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7.09.17

Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles {Paleo, Vegan, Whole30}

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Whole 30 Vegan Egg Free No Added Sugar

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

Creating this recipe was total nostalgia for me – somehow I hadn’t yet attempted to re-create one of the first go-to meals I ever cooked for myself – sesame peanut noodles!   I’m sure I mentioned my old obsession with peanut butter several times (AKA I ate a PB&J sandwich every day for 10 years) but it wasn’t just the sandwiches I went nuts for.

Nope, I needed to find ways to put peanut butter in everything, and seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t love sesame peanut noodles?  It was in my regular meal rotation from my early to late 20’s, but sadly I dropped the recipe over time, probably when my kids decided they wouldn’t touch it – has this happened to you guys too?

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

Anyway, my kids are older now and honestly I just don’t care as much if they tell me they don’t like something, I guess my skin has been thickened from years of mealtime crying.  So, I’d been meaning to make a paleo version of this old favorite for quite a while.

What stopped me?  Fear, of course.  Fear that it “just wouldn’t be the same”, fear that the zucchini noodles would make the whole thing watery and gross, and fear that I’d start really missing actual pasta.  Sort of the same fear that has stopped me from attempting to make paleo bagels – maybe some things are better left in the past, right?!

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

Um yes, the answer is that some things are heck-to-the-yes best left in the past.  But as it turns out this recipe doesn’t fit that category – YAY!  I tried it, I was skeptical, I squeezed the bejeezles out of my zucchini noodles to make sure they weren’t watery and – SCORE – they turned out flipping delicious.  Like, addictingly delicious.

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

I barely changed my old recipe – you know, almond for peanut, coconut aminos for soy sauce – with the exception of the big elephant that’s not in the kitchen anymore – real noodles.

Veggie noodles are my thing now and so they really didn’t disappoint.  As a side note, this sauce would be great with pretty much any spiralized veggie – sweet potato noodles, butternut squash noodles, anything.  And of course now I’m craving sweet potato noodles but really don’t have the strength to spiralize them anytime soon.

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

Oh, and the other elephant in the room – the dates.  I wanted to make this dish Whole30 friendly so instead of a little it of honey, I pureed 3 medjool dates into the sauce and really loved it this way.  The dates make the sauce thicker which is much appreciated when we’re dealing with zoodles!  I also was not shy with all the sliced scallions and toasted almonds I added at the end – the more the merrier when it comes to flavor.  Are you ready to make this already!  Yes, you are!  Let’s do it!

Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles {Paleo, Vegan, Whole30}

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles!  The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions.  Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too! 

Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles {Paleo, Vegan, Whole30}

These almond butter sesame zucchini noodles are a delicious healthy makeover of classic sesame peanut noodles! The creamy almond butter sauce is sweetened just the right amount with dates and loaded with chopped almonds and scallions. Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan too!
Author: Michele Rosen
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
Course: Lunch/Dinner/Side Dish
Cuisine: Paleo, Vegan, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
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4.75 from 8 votes

Ingredients

  • 4 med zucchini spiralized, salted and allowed to "sweat" for an hour*, then squeezed with paper towel PLUS 1/2 tsp cooking fat to sauté
  • 3 medjool dates pitted and softened if necessary by soaking in very hot water for 5 minutes
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened almond butter creamy
  • 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
  • 3 Tbsp pure sesame oil
  • 3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1-2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

To top the zucchini noodles:

  • 3 scallions light green and white parts, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped raw almonds toasted in a skillet with 1/2 tsp sesame oil and sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Prepare your zucchini noodles and allow the to "sweat"* while you make the sauce.
  2. To make the sauce, add the softened dates to a food processor or high speed blender along with the almond butter and coconut aminos and pure until smooth. Once mostly smooth (you'll see date pieces still) add the ginger, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil and garlic and pulse until smooth.
  3. To cook the zucchini noodles, make sure they're thoroughly drained of excess water, then lightly sauté for just a minute or two in 1/2 tsp cooking fat until heated and slightly softened. Avoid overcooking or you'll have mushy noodles. For a cold dish, you don't have to cook the zucchini noodles at all**
  4. Toss the zucchini noodles with the prepared sauce plus the scallions and toasted almonds (see ingredients for toasting instructions) Serve warm, room temperature or even cold. You can add any protein you want for a more complete meal - chicken would be delicious! Serves 4-6.

Recipe Notes

*To "sweat" the zucchini noodles, place them in a colander over a large bowl and sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt. Allow them to sit this way for at least 40 minutes or up to an hour, then squeeze all the excess water out using paper towels. I typically eliminate about 1/2 cup of water using this method! This greatly helps the "watery zoodle" problem.
**It's fine to simply sweat the noodles and avoid cooking them if you prefer

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal
Carbohydrates: 27g
Protein: 7g
Fat: 23g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 273mg
Potassium: 829mg
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 18g
Vitamin A: 510IU
Vitamin C: 37mg
Calcium: 122mg
Iron: 1.8mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PaleoRunningMomma on Instagram and hashtag it #PaleoRunningMomma

What I Used to Make My Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles:


Want more Whole30 and paleo zucchini noodles ideas?  Try one of these!

