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    Home » Salads, Sides & Dips

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    Published: Jun 27, 2025 · Modified: Jul 8, 2025 by Zimmy · This post may contain Amazon and other affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is one of those easy dishes I keep coming back to—especially when I’m craving something fresh, crunchy veggies, and full of flavour.

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
    Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    It’s loaded with vibrant veggies like cabbage, carrots, and cucumber, plus protein-packed edamame to make it more filling. The sesame-ginger dressing brings everything together with that nutty, zippy punch. It’s super simple to throw together in under 30 minutes, and it tastes even better after a little time in the fridge.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Make-Ahead Tips (Up to 24 Hours in Advance)
    • Make it a Vegan Soba Noodle Salad
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    For the Salad

    Ingredients for a cold soba noodle salad dressing.
    Ingredients (Sesame oil and Thai chili not shown)
    • Soba noodles
    • Sesame oil
    • Red cabbage
    • Carrots
    • Cucumber
    • Shelled edamame
    • Sesame seeds
    • Scallions
    • Cilantro or mint
    • Thai chili

    For the Dressing

    Ingredients for a sesame ginger dressing recipe.
    Sesame Ginger Dressing Ingredients
    • Toasted sesame oil
    • Soy sauce
    • Rice vinegar
    • Lime juice
    • Fresh ginger
    • Honey or maple syrup
    • Optional: chili crisp or chili oil

    See the recipe card below for quantities.

    Instructions

    Cook the Noodles

    Bring a 3-quart saucepan of water to a boil. Cook the buckwheat soba noodles according to package instructions (usually about 4 minutes).

    Boil the buckwheat soba noodles.

    Rinse thoroughly under cold running water, using your hands to agitate the noodles until they are completely cool and no longer sticky. Drain well. Tip: Rinsing removes excess starch and prevents clumping.

    Toss the cooled noodles with 1 to 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (or neutral oil) to prevent sticking.

    Rinse the soba noodles thoroughly under cold running water, using your hands to agitate the noodles until they are completely cool and no longer sticky.
    Add sesame oil to the soba noodles to prevent sticking.

    Mix the Dressing

    In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, honey or maple syrup, and chili crisp (if using).

    Assemble the Salad

    In a large bowl, combine the noodles with the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, edamame, scallions, sesame seeds, Thai red chilis (optional) and herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.

    Place the soba salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
    Toss the vegan soba salad with dressing.

    Serve

    Serve at room temperature or chill the salad for 30 minutes before serving.

    A cold soba noodle salad with sesame ginger dressing served in a quarter sheet pan.

    Make-Ahead Tips (Up to 24 Hours in Advance)

    • For maximum crunch, store the noodles, vegetables, and dressing separately if prepping more than one day ahead.
    • To freshen before serving, toss with an extra splash of lime juice or rice vinegar, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs or sesame seeds.

    Make it a Vegan Soba Noodle Salad

    This salad is naturally plant-based and can be made fully vegan with a simple swap:

    • Use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
    • Most soy sauces are naturally vegan, made from fermented soybeans, wheat, salt, and water. However, it’s always a good idea to check the label, especially with flavoured or speciality varieties, which could include added ingredients like fish extracts or preservatives derived from animal products.
    • Not all soba noodles are the same, some brands include wheat flour or even egg. To keep the salad vegan (and optionally gluten-free), choose 100% buckwheat soba noodles or often labelled as juwari soba or check the label to ensure they’re vegan-friendly.

    Equipment used: This cold soba noodle salad sesame dressing was cooked in the Hestan Culinary Thomas Keller Insignia 3-qt saucepan, drained in the Provisions colander, then tossed up in the Provisions mixing bowl with a punchy sesame–ginger–lime dressing. Served it up on the OvenBond Quarter sheet pan.

    Save 20% off Hestan Culinary by using code ZIMMY20 + our affiliate links. (Offer not available during promotional periods.) Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. All opinions in this post are always my own. 

    📖 Recipe

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    This cold soba noodle salad is one of those easy dishes I keep coming back to—especially when I’m craving something fresh, crunchy, and full of flavour. It’s loaded with vibrant veggies like cabbage, carrots, and cucumber, plus protein-packed edamame to make it more filling. The sesame-ginger dressing brings everything together with that nutty, zippy punch. It’s super simple to throw together in under 30 minutes, and it tastes even better after a little time in the fridge.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Lunch, Salad
    Cuisine Asian-Inspired
    Servings 4 -6

    Ingredients
      

    For the Salad

    • 250 grams soba noodles
    • 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil (or neutral oil) 
    • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
    • 1 cup julienned carrot
    • 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
    • ½ cup shelled edamame thawed if frozen
    • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds white or black
    • 2 scallions thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or mint
    • 1 Thai red chili thinly sliced, optional

    For the Dressing

    • 4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
    • 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
    • Optional: 1 teaspoon chili crisp or chili oil

    Instructions
     

    Cook the Noodles

    • Bring a 3-quart saucepan of water to a boil. Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions (usually about 4 minutes). Rinse thoroughly under cold running water, using your hands to agitate the noodles until they are completely cool and no longer sticky. Drain well.
    • Tip: Rinsing removes excess starch and prevents clumping.
    • Toss the cooled noodles with 1 to 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (or neutral oil) to prevent sticking.

    Mix the Dressing

    • In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, honey or maple syrup, and chili crisp (if using).

    Assemble the Salad

    • In a large bowl, combine the noodles with the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, edamame, scallions, sesame seeds, Thai red chilis (optional) and herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.

    Serve

    • Serve at room temperature or chill the salad for 30 minutes before serving.

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    Video

    Keyword cold soba noodle recipe, cold soba noodle salad recipes, sesame soba noodle salad, soba noodle salad recipes, spicy soba noodle salad, vegan soba noodle salad
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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