If you love bold, takeout-style noodles, these spicy udon noodles are the perfect quick dinner fix. Thick, chewy udon is stir-fried with vegetables and coated in a spicy, savoury sauce for a simple udon noodle recipe that tastes like your favourite restaurant bowl.
This easy spicy udon noodle recipe comes together in about 15 minutes, making it ideal for busy weeknights when you want something cozy, flavourful, and just a little bit fiery. Keep the noodles vegetarian as written or use this versatile spicy udon stir fry as a base and add your favourite protein.
Spicy udon noodles: at a glance
- A delicious spicy udon noodle recipe ready in about 15 minutes from start to finish for a fast weeknight dinner.
- Uses thick, chewy udon noodles (fresh or frozen udon) plus everyday vegetables for texture and colour.
- Coated in a spicy, savoury stir fry sauce you can easily adjust to be milder or hotter.
- Vegetarian as written, with simple options to add chicken, shrimp, pork, or tofu.
- Cooked in one pan or wok for minimal dishes and an easy, takeout-style noodle bowl at home. A perfect weeknight dinner!
- Spicy udon noodles: at a glance
- What our readers are saying …
- Ingredients and substitutions
- Vegetable options for your udon stir fry
- How to make spicy udon noodles
- How to make spicy udon noodles: video
- Spicy udon noodles FAQ
- Variations
- Get the Recipe: Spicy Udon Noodles
- More udon noodle recipes to love!
What our readers are saying …
“The sauce is amazing, and you can add any vegetables, so great way to clean out the fridge. If hot outside you can grill veggies on BBQ and add to noodle for a quick comforting meal! A definite favorite in this house, and feels like something I would order out for. This really keeps me on track in terms of healthy choices as I can up the veggies while still enjoying udon noodles. Love this as a great comforting and easy meal!!!!” – Kristine
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Udon noodles – Frozen udon noodles will always be my first choice, if available. Frozen udon noodles are also easy to prepare, as there is no need to boil them. Shelf-stable udon noodles are equally quick and easy to use in this recipe. Dried udon noodles will require boiling before using.
Sambal oelek – This spicy Asian sauce is responsible for the spicy part of this stir-fry. Sambal packs a punch, so a little goes a long way in the spiciness department. If you’re not familiar with Sambal Oelek, look for it in the Asian sauce section at your grocery store. It’s fairly easy to find these days. Any spicy Asian-style sauce, such as Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha will work, though you will need to add more chili garlic sauce or sriracha for the same level of spiciness.
Carrots – For a speedy dish, I suggest starting with store-bought, matchstick carrots. Another option is to use chopped spiralized carrots. Alternatively, I would suggest just grating some carrots with a box grater to add to the stir-fry. The key here is to keep the carrots as small as possible so they cook quickly.
Vegetable options for your udon stir fry
- carrots
- onions
- bell peppers
- mushrooms
- spinach
- bok choy
- green beans
- broccoli
- snow peas
- baby corn
- cabbage
- bean sprouts
How to make spicy udon noodles
Here is a quick overview of how to make this spicy udon noodles recipe in one pan. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
Step 1: Start be heating oil in a wok or skillet.
Step 2: Add the carrots and onion and cook until softened.
Step 3: Add sliced green onion to the wok and cook briefly.
Step 4: Add the soaked or cooked udon noodles to the wok.
Step 5: Pour in the savoury spicy sauce.
Step 6: Toss in some spinach and cook all together until the spinach wilts. Serve and enjoy!
How to make spicy udon noodles: video
Spicy udon noodles FAQ
Yes! In fact, frozen udon noodles are my udon noodles of choice. They keep well in the freezer, thaw quickly under cold running water and don’t need boiling. Soak in very hot water instead.
Yes, this udon noodle recipe is vegetarian, as written.
Sambal oelek brings the spice to these udon noodles, so simply reduce the amount of Sambal added to the sauce.
