I had to reshare this incredible noodle dish that will have you jumping for joy and slurping up every last bite. After you all fell in love with these stir fry sesame noodles and these hot chili chicken noodles I knew it was time to combine the two into delicious, sweet and spicy tahini noodles that are vegan, ready in about 30 minutes, and full of flavor.
We’re obsessed with all things tahini here at AK because it’s so versatile in both sweet and savory recipes. You’ll soon find out that it’s the base for a DAMN GOOD sweet and spicy sauce! Pair that sauce with crispy stir fried broccoli and wonderful rice noodles and you’ve got the best meatless dinner around.
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I kept this sesame tahini noodle recipe vegan and deliciously simple, but you’ll find options for yummy protein add-ins and ways to customize within the post. Tony and I enjoyed every last bite of these noodles and they make the perfect quick & easy weeknight dinner. Enjoy!
Everything you’ll need to make these tahini noodles
These vegan tahini noodles are packed with flavor even with simple ingredients! Get ready to fall in LOVE with that sweet and spicy tahini sauce. Here’s what you’ll need to make this dish:
- For the sauce: this creamy sauce is made with low sodium soy sauce, tahini, brown sugar, fresh ginger and garlic, rice vinegar, hot chili paste, and a bit of water to thin it out.
- For the broccoli: crispy broccoli in every bite? Yes, please! You’ll stir fry it up with regular or toasted sesame oil and plenty of salt and pepper.
- For the noodles: I like to use rice noodles because they’re super quick to make and have a great texture.
- To garnish: make these noodles extra spicy with red pepper flakes, and top with toasted sesame seeds!
Customize your vegan tahini noodles
These sesame tahini noodles are super easy to customize to make them your own:
- Add extra veggies. Feel free to stir fry some carrot, bell pepper or even snow peas along with the broccoli!
- Choose your spice. I love using hot chili paste like sambal oelek, but if you don’t have any you can also use your favorite hot sauce. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with just 1 tablespoon or so and adjust from there.
- Swap your sweetener. Instead of brown sugar in the sauce, you can also sub coconut sugar or honey.
Can I use a different type of noodle?
Yep! While I love the texture that rice noodles have, you can also use ramen noodles, spaghetti, or linguine.
Try one of these delicious protein boosts
You can easily add your favorite protein to this tahini noodle recipe! Here are some suggestions:
- Plant-based: keep these tahini noodles vegan and vegetarian by adding a can of chickpeas, edamame, or tofu (we love grilled tofu!)
- Fish: try these noodles with grilled, baked, or pan fried shrimp.
- Chicken: feel free to add cooked, cubed chicken, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
Sweet & spicy tahini noodles in 4 simple steps
- Make your sweet & spicy sauce. Start by whisking together all of the ingredients for the tahini sauce, making sure it’s fairly thin and easily pourable.
- Cook your broccoli. Next, stir fry the broccoli until it’s slightly tender but still has some crunch to it. It should crisp up nicely in the pot and get slightly golden in places.
- Make the noodles. Cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Be sure to not overcook them.
- Combine the tahini noodles. Add the cooked rice noodles and sauce to the pot with your crispy broccoli. Mix well and then serve with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if you’d like!
How to store & reheat
Feel free to store any leftover tahini noodles in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat the noodles in a microwave safe dish and enjoy!
More vegan dinners you’ll love
- 30 Minute Vegan Stir Fry Sesame Noodles with Chickpeas & Basil
- Thai-Inspired Peanut Coconut Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Mom’s Authentic Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
- Spicy Cashew Thai Chickpea Broccoli Salad
Get all of my vegan dinner recipes here!
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I hope you love these sweet and spicy tahini noodles! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Crispy Broccoli Sweet and Spicy Sesame Tahini Noodles
Ingredients
- For the sweet and spicy sauce:
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup tahini (we use Soom)
- 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar or honey)
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
- 2-4 tablespoons water, to thin the sauce
- For the broccoli:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (preferably toasted sesame oil)
- 1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets (about 4-5 cups broccoli florets)
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the noodles:
- 10 ounce rice noodles (or sub spaghetti or linguine)
- For serving:
- Red pepper flakes, if you want it extra spicy
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- First make your sweet and spicy sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, tahini, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, hot chili paste and water together. You want the sauce to be pourable and fairly thin, like a salad dressing, it will thicken as it sits a bit. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Add in broccoli florets, season with a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is slightly tender but still has a bite. The broccoli should get somewhat charred and slightly golden and crispy in places.
