Garlic Chili Oil Noodles

Bouncy wheat noodles coated in a flavorful chili garlic oil. This easy garlic chili oil noodle recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and is ready in just 10 minutes! Perfect as a meal, main, or side for busy weeknights or when you're too lazy to cook. They're also budget-friendly and better than takeout!

This spicy Asian noodle dish was inspired by Biang biang noodles, a classic Chinese dish from the Shaanxi Province in China, where hot oil is poured over spicy chili flakes, aromatics, and sauces and mixed with noodles.

The sauce is savory, spicy, and garlicky with a hint of sesame and acidity. It will satisfy all your taste buds at once, making it incredibly delicious and almost addictive.

The best part is it's made with minimal ingredients and few dishes to clean, so it's great for college students looking for an affordable meal.

These noodles are versatile and I like pairing them with a fried egg and bok choy for a complete meal, but I also share other Pairing Suggestions below.

My previous version of this recipe was good, but I wanted to improve the sauce. After retesting the sauce, I've finally got it right. I hope you enjoy this improved version!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

• Ribbon Noodles (aka Knife-Cut Noodles or Sliced Wheat Noodles): These are dry, flat, wheat noodles with ruffled ribbon edges, typically found in the dry noodle section at Asian grocery stores. I recommend Sautao brand for its excellent texture, but other brands work well too. If unavailable, substitute with udon noodles or instant ramen and cook according to package directions.
• Garlic Cloves: A lot of fresh garlic will be needed and avoid using garlic powder.
• Red Chili Flakes: You can use Sichuan red chili flakes for more spice, or use Korean red pepper flakes (aka gochugaru) for a milder kick. Both are available at Asian grocers in the spice aisle.
• Green Onions: To add color and aroma to the finished dish.
• Chinese Black Vinegar: A black-colored vinegar made of fermented rice and other grains to balance the flavors. I recommend the Chinkiang brand, which you can find at Asian grocers in a black bottle with a yellow label. Or use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Regular Soy Sauce: Or use low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
• Dark Soy Sauce: I recommend the Pearl River Bridge brand Superior Dark Soy Sauce for a darker color. Or use mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce.
• White Granulated Sugar: Or use granulated cane sugar to balance the salty flavors.
• Chicken Bouillon Powder: I recommend the Knorr brand as it contains a touch of MSG to give this dish a pop. But if you prefer no MSG, use a version without MSG added.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds: Make sure these are not raw sesame seeds and the label says "toasted".
• Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid using olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.

Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores, or you can check online.

Variation

• Gluten-free version: Replace the wheat noodles with gluten-free spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Replace both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or a gluten-free soy sauce and adjust to taste since these are not a 1:1 substitute. Use gluten-free Kong Yen black vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar in place of regular Chinese black vinegar.