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15 Minute Garlic Lime Cashew Zoodles

Published / Updated / 116 Comments

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These 15 minute garlic lime cashew zoodles are a super easy and healthy vegan meal option. This is a snap to make, and the sauce is addictive!

bowl of garlic lime cashew zoodles with lime wedges

This recipe ended up being a bit of a spur of the moment thing, but it all worked out.

I originally envisioned this to be a cold salad, but I realized that making the dressing would be easier if I heated it up, and then it morphed into a warm meal. So glad I went this route.

zucchini noodles in a glass bowl

These garlic lime cashew zoodles are surprisingly filling. I only managed to eat half the bowl pictured, and it's not even a huge bowl.

The cashews as well as the peanut butter in the sauce provide plenty of substance. I had this as an entree, but I also think it would work as a side dish.

close-up of 15-minute garlic lime cashew zoodles in a bowl with lime wedges

I spiralized the carrot on the thinnest setting, so it cooks really fast. The zucchini is spiralized on the medium setting and the zoodles are nicely "al dente" when cooking is done.

The easiest way to cook this is by continuously tossing everything in the pan with tongs (or use two spoons) so the zucchini doesn't overcook and everything gets heated through nice and evenly. You only cook the zoodles for about 4-5 minutes, so this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights!

bowl of garlic lime cashew zucchini noodles

The sauce is a combination of garlic, sriracha, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and peanut butter. As the zucchini noodles release water, it becomes more liquid, coating everything with fantastic flavor.

A sprinkle of cilantro at the end is all that's needed to complete this super easy meal.

bowl of vegan garlic lime cashew zoodles with fork

Did you know that in the UK they refer to zoodles as "courgetti"? I found that out the other day, and I like it! They refer to zucchini as "courgettes", and of course it's a play on "spaghetti". Clever.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one! 🙂

This is the spiralizer I used for this recipe.

If you're into quick spiralizer recipes, you may also like my 15 minute garlic shrimp zoodles recipe.

 

Questions? Leave me a comment.

These 15 minute garlic lime cashew zoodles are a super easy and healthy vegan meal option. This is a snap to make, and the sauce is addictive!

15 Minute Garlic Lime Cashew Zoodles

These 15 minute garlic lime cashew zoodles are a super easy and healthy vegan meal option.
4.96 from 25 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 mins
Cook Time 7 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 2
Calories 490 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 large carrots peeled
  • 3/4 cup cashews
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped

Sauce:

  • 2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sriracha sauce (or more if you like it spicy!)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

Instructions
 

  • Spiralize the carrots on the thinnest setting, and spiralize the zucchini on the medium setting. Set aside.
  • Add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and garlic to a skillet on medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, cook it for about 2 minutes or until the garlic has just started to cook.
  • Add the cashews, zucchini, and carrots. Using tongs or two large spoons, gently toss/lift up the pan contents every 10-20 seconds or so for about 4-5 minutes until everything is lightly cooked and heated through. The zucchini will release some liquid, which will help to make a nice sauce. When it's almost ready, add the cilantro in and toss. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • The zucchini I bought from the grocery store were fairly skinny and around 6-8 inches long. Keep in mind that home-grown zucchini is typically a lot larger. Be careful not to overcook this dish, or it'll end up a watery mess.
Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. 

Nutrition

Calories: 490kcal
Keyword garlic lime cashew zoodles, vegan zoodles recipe
Author Natasha Bull

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  1. Nancy Andres says

    5 stars
    Sounds and looks like a wonderful recipe. I pinned this post and may use it for one of this year's holiday meals. Keep up the good work. Warm regards, Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health.

    Reply

  3. Sydney Mead says

    5 stars
    I actually made this as a salad. Instead of cooking the ingredients, I just put everything in a bowl and mixed. Put it in the fridge for a while to cool down. Everyone loved it. I used Almond Butter instead of peanut butter. I didn't have Sriracha sauce but used The Pepper Plant original hot sauce. Will definitely make again.

    Reply

  4. Megan Mitchell says

    5 stars
    My husband and I LOVE this recipe! We have it at least once a week! How do you think this recipe would do if I used pad thai/rice noodles? Think I'd need to add some water to the recipe to thin out the sauce a bit?