- While the broccoli is cooking you can make your rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Then drain and set aside.
- Once the broccoli is done cooking, you can add in your rice noodles and the tahini sauce. Toss well to combine and coat the noodles and broccoli with the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and extra red pepper flakes if you want it a little spicier. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 17th, 2021, and republished on April 24th, 2024.
131 comments
Is it normal to salivate just reading a recipe?! I’m excited to make this recipe for my kids so they’ll eat something other than white, boring pasta. (Might omit the 🌶 paste)
Haha SO NORMAL, I do it all the time 😂 Can’t wait for you to try this!!
This came out delicious! I added some sliced up chicken thighs, tossed with a little soy sauce and oyster sauce. I cooked everything else as written. This one is definitely going in the regular rotation! SO tasty!
Awesome!! That all sounds amazing. Happy you loved it!
Yummo. Once again. So flavorful. I used liquid aminos as my soy sauce, coconut sugar instead of brown and it tastes awesome. I also added a bit of chicken just for a little protein. I didn’t have sesame seeds on hand, but I will for next time! Thanks again, Monique!
Amazing! So happy you tried this one and loved it. Those are all great subs!
Absolutely Delicious!!!! Licking the bowl. Only wished I had made more of the sauce. It’s easy enough to make again tho! Thank YOU XO! Added grilled shrimp for our protein. Love your recipes!!!
Yay!! So happy you loved it. Grilled shrimp would be delish in here 🙂
Wow wow, highly recommend! Best thing I’ve made in recent memory & very easy.
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved it!
This was so flavorful and delicious. I added carrots and a bell pepper to the broccoli because I wanted more veggies and that was what I had in my fridge. To finish the dish, I squeezed half a lime onto the noodles/veggies and the added citrus really made the flavors pop! When I plated, I added some chopped cashews and basil – oh and I added some chopped chicken breast for added protein. I will definitely make this dish again!!
Nice, those are all great additions! So happy you loved it, Kelley 🙂
Another winner! This was so easy to throw together for a filling week night dinner. Loved the taste and will definitely be adding to our regular meal rotation — thank you, AK!
Woohooo! So happy you enjoyed it, Lexi!
I made this and WOWSA!! The sauce is killer and so good, next time I’m making a double batch. We were out of broccoli so I used chicken instead – made for a nice combo of carbs and protein. Next time I make this, I’m using broccoli or red pepper along with the chicken.
Absolute delish!!
AWESOME, I’m so happy to hear you loved it, Lisa!! Great idea to add in red pepper (and the broc) next time!
So easy, so delicious!
Yay!! So happy you loved this one, Kelly!
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing it with friends!
Delicious!! I didn’t have/ couldn’t find tahini, so I did peanut butter instead. So good! Will definetly make again.
PB would be great in here! So happy you loved it 🙂
So easy and quick. I added tofu and roasted the broccoli.
Ooh love those ideas! Glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
When you added the tofu, how did you cook it?
Wow this was so tasty! My husband loved it too. I will be making again for sure. It came together quickly and was fairly simple too
Yay! So happy you tried this recipe and enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!!
10/10 So good!! Super easy, will probably use a little less hot chili paste for my wimpy self (lol) and less coconut sugar next time but seriously this is delicious!
Haha yeah I like it a lil spicy! Totally fine to reduce next time 🙂 Glad you still loved these!
I made this recipe last night- not only was it easy, but it was flavorful and delicious! For the tahini sauce, I used 2T of local honey and I didn’t have chili paste, so I used a splash of Trader Joe’s Peri Peri sauce- worked great! I also sauteed bell peppers with the broccoli, but I think this would be great with mushrooms too. I will definitely be making this again in the future!
Nice!! Those are awesome additions. Glad you loved it!
Absolutely beautiful vegan meal – lots of flavor and easy to add in additional veggies. We added in red pepper and onion as extra veg. Another one of Monique’s best!
