You can whip up these Chili Oil Noodles in only 10 minutes! These spicy garlicky noodles take all your favorite flavors from the sharp garlic, hot chili, fresh green onions and toasted sesame seeds to combine them into one magical dish.
Recently, TikTok has been going crazy over Garlic Chili Oil Noodles. This noodle recipe involves pouring hot oil over a delicious mixture of fresh raw garlic, green onion, chili flakes, sesame seeds and sauces to create a mouthwatering dish.
Looking for more viral TikTok recipes? Try my Parmesan Potatoes, Cheesy Smashed Potatoes and Jalapeno Popper Cucumber Salad.
Table of Content
What Are Chili Oil Noodles
These particular viral chili oil noodles are a play on You Po Mian – a popular dish from the Chinese province of Shaanxi.
The classic recipe calls for biang biang, hand-pulled, noodles sprinkled with garlic and chili and finished off with sizzling hot oil is to bring out the aromatics and create the sauce.
My version is relatively less oily, but equally delicious. In my recipe, I toast the aromatics with a smaller amount of oil in a pan, and then add the starchy water from the boiling noodles to make the sauce instead.
If you love the sharp flavour of garlic then you might like my Garlic Butter Fried Rice, Garlic Bread or Chicken in Garlic Sauce too!
These spicy noodles also work as a great base for any protein or veggies. You can quickly turn this dish into a hearty dinner topping with some leftover rotisserie chicken or adding steamed veggies.
Now that your mouth is watering let's get to work on this fantastic recipe. These 10-minute garlic chili oil noodles have a complex flavor but are extremely simple to make.
Ingredients & Substitutions
See recipe card for quantities.
- Noodles – Wide wheat noodles, also called knife cut noodles, are perfect for absorbing the flavorful garlic chili oil. But you can use any noodles or pasta you have at hand and even get fresh noodles from your local Asian market.
- Red Chili Flakes - For a more authentic taste, get Korean chili flakes (Gochugaru), which are also milder. If you don't have an Asian grocery store nearby, you can use the standard red chili flakes (crushed red pepper) from your pantry.
- Garlic – For the most potent and authentic taste, use only fresh garlic instead of garlic powder or jarred paste.
- Green Onions – also called scallions, these add freshness to the dish.Make chili oil with the white part and garnish with the green tops!
- Sesame Seeds - Use the white variety! They add a toasty flavor to the sauce.
- Red Chili Powder - Essential for the deep red color. You can substitute with cayenne pepper, smoked paprika or skip altogether.
- Chicken Bouillon Powder - Adds a touch of umami to the dish. If you don't have it, crush some chicken stock cube in the same quantity.
- Dark Soy Sauce - It helps to add richness to the noodles and gives it the beautiful mahogany colour. If you have trouble finding dark soy sauce, you can substitute with oyster sauce or teriyaki sauce.
- All-purpose Soy Sauce - this regular soy sauce can be alternated with light soy sauce. For a gluten free option use tamari.
- Rice Vinegar - You can sub with Chinese black vinegar or even white vinegar.
- Brown Sugar - to balance the spice.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – adds nuttiness. Don't confuse with the regular sesame oil which is used for cooking. The toasted sesame oil has a lower smoke point and is used as a finishing oil.
- Chili Crisp – It is optional but adds an another notch of divine-ness to these noodles. I use the Lao Gao Ma Chili Crisp. It is a Chinese condiment made with fried chili, garlic, crispy fermented soy beans, onions and Sichuan peppercorns.
- Neutral Oil – You can pick any neutral oil like vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and grapeseed oil.
What Type Of Noodles To Use
Honestly, garlic chili oil tastes fabulous with any kind of noodles or flat pasta. You can make it with whatever you have at hand: egg noodles, udon noodles, ramen noodles, spaghetti or even fettuccine.
For a more authentic restaurant flavor, try to get your hands on the Asian lacey wide wheat noodles. They are called Dao Xiao Mian, aka knife-cut noodles. These chewy noodles soak up all the flavour.
You can also make this recipe gluten free by using rice noodles or rice sticks.
How To Make Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Let's make this easy garlic chili oil noodles recipe!
- Add the thick noodles to boiling water and cook them till al dente. Reserve the starchy water to create a sauce later.
- Fry the garlic, chili flakes, green onion whites and sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes. Then cook the red chili powder for only a minute.
- Pour starchy water and turn off heat. Add chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce, all-purpose soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, green part of scallions and brown sugar.
- Add the noodles to the spicy sauce and mix well. Remove on a plate. Top with extra chili crunch and white sesame seeds. Enjoy your chili crisp noodles hot!
Expert Tips
- For these spicy chili oil noodles, you can adjust the heat by adding Thai bird’s eye chilies or cutting back on chili flakes and red chili powder. But in my opinion, the fiery kick is what makes this dish so good!
- Keep an eye while making your chili oil. Don’t burn the garlic or chili flakes. They will make the noodles taste very bitter.
