This simple Udon Noodle Stir Fry recipe with Mushrooms is packed with flavor, takes only 20 minutes to make, and uses only one skillet! With fresh flavorful ingredients like green onions, garlic, ginger, and shiitake (or other) mushrooms, and a simple sauce made with basic Asian ingredients, you’ll love this plant-based recipe next time you have a craving for a big ol’ bowl of noodles.
Udon Noodle Stir Fry
Udon noodles are, in my opinion, the king of noodles. They’re thick, slippery, slurpable, chewy, and the perfect starchy texture for optimal sauce-clinging.
This Udon Noodle Stir Fry recipe features shiitake mushrooms, which are packed with flavor and amazingly fragrant. If you can’t find them or don’t care for them, other mushrooms can be used, like cremini (baby portobello).
The stir fry sauce is a simple mixture of easily accessible condiments you probably already have around. And the addition of fresh aromatics – green onions, ginger, garlic, and basil – add a lot of bright flavor to the whole thing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Udon noodles – you can find these at any Asian market and at many grocery stores. This recipe calls for defrosted frozen Udon noodles. You can also use two servings of dried Udon noodles, which are flatter and a little less chewy, and cook them according to the package, or refrigerated noodles (though I hear frozen have a better texture). If you can’t find them, you can make this recipe with another Asian-style noodle of your choice (such as rice noodles- also good for a gluten-free option).
- Green onions
- Fresh minced garlic
- Shiitake Mushrooms – or another mushroom that you prefer, or a mix of different kinds of mushrooms.
- Soy sauce – or Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce for a GF option.
- Fresh ginger – ginger paste can also be used.
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Rice vinegar
- Honey – or another sweetener like sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup for a vegan version.
- Chili garlic sauce – or another spicy sauce like Sriracha, or omit for a mild version.
- Fresh basil or cilantro – optional, stirred in at the end for extra fresh flavor.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
How to make Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Mushrooms
- First, sauté the green onion and garlic in canola oil on medium heat. Use just the light green and white parts of the onions for now. You don’t want the garlic to burn, just toast and get fragrant, so don’t turn the heat up too high!
- Add the shiitake mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until they are softened and browned. Here’s more on how to brown mushrooms.
- Meanwhile, mix the sauce together in a glass measuring cup or small bowl – soy sauce, fresh ginger, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, chili garlic sauce, and water.
- Add the sauce and noodles to the skillet. Stir together until the noodles are broken apart and coated in the sauce, scraping up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the skillet as you go.
- Finally, stir in the dark green onion parts and fresh basil/cilantro if using. Keep heating and stirring until the sauce thickens to your liking if it seems too thin. Serve!
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Can I add a protein to the stir fry?
Sure! Some black pepper and soy sauce tofu, chicken, beef, shrimp, or other protein would be delicious here. But don’t feel like you HAVE to add more protein to make it a “meal” – Udon Noodles are actually quite protein-packed for what they are at 9 grams per serving. I found this stir fry quite satisfying without any additions.
What about other veggies – can I add those?
Of course! Just add them when you add the mushrooms. Grated or thinly sliced carrots, sliced Japanese eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, etc. would be delicious added in – in addition to or instead of the mushrooms. Just stay away from veggies that need a long time to cook, like large pieces of carrot or sweet potatoes.
Is this the same thing as Yaki Udon?
No. Yaki Udon is a traditional Japanese Udon Noodle stir fry, and while this recipe may share some similarities with it, it is by no claim authentic Yaki Udon Stir Fry. Here’s an authentic Yaki Udon recipe from Nami at Just One Cookbook.
What kind of skillet should I use?
I used a stainless steel skillet with deep sides (I love this one from Calphalon). You can use another skillet, like nonstick, or a wok if you have one. Just make sure it’s plenty big to hold all the ingredients.
Other East Asian-inspired stir fry recipes
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu
- Sesame Chicken
- Shrimp Stir Fry with Vegetables
- Pineapple Chicken with Cashews
- Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps
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Udon Noodle and Mushroom Stir Fry
Equipment
- Large deep skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 16 oz. defrosted frozen udon noodles or refrigerated or dried; see notes
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral tasting oil
- 1 bunch green onions sliced , 1/2 cup dark green parts reserved (6-8 total green onions)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms sliced (or cremini/baby portobella, or other mushroom)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium if preferred
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated on a microplane zester
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce such as Huy Fong, or Sriracha (more or less depending on spice level preference)
- 1/3 cup water or chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves and/or cilantro, optional
Instructions
- If using dried udon noodles, prepare according to directions on package (see notes).
- Heat the canola oil (2 tablespoons) in a large deep skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the light green and white parts of the green onions (making sure to reserve about 1/2 cup of the darkest green parts) and the minced garlic (2 cloves). Sauté for about 2 minutes, until onions are softened and garlic is toasted and fragrant.
- Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms (8 oz.) to the skillet and sauté until browned and softened, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).
- While the mushrooms are cooking, make the sauce. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix the soy sauce (1/4 cup), fresh ginger (1 tablespoon), sesame oil (2 teaspoons), rice vinegar (1 tablespoon), chili garlic sauce (2 teaspoons), honey (1 tablespoon) and water (1/3 cup).
- Add the sauce and the prepared noodles to the skillet. Stir together. If things are sticking to the bottom, add 1/4 cup of water and use a wooden spoon to scrape anything from the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the dark green onion slices (1/2 cup) as well as the basil/cilantro leaves (1/4 cup) if using. Stir together and serve.
