Quick & Easy Vegan Asian Sesame Noodles

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Thick chewy noodles smothered in a sesame soy sauce with greens, carrots, green onions and garlic. These quick and easy vegan asian sesame noodles are satisfying as a main or side dish and made with simple ingredients in little time!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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These sesame stir-fried noodles are packed with flavor and are easy to make with minimal ingredients in one pan!

They come together in a pinch and they will keep you coming back for more with that delicious sesame soy sauce and those chewy noodles!

It's also a great way to add more vegetables and fiber to your diet, especially if you have picky eaters! If you want to make this a complete meal, feel free to add sliced tofu.

If you’re not vegan, feel free to add cooked chicken, beef, pork or shrimp into the stir fry.

Since my husband is eating more plant-focused foods, I thought I’d share this noodle recipe. They are vegan and packed with vegetables!

There is a common misconception that eating vegan is tasteless or boring. Vegan cuisine can be very flavourful as it doesn't rely on meat but instead on sauces and aromatics for flavor. These noodles are far from tasteless!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Fresh thick yellow noodles: like Miki Noodles or any eggless yellow thick noodles. These are usually pre-cooked and come fresh in the refrigerated section at the Asian grocery store. As a last resort, substitute with udon noodles.
Carrots Matchsticks: or julienned carrots
Yu choy sum or bok choy: or substitute with baby gai lan
Green onions
Garlic cloves
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.

Noodle Sauce

Sweet soy sauce (aka kecap manis): this is a dark soy sauce that is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce and sweetened. If you don't have it, substitute with dark soy sauce and mix in 1 teaspoon of sugar to it.
Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor! Omit if you're allergic.
Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. But if you don’t have this, substitute with regular soy sauce.
Cornstarch: or potato starch
Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
White granulated sugar: to help balance the saltiness in the dish
Sesame seeds: omit if you're allergic.
Vegetable broth

Variations

If you’re gluten-free: substitute the noodles with a gluten-free noodle like rice noodles or gluten-free udon. Substitute both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce and mix in 1 teaspoon of sugar into the noodle sauce. Substitute the shaoxing wine with any broth.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Expert Tips

Prepare ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast and this prevents over cooking the noodles.
Fry your vegetables from hardest texture first to softest, except for alliums. This technique prevents your soft veggies, like leafy greens, from overcooking in the pan and your hard veggies, such as carrots, from undercooking.
Infuse the oil with the alliums by stir frying on low-medium heat but don't burn them!
Add noodle sauce and noodles at the same time. This prevents your noodles from overcooking as you mix everything together.
Don't overcook the noodles! The noodles are already pre-cooked so you want to keep these chewy.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make vegan Asian sesame noodles:

In a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add fresh noodles and pour boiling hot water over top. Soak until loosened for 30 seconds. Strain and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on low-medium heat. Fry garlic and green onions. Cook for 10 seconds until fragrant.
Increase to medium-high heat, add carrots and cook for 2 minutes until softened.
Then toss in yu choy or bok choy and cook for 30 seconds until softened or wilted.
Add noodles and noodle sauce. Toss until combined and remove off heat immediately once combined. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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.
Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.

Pairing Suggestions

Vegan Asian sesame noodles serves well with:

starters like hot and sour soup
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

These noodles can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.

Why are my noodles soggy?

They were either over blanched in the hot boiling water or stir fried for too long in the pan. It's best to only soak the noodles for 30 seconds and strain immediately and once the noodles are tossed with the sauce, remove it off the heat immediately.

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