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Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba Noodles is the perfect 15 minute meal! The quick and easy sauce is aromatic, creamy, and spicy – it pairs perfectly with the nutty flavors of soba noodles!
Watch the Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba Noodles Recipe Video!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- soba noodles – Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour. They have an almost nutty taste that complements the sesame paste in this recipe very well! Soba noodles can be served cold (like in Cold Soba Noodles – Zaru Soba) or served warm like this recipe. There is no great substitution for soba noodles, due to their distinct flavor, you can still pair the delicious creamy, spicy sauce with another long noodle of your choice – something like spaghetti would work in a pinch!
- gochugaru – Gochugaru is Korean red chili pepper flakes (or powder, depending on which version you purchase). It’s vibrant in color and smoky in flavor, and while the heat level varies, it’s definitely on the spicy side. I love using this ingredient because of the layers of flavor it adds. It’s also used in recipes like Korean Braised Tofu, Spicy Garlic Ramen and Korean Cucumber Salad!
- neutral oil – my go to neutral oil is avocado oil; you can also use canola or vegetable. I do not recommend using olive or sesame oil. You’ll be heating the oil to make the base for the sauce, similar to how to make homemade Chili Oil, Chili Crisp, or Ginger Scallion Sauce
- dark soy sauce – this is darker and sweeter than light soy sauce – they are very different, so you cannot substitute one for the other.
- sesame paste – if you don’t have sesame paste, you can substitute with a creamy natural peanut butter with no sugar added. You want to avoid peanut butter with sugar, as it will be too sweet. I recommend picking up some sesame paste, if you want to make dishes like Dan Dan Noodles, Cold Sesame Noodles, Sesame Peanut Noodles, or Spicy Gochujang Noodles!
- mirin – This is a sweet cooking wine that is used frequently in Korean and Japanese cooking. It provides a great balance to the soy sauce in this recipe.
- If you don’t have mirin, you can substitute with rice vinegar but add 1 tsp of sugar, as rice vinegar does not have the sweetness of mirin.
- You can also substitute with 1/4 cup water + 1 tbsp honey mixed in
- msg – this is always optional
Recipe Instructions
1. Make the Sauce
Take a small heatproof bowl (not glass) and add gochugaru, grated garlic, grated ginger, and scallions. Heat 3 tbsp of neutral oil to 375F and carefully pour the hot oil onto the aromatics. Mix to incorporate. This is the base of our sauce!
Once the aromatic oil is made, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, mirin, optional msg, and sesame seeds. Mix well to combine.
The sauce should come out creamy like the photo below.
2. Cook the Soba Noodles
Cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of noodle cooking water in case you need it for the sauce. Drain the soba noodles, then rinse under cold water or in an ice bath to shock them and keep their bouncy, springy texture.
3. Mix and Enjoy!
Combine sauce and soba noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved noodle cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Enjoy your Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba!
PRO TIPS
Expert Tips + Storage
Drain and Rinse in Cold Water
- Once you cook the soba noodles, drain them and rinse in cold water (or an ice bath) to stop them from cooking. This will also help them maintain a chewy, bouncy consistency. Otherwise, your soba noodles will continue to cook from the residual heat and then become mushy.
Safety Tips
- You will be handling boiling hot oil when making the oil base for the sauce, so safety is key! When heating the oil, use a small sauce pan that you can handle comfortably – do not use a pan or dutch oven that is too heavy for you to lift up.
- Use a ceramic or oven safe bowl – do NOT use a glass bowl. Glass can crack or shatter when exposed to high temperatures due to thermal shock.
- Pour the oil very slowly to avoid any splattering and make sure the bowl is not too small, to allow for any oil bubbling.
Optional Garnishes for Soba Noodles
- This dish is delicious on its own but when I want some extra garnishes, I like to top with freshly chopped scallions, roasted sesame seeds, grated radish, and grated wasabi.
Storage
- If you have leftover Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The soba noodles will be stuck together when reheating but the flavor will still be delicious! I would microwave them quickly with a little bit of water to loose them up.
If you tried this Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba Noodles or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Creamy Spicy Sesame Soba Noodles
Ingredients
- 6 oz soba noodles
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1/2 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame paste
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1/4 tsp msg
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- To a heat proof bowl, add garlic, ginger, gochugaru, and scallions in a bowl. Heat neutral oil to 375F and pour over hot oil and mix the aromatics until combined
- To the aromatic oil, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, mirin, msg sesame seeds and mix.
- Cook soba noodles to package directions or until al dente. Drain (reserving some noodle cooking water) and rinse under cool water.
- Combine sauce and noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add noodle cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love the hint of spice to these noodles!
Easy lunch idea! @alyshasharmine
THISSS. Made a batch to meal prep for the next few days, but my husband and I went back for seconds and finished everything in 2 days. 😂