Tender noodles coated in a rich, aromatic sauce that’s tangy, savory, and oh-so-spicy — Garlic Chili Oil Noodles is a noodle dish that is on constant repeat in my kitchen. The first bite hits you with a burst of garlic and the heat of chili oil accented by the satisfying crunch of toasted sesame seeds.
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What I love about this dish is how simple it is. It’s so simple that you can whip it up as a midnight snack or a quick weeknight dinner when you’re short on time—the total time to make it is just 20 minutes. You only need a few ingredients, no long list of spices or condiments.
And if you’re not in a hurry, you can dress it up with a few extras. Add veggies like broccoli, bok choy, or other leafy greens or protein like shredded chicken, cooked shrimp, pan-fried tofu, or browned ground beef or ground pork. And of course, you can always top it with a fried egg.
But honestly, the star of the show is the chili oil. It brings spice that warms you from the inside out without being overpowering, and when it’s paired with the rich, aromatic garlic, it’s just… chef’s kiss.
You can make the Garlic Chili Oil Sauce up to 3 days ahead of time if you like. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Boil noodles just before you plan to serve them and reheat the sauce in a saucepan before adding the noodles.
Ingredient Notes
The ingredients are simple, but each one adds a unique touch to the dish. Here are a few notes on the ingredients you need:
- Noodles: This dish works great with just about any type of noodle, but my favorite are fresh udon noodles because of the addictive chewy texture. Chinese wheat noodles, “squiggly” or knife-cut noodles, ramen (ideally fresh, but the instant kind work, too), or even spaghetti will work just fine. Cook them according to the package instructions. I also love to substitute cooked dumplings for noodles, like I use for Dumpling Salad, only use the Garlic Chili Oil Sauce in place of the dressing.
- Chili oil: This is your flavor bomb. It brings both heat and depth to the noodles. You can buy it pre-made—I like the kind with visible red pepper flakes or chili powder in it—or make your own using neutral oil (like avocado oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, or canola oil), and chili flakes, like the Korean chili flakes called gochugaru, for an extra kick. You can also substitute Chili Crisp.
- Soy sauce: I use regular soy sauce here, but you can substitute low sodium soy sauce if you prefer.
- Garlic cloves: Minced garlic is a must for that pungent, aromatic kick. Fresh garlic is essential for this dish, so don’t skimp here.
- Vinegar: I use unseasoned rice vinegar, but you can subsitute Chinese black vinegar or Chiankiang vinegar if you like.
How Easy Is It to Make Garlic Chili Oil Noodles?
It’s so easy! With just these basic pantry ingredients, this dish comes together in no time. The full recipe with instructions is in the recipe card below, but here’s the gist:
- Cook some noodles and drain them well.
- Heat some chili oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce to the hot oil and let cook for a minute or two.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the finely chopped green onions, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles to the pot with the sauce and toss to coat.
- Divide the noodles into serving bowls. Sprinkle some additional green onions and sesame seeds over each bowl, if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!
More Ways to Use Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are incredibly versatile. While they’re great stir-fried like in this recipe, they also work wonderfully in soups. I love tossing them into Creamy Udon Soup with Mushrooms. They’re a great vehicle for any kind of sauce, like in this Udon Noodles with Thai Green Curry dish, or use them in a quick stir-fry like Shrimp Yaki Udon Noodles, Kimchi Fried Noodles, or Korean Black Bean Noodles.
You can also use udon noodles in cold salads—try them with a sesame dressing, crunchy vegetables, and maybe some grilled chicken or shrimp. Or use them as a substitute for soba noodles in Spicy Soba Noodle Salad.
Wash these spicy strands down with a glass of iced coffee with cream and Starbucks brown sugar syrup.
Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried noodles preferably knife-cut or “squiggley” noodles but can sub Chinese wheat noodles, ramen noodles (not instant), udon, or spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
- ¾ cup chili oil
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 6 green onions 4 of them finely chopped and 2 of them thinly sliced for garnish
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, gently heat the chili oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and let cook for a minute or 2.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the finely chopped green onions, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
- Add the noodles back into the pot you cooked them in along with the sauce mixture and toss until the noodles are completely coated.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the sliced green onions.
Nutrition
Robin Donovan is an AP syndicated writer, recipe developer, food photographer, and author of more than 40 cookbooks including the bestsellers Ramen Obsession and Ramen for Beginners. Her work is featured by major media outlets including Huffington Post, MSN, Chicago Sun-Times, Orlando Sentinel, Buzzfeed, Cooking Light, Mercury News, Seattle Times, Pop Sugar, and many others. More about Robin
These noodles are so very good, but you better be ready for some heat. I had them with grilled chicken and it was great, but my mouth was on fire.
Yeah, this is definitely a recipe for spicy food lovers! Some chili oils are hotter/milder than others, so if you want a less spicy version, look for a milder chili oil (or make your own!)
This looks delicious. If making our own chile oil, what kind of neutral oil would you recommend. Also turn down the chile flakes, as mike, above said, it is very hot? & I still can’t decide on noodles?
I use avocado oil for anything that requires high heat and neutral flavor. You can use other high-smoke-point oils like canola, corn, peanut, etc. I just prefer avocado oil. It can be pricey but I buy it at Trader Joes or Costco. Occasionally I get lucky and find it for a great price at Grocery Outlet.