I’m so glad that you loved it, Erin! Great call on the extra veg 🙂
Soooo delicious! My husband and I LOVED the sauce-the taste and the thickness are perfect! I used the coconut sugar as suggested and loved it. This is such an easy, quick dinner that uses a lot of things I already had so we will definitely be adding it to our weekly rotation!
Aw yay, I’m so happy that you guys loved it!
Made this last night for my boyfriend and I, it was a freaking hit! We were crunched for time so this was nice and quick, delicious and the perfect amount of spice. Thank you!
Yay!! So glad you guys loved it! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Holy moly, so delicious and really easy to prep. I used honey for the sweetener and gochu jang for the chili sauce, threw in some chicken thighs for protein and garnished with chopped-up scallions. Satisfied our takeout-craving big time. 10/10 will definitely make again.
Those are all such great additions! I’m so glad you tried and loved it 🙂 Thanks so much for the review!
This is really, really good. I used cauliflower instead of broccoli and added tofu. So good! Will be definitely making this again
Those are great additions, so happy you loved this one, Julie! 🙂
Delicious and simple to make. Paired with salmon for an easy weeknight dinner.
So happy you loved it, Sonia! Bet it would be AMAZING with salmon 🙂
Ok this was seriously incredible! So easy to put together and THAT SAUCE. This is going on my regular dinner rotation for sure!
Oh yay!! I’m so happy you loved it!
This was so so so good! The perfect combo for the sauce, Added crispy tofu for protein. Make this tonight!
Yay!! SO happy to hear that you loved it. Good call on the crispy tofu–yummmm 🙂
This was FANTASTIC! I made it even more nutritious by using 2 boxes of hearts of palm “pasta” instead of rice noodles.
My husband, toddler and I loved this!!! It brings an amazing flavor with all ingredients I keep on hand I had to add a little more water than listed to thin it and even though I still thought it wasn’t enough sauce it covered the noodles perfectly for amazing flavor. I used coconut sugar and siracha (what i had) and added chicken tenders and then made some cauliflower rice on the side for mine. I just pulled some of the chicken broccoli sauce mixture out before adding noodles. Will for sure add this to our dinner rotation! Thank you AK!
Yay!! Thanks so much for sharing all of this and for the review. So happy the whole fam loved it!
This is a ridiculously good recipe. I paired it with steak strips and it’s *chef’s kiss*. This is going to be a regular staple in my meal prep rotation.
Oh yay!! So glad to hear that. Sounds delicious 🙂
Delicious and easy – definitely a recipe anyone could make well 👍. I had everything on hand which is always a win, and I added some sautéed shrimp for my dining companions (I ate it as is and thought it was delectable 👌). Thank you for your yummy recipes!
Yay! So happy you guys enjoyed it, Kimberly! Great idea to add shrimp 🙂
I thought these were delicious but our kid is OBSESSED with these noodles and has asked me everyday since if I could make them again 😂 the tahini sauce is really what makes it incredible. Adult and kid approved!!!!
OMG that is so amazing to hear! Glad that you guys are all loving it!
Monique has done it again! So quick, easy & delicious for a week night. Loved it & will be making it again 🙂
This recipe is delicious. The sauce is super flavorful. But everytime I make rice noodles they stick together! Am I doing something wrong? I wish my noodles looked moist and separated like in the photo! But I do still love the recipe!
Happy you enjoyed it! Yes, that’ll definitely happen! It may help to add the rice noodles to the sauce immediately after draining them/before they cool down.
This was a big hit in my house. Kids and husband loved it. I added chicken and used linguine as I couldn’t get rice noodles. Definitely will make again!
Woohoo! Happy you guys all loved it!
These noodles are AMAZING. My first use of tahini and I am officially hooked. Just the right amount of sweet and spicy and such a comforting bowl of warm YUM.
Omg isn’t tahini amazing?! Happy you tried and enjoyed this recipe!
We love this recipe! We’ve made it weekly since first trying it. We just sauté some chicken before hand and then use the same pan for everything. Thank you for a quick easy delicious dinner!!
