Gochujang noodles are sweet spicy Korean noodles with wonderful savory touch to them. The vibrant deep red gochujang sauce adds so many flavors to the noodles. It comes together in under 20 minutes making it a perfect weekday dinner recipe. Add your favorite vegetables or protein to make it a complete meal.
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Sweet spicy savory gochujang noodles
This dish is all about the umami that you get from gochujang a fermented red chili and bean paste. You can make gochujang noodles as creamy as you like; adjust the spice levels to suit your taste.
You can use any noodles thin or thick. Thin noodles like ramen noodles, dried wheat noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles, or even spaghettiworks best for this recipe. Thin noodles soak up the sauce well. Thick noodles like udon noodles can be used as well.
I made these Korean noodles in stir-fry style with just the right amount of sauce. If you like saucy, creamy noodles, adjust the consistency by adding a splash of stock to the sauce before adding it to the noodles.
Ingredients
Gochujang noodles call for a few ingredients only that are easily available. Here’s what you’ll need-
- 8 oz noodles (ramen noodles or egg noodles or wheat noodles or rice noodles)
- 1 or 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- ¼ cup white part of green onion
- ½ cup red bell peppers, sliced thin
- ½ cup broccoli
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced thin
- Salt & pepper to taste
- And 1 cup gochujang sauce (see below)
- 1 to 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
- Gochujang sauce
- 6 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Garnish
- Sesame seeds
- Green onion
- Crushed peanuts
Ingredients additions & subtractions
There is no substitution for gochujang paste.
Feel free to use any vegetable or protein of your choice. Honestly, the option for protein is endless. Â Ground chicken or cooked shredded chicken, ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, and shrimp too can be added. Use tofu for vegetarian protein option.
You may add Korean red pepper flakes or gochugaru to the sauce. It adds a spicy savory kick to the sauce.
Red miso paste can also be added for extra oomph.
Chinese sesame paste can be added to the sauce to give it a nutty flavor. Creamy unsweetened peanut butter is a great substitute for Chinese sesame paste. Add this for an extra nutty flavor.
About gochujang sauce
There is a difference between gochujang paste and gochujang sauce. While the paste is thicker, spicier, and more potent in flavor, gochujang sauce is premixed with other ingredients like honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar to make it thinner in consistency and mild.
I make the sauce separately so I can use it for all purposes – stirring it with noodles, using it as a dipping sauce, or coating fried chicken to make sweet, spicy, sticky Korean fried chicken.
I have a separate post that talks about gochujang sauce and how to make and use it. Click here to know more.
An alternate way to go about the sauce is by simply mixing all ingredients in a deep wide bowl except for oil. Heat about ¼ to ½ cup of oil until smoking hot and then pour it over the ingredients. Stir well and use it with noodles.
How to make gochujang noodles
First we make gochujang sauce. You can get all details on how to make it here.
Boil a large pot of water. Cook noodles of your choice in boiling water as per packet instructions. Note cook noodles al-dente. Overcooked noodles will make mushy noodles.
Drain noodles immediately.
In a large wok, heat sesame oil. Saute grated ginger and the white part of the green onions in hot oil for 10 seconds.
Add vegetables of your choice. I used bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms. Toss and cook for about a minute or two.
Season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
Add cooked noodles and gochujang sauce. Toss well until noodles and vegetables are coated in sauce well.
Add a splash of dark soy sauce, this is optional.
Toss.
Serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds, green onion, and crushed peanuts.
Recipe tips
- Shock the noodles after you drain them from boiling water by running them under cold water, this will prevent noodles from overcooking and sticking together.
- Prepare ingredients beforehand. Have the vegetable cuts, and ingredients measured near the stove. You will have to move quickly once you start cooking.
- I prefer thin noodles as they can absorb all the sauce.
- Feel free to add any favorite vegetables of your choice. The option for protein is endless. Â Ground chicken or cooked shredded chicken, ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, shrimp.
- Adjust the spice levels depending on your taste. If you like it spicier, select the gochujang brand that is hot. Add an extra tablespoon of gochujang paste while making gochujang sauce or add a couple of teaspoons of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) for a spicier kick.
How to store
This dish holds up pretty well the next day. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The texture of the noodles does get stickier after resting, you have to splash stock or water to loosen the noodles while reheating.
FAQS
The dish works with any noodles. You can use any noodles thin or thick. Thin noodles like ramen noodles, dried wheat noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles, or even spaghetti work best for this recipe. Thin noodles soak up the sauce well. Thick noodles like udon noodles can be used as well.
No. There is a difference between gochujang paste and gochujang sauce. While the paste is thicker, spicier, and more potent in flavor, gochujang sauce is premixed with other ingredients like honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar to make it thinner in consistency and mild.
Yes, you will have to select gluten-free ingredients. While buying ingredients (gochujang paste, soy sauce), check the label and buy gluten-free paste and use gluten free rice noodles in the recipe.
Yes, rice noodles are gluten-free.
Gochujang paste is fermented red chili and bean paste, it is spicy. The dish has a kick, but the heat level can be adjusted by you depending on your preference by adjusting the sauce ingredients.
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📋Gochujang Noodles (Spicy Korean Noodles)
Ingredients
- 8 oz noodles ramen noodles or egg noodles or wheat noodles or rice noodles
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- ¼ cup white part of green onion
- ½ cup red bell peppers sliced thin
- ½ cup broccoli
- ½ cup mushrooms sliced thin
- Salt & pepper to taste
- And 1 cup gochujang sauce see below
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce optional
Gochujang sauce
- 6 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Garnish
- Sesame seeds
- Green onion
- Crushed peanuts
Instructions
- First, we make gochujang sauce. You can get all details on how to make it here.
- Boil a large pot of water. Cook noodles of your choice in boiling water as per packet instructions. Note cook noodles al-dente. Overcooked noodles will make mushy noodles.
- Drain noodles immediately.
- In a large wok, heat sesame oil. Saute grated ginger and the white part of the green onions in hot oil for 10 seconds.
- Add vegetables of your choice. I used bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms. Toss and cook for about a minute or two.
- Season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add cooked noodles and gochujang sauce. Toss well until noodles and vegetables are coated in sauce well.
- Add a splash of dark soy sauce, this is optional.
- Toss well.
- Serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds, green onion, and crushed peanuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Shock the noodles after you drain them from boiling water by running them under cold water, this will prevent noodles from overcooking and sticking together.
- Prepare ingredients beforehand. Have the vegetable cuts, and ingredients measured near the stove. You will have to move quickly once you start cooking.
- I prefer thin noodles as they can absorb all the sauce.
- Feel free to add any favorite vegetables of your choice. The option for protein is endless. Â Ground chicken or cooked shredded chicken, ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, shrimp.
- Adjust the spice levels depending on your taste. If you like it spicier, select the gochujang brand that is hot. Add an extra tablespoon of gochujang paste while making gochujang sauce or add a couple of teaspoons of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) for a spicier kick.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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Jyothi Rajesh is the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail. She lives in Bangalore, India and is the mom of two beautiful kids. Her passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. She’s been blogging since 2007 and many of her recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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