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This Pan Fried Noodles recipe is quick to make and great when you’re craving takeout! Crispy noodles are combined with a flavorful sauce and colorful vegetables. It’s ready in only 20 minutes!
For more Asian-inspired recipes, try my Egg Drop Soup, Korean Short Ribs, and Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Table of Contents
Why We Love It
- Vegetarian Friendly – As written, the recipe is a great meatless meal option but you can add protein too.
- Ready in 20 Minutes – Crazy quick to make!
- Easily Customizable – Perfect to use up any veggies you have in the fridge.
Ingredients for Pan Fried Noodles
- Noodles – I like to use Yakisoba noodles or Hong Kong noodles
- Shredded Carrots – Make it easy on yourself and grab a bag of shredded carrots at the grocery store. Grated carrot will cook very quickly, so use the largest hole on a box grater, or cut longways on a mandoline for long thin strips.
- Bean Sprouts – Fresh, in the produce section.
- Green Onions – The recipe calls for a bunch of green onions. You’ll need a cup for cooking and the rest can be used as a garnish.
- Vegetable Oil – You can also use canola oil or other neutral oil.
- Sesame Oil – This is a strongly flavored oil so we just use a little bit. You can omit and just use vegetable or canola oil instead.
- Soy Sauce – Opt for the low sodium variety. You can also use coconut aminos instead.
- Hoisin Sauce – A popular sauce in Asian cooking, this salty and slightly sweet sauce is thick and adds an umami flavor to the dish.
- Garlic Cloves – You can use pre-minced garlic in a jar, but fresh is best.
- Sesame Seeds – Use for garnish, you can omit if desired.
How To Make Crispy Pan Fried Noodles
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
It takes only 5 minutes to prep this pan fried noodles recipe for an easy dinner!
- Mix the sauce. Whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and minced garlic.
- Boil the noodles. Boil some water and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Fresh noodles cook for 1 minute and dried noodles cook for 2 minutes.
- Cook. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok heated on high, and cook the shredded carrot. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, then add the sesame oil and fry the noodles until they start to get crispy, tossing a few times to cook evenly. Toss in the carrots and some sliced green onions.
- Toss it all together. Add the sauce to the skillet and toss everything to coat. Add the bean sprouts and stir again to combine. Cook, stirring frequently for a couple more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Garnish with extra thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
FAQs
You have a couple of noodle options for this recipe, but I recommend using fresh noodles if you can find them. They are pre-cooked and sold in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores near the produce or in the Asian aisle. Not only do the fresh noodles have a great texture, but they also cook up quickly.
Yakisoba Noodles – These noodles are Japanese and are thick. They are made from wheat and have no eggs.
Hong Kong Noodles – These noodles are more yellow as they are egg-based. The fresh, pre-cooked version can be found in the refrigerated section and typically only needs about 30 seconds in boiling water or a soak in water before pan-frying. There are also dried versions that can be cooked in about 3 minutes.
Lo Mein means “tossed noodles” in Chinese and is sauce heavy with softer noodles. While Pan-Fried Noodles or Chow Mein has crunchier noodles and veggies.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is great when you’re craving takeout but want a home cooked meal! Try pairing them with a main protein like Chinese Lemon Chicken or Sweet and Sour Pork. For sides, we love making homemade Crab Rangoon.
Variations
- Spicy – You can add sriracha, red pepper flakes, or chili garlic sauce to give the noodles a kick.
- Add a Protein – Before cooking the veggies, cook up diced chicken or shrimp and set aside to mix into the noodles.
- Veggies – You can easily modify the vegetables in the recipe. Other favorites to add are broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, or baby corn.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Storage – Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating – Reheat in a skillet on the stove until warm. You can add a splash of water and even a dash more of soy sauce and oil to loosen up the noodles.
- Use Refrigerated Noodles – Using refrigerated noodles that are already cooked cuts down on cooking time to make this recipe super fast.
- Buy Pre-Shredded Carrots – This saves so much prep time!
- Prep! The whole process moves quickly so I highly recommend having everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Ramen Chinese Chicken Salad
- Pork Stir Fry Rice Bowl
- Easy One Pot Ham Fried Rice
- Vegetarian Pad Thai Noodles
- Szechuan Chicken Stir Fry
Pan Fried Noodles
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 16 ounces Yakisoba noodles or Hong Kong noodles
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Thinly sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce and minced garlic. Set aside.
- Boil the noodles according to package instructions. Fresh noodles cook for 1 minutes and dried noodles cook for 2 minutes. Drain.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. Add shredded carrot and cook until softened. Remove from the skillet, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- To the skillet, add sesame oil and fry noodles until they start to get crispy, turning a few times to cook evenly. Return carrots to the skillet and add in 1 cup of sliced green onions.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and toss to coat. Add bean sprouts and stir again to combine. Cook, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
sounds delicious cant wait to try