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Somen salad is originally a noodle salad from Japan, but it became a whole heck-of-a-lot more popular when it was reimagined by Hawaiian cooks who would make it with fish cakes and spam. But hold on, m'love, because this completely vegan somen salad recipe is ready to eat in just 20 minutes, has even more flavor than the original, and you can knock it out of the park even if you sorta suck at cooking.
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
Swap in 200 g. of dried rice noodles or shirataki noodles for the somen, both work great and keep this gluten-free.
Short on time? Skip the optional togarashi beancurd step entirely, the noodles and veggies alone still make a full bowl.
Skip pricey store-bought furikake and shake together a cheap batch of homemade furikake for garnish instead.
Pile on extra shredded carrot, cabbage, or daikon for even more crunch and vegetables in every bowl.
No mirin in the house? Whisk together rice vinegar and agave nectar instead, it stands in just fine for the dressing.
Be mindful of the cooking time for your noodles so that they are still al dente.
The dressing should be perfectly balanced. Everyone has different tastes. So tweak the amount of sweetener, vinegar, or tamari to suit your preferences.
Drain and rinse under cold water for a couple of minutes until no starch remains. Let them drain thoroughly.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
Somen noodles are often compared to soba, another traditional Japanese noodle, as both are commonly served chilled with a flavorful dipping sauce made from soy sauce, ponzu, or mirin. Untraditional as it is, I'll enjoy a chilled bowl of either somen or soba noodles any day of the week with Vietnamese peanut sauce, nam prik pao, or vegan nuoc cham all up in them.
Anyway, the main difference is that somen, thin Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, are pale white, thinner, and milder in flavor compared to the nutty, light brown soba noodles, which are crafted primarily (sometimes even entirely) from buckwheat. Unlike somen, the denser texture of soba comes from being cut rather than stretched, as its much lower gluten content limits elasticity.
What makes this particular recipe a downright knockout is its versatility. You can super-easily customize it by adding protein-rich toppings like tofu, edamame, or vegan chicken. Or, keep it simple and seasonal, using whatever shredded veggies you want to add from your garden.
Ready for a slammin' fresh meal that comes together lightning fast? This bad boy is about to become your new fave!
Super tasty and came together really quickly. I used tofu puffs sliced thinly as I couldn't get my hands on bean curd, and it worked well.
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🥰 Why You'll Adore This Somen Salad Recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Japanese recipes, this cold noodle dish is made without any animal products, and it's easy to make it gluten-free if you use rice noodles in place of the somen. No Japanese fish cake, bonito flakes, or cholesterol in this one!
⏲️ Quick and Convenient: This recipe takes only 20 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy weeknights or manic speed-freak meal-prep sessions.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I publish, this tasty cold dish was shared with and replicated successfully by a team of hundreds of recipe testers from all around the world.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🍜 Somen Salad Ingredients
Somen Noodles
These thin Japanese wheat noodles made from finely milled wheat flour are known for their silky, smooth texture. You can use soba noodles in place of somen if you can't find any somen.
If you are gluten-free, you can make this recipe using 200 grams of dried rice noodles (I like the super thin ones that I use to make bami goreng) or shirataki noodles.
Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is used three different ways in this recipe-first to coat the noodles and prevent them from sticking, second to sauté the beancurd, and again in the dressing. I especially like toasted sesame oil and use it all the time in my sundubu jigae recipe and Korean BBQ Sauce. If you have a sesame allergy, you can make this recipe with olive or even vegetable oil, and it will still work.
Beancurd (optional)
The beancurd I suggest for making this comes frozen at most Japanese grocery stores. It's got an amazing layered, chicken-like texture. Normally, somen is served with egg, but I think this has a way more exciting texture, doesn't harm animals, and contains no cholesterol.
If you can't find frozen beancurd in your local Asian grocery stores, I would recommend using pressed, frozen soft tofu as demonstrated in my tofu katsu recipe and in my tofu karaage recipe.
Not really trying to have a lot of soy in your life? You can chop up little pieces of vegan yakitori and use it in place of the beancurd too!
Shichimi Togarashi
A Japanese seven-spice blend featuring chili pepper, sesame seeds, and nori, this ingredient adds heat and umami to the beancurd. You can use a store-bought one, but my shichimi togarashi recipe is crazy fast and easy if you want to make your own.
Mirin
Mirin's a sweet Japanese rice wine used to add depth and a tiny hint of acidity to dressings, marinades, and sauces. If mirin is unavailable, a substitute can be made using rice vinegar mixed with agave nectar.
I use it in my vegan bulgogi and sometimes in my banh bao chay (Vietnamese steamed buns).
Yuzu Juice
The dressing for this really sings when made with yuzu, a Japanese juice with a unique floral-citrus flavor. If you can't find yuzu juice (again, it's an online or at-the-Asian-food-store thing), rice vinegar still works great in this recipe.
You know what else rocks as a replacement for yuzu? Calamansi juice! That's the citrus used in a lot of my vegan Filipino recipes like tofu sisig and Ginataang Langka.
Furikake
A Japanese seasoning blend of dried seaweed, sesame seeds, and sometimes dried fish, furikake adds umami and texture. Because I'm vegan, I just make my own furikake recipe, but if you don't have the 10 minutes or so that takes, Trader Joe's has a reliably vegan one you can use instead.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Somen Salad with Goma Dressing
Instead of the thinner dressing in this somen salad recipe, you can top it with creamy, super-popular Japanese goma dressing.