The only ingredient that is spicy is the Sambal Oelek. You can add as little as you’d like to your taste or for a more kid-friendly dish. You could also substitute Asian Chili Garlic Sauce, which is less spicy.
If you’re starting with shelf-stable udon noodles, place the noodle blocks into a bowl of boiling or very hot tap water for 1-2 minutes. Gently separate the noodles with chopsticks or tongs, drain well, and toss with a splash of oil so they do not stick before adding to your stir fry. For frozen udon, you can cook them in boiling water from frozen, but I prefer to soak them in hot water for about a minute, then use a pair of chopsticks to gently loosen the noodles. Rinse with cold water, drain, and use. Dried udon noodles need to be cooked in boiling water per the package instructions.
Variations
Change up the vegetables! Pretty much any vegetable or green will work in the stir-fry. The only consideration is how long it will take to cook in the pan. Be sure whatever you add is tender-crisp in the pan before you proceed with adding the noodles and sauce.
Dial back the spice! For a less spicy udon noodles recipe, reduce the Sambal Oelek or substitute a milder chili sauce, such as Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha.
Add a protein! Tofu, chicken, shrimp, pork or beef are all great additions to this udon noodle recipe.
Craving more udon? Try Mongolian Beef Udon, Udon Noodle Soup, Spicy Peanut Udon Noodles, 20-Minute Spicy Pork Udon
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Get the Recipe: Spicy Udon Noodles
Ingredients
Stir Fry:
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, or other neutral cooking oil
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced or diced
- 1 cup matchstick carrots, *see Note 1 below
- 1 cup green onion, sliced diagonally (green part only)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 14-17 oz udon noodles, frozen (recommended), shelf-stable or dried *see Note 2 below
Sauce:
- 1-2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek, or Asian Chili Garlic Sauce/Sriracha, to taste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
For garnish:
- sesame seeds
- additional sliced green onion
- fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare and gather your vegetables and set them aside. Mix up the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the carrots and cook, stirring for a minute or so. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and the carrots are tender. Add the green onion and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the prepared udon noodles to the wok and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so. Add the sauce and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring to combine well. Scatter the baby spinach over the top and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted.
- Remove the noodles to a serving bowl or plates and garnish with sesame seeds, additional sliced green onion and parsley/cilantro.
Notes
Watch how to make it
More udon noodle recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Fantastic recipe! This is the first Asian stir fry sauce recipe I’ve tried with a perfectly balanced flavour profile. So glad I came across this recipe. Thank you!
Thanks Maria and so glad you enjoyed this! It’s in regular rotation here :)
Made this last night and it was delicious! Used broccoli slaw and red bell pepper instead of carrots. And was surprised to find Udon noodles at Sobeys, I was prepared to substitute with something else:) Thank you!!!!
So glad you enjoyed this :) Love udon noodles!
Hi, I tried this last night and turned out soo good! It was delicious. I dont cook too much but this was easy to follow and easy to make. Dibs were called on the leftover for school lunch!!! I will definitely try other recipes from this site… Thank you!!
So glad to hear! One of my favourites :) Thanks!
Fast and delicious! A perfect dinner. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Leslie! Thanks for coming back to let me know :)
I made this not too long ago, found authentic udon noodles at a specialty store and added marinated chicken. It was one of the best noodle dishes I have ever had! Perfect amount of sauce and spicyness. Definitely will be making again soon :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Drew and thanks for coming back to let me know :) I can’t get my hands on great udon noodles where I live, so I’m jealous. Must have been delicious!
Jennifer..I believe you are in Ontario? I get my udon noodles at Loblaws…Presidents Choice brand.
I am Colleen, I’m just in the non-Loblaws part of Ontario (Muskoka). The closest I get is an Independent Grocer and shelf stable udon, which are fine, but I’m hoping someday to get my hands on fresh (or even frozen) somewhere close by.
Ohh..we also have an Independent grocer and it was actually the only place I’ve seen fresh udon noodles. Maybe different areas around Ontario have different things. I just use the shelf stable ones and think they are fine for me.
