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!
So good! And so easy to make, I added hot pot red chilli, peanut butter and tofu
So glad to hear, Elizabeth! Thanks so much :)
I’ve made a lot of udon dishes, and this one was really good! I used about half as much soy sauce, 1/4C seemed like a lot, and added a teaspoon or two each of oyster sauce and hoisin. 1 tsp of sriracha was plenty for my spice level. I added sautéed shrimp and sliced red bell pepper to the other veggies. I’ll be making this again.
Glad you enjoyed it, Chaya. Thanks so much!
This recipe was so easy and delicious!
Thanks Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Can you discard the sugar? My husband and I like savory not sweet udon noodles?
Hi Cynthia, the sugar doesn’t make the sauce sweet. It just balances the flavours of the salty soy sauce and the acidic vinegar. You can certainly reduce the sugar, to taste, but I suspect you’ll want to use at least some of it.
Amazingly delicious! So much flavor.
So glad you enjoyed it, Dave! Thanks so much :)
I used this recipe for a cooking competition and it was a winner! My judges (teachers) said it was the best thing they had ever tasted and even asked for the recipe. I then made it for myself and it was SO GOOD😍. 11/10 recommend.
I’m so glad to hear, Emily! Thanks so much :)
Perfect for week nights. My 9 yr and 3yr approved it. Definitely a keeper. I added carrots, red and green king sweetie, cucumber and baby spinach. Will play around with the veggies and meat. Thanks for the great recipe. From NZ.
So glad you are enjoying it, Sam and always a win with the kids approve :) Thanks so much!
Loved this receipe! Added yellow and red Bell peppers instead of spinach, still came out very tasty 😋
So glad you enjoyed it, Ritianne :) Thanks so much!
Thanks for a great recipe Jennifer – we probably make this once a week. Tonight was chicken, broccoli, green onion, red pepper and peanuts. Easy to switch up and customize – always delicious. Thanks again :-)
So glad you are enjoying it, Nick :) And yes, I love how it can be different every time I make it! Thanks so much.
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!!!!
So glad you are enjoying it, Kristine and yes, it’s a great fridge cleaner :)
So so good! My favorite stir fry sauce ever – perfect blend of spicy with umami and sweetness. Made it with broccoli and chicken. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Bethany :) Thanks so much!
Another winner! Just the right amount of spice! Everyone loved it!
So glad to hear, Rachel :) Thanks so much!
I’ve been making this recipe for years and fall more in love with it every time. I am making it again tonight and I’m going to add some broccoli and zucchini and pan fried tofu to ✨spice it up✨ a little bit. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad to hear, Abigail :) It’s one of my favourites. Thanks!
Very tasty. Added mushrooms & red pepper. Used bok choy instead of spinach. Served with oven baked tofu. Next time will use chicken. Love the udon noodles being mixed right in! (took longer than 15 min, otherwise would have given 5 stars)
Glad you enjoyed it, Laura. Obviously I have no way of knowing how long this dish will take in someone else’s kitchen. I can only time it in my own, and it takes me 15 minutes :) Thanks!
Made this tonight and it was unreal. We made it with chow mein noodles because I forgot to buy udon. 100% will make again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah :) Thanks so much!
Came home exhausted. This was quicker and easier (and better) than ordering a pizza. We “cheated” and used Costco frozen stir fry veg and it was awesome! Also, used a dark mushrooms soy sauce great taste but not as pretty as yours ;)
So glad to hear, Lore :) Thanks so much!