    Reply

  6. Matt Seid says

    5 stars
    My fiancee is usually the chef in our household but she had work today while I still have a break from the office - I surprised her with this dish and she was thrilled (and surprised I was capable of making something this good and healthy)! I doubled up on all the main ingredients so we had leftovers for the week so I used double hoisin, soy, lime, and sriracha to make the sauce last, as well as 3 zuccs and carrots. GREAT disclaimer on the recipe note about overcooking and the sauce becoming watery...I definitely made this mistake but moved my zoodles to a different bowl and reduced the watery mess into a delicious tangy peanut butter sauce which worked out great.
    We're trying to make our diets more plant based in 2020 and this meal will probably be a cornerstone of that lifestyle ! THANKS!

    Reply

  7. Nastia says

    5 stars
    I make this one frequently now! It is such a great dish, my husband and I both love it (and we are not vegetarian, but this dish doesn't need meat next to it). It is so filling. My BIL is vegan, I am passing this recipe to him.
    LOVE THIS ONE! I made it also with Maggi sauce once (didn't have hoisin) and it still worked

    Reply

  8. vivienne wynter says

    Hello from Australia. I made this tonight and it's rich and delicious. Kept the Zoodles crunchy by not overcooking as per your tip Natasha. Used natural peanut butter and just added water and more lime to make it saucy. Thank you for sharing this. Very tasty, easy, delicious and healthy.

    Reply

  9. Brette says

    Sounds too good not to try. I don’t have a spiralizer (gadget aversion syndrome), but I think I can make strips with a potato peeler.

    Reply

  11. Deborah Pastor says

    5 stars
    So good - and in only 10 minutes! (I used pre-made zoodles.) I made it according to the recipe - except I spritzed some Pam on the teflon pan before cooking. What I loved about this dish is that it is perfect with zoodles. I eat low carb and using zoodles instead of noodles can be a culinary let-down. But I think this dish is actually better with zoodles because they offset the richness of the sauce. There are so many dietary restrictions these days: vegan, paleo, gluten-free etc.. it makes having people over for dinner difficult. For my next dinner party, I am making this dish and then passing around a bowl of cooked shrimp and a bowl of marinated tofu. Guests can make their own choices!

    Reply

  14. Liz says

    I have picky eaters at my house who don’t like zoodles but the flavors of the sauce sound too lovely not to try, Do you think this would work with whole wheat spaghetti if i heated up the sauce in a separate pan and tossed to coat?

    Reply

  16. Lindsay says

    5 stars
    Hi, I made this tonight and it is delicious! I do not own a spirilizer so I used frozen zoodles. I just ended up having to cook it longer to get some of the liquid to evaporate, and that meant my zoodles were extra soggy but the taste was still sooo good. I think tomorrow I will try cooking the zoodles first and then halfway thru THEN add the sauce. Oh and I omitted the siracha cuz I’m a wuss, lol, but still good!

    Reply

  17. Monica D says

    Oh my gosh, haven’t made this yet (thought planning on it for later in the week) but HAD to say thanks for the delightful little “courgetti” tidbit!

    Reply

  18. Trisha says

    I am going to make this tonight but am using frozen Zoodles and frozen spiraled carrots. They are the kind you steam in the bag. Have you tried this or know if anyone that had luck doing it this way? Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Trisha! Hmm you could look thru the comments, but nothing comes to mind - sorry! Could you just steam them and cook them for a little less time maybe? Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  19. Ashley Wilson says

    Hello!

    I was wondering if the brand of peanut butter makes a difference? I was going to use Justine's organic peanut butter but I know in some recipes it doesn't work very well because it is organic. I was wondering if you had an experience using Justine's?

    Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Ashley! I haven't tried that particular one, but based on some prev. comments, the natural PBs don't tend to melt as well. I just used a standard creamy PB.

      Reply

  20. Darshan says

    5 stars
    This was delicious!!! I didnt have any cashews so I just threw in the nuts I did have (almonds) for some crunch. I was able to eat in 20min, start to finish (I added chicken to mine) and it turned out so good. Thank you for this recipe! It wont be the last time I make it!!

    Reply

  21. Jai says

    I don't have a spiraler but the market by me sells them prespiraled. Would you said you used a lb of zucchini and carrots? I can't wait to try this!

