Chinese peanut noodles are a popular noodle dish that combines noodles, vegetables, protein and a savory peanut sauce. With a creamy, nutty flavor profile, this noodle bowl makes for a satisfying meal. But many people wonder just how many calories are packed into a serving of Chinese peanut noodles.
What Are the Main Ingredients in Chinese Peanut Noodles?
Chinese peanut noodles are made up of several main components:
- Noodles: The noodle base is traditionally made from egg noodles or wheat noodles like spaghetti, linguine or udon. The noodles soak up the tasty peanut sauce.
- Vegetables: Popular fresh veggies include cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and scallions. These add crunch and nutrients.
- Protein: Proteins like chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or tofu are commonly added. They provide a boost of protein.
- Peanut sauce: A blend of peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and other spices make up the flavorful peanut sauce that coats each strand of noodles.
The specific ingredients and amounts may vary between recipes, but these tend to form the base of most peanut noodle dishes.
How Many Calories Are in Peanut Sauce?
The creamy peanut sauce is truly the star of this noodle dish. It’s made up of:
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Spices like red pepper flakes
Here is the nutrition breakdown for a typical peanut sauce (about 1/4 cup):
| Peanut Sauce (1/4 cup) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Peanut butter (2 Tbsp) | 188 |
| Soy sauce (1 Tbsp) | 10 |
| Rice vinegar (1 Tbsp) | 5 |
| Sesame oil (1 tsp) | 40 |
| Garlic (1 clove) | 4 |
| Ginger (1/2 tsp) | 2 |
| Red pepper flakes (pinch) | 1 |
| Total | 250 |
A quarter cup of creamy peanut sauce contains around 250 calories. This will coat at least 4 servings of noodles.
Calories in Noodles
Noodles are the main bulk and carbohydrate source in peanut noodle dishes. The calorie count differs based on the type:
| Noodles (1 cup) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Egg noodles | 200 |
| Wheat noodles | 174 |
| Rice noodles | 356 |
| Udon noodles | 174 |
| Soba noodles | 174 |
| Ramen noodles | 188 |
Egg noodles, wheat noodles, udon and soba noodles contain around 170-200 calories per cup. Rice noodles are higher at 356 calories. Ramen noodles clock in around 188 calories.
Calories in Protein
Protein gives peanut noodles staying power. Here are the calories for common add-ins:
| Protein (4 ounces) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 140 |
| Pork tenderloin | 144 |
| Shrimp | 112 |
| Firm tofu | 120 |
| Beef | 180 |
4 ounces of protein ranges from about 110-180 calories depending on the type. Shrimp is lowest at 112 calories, while beef is highest at 180 calories.
Calories in Vegetables
Crunchy fresh vegetables add nutrients and bulk without much impact on calories. Here’s a look at common veggie additions:
| Vegetable (1 cup) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Carrots | 45 |
| Cabbage | 22 |
| Bell pepper | 30 |
| Cucumber | 16 |
| Bean sprouts | 31 |
| Scallions | 32 |
One cup of vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, cucumber and scallions contains 30 calories or less. Cabbage is lowest at 22 calories per cup.
Putting It All Together
Now let’s look at an entire peanut noodle bowl:
| Ingredient | Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Egg noodles | 1 cup | 200 |
| Chicken breast | 4 oz | 140 |
| Peanut sauce | 1/4 cup | 250 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 45 |
| Cabbage | 1 cup | 22 |
| Total | 657 |
A typical single serving of Chinese peanut noodles contains around 657 calories. This includes 1 cup egg noodles, 4oz chicken breast, 1/4 cup peanut sauce, 1 cup carrots and 1 cup cabbage.
You can further customize your noodle bowl by swapping ingredients. Subbing in shrimp instead of chicken would decrease calories, while using beef would increase it. Adding extra protein or more peanut sauce will also drive up calories.
Ways to Reduce Calories in Peanut Noodles
If you’re looking for ways to lighten up this noodle dish, here are some tips:
- Use spiralized vegetables instead of noodles – zucchini noodles save about 200 calories
- Choose lower calorie proteins like shrimp or tofu
- Bulk up on veggies like cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts
- Use natural peanut butter instead of regular
- Flavor the sauce with lime juice and chili sauce instead of oil
- Cut back on the amount of peanut sauce
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce
- Skip nuts or fried onions as garnish
With a few simple substitutions and reductions, you can easily make this noodle bowl around 500 calories or less per serving.
Conclusion
Chinese peanut noodles contain around 657 calories in a typical single serving with egg noodles, chicken, peanut sauce and vegetables. The high calorie peanut sauce accounts for about 250 calories per quarter cup. Swapping spiralized veggies instead of noodles, reducing the sauce and adding more low cal veggies can lower the total down to 500 calories. With a great blend of noodles, protein, veggies and signature peanut flavor, this noodle bowl makes a nutritious meal any night of the week.