These Spicy Garlic Noodles make the perfect easy dinner! Ready in under 20 minutes, this is a recipe the whole family will enjoy!
I don't know about you, but I feel like the weekdays are hard to get dinner on the table. I feel like I am always rushing to do one thing or the next and by the time I realize it, dinner time is here. Quick and easy dinners are my favorite for this reason. I still want to eat something hearty, filling, and at least semi-healthy so that is where these Spicy Garlic Noodles come in. These Spicy Garlic Noodles come together in just 20 minutes and they are saucy, spicy, and delicious! This is the perfect meal for those busy weekdays!
For some other great 30 minute recipes, check out these Air Fryer Nachos, this Ultimate Baked Walking Taco Casserole or this Red Curry Pasta!
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What Makes These Spicy Garlic Noodles so Great
- 20-minute meal-This dinner is easy and quick to get on the table on a busy weeknight!
- Plant-Based- Looking for an easy meatless Monday idea, I have you covered. These Spicy Garlic Noodles are entirely plant-based and delicious!
- Budget-Friendly- Most of the ingredients are pantry staples so this recipe is a bang for your buck and is perfect for families on a budget!
Ingredient Notes
- Dark Soy Sauce-Dark Soy Sauce is richer in flavor than regular soy sauce and is often used to add depth and color to dishes. You can typically find it at your local Asian Market.
- Pad Thai Noodles- The noodles that I chose for this recipe are Pad Thai Rice Noodles. I think that they have the perfect chewy texture and bite. If you are in a pinch and don't have rice noodles on hand, feel free to use fettuccine noodles or any thin, flat like noodle.
- Shallots-Shallots are in the same family as onions but they have a milder flavor. I think they go great in this recipe because we don't want any harshness from onions. However, if you don't have shallots on hand, you can swap them for half a yellow onion.
- Minced Garlic- It wouldn't be garlic noodles without the garlic! This recipe uses a lot of garlic to really hit that flavor home hard. Make sure you mince the garlic finely.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
- Mix together the dark soy sauce, gochujang, coconut sugar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and lime juice in a large bowl.
- Dice the tofu into bite-sized chunks and add the tofu to the sauce to marinate while the noodles are cooking.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- Add the shallots and garlic to a skillet and saute with the oil until browned, about 10 minutes.
- When the noodles are done cooking, combine with the sauce and tofu and toss until well coated. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the noodles to absorb the flavors.
- Serve as is or with any other vegetables of choice. I love adding carrots, bell pepper or bok choy.
Hint: Garnish with lots of fresh sliced green onions and sesame seeds for a burst of flavor!
Substitutions
- Dark Soy Sauce - Dark soy sauce has a unique depth of flavor but in a pinch, it can be substituted for regular soy sauce or tamari.
- Gochujang - If you don't have gochujang handy, you can swap it for sriracha. I prefer the flavor of the gochujang, however, sriracha works perfectly fine.
- Rice Noodles - I am a big fan of cooking out of your pantry so if you don't have rice noodles, swap them with something similar such as fettuccine or linguini.
Variations
- Extra Spicy - add both gochujang and sriracha to the sauce to really kick up the spice level!
- Extra vegetables - Load this up with vegetables by stir-frying bell peppers, carrots and bok choy with the shallots.
- Sweet and Spicy - add extra coconut sugar and maple syrup to give this recipe that sticky sweet, spicy flavor.
FAQ's
Garlic Noodles are a spicy Asian/Western fusion dish. The sauce is made from dark soy sauce, coconut sugar, garlic, maple syrup, lime juice and sesame oil. The sauce is then tossed with rice noodles to make a delicious dish!
I loved adding fresh vegetables to these spicy noodles to make a really delicious dish. I love adding bell peppers, bok choy and carrots. Or, I just toss in a bag of stir fry vegetables.
No, these spicy garlic noodles are made with rice noodles and not ramen noodles. Additionally, the spicy ramen noodles that you buy at the Asian market are normally loaded with preservatives and sodium. These, while still high in sodium are much more fresh and flavorful.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need.
