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?
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?!
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.
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.
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}
Almond Butter Sesame Zucchini Noodles {Paleo, Vegan, Whole30}
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
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Prepare your zucchini noodles and allow the to "sweat"* while you make the sauce.
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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.
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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**
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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
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?
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Sharon Hansen says
July 10, 2017 at 7:53 pmAwesome 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.
Michele says
July 10, 2017 at 10:08 pmThat’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 🙂
Maria says
February 2, 2018 at 9:50 pmCan you dress this and leave it in the fridge for a few days? Or would you do dressing on the side?
Michele says
February 3, 2018 at 8:09 amI 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 🙂
AmandaM says
July 11, 2017 at 5:16 pmHi 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.
Daniella Mcguire says
July 12, 2017 at 9:04 pmI just made the almond butter sauce and it is beyond amazing! I intend to put it on everything! Thank you! So delicious!
Michele says
July 14, 2017 at 10:58 amHaha that’s great! So happy you liked it 🙂
Jan says
July 13, 2017 at 10:24 pmThis was scrumptious. Thank you!!! I will have again tomorrow night! Sauce is quick and easy and absolutely amazing.
Randi says
August 4, 2017 at 9:18 amI 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
Michele says
August 4, 2017 at 10:24 amHaha half is about what I get too! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Claudia says
January 18, 2018 at 10:36 amLooks 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!
Michele says
January 18, 2018 at 2:54 pmI just updated it to show the values for 4 servings total.
Claudia says
January 18, 2018 at 11:53 pmThank you for quick response! I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks fantastic!!
Kellyn Betts says
February 24, 2018 at 2:24 pmJust had this with butternut squash noodles and I loved the sauce. Thanks so much for publishing the recipe.
Jess says
June 25, 2018 at 9:49 pmSooooo delicious! Savory, sweet, perfect! Amazing way to make your zoodles full of flavor and a hearty meal! Yummmmm
Michele says
June 30, 2018 at 8:41 pmLove it, so happy you enjoyed!
Emily says
October 22, 2018 at 9:06 pmSoo yummy! Using almond butter in a savoury asian sauce is genius, making this again today 🙂
Jacqui G. says
May 2, 2019 at 6:44 pmThis 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.