These Garlic Chili Oil Noodles are quick, easy, and perfect for any night. Vegan and gluten-free, they’re smoky, garlicky, spicy, and packed with flavor—ideal for garlic lovers!
Why you should try this recipe
- Super easy and quick to make! It takes only 7 ingredients and less than 20 minutes to whip up these delicious noodles. For more quick noodle recipe inspiration, you can also check out my Easiest Creamy Peanut Noodles.
- Gluten-free – with rice noodles instead of wheat noodles!
- Vegan and super flavorful! These noodles are smoky, spicy, crunchy, and lusciously enticing. The addition of scallion and cilantro brings freshness and balance!
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The 7 ingredients you’ll need
- Dried flat rice noodles – a delicious gluten-free, slightly chewy yet springy noodle option.
- Garlic – about 5 cloves for a vibrant dish. I know, it seems a lot. But trust me, this is the perfect amount.
- Gochugaru (mild Korean chili powder) – for a delicious smokiness, complex flavors, and some heat.
- The green part of a scallion – for a sharp, peppery touch.
- Neutral vegetable oil – such as sunflower oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil.
- Toasted sesame seeds – for a nice crunch.
- Cilantro, to serve – to add freshness to the final dish.
- Salt – for seasoning and to bring out the flavors.
What is Gochugaru and how to use it?
Gochugaru is a coarsely ground Korean chili powder, made from sun-dried peppers without seeds. It has a coarse, flaky texture and contains less heat than chili flakes or other chili powders. When added to hot oil, it releases a beautiful smokiness and intense bright red color. Gochugaru can be found at most Asian grocery stores or online.
Variation and Substitution
Taiwanese Knife Cut Noodles are a great noodle alternative for this recipe. This option, however, is not gluten-free as these noodles are made of wheat.
How to make Garlic Chili Oil Noodles?
Start by preparing the ingredients.
A useful tip for this recipe is to have everything out and ready to go. Once you start cooking everything goes really fast and the ingredients can easily burn if left in the hot oil for too long.
- Thinly mince the garlic.
- Thinly chop the scallion.
- Measure the oil, gochugaru, toasted sesame seeds, and salt.
Cook the rice noodles by soaking them in hot water:
Rice noodles can be trickier to cook than wheat noodles. They tend to become mushy more quickly and stick together due to their high starch content. Here is a quick method to cook them perfectly for this recipe.
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil, then turn the heat off and remove from the stove.
- Add the rice noodles to the pot (the noodles should be completely covered) and swish them around to separate them.
- Soak the noodles in the hot water for about 3-5 minutes or until al dente (with some chewiness to it but still firm). Taste the noodles to make sure they reach the desired consistency.
- Drain the noodles using a colander.
- Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
- Leave the noodles in the colander and add 1 teaspoon of neutral vegetable oil. Coat the noodles to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.
Make the garlic chili oil:
- In a wok or a non-stick pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant and lightly colored.
- Add the gochugaru and toasted sesame seeds and cook for another minute.
Assemble the garlic chili oil noodles:
- Add the rice noodles, scallion, and salt.
- Sauté for two minutes, stirring well to coat all the noodles and combine all the ingredients nicely (kitchen tongs are super useful).
Finish the dish:
- Plate the noodles in pasta bowls.
- Top with extra thinly chopped scallion, and cilantro, and serve immediately.
Enjoy with a glass of chilled, off-dry Riesling!
Nim Keys – Useful Tips
- Prepare the ingredients in advance. A useful tip for this recipe is to have everything out and ready to go. Once you start cooking everything goes really fast and the ingredients can easily burn if left in the hot oil for too long.
- Taste the noodles during the soaking process. Depending on the size and brand of the rice noodles, some will cook faster than others. Drain the noodles as soon as they reach an al dente consistency, as overcooked noodles will turn mushy.
- Garlic and gochugaru tend to burn quickly. Make sure not to fry them for too long in the hot oil.
- For people who are not used to eating spicy food, feel free to reduce the Gochugaru quantity by half.
Wine Pairing for Garlic Chili Oil Noodles🍷
RIESLING
Riesling produces aromatic white wines which often display aromas of candied lemon, pineapple, and ripe apricot.
Riesling will match the bold flavors of Garlic Chili Noodles thanks to its natural acidity and lemony notes while balancing the heat of the gochugaru with its slight sweetness.
Riesling wines can be made in a wide range of sweetness levels from bone dry to sweet. I recommend an off-dry Riesling (meaning the wine will be slightly sweet) to pair with this recipe. Make sure to ask your wine shop as it is not always written on the label.
Serve it chilled: take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to let it warm up ever so slightly.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You definitely can but be aware that regular chili flakes contain way more heat than gochugaru. I recommend ¼ teaspoon of crushed chili flakes, but feel free to add more if you like your food with lots of heat!
Other Delicious Asian-Inspired Recipes
Garlic Chili Oil Noodles (Gluten-Free)
PRINT SAVEINGREDIENTS
- 3 medium cloves of garlic thinly minced
- ½ cup (50 g) green part of the scallions thinly chopped, plus more to serve
- ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil but any neutral vegetal oil such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil works)
- ½ tablespoon (3 g) gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) toasted sesame seeds
- 8 ounces (250 g) dried flat rice noodles (I used wide dried flat rice noodles, but Pad Thai rice noodles work very well too)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- a small handful of cilantro to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by preparing the ingredients:
- Thinly mince the garlic.
- Thinly chop the scallion.
- Measure the oil, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and salt.
Cook the rice noodles by soaking them in hot water:
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil, then turn the heat off and remove from the stove.
- Add the rice noodles to the pot (the noodles should be completely covered) and swish them around to separate them.
- Soak the noodles in the hot water for about 3-5 minutes or until al dente (with some chewiness to it but still firm). Taste the noodles to make sure they reach the desired consistency.
- Drain the noodles using a colander.
- Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
- Leave the noodles in the colander and add 1 teaspoon of neutral vegetable oil. Coat the noodles to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.
Make the garlic chili oil:
- In a wok or a non-stick pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant and lightly colored.
- Add the gochugaru and toasted sesame seeds and cook for another minute.
Assemble the garlic chili oil noodles:
- Add the rice noodles, scallion, and salt.
- Sauté for two minutes, stirring well to coat all the noodles and combine all the ingredients nicely (kitchen tongs are super useful to do so).
Finish the dish:
- Plate the noodles in pasta bowls.
- Top with extra thinly chopped scallion, and cilantro, and serve immediately.
- Enjoy with a glass of chilled off-dry Riesling!
NOTES
- Prepare the ingredients in advance. A useful tip for this recipe is to have everything out and ready to go. Once you start cooking everything goes fast and the ingredients can easily burn if left in the hot oil for too long.
- Taste the noodles during the soaking process. Depending on the size and brand of the rice noodles, some will cook faster than others. Drain the noodles as soon as they reach an al dente consistency, as overcooked noodles will turn mushy.
- Garlic and gochugaru tend to burn quickly. Make sure not to fry them for too long in the hot oil.
- For people who are not used to eating spicy food, feel free to reduce the Gochugaru quantity by half.
Very tasteful. A Riesling, as you suggested, is a perfect match.
Thank you, Pierre. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and wine pairing!
Super simple and quick to make. It’s a nice change from regular pasta recipes.
Glad to hear, Amy! Thanks for the feedback 🙂