30 Cold Noodle Recipes To Make All Summer Long

When the weather is blisteringly hot, the last thing you want to do is eat a steaming hot serving of pasta. But that doesn't mean that your noodle cravings are just going to go away automatically — you may still want to dig into a big bowl of pasta or noodles to get that carb-y experience you love. That's exactly when you should try these cold noodle dishes. From pasta salads to cold soba noodle dishes, these recipes promise all of the noodle-y goodness you love without the high temps, which makes them perfect for enjoying during the hottest months of the year.

We've compiled this list of some of our best cold noodle recipes. Whether you're looking for a classic macaroni salad or you're more interested in ice-cold ramen that will leave you feeling satisfied and oh-so-cool, we've got you covered. Once you get a taste of these cold noodle recipes, they're all you're going to want to make this summer. Who knew that noodle dishes could be so refreshing and still fill you up at the same time?

Just because you don't want to eat hot noodles doesn't mean that you don't want your noodles to be spicy. This recipe for bibim guksu is cold, but thanks to gochujang and kimchi, it has a bold spiciness to it that's somehow even more delicious in the summer heat. Thinly sliced cucumber makes it more refreshing, while a boiled egg ensures that it's as filling as possible. Make this dish once, and it'll be on your summer lunch rotation from here on out.

Recipe: Bibim Guksu (Korean Cold Noodles)

There's nothing better than a good pasta salad, but if you're looking for something a bit lighter than your traditional creamy macaroni salad, then this veggie antipasti salad is probably going to be right up your alley. It packs a variety of Italian-ish veg, like Kalamata olives, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes that infuse the pasta with a ton of flavor. You can eat it as a side dish or add a source of protein on top to make it a complete meal.

Recipe: Veggie Antipasti Italian Pasta Salad

Soba noodles are perfect for making cold salads, and this peanut noodle salad is proof. The chilled noodles form the base of the salad, but with cucumbers, red bell pepper, kale, and scallions, it ensures that you're getting more than enough veggies in a single serving. What really makes this recipe shine, though, is the peanut butter sauce. It gives the dish some body and richness, which makes it creamier and more filling with every bite.

Recipe: Peanut Soba Noodle Salad

You may think of ramen as a dish you'd exclusively eat in the winter, but that's probably because you've never experienced just how amazing cold ramen can be. This recipe is specifically made to be enjoyed when it's hot out, with a cold, refreshing broth that's honestly drinkable all on its own. It calls for fresh produce like heirloom tomatoes and summer squash, which are enhanced by zucchini and cilantro for a bright, bold flavor.

Recipe: Cold Summer Ramen

You can make this incredible, flavor-packed pasta salad whether you happen to have your own garden or not. It relies heavily on a ton of herbs, including parsley, basil, and chives, to give the salad its signature punch of herbal flavors, and cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini provide both hydration and flavor to the finished dish. The pasta salad is dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice, but by adding some pine nuts to the mix, you'll give it just the right amount of richness along with a slight crunch.

Recipe: Summer Garden Pasta Salad

This is another cold summer ramen recipe you have to try, but this one calls for seasonal fruit to be added to the mix. Peach might seem like an unexpected addition here, but it works well with the other produce, like cucumbers, radishes, and scallions, included in the mix. Both peaches and tomatoes are quite watery, and their liquid mixes beautifully with the vinaigrette, creating a dressing that's deeply flavorful.

Recipe: Peach and Tomato Cold Summer Ramen

Elote, or Mexican street corn, is one of the best treats to eat when it's hot out, but by following this recipe, you can harness those same flavors in the form of a pasta salad. Corn is the most important ingredient, of course, but its flavor is enhanced with cotija cheese, which is the variety you'll most often find on elote. Add in the Tajin for that subtle touch of spice plus a ton of acidity.

Recipe: Charred Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Sometimes, cold noodles can be so light that they don't really feel rich or substantial enough. But you're not going to have that problem when you make this flavorful soba noodle salad. Not only do you get plenty of richness from the inclusion of avocado, but tahini also contributes a lovely fattiness and nuttiness that really takes the dish to new heights. Adding red miso paste to the dressing gives it a complex umami touch, while the sriracha ensures that it has just enough spice to keep things interesting.

Recipe: Avocado, Tahini, and Soba Noodle Salad

Pesto doesn't have to be served warm — in fact, it really shines in this recipe for pesto pasta salad. You can use store-bought pesto here or make your own from scratch. But when it joins forces with extra olive oil and basil, it makes for a cold coating for your noodles that instantly elevates an otherwise basic pasta salad. Fresh veg like sliced red onion, tomatoes, and arugula add even more freshness to the equation.

