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Soba noodles

Pasta, noodles & bread · Noodles

Soba noodles

Thin, grey-brown Japanese buckwheat noodles, served hot in broth or cold with dipping sauce.

Also called: buckwheat noodles, soba

A kind of noodles

2 recipes with it

Photo: FotoosVanRobin, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-2.0)

What it is

Soba are made from buckwheat flour, usually with some wheat flour (often 20–50%) for strength. They are thin, flat-edged and grey-brown, with an earthy, nutty taste. 100% buckwheat (juwari) soba is gluten-free but fragile; most dried soba contains wheat. They differ from udon and ramen, which are wheat-only.

How it’s used

  • Cold zaru soba with tsuyu dipping sauce
  • Hot soba in dashi broth
  • Soba noodle salads
  • Yakisoba-style stir-fries (though yakisoba uses wheat noodles)

Characteristics

Taste
Earthy, nutty.
When cooked
Boil in plenty of water, then rinse well in cold water to remove starch and stop cooking.
Sold as
dried, fresh
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling
Common in
Japanese, Korean

Storage

Pantry-stable. Dried soba keeps in a dry cupboard.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Most soba contains wheat; only 100% buckwheat soba labelled gluten-free is suitable for coeliacs. Buckwheat itself is an allergen for some.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
336 kcal
Protein
14.38 g
Carbohydrate
74.62 g
Fat
0.71 g
Fibre
— g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Noodles, japanese, soba, dry.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with soba noodles

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