This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
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.
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.
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!
The Asian-inspired 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.
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.
15 Minute Garlic Lime Cashew Zoodles
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.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
Thank you for this recipe! It is delicious and easy.
So glad you liked it!!
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!
Yay!! Very glad you liked it, Jill! Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂
Yum yum yum! Just made this for our dinner…… one for the book for sure!
Awesome!! So happy you liked it.
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…
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!
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?
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!
Thanks for responding Natasha! Will get a creamy one and let you know how it went.
No problem! 🙂
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?
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!
This was phenomenal! Thanks for sharing the recipe ❤️ No changes made perfect just how it was!
That’s wonderful to hear, Nichole! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
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. 🙂
That’s awesome!! So happy you guys liked it!! 🙂
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!
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.