Soba Noodle Salad with Soy Dressing

4.73 from 81 votes
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Asian soba noodle salad with soy dressing is a flavor-packed dish. Bold soy citrus flavors infuse into crunchy vegetables and nutty buckwheat noodles.

Asian Soba Noodle Salad With Soy Dressing

When I think of Asian noodles, a hot steamy bowl of pho always comes to mind. However, summertime calls for a cool and refreshing noodle salad to satisfy your taste buds. An Asian soba noodle salad with soy dressing is just what you need.

A healthy, light and delicious meal packed with fresh vegetables! Trust me, you NEED this, and you will be happy you spent 30 minutes or less chopping up a storm in the kitchen for this blissful dish. 

Ingredients for a soba noodle salad

I’ve been eating a lot of noodles lately and have been trying to make healthier meals. I wanted to infuse Japanese flavors into each bite and found that Soba noodles would be an excellent choice.

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour that gives a more nutty flavor, a good alternative to egg-based pasta noodles. It also only takes less than 5 minutes for the noodles to cook, so they are ready to consume right away.

Pouring soy citrus dressing over Asian soba noodles

Savory and sweet dressings give a nice spin to your typical tangy recipes. This soy salad dressing gets some strong, bold flavors from a mixture of fresh limes, sweet orange juice, salty soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and pungent rice vinegar.

I added a little bit of spicy Sriracha to the dressing. I love a little bit of slow creep of heat but not so much that it’s too overpowering.

mixing together a soba noodle salad

I did my best to pack in as much colorful, crunchy and healthy vegetables that I could into this soba noodle salad. Edamame beans, sugar, snap peas, bell pepper, cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, such a beautiful mix of vegetables. Each veggie adds its own unique flavor and texture. The more colors you can eat the increased variety of nutrients you get, sounds good right?

This salad is a beautiful feast for the eyes that is fast and simple to make. The noodles are ready in a matter of minutes, and you can chop, whisk and top everything together with ease. I took some leftovers to work the next day, and the soba noodles had soaked up the soy dressing and still tasted yummy!

close up of slices of bell peppers and white sesame seeds in a bowl with soba noodles

Hello gorgeous noodles, I can’t wait to make you disappear, nom nom nom. This Asian soba noodle salad with soy dressing is an excellent side dish to go with some honey-lime glazed salmon or sesame-crusted ahi tuna. You can also add some grilled or roasted chicken, shrimp, tofu or chopped for a more protein-packed entree. This recipe is versatile so add any vegetables, meat or seafood you like!

What are Soba Noodles?

Soba noodles are thin, dried, and light Japanese brown noodles made with buckwheat flour. They have a nice subtle nutty flavor but are delicate and tender. They hold up well to heavier dressing like the citrus soy dressing in this recipe. They are most commonly used in stir-fries, hot soups, and cold dishes. You can get them gluten-free, but just make sure the ingredient label does not contain flour.

Soba Noodle Salad With Soy Dressing

Asian soba noodle salad with soy dressing is a flavor-packed dish. Bold soy citrus flavors infuse into crunchy vegetables and nutty buckwheat noodles.
4.73 from 81 votes
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings 3 servings
Course Salad
Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients  

Soba Noodle Salad

  • 6 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • 1 cup edamame beans, shelled and cooked
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup english cucumber, thinly sliced, seeds removed
  • ½ cup sugar snap peas, cut in half diagonally
  • ½ cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced on a bias
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
  • cup cilantro, fresh
  • black pepper, as needed

Soy Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • zest of 1 lime
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sriracha, or to your spicy level liking
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or olive oil

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, fill with enough water to cover the pasta once added and bring to a boil. Cook the soba noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions, about 4 minutes.
  • Drain and transfer noodles immediately into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain the cooled noodles and lightly dry on a paper towel.
  • In a large bowl, combine soba noodles and all of the cut vegetables and set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the soy dressing ingredients except for the sesame oil and grapeseed oil.
  • Gradually add the sesame oil and whisk until combined. Then slowly add the grapeseed oil and whisk until combined into an emulsified dressing.
  • Pour dressing over the soba salad and add sesame seeds and cilantro, toss to combine.

Nutrition Facts

Serves: 3 servings
Calories 541kcal (27%)Carbohydrates 71g (24%)Protein 14g (28%)Fat 23g (35%)Saturated Fat 2g (10%)Polyunsaturated Fat 12gMonounsaturated Fat 5gSodium 708mg (30%)Potassium 644mg (18%)Fiber 8g (32%)Sugar 10g (11%)Vitamin A 18350IU (367%)Vitamin C 257.4mg (312%)Calcium 110mg (11%)Iron 2.5mg (14%)

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.

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Jessica Gavin

I'm a culinary school graduate, cookbook author, and a mom who loves croissants! My passion is creating recipes and sharing the science behind cooking to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.

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  1. Henrietta says

    This salad has become a family hit!! I serve it along side salmon baked brushed with a simple marinade of equal parts miso and honey. Just a hint, if you decide to make the salad, rest it on baking paper before putting it in the oven, because baked miso is awful to clean.

    Also, I use sweet chilli sauce instead of srichia (a little more than the recipe asks for). In summary, MAKE THIS SALAD!!! It’s awesome!!

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