are cooking for too long. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1–2 minutes.
- Add 3 Tbsp honey and whisk well until the honey has completely dissolved. Tip: Don't add the soy sauce first as it will splatter.
- Add 3 Tbsp soy sauce to the mixture and whisk it all together. Set aside.
To Make the Salad
- Cook 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles), stirring once in a while, according to the package instructions, but make sure they are al dente.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions.
- Discard the stems of 1 handful cilantro (coriander) and chop the leafy parts into small pieces.
- Drain into a colander and rinse the soba noodles under cold running water. This important step removes the excess starch from the noodles and stops the cooking.
- Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the cooled dressing over the soba noodles.
- Add the green onions, cilantro, and 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds to the bowl with the soba noodles. Toss everything together.
To Serve
- Transfer to a serving bowl or plate. Serve chilled or at room temperature. For a spicy kick, you can sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice).
To Customize
- Soba Noodle Salad is the perfect blank slate to customize with your favorite vegetables like edamame, sugar snap peas, cucumber slices, carrot strips, arugula, or red cabbage. Try adding blanched or pickled veggies like kimchi, Quick Fresh Kimchi, Spicy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers, and Blanched Broccoli with Sesame Oil. For a more substantial meal, you can add hard-boiled eggs, Ramen Eggs, shredded leftover chicken, or grilled tofu.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 13, 2013. It is updated with a new video and step-by-step pictures in August 2016. The content was updated with more information in July 2022.
Hi! At what temperature do we microwave the dressing at in step one? Thank you! And can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
Hi Cherie! I think my microwave is 1100 or 1200 watt. Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
I made this last night for guests and it was delicious. I didn’t have crushed red pepper, so used 1/4 t cayenne pepper which added just the right amount of kick. I also added chilled cucumbers sliced elongated rangiri style. I didn’t use all of the dressing for the 2 bundles of soba. This dish was perfect as a side dish to our salmon. Thank you Nami!?
Hi Joanne! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and writing your kind feedback! I’m so happy to hear you and your guests enjoyed this dish! 🙂
I love cooking with soba noodles especially in a salad!
Me too! It’s really delicious! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’m glad this was re-posted because I hadn’t seen this when you first posted it years ago. Looks like a delicious recipe! I just have a quick question: Do we really microwave the sesame & grapeseed oil for 3 entire minutes? That seems like it’ll explode or boil for such a small amount. Thanks!
Hi Mai! I do, but it doesn’t “”explode” but it’s very hot, and you can do the same thing in a pot without using a microwave. The purpose is to infuse the oil with chilis. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
made it for lunch today and it was awesome! thankiew soooo much! <3
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂
I’m having a moment of inspiration here… you’ll have to tell me if this is just a stupid idea…
I really want to use some lotus root, so here it is:
Slice up a lotus root, cut most of the slices in quarters (leave some whole for garnish)
Blanch 1-2 minutes
Marinate all pieces in the salad dressing, then pull the whole pieces out, mix the quarters and dressing with the noodles, and garnish with whole pieces.
If I can’t find any lotus root, I’ll probably just julienne some daikon instead.
Hi Jonathan! I love lotus root and the crunchy texture is a nice addition! I may not put too much of it as noodles are soft and it’s a mismatch texture inside your mouth. We tend to have similar texture WITH some bit of crunch for a good surprise and sensation. Not the equal amount of soft and hard. Hope this helps… Oh and you might need to blanch a little longer unless the slices of lotus root is super thin. 🙂
The dressing for this sounds excellent. I am allergic to buckwheat, do you have any recommendations on which type of noodle I could substitute? I was thinking udon or a rice noodle.
Hi Bri! You can use spaghetti to make this. Initially I tried this with spaghetti, but I changed it to soba noodles. 🙂 For the texture, thin noodles (with al dente) works the best, so I’d suggest spaghetti as #1 choice. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Nami,
I have been looking for a recipe like this one. I love eating soba noodles and wanted a healthy and tasty dish. I can’t wait to pack it to take on a outing.
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Darlene! 🙂
Today I tried this soba salad recipe.
Though I hadn t all the ingredients, it was very simple and very delicious.
Thank you for all those recipes. I will try one after another.
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂
This taste really good, I tried this too yesterday night for dinner, and it went well with onsen tamago 🙂 As I don’t have canolo/grapeseed oil, I substitude it with olive oil, and also I replaced crused red peppers with Shichimi Togarashi.. and all went well. Love it~
So glad you liked the soba salad! Thanks for sharing your substitute so others can also give it a try! I have to try with onsen tamago next time! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I made this to go with the tempura for dinner last night!
The whole family really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely make it again and again.
I think it would be a great pot luck dish to share.
So excited to have found your blog. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thank you!
Hi Tai! Agree! This is everyone’s favorite at the potluck! 🙂 Welcome to Just One Cookbook! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes.
Hi Nami,
I chanced upon your website and I love it very much! It becomes a daily morning routine to visit your website and a great perk up in the morning when I browse through your site. By the way, may I check if I use manuka honey for the honey soy dressing, will it taste weird? As I only have manuka honey at home.
Looking forward to your reply:)
Thank you!
Hi Jocelyn! Honestly I’m not too sure as I’ve never tried this soba salad with that honey. I think that will work, especially if you’ve been using that to replace regular honey… but it has more distinct flavor, so the outcome should be a bit different. Hope this helps. 🙂
I made this soba noodle salad last night to have with shrimp. We only had one bundle of noodles so I halved the dressing . I wish we would have had 3 bundles because there wasn’t much left for lunch today! It was so tasty and simple.
I love Japanese food and stumbled across your website when searching for how to make the wonderful Japanese broth that I get in the soups at my favorite restaraunts. So now I know what it is called and what to look for to make it! Thank you for such a wonderful, in depth website. I’ll be trying many more recipies from here in the future.
Hi Alexandra! So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for your feedback. I assume you’re talking about dashi. In Japanese cooking, dashi is everything and used in many of dishes. It’s light and flavorful (but not overwhelming other ingredients’ flavors), and it’s much quicker to cook than chicken/vegetable stock. 🙂 Hope you enjoy cooking Japanese food!
I am gluten free and have had difficulty finding soba noodles made just from buckwheat…I have heard that they exist….would happen to know what the brand names might be and/or the companies that make them.
Thank you
Hi Diane! Soba is made of buckwheat flour but wheat flour is often added. Eden Foods make a 100% buckwheat soba noodles (which is GF). Here’s the link for Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Eden-Foods-Buckwheat-Wheat-packages/dp/B005P0WMJ2
Hi Nami, I was wondering if you have any suggestions on what i can use to replace the honey because i’m diabetic. Thanks
Hi Joanne! I’m very sorry for my late response. How do you sweeten food normally? You can use diabetes-friendly sugar instead of honey. Hope that helps… 🙂