    Reply

  22. LuminousDayz says

    5 stars
    I didn't have the tool to create zoodles so instead cut my vegies into small chunks which still tasted fantastic. I can't wait to try this with the zoodles instead.

    Reply

    • Dori says

      To everyone saying they don’t have a Spiralizer, I got one at Walmart for like $9.
      I think it’s called the “Tasty 3-in-1 Spiralizer and Juicer” or something. It’s small and doesn’t take up any more space than a water glass would and it works like a charm.

      Reply

  23. Amanda G says

    5 stars
    This receipe was fantastic! I didn't have Hoisin, so I subbed Teriyaki sauce. It was excellent, and my husband went back for heaping seconds. I use natural peanut butter, so my "sauce" was a thick clump in the wok to start, but the water released by the zoodles was just enough to make a perfect sauce texture by the time it was cooked (8 minutes in the open wok). Adding to my list of go-to week night dinners! Thank you!

    Reply

  25. Jessica says

    5 stars
    I wasn't in the mood for zoodles when I picked out this recipe, but still didn't want to go full noodle. I ended up using tofu shirataki noodles, and it was delicious! I drained and rinsed the noodles, and then boiled them for 3 minutes before adding them to the sauce. I tweaked the amount of sauce halfway through (about 1.5 times the amount in the recipe) because not all of the noodles were coated. Even though the noodles don't give off much water, the sauce was the perfect amount of sticky--I think this was due to the oils in my natural peanut butter. Next time I make this, I think I'll use half zoodles and half shirataki.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm pretty sure it would become mush. I haven't frozen it before, but I have re-heated it, and it isn't as good as when it's first made since the zucchini continue to release water.

      Reply

  28. Jill Kreiss Tinsley says

    5 stars
    Just made this and ate the whole thing. I felt like I was eating a yummy asian dish. The zoodles really tasted like noodles, the sauce was great and the cashews are what made it awesome! Thanks for the great dinner recipe!

    Reply

  30. Stacey says

    I’m glad someone else had the same problem as me. My peanut butter just soaked up the sauces and clumped up and burned in chunks even bough I was constantly stirring. I wasn’t able to recover it. Im so confused why it just didn’t work for me?? I used a regular brand of creamy pb...

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hmm I'm confused too! That is strange. I've made this several times the same way as the recipe is written, and that never happened to me. I'm now thinking if you're willing to try it again, maybe a lower heat would be better? But I'm puzzled since I always cook it on a fairly high heat. Sorry it didn't work for you!

      Reply

  31. Clara says

    5 stars
    Hi Natasha,
    Loved the recipe. I had an issue though. My peanut butter didn't melt like yours does, rather it clumped together and I had to add water to try turn it to paste. My peanut butter was a Co-op brand product. Any advice on this?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hmmm... the first 2 thoughts that came to my mind is that 1) is it a natural peanut butter? I used a creamy peanut butter (Kraft). 2) Did you cook it on high enough of a heat? I'm glad you still liked the recipe and were able to troubleshoot at least!

      Reply

  32. Clara says

    5 stars
    Hi Natasha,
    Loved this recipe. Only issue I had was that my peanut butter did not melt like yours did in the video. It kind of just clumped up and wouldn't separate. I had to add water to it. Any advice on this?

    Reply

  33. Heidi says

    5 stars
    I really love this recipe uncooked. I just toss the dressing on the spiralized veggies, sprinkle the cilantro and cashews over top and eat it as a salad. Yum!

    Reply

  35. Cherokee Lawrence says

    5 stars
    OMG, this recipe is so good. We ate it 3 times in 2 weeks. I was worried my husband wouldn't like it so didn't tell him what the zoodles were until he was enjoying it. He loved the spicy flavor filled meal! Yeah. 🙂

    Reply

  36. Sandra says

    5 stars
    Very good. I was worried at first because it seemed too dry but yes, the juice from the zucchini cooking turned it into a nice sauce. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Thanks, Sandra! Yeah, zucchini release a LOT of water. I find many zoodles recipes to be too watery, so I tried to take advantage of that in this recipe haha.

