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Summer Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Noodles

Summer Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Noodles

Peanut noodles from a slow cooker. I know it sounds like a weird flex, but stay with me here. This Summer Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Noodles recipe delivers silky, umami-loaded noodles with tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, and a deeply savory broth that tastes like it came from a restaurant kitchen. And you made it in a crockpot. While doing other things. Legendary.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: crockpot, DINNER, healthy dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 525
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Full Ingredients List
  • Mushrooms and vegetables:
  • 3 shiitake mushrooms sliced
  • 3.5 oz hon-shimeji mushrooms also called brown beech mushrooms
  • 1 small yellow onion cut in half and sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 3 –4 bundles bok choy cut in half lengthwise
  • Protein:
  • 1 16 oz package super firm tofu, drained and cubed
  • Broth and seasoning:
  • 8 cups broth vegan chicken-style broth strongly recommended see notes below
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Noodles:
  • 6 –8 oz noodles chuka soba or Japanese soba noodles recommended
  • Optional toppings:
  • Sliced green onion
  • Sesame seeds
  • Chili oil
  • A Note on the Broth — This Part Actually Matters
  • Here's where a lot of slow cooker noodle recipes fall flat. Standard vegetable broth is watery and bland after hours of cooking and it makes your whole dish taste thin. Vegan chicken-style broth is the move here it has a depth and richness that holds up through the full cook time and carries the soy sauce and sesame flavors properly.
  • If you only have regular veggie broth compensate by adding extra soy sauce or a tablespoon of miso paste. FYI a mix of 6 cups vegan chicken broth and 2 cups water works really well if you're watching your sodium intake. You get the flavor without the salt overload.

Equipment

  • No complicated setup required. Here's your kit:
  • 1 slow cooker any standard size works, but a 6-quart gives you plenty of room
  • A cutting board and sharp knife for prepping the mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables
  • A ladle — for serving
  • Measuring spoons
  • That's genuinely the whole list. The slow cooker handles everything else.

Method
 

  1. Step 1 — Build the Base (10 Minutes Prep)
  2. Add everything except the bok choy and noodles to your slow cooker mushrooms, onion, garlic, carrots, cubed tofu, broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ground ginger. Give everything a good stir so the seasonings distribute evenly through the broth.
  3. Step 2 — Cook Low and Slow
  4. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Walk away. The slow cooker does the heavy lifting while you go about your day. By the time it's done, your broth will be deeply flavorful and your tofu will have absorbed all that goodness.
  5. Step 3 — Add Bok Choy and Noodles (Last 5 Minutes)
  6. This step matters don't add the bok choy or noodles at the start. They cook fast and will turn to mush if you add them too early. Once your timer goes off, add the bok choy and noodles directly to the slow cooker and cook on low for just 3–5 minutes. Stir and check that the noodles are cooked through.
  7. Step 4 — Taste, Adjust, and Serve
  8. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning more soy sauce if it needs salt, a splash more rice vinegar if it needs brightness. Ladle into bowls and top with green onion, sesame seeds, and chili oil. Serve immediately.

Notes

My Full Nutrition Breakdown Per Serving

Here's what one bowl delivers:
Nutrient
 Amount
Calories
 525 kcal
Carbohydrates
 59g
Protein
 42g
Fat
 17g