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An up close overhead shot of a rice noodle salad in a large bowl with lots of small-diced fresh spring vegetables. The salad is topped with chili and maple syrup roasted peanuts that have been chopped.
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Spring Rice Noodle Salad with Chili Maple Peanuts, Celery & Peas

This 30 minute spring rice noodle salad is loaded with fresh and crisp vegetables, flavourful herbs, a simple and punchy dressing, and crunchy spicy-sweet peanuts. This vegan and gluten-free dish is a satisfying side for any protein that you're serving up.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword avocado oil, brown rice noodles, cane sugar, celery, chili oil, cilantro, coconut aminos, green onions, ground chillies, lime, lime juice, maple syrup, mint, peanuts, peas, potluck dishes, radishes, rice noodles, rice vinegar, snap peas, spring, summer, tamari
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Author Laura Wright

Ingredients

Chili Maple Peanuts (makes extra)

  • 1 cup roasted and salted peanuts
  • 2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon ground chillies

Dressing

  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon chili oil
  • 1 teaspoon cane sugar/agave nectar/maple syrup
  • ground black pepper, to taste

Rice Noodle Salad

  • 16 oz Brown rice noodles
  • avocado oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 sticks celery, finely sliced
  • 1 heaped cup snap peas, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (could also use fresh shelled peas)
  • 4-5 radishes, chopped
  • 3 green onions, sliced thin
  • ⅓ cup mint leaves, chopped
  • ⅓ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions

  • Make the chili maple peanuts. Preheat a dry, medium skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the peanuts, maple syrup, and chillies. It's going to really sizzle! Cook, stirring frequently, until syrup is caramelized/clinging and the peanuts are toasted, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the peanuts to a plate and scatter them out in a single layer with a spatula. Let them cool completely.
  • Make the dressing. In a sealable jar, combine the coconut aminos, lime juice, rice vinegar, avocado oil, chili oil, sugar, and black pepper. Close the lid tightly and give it a vigorous shake to combine. Set aside.
  • Cook the rice noodles according to package directions and drain. As soon as you drain them, run some cold water over the noodles to cool them down and to wash off excess starch. Then, drizzle a bit of avocado oil over the drained noodles and give them a toss with your hands to coat.
  • Transfer the cooked rice noodles to a large bowl and toss them with half of the dressing and some salt and pepper.
  • Roughly chop the cooled chili maple peanuts.
  • To the noodles, add the celery, snap peas, peas, radishes, green onions, mint, cilantro, and remaining dressing. Give everything a good toss to combine. Check the salad for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Then, garnish the rice noodle salad with more herbs and the chopped chili maple peanuts. I like to reserve some of the peanuts for topping individual servings.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can use Tamari instead of coconut aminos. I do find that Tamari has a deeper, much more salty flavour, so I would cut the amount back to 1/4 cup or even 3 tablespoons if you're sensitive to salty flavours.
  • I use the ground Guntur Sannam Chillies from Diaspora Co. for the peanuts. They are incredible here!
  • The chili maple peanuts can go from perfectly glazed and golden to burnt really fast. I recommend keeping an eye on them the entire time and stirring constantly.