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!
Spicy chili garlic noodles in a bowl with chopsticks
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 next!
How to make this recipe
- 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 sauté 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.
- Add 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.
Sauteing the garlic for the sauce
- 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I serve them with?
I like serving these spicy noodles with some extra pan fried veggies and some salmon or chicken. It’s also delicious with my air fried tofu or even some ground chicken. Anything goes here!
Can I make them less spicy?
- Yes! 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.
- What kind of noodles are best? I love using wide rice noodles, but even just regular old spaghetti will work!
- However, I generally find the texture of white rice noodles to be best for Asian inspired dishes and the neutral flavor allows the flavors of the sauce to shine through. You can even use ramen noodles, but be sure to follow the package instructions so you don’t overcook them.
Spicy noodles with chopsticks wrapped around the noodles
- Try these noodles next!
- Spicy Peanut Noodles
- Sesame Noodles
- Thai Curry Noodles
Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
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!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles I used wide rice noodles
- 2 shallots sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions/green onions just the white part, save the green for garnish!
- 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp. oil I used olive, vegetable oil works too!
- 4-5 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce or tamari depending on how salty/saucy you like it
- 1-3 tbsp. chili garlic sauce depending on brand and spice preference, click for the one I used
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar can sub coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp. sriracha more or less to taste
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- Add the shallots and garlic to a pot and saute with the oil until browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the white part of the scallions and the grated ginger and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add 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 toss until well coated. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the noodles to absorb the flavors. I also tossed in two diced roasted red peppers, but you can also add in any sauteed veggies you like! 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!
Notes
- Instead of the roasted red pepper from a can, you can just use a raw red bell pepper and salute it before adding it into the noodles. I just prefer the flavor and ease of using store bought roasted pepper!
- While this dish is designed to be spicy, you can make it very mild if you prefer. Just omit the sriracha and decrease the chili garlic paste. Start small and add more as needed!
- If you only have regular strength soy sauce/tamari and not low sodium, start with about 2 tbsp. instead of 4 and add more as needed so it doesn’t get too salty.