They are fine for me for every-day cooking, for sure, Colleen. Can’t beat them for quick and easy :)
This looks delish! Do you use dark, light or sweet soy sauce? I only have sweet and light soy sauces on hand but would love to make this x
Hi Firah, I use sodium-reduced dark soy sauce. I think light would work fine.
Absolutely wonderful! Doubling the recipe went well. I used the dry noodles. For the veggies I used broccoli, red pepper, green beans, zucchini and sesame garlic fake chicken along with the carrots & onion. I can’t explain how fast this dish went! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! Sound great :)
Followed your recipe for the sauce, doubled it for a second serving but only 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek. Used onion, broccoli florets, mushrooms & red pepper. Yummy udon noodle dish!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Irene :)
I have never cooked Udon noodles before so I was looking for something simple and quick for lunch. It was a hit! My boys loved it. Great recipe :)
So glad you all enjoyed it, Jessica!
Made this last night, I had no idea what I was going to make and came across this recipe – perfect! Even my 2 year old ate it all up :) (I did reduce the Sambal Oelek …)
So glad you all enjoyed it :) It’s one of my favourites for those nights I have no idea what I’m going to make for dinner!
Amazing! Added red and green cabbage sliced thin, and sliced mushrooms with the spinach. Oh, I also used yakisoba noodles because I couldn’t find udon… (I know, weird!) and with the cilantro, I topped off with chopped green onion and chopped snow peas. Everyone loved it!
Sounds delicious, Kandace! I love yakisoba noodles,too :)
Hi Jennifer…I just made this recipe tonight and used some pork in it. I also got my udon noodles at Loblaws (presidents choice) and it was absolutely delicious! I only used 1 tsp. of the sambal oelek and found it to be the just the right amount of heat. (made my nose run anyways..lol) Anyways…thank you very much for this great recipe! I will be making it again and also found it to be “company worthy” as well.
So glad you enjoyed it Colleen and pork is a great addition! I agree about it being company worthy :)
Udon noodles? Are they just back east? I don’t ever recall seeing them in the store. Here I see steam fried noodles or fried noodles. Or suggestions to use vermicelli or spaghetti noodles instead. Where would I look for them?
Would love to try some of these recipes, but don’t know what I could substitute for these noodles. Thanks for your help, and the recipes.
Hi Pat, I’m in Canada and they are quite easily available here. They are soft and packaged in individual serving vacuum packed packages. Because they are soft, they can go straight into the stir fry, without pre-boiling. That said, you can substitute any dried noodle by boiling it first before adding to the stir fry. It obviously will make this dish more work. FYI, I found the type of noodles I’m talking about on amazon.com, if you might like to order some. I love them and they are a great item to have in your pantry for dishes like this! Here’s the link on amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Amoy-Straight-Udon-Thick-Noodles/dp/B00Y2I35QC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460989&sr=8-9&keywords=amoy+straight+to+wok
Thank You , I will look them up on Amazon. I too live in Canada, in Kitchener, British Columbia. I have to travel to Creston , B.C. to the nearest stores. We have an Extra Foods and an Overwaitea. I will check to see if I can find them at either of these stores ( I’ll ask the people who stock the shelves, they seem to know more than anyone where to find things.).
Thanks again for the quick reply.
If you have access to any of the Loblaws affiliated stores, look for the President’s Choice brand soft udon noodles. They are in with the Asian noodles/sauces at my store.
About to make this for dinner. LOVE your website! I’m going to make two of your other recipes later on this week. From another Muskoka resident :)
Hi Zoe! Wasn’t it just a perfect Thanksgiving weekend in Muskoka?!! Hope you enjoyed the udon. It’s one of my favourite quick dinners :)
It was a great sunny and warm weekend! the udon was so so good, will definitely make it again! I made the chicken, artichoke and sundried toms tonight! another winner :)
Thank you so much! That is very helpful for this recipe and many others!
Thanks Michelle :)