Zucchini Pasta with Scallion Avocado Sauce

Zucchini Noodles with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Chicken

Zucchini Pasta with Spicy Shrimp Marinara

Zucchini Noodle and Spicy Sausage Egg Bake

Tell Me!

What’s your current favorite way to eat zoodles?

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Paleo Running Momma!

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About Michele

More than a little into running and paleo recipes (yoga now too!) but I'm not here to rain on your grains (or anything else) so come along for the ride! I do a little too much of everything (except cleaning), and I enjoy laughing at myself. As long as I'm the one making the jokes, that is. Just kidding. So bring me your angst, your appetite and your frying pan and climb aboard!

Reader Interactions

Reader Reviews & Comments

  1. Sharon Hansen says

    July 10, 2017 at 7:53 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe! You are by far my favorite for tempting delicious healthy recipes that taste decadent but actually are not! Mine did not look like yours, mine looked darker, but oh so yummy! I ran out of almond butter so made my own! Cheaper and tasted just as good! Keep up the good work! Making my life much easier since I don’t need to create my own recipes! It takes me way longer to do things so I make extra and refrigerate leftovers for another time.

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:08 pm

      That’s great! So happy you liked it! And the photos lightened it up but the sauce itself was definitely darker with the almond butter and dates 🙂

      Reply
      • Maria says

        February 2, 2018 at 9:50 pm

        Can you dress this and leave it in the fridge for a few days? Or would you do dressing on the side?

        Reply
        • Michele says

          February 3, 2018 at 8:09 am

          I think waiting until ready to serve is best to avoid the watery issue with the zucchini noodles. You can keep zucchini noodles in a paper towel lined container in the fridge to absorb excess water until ready 🙂

          Reply
  2. AmandaM says

    July 11, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    Hi Michele 🙂 definitely trying this! looks great. i still think fondly of the ONE time i had peanut noodles (about 15 years ago). they were delicious. these look better though.

    Reply
  3. Daniella Mcguire says

    July 12, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    I just made the almond butter sauce and it is beyond amazing! I intend to put it on everything! Thank you! So delicious!

    Reply
    • Michele says

      July 14, 2017 at 10:58 am

      Haha that’s great! So happy you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jan says

    July 13, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    This was scrumptious. Thank you!!! I will have again tomorrow night! Sauce is quick and easy and absolutely amazing.

    Reply
  5. Randi says

    August 4, 2017 at 9:18 am

    5 stars
    I cannot wait to try this.. you are by far my favorite paleo go to gal.. you never disappoint and half the time it’s something my kiddos will eat.. thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Michele says

      August 4, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Haha half is about what I get too! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂

      Reply
  6. Claudia says

    January 18, 2018 at 10:36 am

    Looks Delicious! Can you tell the amount per serving in the nutritional information? Is it based on the recipe making 4 or 6 servings? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Michele says

      January 18, 2018 at 2:54 pm

      I just updated it to show the values for 4 servings total.

      Reply
      • Claudia says

        January 18, 2018 at 11:53 pm

        Thank you for quick response! I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks fantastic!!

        Reply
  7. Kellyn Betts says

    February 24, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    Just had this with butternut squash noodles and I loved the sauce. Thanks so much for publishing the recipe.

    Reply
  8. Jess says

    June 25, 2018 at 9:49 pm

    Sooooo delicious! Savory, sweet, perfect! Amazing way to make your zoodles full of flavor and a hearty meal! Yummmmm

    Reply
    • Michele says

      June 30, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      Love it, so happy you enjoyed!

      Reply
  9. Emily says

    October 22, 2018 at 9:06 pm

    5 stars
    Soo yummy! Using almond butter in a savoury asian sauce is genius, making this again today 🙂

    Reply
    • Jacqui G. says

      May 2, 2019 at 6:44 pm

      This sauce is scrumptious! A life changer. Thank you!! If you make extra sauce so you think it is ok left on the counter or should it be refrigerated? I fear it will harden in the fridge.

      Reply
  10. Holly says

    May 8, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this for dinner. Absolutely incredible. I love zucchini and zoodles but fine normal pasta sauce to be so boring. I found this through a random Google search and it did not disappoint. I will definitely be making this again. Such incredible flavor combinations. Thank you for sharing this deliciousness.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Paleo Egg Salad with Bacon and Scallions {Whole30, Low Carb} says:
    August 30, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    […] Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles […]

    Reply
  2. 70 Whole30 Recipes {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Sides} | The Paleo Running Momma says:
    December 26, 2017 at 9:02 am

    […] Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles {Vegan, low Carb} via Paleo Running Momma […]

    Reply
  3. Paleo Zucchini Carbonara {Whole30, DF, Low Carb} | The Paleo Running Momma says:
    April 29, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    […] Sesame Almond Butter Zoodles {Vegan} […]

    Reply

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Hi! I’m so happy you stopped by! My name is Michele and I’m a Paleo eater and recipe creator, runner, mom of 3, and the gal behind Paleo Running Momma! Over here you’ll find real-food, clean eating family favorites that you’ll be excited to share with your loved ones. I hope you stay awhile, eat, savor, and enjoy!

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