Monique, you made a liar out of me. I’m typically not a fan of tahini when it’s the star of a dish. I don’t mind it when it plays a supporting role, but I’ve made too many recipes with it that just end up in the bin. I swore I’d never make any more, but then saw your recipe and thought, “ok, this is the LAST time”. Omg – I’m so glad I made this! The sauce is fantastic!! I used a gochuchang sauce for the hot chilli sauce and it was just perfect. I’ll definitely make this again! Thanks Monique!!
HAHA I love that!! I’m so thrilled to hear that you loved it despite your feelings about tahini 😝 Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Really enjoyed this dish. All of the flavors come together wonderfully. Marinated some tofu with some extra sauce and air fried it.
Oooh love the idea of using the sauce to marinate tofu. Glad you enjoyed it, Jen!
This sauce is addictive. I make it with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I have found that broccolini works great in place of broccoli, and it is much quicker to chop up. Love this as a quick(er) weeknight meal!
Right?! Those are both excellent subs 🙂
Maybe my favorite dish yet from your website, which is saying a lot as I have made quite a few of your recipes!! 😀 I added red pepper for a bit more color, cashews and basil on top, and didn’t have any chili paste on hand but DID have some gochujang paste in the fridge, and this was absolutely delicious!
Oh I’m so glad!! Love those additions — sounds amazing 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review, Claire!
This recipe is amazing and my family loved it. I omitted the chili so that my kids could eat and added individually. It was so easy to make, I paired it with grilled chicken with a soy sauce/honey/ginger marinade. Definitely will make again!
This recipe has been on my recipe spreadsheet (yes, I am a nerd) for months. Finally made it last night once I realized that the majority of the ingredients are current staples in my pantry. Omg this is so delicious! Easy, fast, and tastes just as yummy reheated. Highly highly recommend! 🤤
SO happy you tried it finally!! And happy you loved it YAY 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! Just the right amount of heat, hearty, and satisfying. Really tasty. We added red pepper and will defo make this again. So easy. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it, Louise! It’s one of my fav quick meals 🙂
Immediately added to our regular meal rotation. Last time I made this I ran out of tahini and subbed peanut butter and it was perfect! I love adding extra roasted veggies too.
This sauce is so, so good. I mixed up the veggies I used and I added some ground turkey, which I cooked with some ginger, garlic, Tamari, and gochujang. Will definitely make again.
Oooh that sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing. Happy you loved it 🙂
I’m not vegan but I make this all the time! It’s easy, delicious, and a great way to get some extra veggies in.
Made the sauce as directed and used the rest as “inspiration” – would definitely make again. Used Vietnamese knife cut noodles (highly recommend), about the same dry weight; cleaned out my veggie drawer so ended up with about 4 cups of carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, and cauliflower. All that to say, the sauce is delicious and can probably make whatever combo of veg and starch you have in your kitchen into a tasty meal.
That all sounds incredible!! So glad this recipe inspired you ❤️
I’m so obsessed with this sauce 🤤
I use sriracha for the hot sauce. I crave it all the time…thanks again Monique!
YAY! So happy you’re a fan ❤️
This was SO GOOD. I used siracha for the hot chili paste and fettuccine noodles because it’s all I had. I can’t wait to make it again. The whole family loved it. 😋 Thank you for the new favorite recipe!!
Yay! Happy to hear it came out great and that it was a hit for the whole family ❤️
Love this! I had leftover whole wheat spaghetti and lots random veggies to use up. Made this for dinner tonite! I used coconut aminos and added edamame. It was so delicious!
The sauce is perfect !
Love that! Perfect recipe for throwing in anything you have on hand 🙂
This is sooooo good, AND sooo easy to make. Great recipe, definitely plan to revisit!
This was super yummy! I am newly diagnosed gluten intolerant and have been looking for great recipes to make for dinner (family of 6). This was a hit with everyone.
Delicious! So much flavor and quick/easy to make. Definitely going on our list for repeat meals! We added some mushrooms and sriracha!
The best! Glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
Made this for dinner last night. My family loved it!! Great dish. Thanks!
I made this but with soba noodles and it was soooo good! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe! 🙂
YUM! I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out great of you and that you’re loving it! 🙂
this is my favorite recipe!!!!! i make it all the time for a quick and easy dinner and it’s SO delicious! i crave it, and haven’t gotten sick of it yet!