      Reply

  37. Sara says

    This was so good! I made it with half peanut butter and half almond butter and it turned out really well. I also didn’t have any carrots so I used butternut squash noodles with the zucchini noodles...thanks for the recipe

    Reply

  39. Catherine says

    Do you think grill shrimp would work well in this dish? If so what spice would you put on the shrimp for grilling? Also, I would like to make this for 10 people. Do you think that is too many as far as cooking the zoodles?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Catherine! Yes, I think grilled shrimp would definitely work. My tequila lime grilled shrimp would go well, so that's an idea - here's the link: https://www.saltandlavender.com/tequila-lime-shrimp/ or else you could just do something like a Cajun or Southwest seasoning. 10 people sounds like a lot. I worry a bit because you'd have to make it in batches, and this dish can get a bit watery if you let it sit for too long.

      Reply

  42. Jilljill says

    Do you have any nutritional information on this dish, maybe Cal's, carbs, sugar etc...looks yummy but just wondering how I could fit this into my diet.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi there! Sorry - I don't calculate nutritional info for most of my recipes. Long story short, I find the online calorie/nutrition calculators to be generally unreliable, and I am not a trained nutritionist myself, so I worry about putting inaccurate info out there. Ingredients also can vary (e.g. the brand of hoisin sauce in this recipe or even the size of the cashews), which can throw calorie counts off by a fair bit. If you have the ingredients on-hand, you could probably work it out based on the exact ingredients you have and the quantities you're using. I know that's probably not the answer you're looking for. I hope you still decide to try the recipe... it is really tasty. 🙂

      Reply

  44. Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love says

    Sounds delicious Natasha! Adding the tip about not over cooking is a great idea. The first time I made zoodles I over cooked them and just like you said I ended up with more of a soup. It actually ended up being tasty, just not appealing 🙂 I love the simple Asian flavors in your meal. My son can't have peanuts so I often sub in almond butter in dishes like these. I like the idea of adding cashews too! Pinned it 🙂

    Reply

  45. Alice says

    Hoisin sauce is NOT gluten free. Specialty stores will carry GF hoisin sauce but you must be careful to ensure that the label is marked GF.

    Reply

      • Elspeth says

        I came here from Pinterest, and I think I see the misunderstanding - they're referred to it as "Vegetarian and gluten-free". Not your mistake, the mistake of whoever pinned it.

        Reply

        • Natasha says

          Ah ok. I was wondering if that could be it! Another reason could be because Pinterest pulls recipe info from websites and sometimes things go wrong when they generate the descriptions for their "rich pins".

          Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Susan! I buy the unsalted cashews from the bulk bins of the grocery store. Pretty sure they're roasted.

      Reply

  47. Lisa says

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe a few times, and it is absolutely fabulous! It has rapidly became one of my favorite recipes. The last time I made it, I increased the amount of sauce and added tofu, it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  48. Fawn says

    Hi Natasha, have you ever tried making this recipe and saving it for the next day? I'm wondering how it holds up and reheats. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Fawn! I have, actually, and it goes a bit limp and watery. It still tastes fine, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely have to.

      Reply

  49. Connie Rhoads says

    What type of spiralixer did you use? I don't seem to have any luck spiralizing carrots and I have 3 kinds of spiralizers.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Connie, they can be a bit tricky. I have the Paderno one. I always cut the carrot into a few pieces first, and I try to buy the largest carrots I can find.

      Reply

  50. Angela Heid says

    5 stars
    This was our first attempt at zoodles and it was easy and delicious! Felt like a comfort food but healthier. Loved it!

    Reply

  51. Jenn says

    I just made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! i threw on some chopped green onions too. so, yummy. fantastic recipe!

    Reply

  52. Moxhelle says

    I would think cashew butter would also work well for this dish...going to try since I am allergic to peanuts! This looks amazing! Will be on the menu for this weekend!

    Reply

  53. Cindy Rodriguez says

    I was scanning for dessert recipes, but this one caught my eye and I had to dig in. I love zucchini noodles and believe it or not, my kids love them too! And with a healthy meal like this, I can feel less guilty about all the sweets I feed them. Thanks!

    Reply

  56. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

    This looks delicious Natasha. Glad you opted to make it a warm meal.The sauce sounds fabulous!

    Reply