Sriracha or Sambal Oelek Beancurd Somen Salad
Want your beancurd to be a wee bit less basic? After it's lightly golden, add a spoonful of sriracha or sambal oelek to your taste and let the spicy sauce caramelize into the beancurd. Once the salad's composed, drizzle the spicy beancurd with a little vegan kewpie mayo to chill it out.
Japanese Cucumber and Yamagobo Somen
Instead of plain julienned cucumber, you can use classic sunomono for a more tender texture with even more flavor. Serve the salad with julienned yamagobo (pickled burdock root) for a nice crunch and nourishing earthiness.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to Make Somen Noodle Salad
Nail this colorful noodle salad on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Send Noods:
Cook the somen noodles (or other white Japanese noodles) in boiling water according to the package instructions (the thin noodles usually don't need to boil for much longer than 2-3 minutes).
Once ready, drain and rinse under cold running water for a couple of minutes until no starch remains. Let them drain thoroughly.
Step Two
Oil of Ole:
Transfer the cold noodles to a bowl and toss with sesame oil, ensuring every strand gets a light, glossy coating to prevent sticking.
Step Three
Bird, Bird, Bird, Beancurd's the (Optional) Word
If using the beancurd, heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds, add the sliced tofu and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden on all sides.
Step Four
Spice, Spice Baby (Uh, Also Optional):
Sprinkle shichimi togarashi, rice vinegar, and salt over the sautéed beancurd. Stir-fry for 2 more minutes over medium heat until the seasonings are evenly absorbed and aromatic.
Step Five
Veggie Prep:
Prep the veggies: julienne the carrots, daikon radish, cucumber, and purple cabbage. Thinly slice the red radish and chop the white parts of the scallions.
Step Six
Somen Salad Dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together yuzu juice (or rice vinegar), tamari, mirin, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves completely and the dressing is smooth.
Step Seven
Noodle Bowling Alley:
Start plating by adding the cold noodles to individual bowls. Arrange the cooked beancurd (if using) and prepared veggies around the edges for a pretty, composed presentation.
Drizzle the dressing generously over the noodles and veggies.
Step Eight
Bruce Sprink-Steen:
Garnish with sesame seeds, furikake, fried shallots, or thin slices of green onions as desired. It's a really nice nourishing meal to enjoy on a hot day.
👉Top tips
- Don't Overcook the Noodles: Be mindful of the cooking time for your noodles so that they are still al dente. Whether you're using fresh, frozen, dried, or even gluten-free noodles, you don't want cold somen noodles to be sad and mushy.
- Adjust the Sauce to Taste: The dressing as written should be perfectly balanced. But, look, I get it. Everyone has different tastes. So tweak the amount of sweetener, vinegar, or tamari to suit your preferences.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
If you can't find somen noodles, soba noodles are a pretty perfect substitute and tend to come in the same pre-measured bundles this recipe calls for. Otherwise, you could totally rock this out with fresh yakisoba or ramen noodles (especially if you have some leftover from making my vegan yakisoba)
I've even made this salad using the glass noodles you might otherwise use to make stirfries, such as pad woon sen.
Some folks want a thicker dressing on their noodle bowl. My personal recommendation would be to use goma dressing if you are that kind of person. But otherwise, simply whisk a spoonful of tahini paste (the same stuff you would use to prep your own tarator) into the dressing.
✌️You'll prob. also love these vegan Japanese recipes:
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Somen Salad with Togarashi Beancurd & Yuzu Dressing
Ingredients
Noodles:
- 2 bundles somen noodles (90 g. each)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Optional Togarashi Beancurd:
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cups beancurd thinly sliced (200 g.)
- 2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Vegetables:
- ½ cup carrot julienne cut or shredded
- ½ cup daikon radish julienne cut
- ¼ cup red radish or watermelon radish thinly sliced
- 1 Persian cucumber julienne cut
- ¼ cup red cabbage shredded
- 2 scallions white parts only, chopped
Somen Salad Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon yuzu juice or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari or to taste
- 4 teaspoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Optional Garnishes:
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon furikake
- 2 teaspoons fried shallots or French fried onions
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the Noodles: Cook the somen noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse them under cold water until completely cool. Set aside to drain thoroughly.
- Coat the Noodles: Once dry, place the noodles into a bowl and mix with the sesame oil.
- Prepare the Beancurd (Optional): If including the beancurd in your salad, while the noodles are cooking, heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the sliced beancurd and sauté for 5-6 minutes until lightly golden. Add the shichimi togarashi, rice vinegar, and salt, and continue to stir-fry the beancurd for 2 more minutes until it is seasoned evenly.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Cut the carrot, watermelon radish, Persian cucumber, and purple cabbage into thin julienne strips. Chop the white parts of the scallions.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the yuzu juice (or rice vinegar), tamari, mirin, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves.
- Assemble the Salad: Compose each bowl by placing a portion of the noodles at the bottom of the bowl, arranging the beancurd and sliced veggies around the perimeter.
- Add the Garnishes: Pour the dressing over the vegetables and noodles. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, furikake, fried shallots, and thinly sliced scallion as desired.
Notes
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Ren says
Super tasty and came together really quickly. I used tofu puffs sliced thinly as I couldn’t get my hands on bean curd, and it worked well.
Kimbi Walton says
Fast and so tasty! The leftovers (if there are any) are great cold and taken in a lunchbox.