Garlic Noodles
Garlic noodles are the quintessential back pocket dinner recipe, coming together in just 20 minutes and tasting like a restaurant-worthy noodle dish. They’re intensely garlicky, spicy, deeply savoury, and a little bit sweet!
Garlic noodles are popular in Vietnamese-American restaurants and after seeing one too many mouthwatering photos on Instagram, I knew it was time to try to make my own vegan version. Friends, I am SO glad I did! They’ve got the same umami noodle vibes as the original, with a garlic soy butter sauce that clings to every noodle, but I swap in plant-based butter for the dairy. We couldn’t stop eating these noodles when I tested the recipe and I’m pretty sure you’ll fall hard for them too! (Noodle lovers, you’ll also want to add my vegan sesame noodles to your must-make list!)
Why These Garlic Noodles Are So Addictive
Trust me, you’re going to make this recipe again and again… and again!
- Big garlicky flavour. Six cloves of garlic might sound like a lot, but we making garlic noodles after all. While in most recipes, garlic is a supporting player, here it’s the star.
- 20 minute dinner. From boiling the pasta to tossing everything together, the whole meal is done in just 20 minutes. Easy!
- Simple pantry ingredients. This is the kind of recipe I always fall back on when dinner plans change and I need to make a meal with ingredients we already have on hand.
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these garlic noodles. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and full instructions.
- Angel hair pasta – Another long, thin noodle could be swapped in if you’d like.
- Sea salt – Using this to generously salt the pasta water gives the noodles more flavour.
- Olive oil and vegan butter – These combine to create a rich, silky sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil – Be sure the bottle says toasted, otherwise it won’t have that nice nutty flavour.
- Garlic – Finely mince or microplane it so it melts into the sauce.
- Red chili flakes – You can skip these if you’d like, or adjust the amount to your tastes.
- Soy sauce or tamari – If you swap in low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, taste the noodles at the end and see if they need a touch more salt.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will both work.
- Black pepper – While I call for black pepper because it’s what most of us have on hand, white pepper can be used instead for a more pungent, spicy flavour.
- Nutritional yeast – This gives the noodles some savoury oomph.
- Green onions – For freshness, colour, and texture at the end.
How to Make Garlic Noodles
Below you’ll find step-by-step photos showing the process of making these garlic noodles, but the full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in well-salted water until just al dente. Before draining, scoop out some of the pasta water to use later in the sauce.
- Warm the oil base. In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, melt the vegan butter with the olive oil and sesame oil until fragrant.
- Cook the garlic. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes and cook briefly, stirring constantly. Keep the heat gentle so the garlic softens without browning.
- Build the sauce. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper. Cook just long enough for the sugar to dissolve and the sauce to look glossy.
- Add pasta water. Pour in a splash of the reserved pasta water and stir to create a light, silky sauce.
- Toss the noodles. Add the drained pasta and toss until evenly coated. If needed, add a little more pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Finish. Remove from heat and sprinkle in the nutritional yeast. Toss once more, then top with fresh green onions and serve.
My Secrets for the Best Garlic Noodles
- Don’t overcook the garlic. We want to gently coax the flavour out of the garlic. Cooking it over low heat prevents it from burning, which will give your sauce a sharp, bitter flavour. Not what we want here!
- Reserve the pasta water. This is the secret to creating that silky sauce. It’s very easy to forget to do this, so to remind myself, I set a ladle inside the colander in the sink so I have a visual cue: hey, scoop out some water before draining!
- Use thin noodle. Angel hair absorbs the sauce well and cooks quickly, but if you want to use an Asian noodle variety, make sure it’s something that’s similarly thin.
Serving Suggestions
These garlic noodles are fantastic on their own, but to make it a meal, you can toss the noodles with fried tofu or even edamame. They’d also be great with sticky sesame shiitake mushrooms or steamed broccoli.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftover garlic noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Warm gently in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or in the microwave. You can also eat the leftovers cold like a pasta salad!
More Easy Asian-Inspired Dinner Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this garlic noodles recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta, capellini – 225g
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, for pasta water – 18g
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, 30mL
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, 14g
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 5mL
- 6 cloves garlic, very finely minced or microplaned
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, 1g
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, 30mL
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 4g
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1g
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 10g
- 1/4 cup fresh green onions, finely chopped – 10g
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the fine sea salt and cook the angel hair pasta until just al dente, about 3–4 minutes.
- Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, vegan butter, and toasted sesame oil. Heat gently until the butter is melted and the oils are fragrant.
- Add the minced garlic and red chili flakes. Cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly, just until fragrant. Keep the heat low and do not allow the garlic to brown.
- Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture looks glossy and smooth.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir continuously to create a light, silky sauce. Add a little more pasta water if needed.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Using tongs, gently toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Add additional pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, if the noodles need more moisture to stay silky.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and toss once more. Finish with the chopped green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store leftover garlic noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Warm gently in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or in the microwave. You can also eat the leftovers cold like a pasta salad!
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