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Dutch Oven
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
Storage
Store the leftover noodles in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Leftovers make the perfect lunches! I love to portion them out into individual containers and eat them throughout the week.
I would not recommend freezing this recipe as the rice noodles will take on a really funky texture if frozen and then thawed.
Top tips
- While this dish is designed to be spicy, you can make it very mild if you prefer. Just omit the gochujang. Start small and add more as needed!
- My tip for getting rice noodles not to stick together is, when finished boiling, drain them in a colander, and rinse thoroughly with cold water. What makes rice noodles stick together is the starches. If you drain and rinse them in cold water, you will rinse the starches off the noodles and prevent them from clumping. You can always reheat them in the pan with the sauce.
- Top these noodles with a heavy hand of sliced green onions and sesame seeds for brightness and fresh flavor!
Other Noodle Dishes to Try
- Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry)
- Creamy Green Pea Pasta
- The Best Gluten-Free Pad Thai
- Fresh Vegetarian Spring Roll Bowl with Peanut Sauce
- The Best Green Pasta Sauce
Saucy and Spicy Garlic Noodles
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 Glass Mixing Bowl
- 1 Dutch Oven
- 1 chef knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Rice Noodles
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- ½ cup green onions
- ¼ cup gochujang
- 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ cup dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 14 ounces firm tofu
Instructions
- Mix together the dark soy sauce, gochujang, coconut sugar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and lime juice in a large bowl.
- Dice the tofu into bite-sized chunks and add the tofu to the sauce to marinate while the noodles are cooking.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- Add the shallots and garlic to a skillet and saute with the oil until browned, about 10 minutes.
- When the noodles are done cooking, combine with the sauce and tofu and toss until well coated. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the noodles to absorb the flavors.
- Serve as is or top with green onions and any other vegetables of choice. I love adding carrots, bell pepper or bok choy.
Notes
- While this dish is designed to be spicy, you can make it very mild if you prefer. Just omit the gochujang. Start small and add more as needed!
- My tip for getting rice noodles not to stick together is, when finished boiling, drain them in a colander, and rinse thoroughly with cold water. What makes rice noodles stick together is the starches. If you drain and rinse them in cold water, you will rinse the starches off the noodles and prevent them from clumping. You can always reheat them in the pan with the sauce.
- Top these noodles with a heavy hand of sliced green onions and sesame seeds for brightness and fresh flavor!
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
kaydimaggio says
Loved these garlic noodles! Perfect for a quick dinner!
Marysa says
We love garlicky foods and this sounds wonderful. And we are vegetarian, so it is the perfect combo of noodles and tofu!
Kristina says
I love Asian style noodles and this recipe is absolutely amazing! My husband has already asked me to make it again, so I definitely recommend it.
Bernice says
Sadly, I seem to also have less and less time for cooking on weekdays. Everyone should have a couple of busy day 'go-to's' like these noodles. Tasty and simple to make and MUCH better than takeout.
Mary says
The maple syrup caught me by surprise but it does add that little sumpin sumpin and tones down the heat. These noodles are addictive.
Jessica says
I've been craving my favorite Asian restaurant something fierce lately but going there to eat isn't an option for me at the moment so I made these spicy garlic noodles instead. They not only satisfied my craving but were much tastier than I even imagined. Plus, super simple to throw together!
Amy Liu Dong says
My husband is a big fan of spicy noodles and I am pretty sure that he will love this recipe. Look so delicious!
Peggy says
The perfect summer meal!
Angela says
I love this spicy garlic noodles recipe, it is one of my prefetire, extra vegetable and extra spicy!
Dana says
I love the flavors in this!
Luca says
Flavors are just perfect in this recipe!
Kyleigh says
A perfect weeknight dinner!
Jeri says
These spicy garlic rice noodles were a huge hit! They were the perfect side for grilled chicken!
Nadja says
The sauce made the tofu so flavorful. This was a fantastic weeknight dinner! Thanks for sharing.
Jerika says
These Spicy Garlic Noodles is just we need if we wanted an easy dinner that's ready in 20 minutes.:) Perfect!
Swathi says
This spicy garlic noodles looks yummy.