We loved this simple, easy meal! The sauce quickly came together and was so delicious; I loved the consistency and the flavor of the broccoli! We will definitely make this recipe again and again!
Yum! So glad you are loving this recipe and it is a hit!
First time making it and it was a hit. The flavours were amazing. Topped it off with chili crunch for an extra kick. 12 out 10 would recommend.
4.5 stars! Really easy and loved the use of tahini. When Lonique gets her partnership with Trader Joe’s, sub Soyaki would make this even easier. Made it with the sesame chicken 🤌🏻
Unique but quick weeknight pasta with loads of flavour and kick. I recommend adding the optional chilli flakes at the end. The only thing I modified is cooking the broccoli for longer so it becomes quite charred.
Adding to my best of list from this site (which doesn’t often fail to disappoint!)
Excellent! I am glad you found and are loving this recipe ❤️
Wow. Woooow! I added chickpeas and this was the most insanely delicious dinner. We love broccoli and buy a lot on hand to steam or make beef broccoli stir fry or cheddar soup. It keeps us getting our greens — esp for toddlers — in tasty ways. This is going into the line up! The tahini + chili sauce.. who knew that would be glorious?
Love this! Glad you and the family are enjoying this recipe ❤️
One of my favorite go-to meals! Easy to make and taste delicious. It has the perfect amount of spiciness!
YUM! Such a perfect blend of flavors, glad you’re enjoying it. Thank you for your comment, I seriously appreciate it!
Each time i make this it’s dry. Do i need to make more sauce? It’s edible but just a bit blah.
You could totally double the sauce to make it creamier!
This is so delicious. I love the heat and the consistency of the sauce with the pasta and veggies. I accidentally bought tahini that had Middle Eastern spices in it and I was worried, but it was still yummy. Thank you for posting, I will make this again.
Amazing! So glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out fabulous for you, Brooke 🙂
So good!! I made it with soba (buckwheat) noodles and it was a huge hit! Will be making again!
Delicious! Happy to hear you loved this recipe and it turned out great for you!
These noodles are delicious! I didn’t have broccoli on hand but had other vegetables to use up so I added those (yellow pepper, poblano pepper, jalapeno, green onion, and red onion), so I just subbed those in place of the broccoli. They are filling, healthy, and easy! Highly recommend.
Fabulous! SO glad you have this recipe a try and it turned out amazing for you!
Yummm!! So flavorful but so easy to whip up with ingredients I typically have on hand. I used sriracha instead of the chili paste. I’ll definitely be making this many times again in the future! Thanks!
Absolutely! One of our go-to’s for busy weeknights 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
WOW. This was super delicious, nutritious, and flavorful! I added carrots and red cabbage because I had them leftover in my fridge and they were a delightful addition to this already perfect recipe. Seriously, better than takeout! Thank you for yet another hit, Monique!
PS: SO excited for your cookbook to drop later this year!
WOW. This was super delicious, nutritious, and flavorful! I added carrots and red cabbage because I had them leftover in my fridge and they were a delightful addition to this already perfect recipe. Seriously, better than takeout! Thank you for yet another hit, Monique!
PS: SO excited for your cookbook to drop later this year!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing with whatever veggies you have on hand. Can’t wait to share the cookbook, too! Stay tuned 🙂
This was delicious!! Added shrimp and bell pepper instead of broccoli, but the sauce was the standout. so good!!
I just made this and it was delicious but I put too much chili paste in and burned my mouth off. I will know better for next time. Great recipe!
Like usual Monique knocked it out of the park again! So simple, nutritious and easy!!
So glad you loved it!!
Excellent!!!! Substituted Udon noodles I had on hand and served with chili crisps. It’s delicious!! Thank you!
YUM love udon noodles! Glad you enjoyed!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. What a great way to enjoy broccoli!
This is an incredibly tasty meal! I added some carrots and a yellow bell pepper to the broccoli saute, and topped it with some vegan steak tips. The sauce is divine!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Love this recipe, have made it numerous times and will adapt with different veg and use tofu/chicken or just with cashews.
If I double the sauce recipe, how long will it keep in the fridge?
Love that! The sauce should last about 3-4 days 🙂