These spicy chili garlic noodles are ready in about 15 minutes and FULL of flavor. They’re gluten free and vegan but delicious with some extra stir fried veggies and your choice of protein!
Is this turning into a noodle blog? Because it kind of feels like it lol. But I’m not complaining because I love them, they’re so easy to make, deliciously savory, vegan and gluten free but totally customizable depending on your preferences!
I’ve admitted this before, but I am very sensitive to spice. Almost embarrassingly sensitive. But here I am sharing a recipe for spicy noodles because ya’ll asked for it!
This recipe takes only about 15 minutes to whip up and can be easily customized with extra vegetables, protein, etc. You can serve these hot or cold so they’re the perfect recipe to meal prep.
These noodles are spicy and not for the faint of heart. Though you can definitely make them way less spicy if you prefer or so spicy that you’re sweating after two bites (me).
But no, you won’t die from eating spicy noodles, but you may sweat and need an extra large glass of water! Try my spicy chili chicken noodles , teriyaki tofu or one of my favorite asian noodles next!
Key ingredients
Noodles. I used wide white rice noodles, but really whatever you have is fine! White rice noodles can be quite sticky, so you want to add the sauce pretty quickly after the noodles cook.
You can also rinse the noodles after cooking to help wash away some of the excess starch. Alternatively, use a brown rice noodle which is less sticky. I like to get items like this from Thrive Market to save money.
Shallots, garlic & onion. We’ll be sauteeing the shallots, garic and green onion in some oil to add a ton of flavor to the sauce.
Soy sauce. I used tamari to keep it gluten free, but I promise it tastes the same as regular soy sauce. Be sure to use low sodium so it doesn’t get too salty!
If you only have full strength soy sauce, just cut the amount in half an then add more as needed to taste.
Chili garlic sauce. This sauce adds a delicious garlic flavor but also a lot of spice. Scale back if you’re sensitive.
Sriracha. This will take the spice up to the next level! Feel free to add as much or as little as you like.
Sugar. A little bit of brown sugar really helps to round out the flavors. It pairs well with the salty soy sauce and spicy sriracha.
How to make spicy noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
Add the shallot and garlic to a pot and saute with the oil until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the white part of the scallions and the grated ginger and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
Pour in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together. Start on the low end of the recommended amounts of sriracha and chili sauce (1 tbsp or less for each).
It’s very easy to make it more spicy if you want, but if it ends up too spicy for you, it’s hard to tone it down! Everyone has different tolerance levels, hence the big ranges.
When the noodles are done cooking, combine with the sauce and diced roasted pepper and toss until well coated. taste and adjust flavors as desired.
The first bite might not seem that spicy, but it gets spicier the more you eat, so have a few bites before you decide to add extra sriracha or red chili flakes!
Serve as is or with any other vegetables or protein of choice. I love adding in bok choy, carrot or cabbage with chicken or tofu.
Top with red chili flakes for more spice and the remaining chopped scallions. Enjoy!
How to make it more or less spicy
I’ve listed various ways to make these noodles more or less spicy depending on your preference. An easy way to decrease the spicy level is to omit the sriracha and use less chili sauce.
So please don’t come at me in the comments saying they’re too spicy or not spicy enough, it’s simple to adjust to your liking and I try to give every one options : )
Even a pinch of red chili flakes will really take things up a notch if you’re looking for extra spicy noodles.