Notes
- Frozen Udon Noodles can be found at Asian markets or some other grocery stores and come already cooked – they just need to be defrosted. Dried may be more common in your store – these can be prepared by boiling or microwaving depending on type (follow the directions on the package). Refrigerated may also used right away (though I’ve heard frozen have the best texture). If using dried, use 8 oz. (16 oz. dried is different than 16 oz. fresh).
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free Udon noodles or another GF noodle, and by using GF soy sauce or a suitable alternative.
- Make it vegan by swapping out the honey for brown sugar or another vegan sweetener.
- Add protein like tofu, chicken, beef, or shrimp for an extra hearty boost.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Jan
Made this for the second time now and I think I figured it out. Added some green bean and started stöbern with those. For the sauce I tripled the amount of sesame oil (my wife loves it), and reduced the rice vinegar and honey by half. Also used about 1.5-2x the amount of fresh ginger. Had to cook it for about 5 min in end to thicken the sauce. This was sooo tasty for us. Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Greg Smith
The vinegar made the whole meal tart, not the best. Will try adding hoisin to sweeten. Would probably go teriyaki next time.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Rice vinegar is found in pretty much any stir fry sauce, in roughly the amount required in this recipe, but feel free to decrease the amount or omit it if you are sensitive the taste! I also want to make sure – you didn’t use white vinegar or another vinegar instead, right? Rice vinegar is relatively low on the acidity scale and I’ve never had a situation where it makes something too tart. So just be sure that you are using the right kind of vinegar. But also, teriyaki sauce or another of your favorite stir fry sauces will work just fine in this recipe – it’s easy to make your own! Hope that helps.
Frank
Brilliant !
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa
Loved it!! Added some broccoli and corn that I roasted beforehand and it was brilliant! Next time I think I will marinate some salmon in the sauce and sear it for over top!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of having this with salmon. I’ll suggest this salmon bites recipe, the marinade flavor would go perfectly with this: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/salmon-bites/
R. Sanders
Amazing! Love this, so quick and easy.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Chris
Hello!! Made this stir fry for our Asian night with dumplings. Sooo…good!! Great recipe. Spicy level perfect! We added pork strips made earlier and then put in at the end with garlish. Thank you!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Sherri
Just putting this together for dinner tonight and was looking at the comments and someone mentioned they did not have dark soy available and you stated regular soy sauce is fine. Is it an error in the recipe, that it calls for soy and not dark soy? I’ve made my sauce already, and it is watery. The dark soy would have made it thicker. I’ll let you know how it tastes after dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
You’re correct that dark soy sauce will help thicken it, as its sweeter and more syrupy than regular soy sauce. I try to provide alternatives as much as possible in my recipes to make them more accessible, so while the exact same result will not happen from not using dark soy sauce, regular will work in a pinch! As for the thickness of the sauce, you can reduce the sauce down a bit to thicken it. Alternatively, you could use a little cornstarch slurry to thicken it to your liking. Hope that helps!
christa breitbach chapman
You say there is a different amount if not using frozen noodles, but I don’t see how many dry I should use in place of the recipes frozen. Please help! This looks delicious and I want to try it. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! It’s not really a different amount, it’s a different weight. Fresh or frozen noodles will have water in them so the weight is more. I’ve just read my recipe note on this and I can see how it’s confusing! I’ll edit the note now. You should use 8 oz. (half the weight of the fresh or frozen) of dried Udon noodles.
Jenny Q.
I used to get the packaged Japanese Udon noodles that come with the dry seasoning and dry vegetable packets at Costco but they haven’t been carrying them by me so I’ve had to improvise. I was able get the plain dry Udon noodles package at the supermarket and this recipe went perfect with it. The only change I made was to omit the mushrooms because I don’t like them, reduce the ginger by half because I only had powdered ginger and I used half the honey because I personally don’t like my food too sweet. I added grilled chicken and it was great and easy to make. Would make again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tiffany Sonterre
I followed the recipe exactly….my sauce was brown and watery rather than golden and sticky. 🥲🥲 still tasted pretty good though!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad it tasted good! You may just need to let the sauce cook a little more to reduce and thicken up. Hope that helps!
Carol
I made a sauce from what I had on hand, using your amounts as a guide.
ginger soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
honey
water
go- chu- jang
My noodles were KAME udon stir fry refrigerator noodles.
I added scallions, fresh broccoli florets and left over rotisserie chicken.
It was great!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
M.Davis
So good we had seconds! I wasn’t able to get the sauce thicker, but will give it a go again. Very tasty dish. I added red peppers too. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! If you let the sauce cook for longer it should reduce and thicken.
Lillian
I made this recipe for my husband and I and we both enjoyed it! I didn’t have dark soy sauce, so I just substituted regular. It didn’t turn out looking as dark as the photos in the recipe (due to the different sauce), but it was still delicious! I’ll definitely be adding this to the rotation. Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! You can definitely just use regular soy sauce if you don’t have dark. I’ve only just started using dark soy sauce and it is SO different than regular! Thick and syrupy, almost molasses-ey. Give it a try if you can get your hands on some, it’s really something!
Sharon
The sauce had great flavor!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Susan
I didn’t see where to add the honey so I guessed it went in with the sauce. It was delicious and looked beautiful!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes you add with the sauce! Thanks so much for catching this error – I fixed the recipe card. So glad you liked it!