Recipe: Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

This surprisingly simple recipe packs a ton of flavor without calling for too many ingredients. We recommend using angel hair or vermicelli noodles, since they tend to maintain their texture even after being chilled. But it's the garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds that are responsible for much of the flavor in this dish. We like eating this all on its own as a light lunch, but if you want to make it a bit more substantial, consider adding some sort of protein source on top.

Recipe: Ginger Sesame Noodles

When you want to eat a super-colorful salad that offers more than just veggies by themselves, then this noodle salad is exactly what you're looking for. The recipe calls for a slew of fresh, crunchy vegetables, like snap peas, carrots, bell peppers, and cabbage, all of which provide the texture that makes this salad so addictive. At the same time, all of those vibrant colors make for a super-appealing meal.

Recipe: Colorful Toasted Sesame Noodle Salad

You don't need to have a ton of ingredients on hand just to make a tasty cold noodle bowl. This soba noodle dish only requires five ingredients, and it comes together in a pinch. The noodles are rinsed in cold water to ensure that they're not too hot, and then they're topped with those mushrooms and broccolini for a hearty serving of vegetables. The only other ingredients you need are soy sauce and sesame oil, which provide more than enough flavor.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Soba Noodle Bowl with Mushrooms and Broccolini

Do you love a good chicken Caesar salad? If so, then you're going to love this recipe, which makes the classic salad dish into a full-blown pasta. It has all the crunchiness you'd expect from a good Caesar salad, but the inclusion of noodles makes it feel like a full meal instead of just a side dish. This recipe requires you to make the dressing from scratch, which results in something much more flavorful. Don't skip the anchovies — they're responsible for that signature Caesar saltiness you know and love.

Recipe: Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad

Mango and tomato are truly a match made in heaven. You get the tanginess from the mango paired with the subtle sweetness that comes from the tomato, combined with a faint umami note that makes for a complex but ultra-refreshing base for this salad. Nutty soba noodles are served cold here, and shrimp ensures that this dish functions as a main course and not just a refreshing side.

Recipe: Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Shrimp, Mango, and Tomato

Don't have very long to make lunch, but still want a homemade cold noodle bowl that will keep you feeling full for the rest of the afternoon? These spicy soba noodles are just what you're looking for. They only take 15 minutes to make, and they're filled with fresh veg like mushrooms, carrots, and broccoli. Peanut butter makes for a bold base for the sauce, while sriracha delivers the promised spice. Making it ahead of time really allows the flavors to meld well before serving.

Recipe: 15-Minute Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Bowl

When you're looking for a lunch or dinner idea that's not too heavy and has all the freshness you expect from a good salad, this soba noodle number will get the job done. Carrots and cucumbers are there for hydrating, crunchy goodness, while the mint lends the dish a bold herbal quality that really takes it to the next level. It's silken tofu that's doing the heavy lifting, though, introducing both a subtle creaminess to the dish while making it more filling in the process.

Recipe: Silken Tofu and Soba Noodle Salad

Pasta salad doesn't have to be boring, especially when you make this chicken-based one that's made with sweet and juicy mandarins. We love the combo of sweet and savory flavors in this dish, with lettuce, scallions, cilantro, and avocado introducing plenty of greens to the salad. The recipe calls for fusilli pasta, but you can use any variety you prefer. Short pastas tend to work better here, though, so you can ensure you get a little bit of everything on your fork for each bite.

Recipe: Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

Angel hair pasta (aka capellini) is at the heart of this recipe. It works really well in salads, since it soaks up all those juices nicely and gives you a light, airy texture that's especially nice in cold noodle dishes. Lemon is what gives this salad its beautiful brightness, and it comes in the form of both juice and zest — make sure you use both for maximum citrus flavor.

Recipe: Cold Lemon Capellini Salad

So, you want to eat a lot of vegetables for lunch, but you're not feeling a straight salad? We've been there before, and that's exactly when we make this soba noodle veggie bowl. Peppers, scallions, cucumbers, and purple cabbage are the veg of choice here, but you can feel free to use whatever you already have in the fridge. Don't forget to add some edamame to the mix, which provides more protein to keep you feeling full.

Recipe: Buckwheat Soba Noodle Veggie Bowl

If you have any leftover chicken in the fridge, you have to make this chicken pasta salad. It works well with rotisserie chicken pieces or chopped chicken breast, which makes this pasta salad a bit more substantial than others. Add in the vegetables along with the dressing, which is made with olive oil, lemon, honey, and Dijon mustard, and you have a quick and easy lunch recipe you can make any day of the week.

