If soba noodles have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 35 recipes to try them in.

What are soba noodles?

Soba are thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, which gives them an earthy, nutty flavor and a grayish-brown color you will not find in wheat pasta. Most soba blends in some wheat flour for strength, but the buckwheat is what defines the taste.

They cook fast and are eaten as often cold as hot. That flexibility, plus the distinct buckwheat flavor, is what sets soba apart from the paler Asian noodles.

How to Use Soba

Boil soba in unsalted water; the noodles already carry plenty of flavor, and dried soba needs only about 4 to 6 minutes to turn tender. They go from firm to overdone quickly, so taste a strand a minute early.

The step people skip is the rinse. As soon as the soba is cooked, drain it and rinse under cold running water, rubbing gently to wash off the surface starch. This stops the cooking, firms the texture, and keeps the strands from clumping into a paste.

For a cold dish, that rinse leaves the noodles ready to dip in a chilled soy-dashi sauce or toss into a salad like this Cool Soba Noodle Salad. For a hot bowl, rinse them anyway, then reheat briefly in the broth so they do not turn gluey.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Soba's earthy flavor stands up to soy sauce, sesame, scallion, ginger, and toasted nori. It loves cold sesame dressings, as in these Spicy Cold Soba Noodles, and also works hot in a light broth or stir-fry.

The classic mistake is overcooking. Buckwheat has little gluten, so soba goes soft and starts to fall apart faster than wheat noodles. Pull it early and rinse immediately.

The second mistake is salting the water or skipping the cold rinse. Skip both and you get bland, sticky noodles instead of clean, springy ones.

Substitutes

Nothing else quite captures the buckwheat flavor, but a few noodles fill the role. Whole-wheat thin spaghetti or thin udon give a similar bite without the nuttiness.

For the gluten-free crowd, look for 100% buckwheat soba, which exists but is more fragile and needs an even gentler hand. Rice noodles can stand in for texture in a cold salad, though they lose the earthy character entirely.

Buying and Storing

Soba is sold dried in tidy bundles and, less often, fresh. Check the label for the buckwheat-to-wheat ratio: higher buckwheat means more flavor and a more delicate noodle, while wheat-heavy soba is sturdier and milder.

Dried soba keeps for a year or more in a cool, dry pantry. Fresh soba lasts only a few days refrigerated and should be cooked promptly. Eat cooked soba the same day, since it firms up and dries out overnight.

Quick facts

Where to find soba noodles: Soba noodles are usually found in the asian section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

荞麦面

British (UK) term

Soba noodles

en français

nouilles soba

en español

fideos soba

Recipes using soba noodles

There are 35 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 35 recipes

More soba noodle recipes

• Hot Thai Salad
• Oriental Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing
• Oriental Stew
• Soba Noodle Salad With Vegetables & Tofu
• Spicy Cold Soba Noodles