Yaki udon stir-fry noodles is a quick and easy stir-fried noodle recipe that’s packed with umami flavor and can be on your table in 15 – 20 minutes. This noodle stir fry is guaranteed to become a family favorite.
When it comes to Japanese cooking, yaki udon stir-fry is one of my favorite stir-fry dishes to make and to eat! The earthy, umami flavor of the savory sauce is the perfect complement to the chewy noodles.
Paired with your choice of protein, this Japanese stir-fried dish is perfect for a busy weeknight, or your next date night.
Yaki udon noodle stir fry is a flavorful and filling dish that your whole family will love. It’s faster than ordering takeout and doesn’t contain preservatives.
If you enjoyed this dish, make sure to check out my easy beef and broccoli, and chicken bulgogi recipes.
Ingredients to make Yaki Udon Stir Fry
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our Yaki Udon Stir Fry recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I use other proteins to make the dish?
We used ground beef to make the recipe, but you can use ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken. Shredded chicken, beef, or pork can be used, as well as tofu or shrimp.
Where can I find the ingredients?
Look for udon noodles in the refrigerated or freezer section of an Asian grocery store or your local supermarket. If you can’t find frozen, use dry udon noodles and cook them according to the package instructions.
Dark soy sauce is preferred and can usually be found in Asian markets, but you can substitute regular or low-sodium soy sauce. Hoisin sauce or teriyaki sauce can be substituted for oyster sauce. Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine, but it can be left out and substituted with chicken stock or water.
Sesame oil is preferred, but vegetable oil or olive oil can be substituted.
How to make Yaki Udon Stir Fry
- In a small bowl, add the dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and olive oil (or vegetable oil) to the pan.
- When the oil is hot, add the ground meat to the pan.
- Cook until the ground beef is browned.
- Add the garlic, onion, bok choy, and mushrooms to the pan.
- Stir fry the vegetables until they are soft. Set aside until the noodles are ready.
*Button or baby Bella’s mushrooms, shitake mushrooms
- Fill a large pot with water, and when it starts to boil, add the frozen udon noodles. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes until soft.
*Most udon noodles are precooked; you’re only finishing the process, so be careful not to overcook them. - Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside until needed.
*If you’re not using them right away, drizzle a little olive oil on them to keep them from sticking together. - Add the noodles, ¾ of the yaki udon sauce, and the scallions (green onions) to the pan and toss until the noodles are well coated.
- Add the remainder of the sauce as needed and continue to cook the stirfy for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
*For a little bit of heat, add red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, or your favorite hot sauce.
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a plateful of this flavorful stir-fry? I like to think of it as Japanese comfort food, it’s delicious, filling, and easy-to -make.
Store any leftover yaki udon refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQ’s
Udon is a Japanese noodle that is made of wheat. Yaki udon refers to a dish that is stir-fried and includes udon noodles along with a variety of meats and vegetables mixed with soy sauce-based sauce.
You can use a variety of vegetables based on your preference. Bok choy, carrots, bell peppers, onions, your favorite mushrooms, napa cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, asparagus tips, and snap peas are all great choices.
Frozen or fresh udon noodles are preferred for their chewy texture, but you can also use dried noodles. If you can’t find udon, you can use any type of Asian-style noodles. If those aren’t available, perciatelli, bucatini, fettuccine, or linguine can be used to make the recipe.
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Yaki Udon Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 13 oz udon noodles frozen or refrigerated
- 1 ½ cups bok choy chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 2 stalks scallions cut on a bias
- 1 small carrot cut into long shreds
- ½ cup onions sliced or chopped – more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoon garlic finely diced
- ½ lb lean ground beef (ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork can be used)
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Yaki Udon Noodle Sauce
- 2½ tablespoon dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional – more or less to taste
- 2 stalks scallions cut on bias for garnish
Instructions
- Add the dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and olive oil to the pan.
- When the oil is hot, add the ground beef and cook until browned.
- Add the garlic, onion, bok choy, and mushrooms to the pan. Stir fry the vegetables until they are soft.
- Fill a large pot with water, and when it starts to boil, add the frozen udon noodles to the pot. Stir the noodles so they don't stick together.
- Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes until soft.*Most udon noodles are precooked; you're only finishing the process, so be careful not to overcook them.
- Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside until needed.*If you're not using them right away, drizzle a little olive oil on them to keep them from sticking together.
- Add the noodles, ¾ of the sauce, and the scallions to the pan and toss until the noodles are well coated.
- Add the remainder of the sauce as needed and continue to cook the stirfy for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Tricia
Easy and absolutely delicious! Since there’s a bit of vegetable chopping needed, I did all the prep work earlier in the day and stored it in the frig. At dinner time, it came together quickly.
Thank you for the recipe; I will definitely make this again.
Lisa
I love this recipe! I can’t wait to make it.