30-Minute Veggie Stir Fry Noodles

Who wants just a cup of noodles when you can make a whole pan full? Udon Stir Fry Noodles with our healthy stir fry sauce are speedy, simple, and satisfying. Brilliant color from bright veggies make this dish an absolute showstopper. It’s vegan out of the pot – but even if you’re not on a plant-based diet, “meaty” mushrooms make it robust enough for a full meal.

Jump to:

• How to Make Stir Fry Noodles
• What Kind of Noodles for Stir Fry?
• Adding Veggies to Stir Fry Noodles
• The Best Stir Fry Sauce
• Make It Your Way
• More Quick Stir Fry Recipes
• Recipe

At some point in your early to mid-twenties, a sad and tragic day will arrive: the day in which you know, with certainty, that it’s time to move on from ramen noodles.

That’s not to say that microwave ramen noodles are a meal to cling to for reasons of flavor or nutrition, but the nostalgia factor is fierce. Who among us doesn’t have a 2 am ramen noodle tale to tell? Right.

The natural step in one’s journey from adult-ish to adult-ing is, therefore, stir fry. Start with these Stir Fry Noodles for a meal that’s close enough to the real thing, but also made with real, whole healthy ingredients.

Stir fry recipes are still quick (most are 30-minute meals or less), very easy for beginner home cooks, and flavorful enough to land high on the list of healthy comfort foods.

Between my love of salt, my love of veggies, and my love of noodles, perfecting the perfect healthy stir fry may be one of my life’s greatest achievements. (Possibly better than my children, depending on their current moods and the ratio of toys on the floor to toys in bins.)

Stir fry opportunities are endless, and they’re a great way to start the transition from take-out Friday to fake-out Friday. Whether you’re a 22-year recent grad living on your own for the first time or a 40-something who wants to cook healthier meals at home, starting your home cooking journey with stir fry is both empowering and delicious.

Healthy chicken stir fry and beef and veggie stir fry will satisfy any carnivore, while plant-based meals like cauliflower stir fry or these stir fry noodles are perfect for veggie lovers. Once you’ve masted a basic stir fry using our all-purpose (and healthy!) stir fry sauce, go forth and diversify – the basics of stir frying will teach you the basics of just about any one-pan skillet meal. Try honey garlic chicken, and even breakfast fried rice to start and end the day just right!

How to Make Stir Fry Noodles

Stir fry noodles are a classic. Give them a healthy upgrade using homemade stir fry sauce and crisp, fresh veggies like carrots, bell peppers, and snow peas. Swapping mushrooms for meat keeps this udon noodle stir fry hearty and plant-based. This recipe moves fast, so mis-en-place is crucial! Cook the noodles, slice the veggies, and make the sauce before you even heat the skillet or wok.

1. Make the sauce. Combine all stir fry sauce ingredients in a 1-cup measuring cup and whisk until well-combined.
2. Start the noodles. Boil the noodles in salted water according to package directions (they’ll each vary slightly). Drain the noodles and toss with a teaspoon of sesame oil – this will season them, but also prevent them from sticking and getting gummy.
3. Sauté the mushrooms until crispy – wait until they’ve released their moisture content and the pan is dry before proceeding to the next step. (Learn how to saute mushrooms the right way!)
4. Add the remaining vegetables and stir fry (toss frequently over high heat) until the vegetables are bite-tender, but not cooked through.
5. Add the noodles and pour in the stir fry sauce. Stir fry the noodles with the vegetables until the sauce is thick.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds for added crunch.

What Kind of Noodles for Stir Fry?

One of many great things about a stir fry is how forgiving it is in terms of substitutions. Stick with long and thin noodles, but follow the Goldilocks rule – not too thin, not too wide. We love udon noodles, but these other options are also “just right”:

• Classic:  use wheat-flour egg noodles, typically labeled as “lo mein” or “chow mein” noodles.
• Earthy:  try soba noodles (aka the wheat bread of the noodle world) made from buckwheat flour.
• Gluten-free:  rice noodles – just watch your cook time!
• Gluten-heavy:  thicker Japanese-style Udon noodles (that’s what I used in the photos for this post).
• Paleo:  use sweet potato glass noodles.
• Convenient:  go ahead and do it – use spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine.
• Budget:  good ol’ Ramen noodles – discard the seasoning packet and heat as directed.

Adding Veggies to Stir Fry Noodles

Select vegetables that will stir fry in the same amount of time, or, stir fry the vegetables in batches, adding heartier vegetables first and softer vegetables a bit later.

• Mushrooms First. First, cook the mushrooms until their water content releases and the edges are golden brown. Note: mushrooms will take longer to cook than veggies, so we always cook them first. The key to delicious cooked mushrooms is all in the technique (learn everything you need to know about how to cook mushrooms).
• Hearty Veggies Next. Add hearty veggies next and stir fry for three minutes: sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or yellow onion.
• Soft Veggies Last. Add softer veggies next, and stir fry them all for 3 minutes more (6 minutes total for the heartier ones): bell peppers, shredded cabbage, matchstick carrots, snow or snap peas, green onions, or baby bok choy.

Pro-tip: shape matters, and will often change the cook time (matchstick carrots will cook quickly, while sliced carrots will take longer). For stir fry noodles, we like to keep the veggies roughly “noodle” shaped for easy twirling, so julienne the peppers, use matchstick carrots instead of slices, keep the snap peas whole, and thinly slice the mushrooms.

The Best Stir Fry Sauce

This recipe uses my all-purpose stir fry sauce! (Recipe included below.) Made without stock, it’s a rich, well-seasoned sauce that’s perfect for almost any stir fry combination you can think of.

Make It Your Way

• Vegan: use maple syrup or agave nectar in place of honey in the stir fry sauce.
• Paleo and/or grain free: use sweet potato glass noodles, and substitute arrowroot powder for cornstarch in the stir fry sauce.
• Make it Spicy: add 1-2 teaspoons of chili paste plus 1-2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger to the stir fry sauce.

More Quick Stir Fry Recipes

• Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
• Mostly Veggie Steak Stir Fry
• Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Chicken Teriyaki Bowls
• Cauliflower Stir Fry

Did you make these Stir Fry Noodles? I’d love to know how they turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.

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Recipe