These cold soba noodle bowls with tofu are the perfect summer dinner: nutritionally balanced and packed with flavor. Great for weeknights, meal prep, and office lunches.
These bowls come together in under an hour with chilled buckwheat noodles, sweet-savory cubes of tofu, fresh cucumbers, and a punchy soy-ginger dressing. This recipe is equally excellent for meal prep as it is for weeknights, since the noodles get to marinate in the dressing while in the fridge, arguably becoming even more delicious the next day.
Read on for all my cooking tips and ingredient variation ideas.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Soba Noodles: Soba are Japanese buckwheat noodles. Some versions are 100% buckwheat – and thus gluten-free – while others have some wheat. If you can’t find soba, use brown rice noodles, or any other type of noodle you have (lo mein, ramen, udon, etc.).
- Tofu: “Extra firm” is best for this preparation.
- Cucumbers: Cold noodles and cucumbers are a classic combo, but feel free to add other crunchy veggies, like carrots, bell peppers, or even blanched broccoli. I also like to top this bowl with kimchi.
- Peanuts: If you have an allergy, garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
- Soy Sauce: To keep this dish entirely gluten-free, substitute with tamari.
- Scallions: I love the pepperiness they add, but feel free to sub with cilantro or basil.
How to Make Soba Noodle Bowls (Step-by-Step Photos)
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Marinate the Tofu
Start by pressing your tofu (complete instructions in the recipe card below). Then cube it up, and toss with soy sauce, maple syrup, and black pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Cook the Tofu
Pan-fry the tofu in a non-stick skillet over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Watch it carefully and flip often since it can burn easily.
Step 3: Make the Dressing
While the tofu cooks, make the dressing by whisking together fresh garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and seasoned rice vinegar.
Step 4: Boil the Noodles + Assemble the Bowls
Boil the soba according to package directions; do not overcook, as they will become sticky and gummy. When they’re done, drain and rinse the noodles under cold running water. Rinsing not only makes them cold, but also washes off excess starch and prevents them from sticking together.
Lastly, toss the noodles with the dressing, cucumbers, scallions, and peanuts, and top with the tofu.
Make-Ahead Tips
This soba tofu bowl is perfect for meal prep since the noodles get even tastier the next day. And, it’s great for taking to work/school since you don’t even have to heat it up. The dressed noodles and cooked tofu will both keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Summer Dinners to Try
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
Soba Noodle Bowls with Tofu
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese-inspired
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Description
These vegan soba bowls with tofu are a flavor-packed summertime meal. Great for weeknights, meal prep, and lunchboxes.
Ingredients
For the Tofu and Noodles
- One 14-ounce block “extra firm” tofu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- About 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like avocado or refined coconut
- One 8-ounce package dry soba noodles (or any other noodles)
- 2 small cucumbers (preferably Persian), thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts*
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
For the Dressing
- 1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed, grated, or finely minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Place tofu in a tofu press, or: place it on a plate, then top with another plate or cutting board, and weigh it down with something heavy, like a couple of cans, to squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside for 15 minutes, periodically draining off the excess water.
- Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and maple syrup, and sprinkle with black pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat enough neutral oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add the tofu in a single layer and cook until it forms a brown crust, about 2 minutes; watch it carefully since it can burn quickly. Then flip and brown the tofu on most sides, cooking it for about 8 minutes total.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil for the noodles.
- Make the dressing by whisking all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl large enough to accommodate the noodles later.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions, being careful not to overcook them, which can happen quickly with soba. Then drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water, separating the strands with your hands to wash off any remaining starch.
- Transfer the soba to the bowl with the dressing, and add the cucumbers and most of the scallions and peanuts. Toss to coat; I like to toss with my hands to prevent the noodles from breaking.
- To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls and top with the tofu. Garnish with the remaining scallions and peanuts.
Notes
If you don’t have peanuts – or have an allergy – garnish with sesame seeds instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 520
KH says
this was great and tasted good which is a major achievement as I am in my first trimester and pretty much all food sounds horrible!
I used trader joes pre-marinated baked tofu – 1 packed of terikayki and 1 packet of sriracha. I also smashed my cucumbers instead of slicing them, made a bit more of the dressing and let them hang out in there while I cooked the noodles, then I moved the cucumbers to a tupperware for leftovers and put my noodles back in the bowl with remaining dressing.
Alexandra Shytsman says
Hi KH! I’m so glad this worked out for you. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and share your notes 🙂
Kris says
This was a really easy recipe. We loved the tofu and dressing especially. Thank you!
Alexandra Shytsman says
You’re welcome! Glad it worked out for you 🙂
Deidre says
This was tasty! Even though it was was easy, I sure did dirty up a lot of dishes. But will def do it again. If anyone still has a salad shooter, it was great to thinly slice the cucumbers.
Alexandra says
Thank you for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