These teriyaki noodles feature a homemade teriyaki-inspired sauce, plus cabbage, carrots, green onions, and sesame seeds. This easy recipe can be made with ramen noodles, rice noodles, or whatever noodles you have on hand. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s a delicious, quick veggie-packed meal.
This teriyaki noodles recipe is a family favorite dish that’s loaded with sweet and savory flavors. It’s an Asian-inspired meal perfect for busy nights since it’s ready in just 20 minutes! This easy dinner can be eaten as a noodle bowl main dish or side dish for teriyaki chicken skewers or teriyaki salmon stir fry
I love a good easy noodle bowl recipe and can never say no to pasta. However, I have to admit that I have a particular weakness for Asian-inspired meals, and am guilty of ordering takeout when life gets busy. Yup, even food bloggers are human too.
Recipes like this help me recreate those takeout style Asian cuisine umami flavors without extra expense and with more control over the ingredients. Plus, this one turned out so slurpable and delicious!
Made with a homemade teriyaki sauce and healthy veggies, these teriyaki noodles are sweet, savory, and flavored with just a hint of (optional) spice. Cooked to tender perfection, it all comes together in a single pot and is ready in minutes for an easy meal that’s sure to become a family favorite.
Featured Review
We loved these noodles!! So good!
-Thalia
If this is right yup your alley and you’re craving another 20-minute vegetarian noodle recipe, you won’t want to miss my miso noodle bowls! It’s a truly fantastic recipe. Or if you’re looking for more protein, serve them alongside my saucy and delicious Mongolian ground beef recipe. It’s a match made in heaven!
Why You’ll Love These Tasty Teriyaki Noodles
Better than takeout, these teriyaki noodles offer so much to love. For instance, they’re:
- Easy and quick to make
- Naturally vegan and vegetarian
- Dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free (if using GF noodles – the ones linked in the recipe card are my favorite!)
- Works as a main dish or side dish paired with your favorite protein source
- Full of fresh vegetables
Ingredients and Substitutions
In addition to being easy, delicious, and nutritious, this teriyaki noodles recipe features simple ingredients and a homemade teriyaki sauce. I listed the exact items I include below and provide notes on what kind of noodles to use.
- Fresh veggies – Shredded cabbage and shredded, peeled carrots add a bit of crunch, color, and tons of nutrients to these Japanese teriyaki noodles. If you can’t find cabbage, use a pack of coleslaw mix, and discard the sauce packet that comes with it.
- Noodles – I used Lotus Foods brown rice noodles since they cook fast and are naturally gluten-free. I tested the recipe with other kinds too though and you can substitute udon noodles, soba noodles, spaghetti noodles, lo mein noodles, rice noodles, angel hair pasta, or whatever type of noodle you like best. You can use gluten-free varieties of any of those if needed.
- Garnishes – Technically optional but highly recommended, sesame seeds, crisp green onion, and chili crisp add extra crunch and flavor.
For the homemade teriyaki sauce
Here are the sauce ingredients with substitution options or other things to call out:
- Arrowroot powder – You can substitute cornstarch for the slurry and can experiment with other arrowroot substitutes but I’ve only tested with arrowroot and cornstarch. It will still be okay if left out but sauce will not cling to the noodles as much which impacts the overall taste.
- Mirin – Dry white wine, dry sherry or sweet marsala wine are great alternative options if you cannot find mirin.
- Sugar – Coconut sugar or brown sugar helps sweeten the sauce. I tested it with honey and it wasn’t as good as using granular sugar but could work in a pinch.
One of my favorite things about these tasty teriyaki noodles is how versatile they can be! For simplicity’s sake, I kept the ingredient list fairly short, but feel free to mix and match different items. You can add extra veggies and a protein source to add bulk and turn it into a more filling main dish.
For instance, bell peppers, snow peas, water chestnuts, mushrooms, bok choy, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki shrimp, ground turkey, scrambled eggs, and tofu are all great options. Then, if you want to amp up the heat, try an extra dash of sriracha or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or chili crisp oil.
How to Make Easy Teriyaki Noodles
This Asian-inspired meal is an easy dinner recipe or side dish that will become a new staple in your lineup. Cooked in a single pot, this stir fry recipe is virtually fail proof so you can nail it the first time. Here are the basic steps:
- Prepare the homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Make sauce.
- Cook the noodles.