Recipe: Chicken Pasta Salad

A standard tuna salad makes for an excellent, quick lunch, but adding pasta to the mix makes for an even more delicious meal. This recipe utilizes canned tuna, making it easy to pull off this dish without having to actually prepare raw tuna from scratch. It gets its zippiness from lemon, chopped red onions, and a slew of herbs that really take things to the next level. The breadcrumbs on top make it feel just a bit fancier without forcing you to spend a fortune on ingredients.

Recipe: Zippy Tuna Pasta Salad

When you need to keep things simple with your cold noodle dish, look no further than this macaroni salad. Mac salad is a classic offering at just about any barbecue or cookout — which this recipe is perfect for — but it performs just as well as a light lunch or a side dish for a casual weeknight dinner. The creaminess comes from a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream, but the dressing's flavor gets even better with the additions of Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar for a bold acidity.

Recipe: Creamy Macaroni Salad

Most of the time, when people think about noodles, pasta or rice-based noodles are the first thing that comes to mind. But when you want something a bit lighter, zucchini noodles will get the job done as well. As long as you have a vegetable spiralizer, you can take a zucchini and turn it into the base for a light and healthy-feeling "noodle" dish that you can enjoy all summer long. The pesto really brightens things up, and this recipe asks you to make it from scratch for maximum freshness.

Recipe: Pesto Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Salad

Panzanella is one of our all-time favorite salads, where bread plays a starring role to provide more structure to the dish. But this recipe might be even better than panzanella, because not only do you have those slightly hardened pieces of bread that soak in the extra juices and dressing, but you'll also include soba noodles. Who doesn't like a double-carb meal? Top it all off with some rich, luscious steak, and you have an undeniably delicious summer salad.

Recipe: Panzanella-Style Beef and Noodles Summer Salad

Any kind of macaroni salad is a win in our book, but the Hawaiian take on the dish is arguably the best. The creamy mayo-based dressing offers the perfect counterpoint to the fresh, crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery. Although you can technically eat it as soon as you've finished mixing all of the ingredients together, it tastes better if you let it set in the fridge for about four hours before serving. That way, the flavors meld together better, and the salad will be perfectly chilled — perfect for enjoying on a hot summer day.

Recipe: Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Greek salads are perfect for summer, since they often feature fresh, crunchy vegetables that are naturally hydrating choices when it's super hot outside. But by adding pasta to the mix, you're making a much more substantial meal. Not only does this recipe introduce pasta into the salad, but it also includes shrimp, making it even more satisfying. This recipe includes lots of fresh vegetables, but we think the mandarin orange slices are an especially nice touch for just the right amount of sweetness and juiciness in the salad.

Recipe: Greek Shrimp Pasta Salad

It's no secret that Vietnamese cuisine has absolutely mastered the cold noodle bowl, and this dish, called bun bo xao, is evidence of that. Chewy rice vermicelli offers a textural experience that you can't get from other types of noodles, and the nuoc cham sauce, which is made from fish sauce, is responsible for the boldest, most delicious dressing possible. Although you can use a variety of different types of protein for bun bo xao, this recipe specifically calls for steak. Cook it on the grill to avoid heating your kitchen up too much, and you have the ideal summer meal.

Recipe: Steak and Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Nuoc Cham

A BLT is a perfect sandwich to make during the summer. All you really have to do is cook the bacon, so it's a recipe that doesn't involve a lot of heat. To make this BLT pasta salad, you'll also have to boil some pasta, but that extra bit of heat in your kitchen is so worth it so you can taste this bacon-y entree. This is a pasta salad that's brimming with greens and other veg, so it's light enough to be enjoyed as an appetizer. And because it's so colorful, you'll want to serve it whenever you have guests over for dinner this summer.

Recipe: Summer BLT Pasta Salad

Who said that you actually had to cook your noodles before incorporating them into a recipe? Not us, not when it comes to this ramen noodle salad. The noodles turn into a sort of crouton, offering that same level of crunchiness. But this salad doubles up on the crunch by including a variety of crisp vegetables, like cabbage, carrots, and scallions. Once you add in the edamame, you have a main course salad that delivers on the texture front.

Recipe: Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad

This pasta salad recipe is one of our favorites, since it has a tasty Southwestern flavor profile and lots of black beans for a deeply satisfying meat-free bite. Using fire-roasted corn is the cheat code here, as it adds just the right amount of smokiness to the dish. The sauce also does some heavy flavor lifting, largely thanks to the adobo peppers. They're mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream to create a unique, creamy sauce.

Recipe: Southwest Pasta Salad

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Mashed.