Chewy udon noodles tossed in a delicious creamy sauce with bacon topped with cheese and roasted seaweed. This quick and easy udon carbonara takes 15 minutes with minimal ingredients! A great main dish or meal for all the noodle-lovers!
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Udon Carbonara is a scrumptious Japanese-Italian fusion noodle inspired by pasta carbonara from Italy. It's my all-time favorite way to enjoy udon.
This dish features thick udon noodles tossed in a creamy rich sauce made of eggs, cheese, garlic with bacon (or guanciale or pancetta) and dry roasted seaweed.
This easy noodle recipe is the perfect dish on busy weeknights when you're craving something indulgent and incredibly tasty as it's made with simple ingredients in little time and in one-pan!
In traditional pasta carbonara, they use spaghetti instead of thick Japanese noodles and they also use guanciale, not bacon.
Guanciale is a cured pork and can be tricky to find, so this recipe is made with bacon but you can substitute with guanciale or pancetta if they're available to you.
This is a fantastic Asian-fusion noodle dish to make when you want to impress guests because the cooking process is very fast.
The trick to prevent the sauce from becoming scrambled eggs is to remove the pan off the heat and wait 60 seconds and then mix in the sauce!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
- Frozen Udon Noodles: these are Japanese thick wheat flour noodles that most Asian markets sell in the frozen section or substitute with freshly made udon noodles or spaghetti (but it won't be Asian) cooked to package directions. Avoid using shelf-stable vacuum-sealed udon noodles if you can as they easily break apart.
- Large Eggs: to get that vibrant yellow color, use Omega-3 free run eggs.
- Bacon or Guanciale or Pancetta: any of these will work and the latter two are more authentic to Italian cuisine. Or as a last resort, substitute with sliced pork belly.
- Garlic
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano Cheese or Grana Padano: all three will work and I recommend the block kind that you grate yourself for best flavor. Avoid using pre-grated parmesan cheese if possible as it just doesn't taste the same.
- Salt
- Dry Roasted Seaweed (or Nori): or substitute with Korean seasoned seaweed flakes or crushed seaweed snack for garnishing.
Expert Tips
- Prepare the ingredients in advance because the cooking process is fast!
- Use a whisk to combine the eggs, cheese and garlic for best ingredient distribution.
- Don't over soak the udon noodles or they will become soggy later.
- Remove the pan off the heat and wait 1 minute for the noodles to cool just a bit before adding the egg mixture so the eggs remain as a sauce and don't become scrambled eggs.
- Don't wait too long to add the egg mixture to the noodles or the raw egg will not cook through properly. The noodles and pan still need to be hot enough to cook the egg sauce.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make udon carbonara:
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, garlic until combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl, soak frozen udon noodles with hot boiling water for 30 seconds or just until loosened. Reserve ¼ cup or 60 ml of the noodle soaking water for later. Strain the udon noodles and set aside.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat, fry bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered off. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove most of the fat in the pan, reserving 1 teaspoon in the pan.
- Into the same pan, toss in udon noodles with ¼ cup reserved noodle water to loosen them. Add the bacon back in. Cook until noodles begin to steam.
- Remove the entire pan off the heat. Wait only 60 seconds for the noodles to cool just a bit. Then pour in egg mixture and quickly mix so the eggs don't become scrambled eggs.
- Season with salt to taste. Garnish with grated cheese and roasted seaweed strips.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat with a few splashes of water to loosen the noodles.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing udon carbonara because the freezer will change the texture of the cooked udon.
Pairing Suggestions
- starters like miso soup, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or korokke.
- seafood dishes like shrimp tempura, panko shrimp or ebi mayo.
- protein dishes like ramen eggs, chicken katsu or tonkatsu, tofu katsu, karaage, teriyaki tofu, teriyaki chicken, or ginger miso salmon
- rice dishes like oyakodon, katsudon, or omurice
- rice balls like shrimp tempura rice ball, tuna onigiri, or spicy tuna onigiri
FAQ
Udon carbonara can be made up to 4 days and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat with a few splashes of water to loosen the noodles.
Unfortunately, udon carbonara is not dairy-free because it contains cheese, which is made from dairy.
Udon noodles are not gluten-free because they're made of wheat flour, which contains gluten. However, some brands sell gluten-free udon noodles if you search online.
If you follow my recipe instructions closely, the residual heat from the hot noodles and the searing hot pan will be enough to cook the egg sauce. Just make sure not to wait too long before adding the egg mixture.
📖 Recipe
15-min. Easy & Simple Udon Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2.20 lb frozen udon noodles or fresh udon but see Notes below
- 4 large eggs
- 1.5 cups bacon or guanciale or pancetta, chopped into ½-inch wide pieces
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano or grana padano, grated
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon nori cut into thin strips, or seaweed flakes/crushed seaweed snack
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, garlic until combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl, soak frozen udon noodles with hot boiling water for 30 seconds or just until loosened. Reserve ¼ cup or 60 ml of the noodle soaking water for later. Strain the udon noodles and set aside.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat, fry bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered off. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove most of the fat in the pan, reserving 1 teaspoon in the pan.
- Into the same pan, toss in udon noodles with ¼ cup reserved noodle water to loosen them. Add the bacon back in. Cook until noodles begin to steam.
- Remove the entire pan off the heat. Wait only 60 seconds for the noodles to cool just a bit. Then pour in egg mixture and quickly mix so the eggs don't become scrambled eggs.
- Season with salt to taste. Garnish with grated cheese and roasted seaweed strips.
Molly
Delicious and easy to make!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it and found it easy!
Rachael
Why do you prefer frozen udon noodles? Would fresh ones be better?
christieathome
I prefer frozen as they have a very chewy but soft texture - better than shelf-stable vacuumed sealed kind. The vacuumed-sealed versions break easily as well. If you're able to find the refrigerated fresh kind, please feel free to use that instead.
Helene
Just made this recipe 😋😋 It came together so fast and easy ! I substitute bacon with left over roast from the holidays and it was delicious !
christieathome
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Helene! I am so glad you enjoyed it with your roast! Have a wonderful day!
Tracey
One of the best udon carbonaras I've ever had. So easy and delicious.
Andi
Awesome recipe! I love carbonara but never tasted sooo good! Very simple to make and doesn’t take long at all. The noodles soften nicely under the sauce. Will be making it again.
christieathome
Thanks Andi! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and how it took little time to make 🙂 Appreciate you making my recipe and have a great day!
Anna
This is such a good idea Christie! Carbonara is delicious but with udon noodles it would be NEXT level!
LetsCurry
Christie
I love the way how you bring different cuisines here and share It with us. It's inspiring to see you give alternative choices to make it vegan. I love noodles and this recipe can easily make a hearty dinner.
Rosemary
I love this dish because of those huge fat noodles!! I can never find them in the stores here!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I am a huge fan of anything noodles and I am loving the savory flavors of bacon in this recipe. Plus with just 6 ingredients, it'll be so easy shopping for ingredients!
Julia Rees
This looks so delicious! I love Italian food, and the udon noodles give this recipe a fun twist!
I can't wait to try it
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Carbonara is one of our favorite meals! Using udon noodles is such a fun twist. Looking forward to giving it a try!