Make dinner in a flash with these garlicky chili oil noodles! In only 10 minutes, you can enjoy a spicy, savory meal of noodles tossed in a zesty chili oil sauce infused with garlic on busy weeknights.
Whenever I'm in a rush, I always turn to these easy chili garlic oil noodles as my go-to choice for a quick dinner.
Preparing a tasty bowl of noodles is a breeze, the best part is it is a quick and easy-to-make noodle recipe. All you need are a handful of basic ingredients, which you may already have stocked in your pantry, and you can whip up a delicious and flavorful bowl of noodles in just minutes.
Even though this dish is vegetarian, it is full of savory and umami flavors. Thanks to their versatile flavors, you can easily modify and customize these chili noodles to your preferences and create a dish that is uniquely yours and can cater to any palate.
I always make these to go with stir-frys, soups, salads, or baked/grilled vegetables or chicken, and they're always a big hit with everyone.
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What are Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Chili garlic oil noodles are a popular dish in Chinese cuisine, particularly in the Sichuan region of China.
The dish is known for its spicy, savory, and slightly sweet flavor.
Unlike most noodle dishes, chili oil noodles don't require any stir-frying. Instead, the key to this recipe is the spicy chili oil sauce, which combines dried chili flakes, garlic, soy sauce, and other seasonings with a generous amount of hot oil.
This fragrant and flavorful sauce is then mixed with cooked noodles and tossed together until the noodles are fully coated. And that's it! You'll have a delicious and satisfying meal in no time.
The dish is typically served hot or warm and can be customized with various toppings such as chopped scallions, cilantro, cucumber, sesame seeds, baby bok choy, or crushed peanuts.
Sometimes people also add other ingredients, such as peanut butter or tahini, to the dish for a rich nuttier flavor and creamier texture.
Why you'll love these Chili Oil Noodles Dish
Minimal ingredients: it uses minimal ingredients, meaning you don't need a lot of items to make this dish.
Versatile: the recipe is versatile and can be customized to suit your preferences. You can even adjust the amount of chili to make it milder or spicier.
Quick and easy: It only takes 10 minutes, making it a perfect option for a weeknight meal.
Delicious flavor: These spicy chili oil noodles are bursting with delicious and bold flavors from chili, garlic, and other seasonings.
Budget-friendly: This dish is also budget-friendly, as the ingredients are affordable and easy to find in most grocery stores.
Ingredients
Ok, let's discuss the ingredients. Here's an overview of what you need to make this spicy garlic chili oil noodles recipe:
For measurements, please see the recipe card below.
Noodles: The most important ingredient in this dish is the noodles. You can use any kind of noodles you like, but udon noodles, thick wheat noodles, egg noodles, ramen noodles work great for this recipe.
Vegetable oil: Ideally, a neutral flavored oil, such as vegetable, canola, sunflower, peanut, soybean, grapeseed, or olive oil.
Garlic: freshly minced garlic adds a strong, savory flavor.
Korean chili flakes: Korean chili flakes/powder (gochugaru) is milder. Or you can use Sichuan chili flakes. You can use the standard chili flakes if you don't have any of these.
White sesame seeds: adds some extra flavor and crunch to the dish.
Soy sauce - adds saltiness and umami to the dish. Use a low-sodium soy sauce to avoid making the dish too salty.
Rice vinegar - adds tanginess and helps to balance out the richness of the dish. You can substitute this with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
Brown sugar: balances out the heat and tanginess of the sauce. You can use white sugar as an alternative.
Scallions or green onion: scallion greens are very important for adding a wonderful onion flavor to the dish.
For toppings
I used chopped scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds. Other common toppings include sliced cucumber, carrots, cilantro, crushed peanuts, chili peppers, or bell pepper. You can also add protein such as shredded chicken, fried egg, or tofu to make the dish more satisfying.
How to make Chili Oil Noodles
- To make the dish, start by boiling the noodles of your choice according to the package instructions or until you like.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of cooking noodles water to add to the sauce later. Then drain the noodles.
- Take minced garlic, chili powder, chopped green onion, and white sesame seeds in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat oil in a pan or pot until it's smoking. Pour the hot oil over the aromatics and mix. Add reserved noodles water, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and brown sugar, and mix.
- Add the hot noodles to the spicy sauce and mix until the noodles are well coated.
- Serve the spicy noodles and garnish with a little bit of chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. You can even sprinkle some chopped cilantro and toasted peanuts if you wish. You can also add your choice of protein if you want.
Recipe Notes
Use fresh garlic: Fresh garlic has a stronger and more vibrant flavor than garlic powder or pre-minced garlic. Mince the garlic before adding it to the chili oil sauce.
Adjust the spice level: Depending on your preference, you can adjust the red chili flakes to make the dish more or less spicy.
Recipe FAQs
The best noodles for chili garlic oil noodles are sturdy and have a slightly chewy noodles texture that can hold up to the bold flavors of the sauce, such as egg noodles, ramen noodles, or udon noodles.
To make chili garlic oil noodles gluten-free, you can use gluten-free noodles such as rice noodles or soba noodles made from 100% buckwheat flour. These noodles are widely available in most grocery stores and supermarkets. Also, use tamari instead of soy sauce. In addition to using gluten-free noodles and soy sauce, you must ensure that the other ingredients you use to make the chili oil noodles are gluten-free.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Gochujang Buttered Noodles
- Spicy Sausage Pasta
- Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles
- Cheese Ramen
- 10 Minute Spicy Ramen
- 10 Minute Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles
- Easy Egg Fried Rice
If you try the recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you and it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
Recipe
Spicy Garlic Chili Oil Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz udon noodles wheat noodles, egg noodles, or ramen noodles
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral cooking oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes Korean or Sichuan chili flakes
- 1-2 scallion greens chopped
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
For garnishing
- chopped scallion greens
- toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- To make the dish, start by boiling the noodles of your choice according to the package instructions or until you like.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of cooking noodles water to add to the sauce later. Then drain the noodles.
- Take minced garlic, chili powder, chopped green onion, and white sesame seeds in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat oil in a pan or pot until it's smoking. Pour the hot oil over the aromatics and mix. Add reserved noodles water, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and brown sugar, and mix.
- Add the hot noodles to the spicy sauce and mix until the noodles are well coated.
- Serve the spicy noodles and garnish with a little bit of chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. You can even sprinkle some chopped cilantro and toasted peanuts if you wish. You can also add your choice of protein if you want.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
Nutrition information is a general estimate only. Actual values may vary depending on the specific ingredients and brands used. For the most accurate information, please consult a registered dietitian or use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Century Foods says
Thank you, I like this recipe & look forward to using it!