Spicy Kohlrabi Noodles

An easy vegan weeknight recipe made with ginger-lime marinated kohlrabi, fresh herbs, and rice noodles. A great make-ahead lunch! Healthy & gluten-free.

spicy kohlrabi noodles spicy kohlrabi noodles

Oh, kohlrabi… I first learned of this alien vegetable years ago when I received my very first CSA box. At the time, I wasn’t adventurous with vegetables, so I had no clue what it was and no clue what to do with it. Kohlrabi has seemed to gain some popularity since then – I often see it on restaurant menus – but back then it was barely google-able.

spicy kohlrabi noodles spicy kohlrabi noodles / loveandlemons.com

Fast forward to now – it’s one of my favorites. People say it’s similar to broccoli stems, but I think it’s closer to daikon or even jicama. Slice it up into sticks, marinate it a bit, and it makes a great crunchy slaw. I’ve put this exact slaw on tacos, but today I’ve mixed the white kohlrabi sticks with rice noodles.

Slice your kohlrabi so that it’s a similar shape to the rice sticks. You’ll feel like you’re eating a huge bowl of noodles, when, in fact, half of your bowl is all veggie. If you can’t find kohlrabi, you could do a similar thing with cucumbers.

spicy kohlrabi noodles

 
Author:
Serves: serves 2-3
Ingredients
  • 2-3 kohlrabi
  • 4 oz. cooked (and cooled) rice noodles
  • ½ jalapeño, sliced and/or a few thai red chiles
  • ½ avocado, sliced
  • herbs: cilantro, basil, and/or mint
  • handful of crushed peanuts
  • sriracha, to taste
  • extra lime slices
  • optional: tofu or a protein of your choice
dressing:
  • juice and zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce or tamari)
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Instructions
  1. Mix the dressing together.
  2. Peel the kohlrabi if you like, (I just try to peel off the fibrous nubby sections and I leave the more tender skin on). Use a mandoline to slice kohlrabi into planks and then slice the planks into thin matchsticks. Toss the sliced kohlrabi with the dressing and chile peppers. Chill for about 30 minutes.
  3. Toss the marinated kohlrabi with noodles, avocado, herbs, crushed peanuts and sriracha. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve cold or at room temp, with extra lime slices on the side.

I used these noodles, but you could also use these.

25 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Roxy
    10.15.2021

    Oh wow! This is super delicious. My mum grew kohlrabi and I hadn’t really used it before so wasn’t sure what to do with it. Found this and now I’m in love with kohlrabi! Thank you 😊

  2. Erica
    06.08.2019

    I got kohlrabi in my CSA and had no idea what to do with it but found this recipe and loved it!! Thank you 🙂

  3. Mack
    07.10.2016

    I’m not much of a cook but this recipe turned out great. It is perfect for a summer dinner when you really want something fresh.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.12.2016

      I’m so glad you liked it, thanks for sharing!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.