Sweet, spicy, and savory, these Korean Gochujang Noodles are a delicious quick fix for your lazy meals. These come together in just 20 minutes using simple ingredients (vegan).
If you love a good bowl of comforting noodles for dinner, here are some more noodle recipes for you – Drunken Noodles, Hibachi Noodles, Hakka Noodles, Kimchi Noodles, Pad Thai Noodles, and Chilli Garlic Noodles.
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About Gochujang Noodles
Gochujang Noodles is a popular Korean recipe where rice noodles are coated with a sticky, thick, and pungent Gochujang sauce (Korean chili pepper paste sauce).
Gochujang, along with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and sugar, gives these noodles a sweet, spicy, savory flavor and bright red color, making them irresistible.
These Asian noodles are very easy to make and take 20 minutes of your time to get ready. This dish makes for a comforting dinner on busy and super hectic days.
Go Chu Jang noodles are loaded with veggies such as bell peppers, cabbage, and carrots, and you can make them even more filling by adding more vegetables or meat of your choice.
This recipe is vegan and can be easily doubled or tripled.
Ingredients & Variations
Noodles – My choice of noodles to make this dish are rice noodles. Rice noodles are sticky in texture, and they properly get a hold of the sticky and saucy texture of the spicy Gochujang sauce.
You can use pad Thai noodles, fresh or frozen udon noodles, stir-fry noodles, vermicelli, or straight-cut rice noodles. You can also opt for red rice noodles, which are easily available in the Asian aisle of grocery stores or online.
This spicy Gochujang noodle recipe also works well with pasta such as spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine and other noodles like Hakka noodles, or egg noodles. If you like giving it a healthy twist, you can also opt for zucchini noodles.
For The Sauce – You will need Gochujang paste, hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar to make the sauce.
Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste that adds a spicy, pungent kick to the dishes. Depending upon your spice level, select your Gochujang from mild hot, slightly hot, medium hot, very hot, and extremely hot to add instant magic to your recipes. I personally go for the medium-hot version.
Korean Chili Paste is available in any local Asian supermarket or international market. You can buy Gochujang online on Amazon as well.
Hoisin sauce adds a salty-sweet taste, and soy sauce gives a beautiful umami flavor to these noodles.
Add some freshly squeezed lime juice to give it a little more tanginess. Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
A little bit of sweetness complements the spicy, savory flavor of the sauce, so do not miss adding the brown sugar. Brown sugar can be replaced with honey or maple syrup.
Peel and use fresh garlic for a more prominent taste. You can also increase the quantity of garlic if you prefer your noodles to be extra garlicky.
Oil – I prefer to make these noodles in sunflower oil. You can use any cooking oil of your choice (canola oil, sesame oil, olive oil).
Veggies – I like to load up the noodles with veggies like bell peppers, carrots, and cabbage. You can also add broccoli, baby corn, snap peas, napa cabbage, onions, baby bok choy, mushrooms, Asian greens, etc.
To make a non-vegetarian version of these noodles, add chicken, turkey, shrimp, ground beef, or ground pork.
I like to garnish these noodles with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.
To make saucy gochujang noodles, stir 2 tablespoon cornstarch with ½ cup water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the ready noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gochujang is a widely used Korean red pepper paste fermented for about a month to get that perfect spicy pungent flavor. It is an essential ingredient of Korean cooking.
This Korean fermented chili paste is prepared with glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, salt, chili peppers, and sometimes sweeteners.
It is thick, sticky, and bright red and is widely used as a condiment or in sauces for Korean recipes.
Gochujang is becoming very popular and can easily be found in the Asian aisle of mainstream grocery markets. If you have an Asian store in the city, you will find Gochujang there.
It is also available easily online on Amazon, target, etc. You can buy it online here.
How To Make Gochujang Noodles
Cook The Noodles
Cook 8 oz (250 g) rice noodles per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Tip – Do not overcook the noodles; otherwise, the final dish will become mushy.
Make The Sauce
Stir together
- 3 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
in a small bowl.
Make The Noodles
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup thinly sliced mixed bell peppers, 1 cup shredded cabbage, and ½ cup shredded carrots and saute for a minute on high heat.
Add the cooked noodles and the sauce mixture and toss everything well using two large spoons or a pair of tongs.
Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Gochujang noodles independently, or top them with a fried egg. You can also serve Korean grilled chicken, shrimp, or meatballs on the side. You can also serve it as a side dish for your Korean brunch on weekends.
Storage Suggestions
Gochujang noodles can easily be stored in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
Reheat them in the microwave or pan until nice and warm before serving.
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Recipe Card
Sweet & Spicy Korean Gochujang Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked rice noodles (250 g)
- 3 tablespoons Gochujang paste
- 3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced mixed bell peppers
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- ½ cup shredded carrots
Instructions
Cook The Noodles
- Cook the noodles as per the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Tip – Do not overcook the noodles otherwise the final dish will become mushy.
Make The Sauce
- Stir gochujang paste, hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar in a small bowl.
Make The Noodles
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mixed bell peppers, cabbage, and carrots and saute for a minute on high heat.
- Add the cooked noodles and the sauce mixture and toss everything well using two large spoons or a pair of tongs.
- Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Brian
going to be trying this tonight and adding some bulgogi, very excited!
theChi005
This sauce was so good! I used udon noodles and it worked out great. Thanks for a great recipe.
M. Kilgore
Made this today and it was a hit as a quick stir fry. Used red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli and red onions. The only thing I added to the sauce was some sweet Thai red chili sauce just because. Will definitely add this to the recipe box to make again
Ruth
Love this recipe, I made it for dinner today, so tasty! Will make again soon.
Could this become a soup by adding 2-4 cups of broth?
Neha Mathur
Yes, sure. You can do that.
Erin Beam
Great with miracle noodles and pork, chicken or shrimp!
Diane
Great recipe! Added cooked ground pork and broccoli. Family loved the sweet and spicy sauce!
Cheryl
I will for sure make this again, especially if I have a craving for heat. I added some soy ginger sauce from Costco which is a little sweet which is something I think it needs. I would have added Mai Ploi if I had it. I added chicken but shrimp would have been excellent.