- Stir fry the fresh veggies.
- Combine the stir-fry ingredients.
- Garnish.
Recipe Notes and Pro-Tips
As with all my recipe ideas, this recipe worked amazingly the first time. Ha, kidding! It has been tested, re-tested, and tested again in order to get the flavor combination and cooking method exactly right.
Recipe Tips
- Be careful not to overcook the noodles! As mentioned, you’ll want to follow the package instructions for whichever noodles you choose. However, it’s crucial to cook them al dente. You want them to be just slightly underdone. This will keep the noodles from getting mushy once they’re added to the pan and helps them absorb the sweet teriyaki sauce.
- Rinse the noodles if necessary. Some noodles, like rice noodles, should be rinsed immediately after cooking. This helps remove some of the excess starch and prevents them from clumping together when added to the stir-fry mixture.
- Remove the pan from the heat immediately. As soon as the sauce has thickened, you’ll want to pull your pan from the heat to prevent the veggies and noodles from overcooking.
- Use prepared ingredients. If you really want to minimize prep time and make it in just 15 minutes, use a pre-packaged bag of coleslaw with shredded cabbage and carrots along with pre-jarred garlic and ginger. You won’t be able to tell the difference in this recipe.
How to Store and Reheat
These easy teriyaki noodles are best eaten fresh while they’re still warm. However, if you have leftovers, allow them to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to eat, you can enjoy leftover teriyaki noodles cold or warm. If eating cold, you can sometimes taste the starchiness of the arrowroot, but it disappears when the noodles are warm! To heat them back up, place them in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat just until they’re heated through. Add a few drops of water while heating if the noodles are too dry.
Quick 20-Minute Teriyaki Noodles (Vegetarian)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot for noodles
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 spatula for sauteéing
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 3 peeled and shredded carrots about 1 cup
- 10 ounces noodles ramen, spaghetti, rice noodles or whatever you prefer
Teriyaki sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoons arrowroot powder*
- 1/3 cup sliced green onion 4-5 stalks
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons mirin
- 3 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon minced or grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
- ½ – 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or siracha add more or less based on your spice preference
Garnishes (optional)
- Sesame seeds
- Additional sliced green onion
- Chili crisp oil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- While water is coming to a boil, in a small bowl mix arrowroot with 2 Tablespoons cold water until dissolved to make a slurry.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir until blended together.
- Add noodles to pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions al dente (cook time will depend on noodles used).* When noodles are done cooking, drain in a strainer.
- Heat avocado oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and carrot and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until cabbage has started to wilt and become tender.
- Stir teriyaki sauce one last time and then dump sauce and noodles into the pan with cabbage and stir until sauce starts to bubble and thicken (about 2 minutes).
- Remove from heat and garnish noodles with sesame seeds, additional green onion, chili crisp oil or other preferred garnishes and serve right away.
Notes
- Packaged coleslaw veggie mix can be substituted for the chopped cabbage and carrot.
- Replace arrowroot with cornstarch in slurry if preferred using 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch instead of a full teaspoon.
- Ramen will take just 3 minutes and spaghetti will take 8-12 minutes so if using longer cooking noodles, start sautéing the vegetables before the noodles start cooking to time it more appropriately.
- I used brown rice ramen noodles since they cook fast but any noodle should work. Be sure to follow package directions. A quick rinse briefly after cooking can help remove starchiness before adding noodles to pan with veggies and sauce.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Best eaten fresh but leftovers are fine warm or cold. Reheat in microwave or on a pan on the stovetop over low heat. Add a few drops of water while heating if the noodles are too dry.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
At what point would you recommend adding vegetables other than the cabbage and carrots? I’m adding mushrooms and bell peppers.
Ooh, mushrooms take a little longer but will add so much good umami flavor! I’d sauté the bell pepper and mushrooms for 5 minutes before adding the cabbage and other veggies in. When the mushrooms release most of their water and start to sear, that’s when I’d dump the cabbage and carrot in. You may need to add another splash of oil to the pan at that point too. Sounds like a delicious addition!
We loved these noodles!! So good!
Your evidence doesn’t sit right with me 🙁
I’m not sure what “evidence” you’re referring to…?
The evidence looks delicious to me!!!! 😁
Thank you! 🤣 I’m always happy to help troubleshoot a recipe but that comment was a little cryptic.