- Don’t overcook the noodles, and try to time them with your garlic chili oil. If that’s not possible, rinse them after draining, toss with a little oil to prevent sticking, and set them aside until ready to mix.
- If you are cooking on a glass-top stove, make sure you remove the pan from the hot burner after turning it off. Otherwise, your chili oil will keep cooking.
Variations
- Add In Veggies: Fresh stir-fried veggies like carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, leeks add nutrients and change up the flavour. You can also include bok choy, Chinese broccoli or bean sprouts.
- Add Protein: This hot chili oil noodles recipe is vegetarian. You can make the meal heartier by incorporating chicken, shrimp, minced meat or beef. For plant-based protein, try adding tofu or tempeh!
- Switch Your Toppings: Consider topping your noodles with fresh cilantro (coriander), basil or ginger. Experiment to find what you like best. Fried egg on top will taste great too!
- Hot Oil Method: The authentic version of this chili garlic noodles is pouring hot oil over aromatics to magnify the flavour.
For this method, you'd require around ¼ cup of oil in this same recipe. Heat it in a small pot until sizzling and test if bubbles form around a wooden chopstick. Place your boiled noodles in a heat-safe bowl, top with all the other ingredients including seasonings and pour the hot oil. Mix and enjoy!
Check out my Spicy Asian Noodle Soup, featuring an addictive drizzle of chili oil and other delicious toppings!
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these chili garlic noodles on their own, or add sliced green onions and chili crisp for extra flavor and crunch.
You can also pair these spicy chili oil noodles with Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. Some sweet and savory General Tso's Shrimp, or crispy Beijing Beef on the side will make a fantastic combo too.
Storage Instructions
You can make these chili noodles in advance too. Just whip up the spicy chili oil with all the aromatics and seasonings and keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 5 days! Then, whenever you are in the mood, toss in some boiled noodles and enjoy.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Eat cold noodles or warm them in a microwave.
FAQs
Chili Garlic Oil Noodles are a bold mix of spicy, savory, and nutty flavors. But be warned—these noodles pack quite a kick, so they might be intense if you’re sensitive to spice!
If you're not a fan of spice, I recommend simply reducing the amount of red pepper flakes that you use when cooking and totally omitting the chili powder.
Chili oil mostly is only infused with different kinds of chili peppers. Whereas, chili crisp is an oil-based condiment that incorporates crunchy bits of chili, garlic, onion, peppercorns and soybeans. The ingredients may differ slightly from brand to brand. My favorite is the Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp.
Yes definitely! To your pan add the store-bought chili oil followed by garlic, sesame seeds and green onions. Then follow the rest of the recipe as it is.
More Noodle Dishes
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Ingredients
- 150 g (5 oz) wide wheat noodles aka knife cut noodles
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 green onion (scallions) green and white part sliced separately
- 2-3 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds untoasted
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or smoked paprika for less heat
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Topping
- 1-2 teaspoon chili crisp optional
- green part of spring onion
- white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Start boiling the noodles according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy water.
- Heat up oil in a pan. On medium heat, add garlic, the white part of the green onion, red chili flakes, and sesame seeds. Toast for a while until the garlic gets golden, and the green onion gets crispy. Now add the red chili powder and stir for a minute only. Keep an eye and don't burn anything, or it will taste bitter. This is your chili oil.
- Pour the reserved starchy water to stop the cooking process. Then, turn off the heat and remove your pan if it is a glass stovetop so that the aromatics do not cook any further.
- Add the chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, and the green part of the spring onion. Mix.
- Try to time the cooking of the noodles with the spicy sauce so that you can immediately add the hot noodles. Toss in the cooked noodles till they are coated well with the sauce. Take out on a plate.
- Top with chili crisp, sesame seeds, and the green part of spring onion, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can use any any kind of thick or thin noodles like egg noodles, udon noodles, ramen, or even wide rice noodles for a gluten free option.
- Dark soy sauce adds the intense soy flavour and deep colour. While all-purpose or light soy sauce adds saltiness. Please don't mix up the two.
- Toasted sesame oil has a lower smoke point and is used as a finishing oil. Don't confuse it with regular cooking sesame oil.
- If you have them, use Korean chili flakes (Gochugaru) for a more authentic taste. Otherwise, standard crushed red pepper will work in a pinch.
- Keep an eye while making your chili oil. Don’t burn the garlic or chili flakes.
Nutrition
PIN IT FOR LATER
Chaya says
This was just meh to me. I have many chili oil noodle recipes that are far better. I added shrimp. These weren’t sweet enough, and I couldn’t taste the sesame oil at all. I hope nobody used 3 tsp of red chili flakes unless they like burning the roof of their mouth off! One and done.
Qashang says
They are chili oil noodles, so they are supposed to be spicy. You can always adjust the seasoning to your preference though! 🙂
Melanie says
This recipe was so good!! I used rice noodles, added zucchini, red bell pepper and some hot ground sausage. The sauce was delicious!!
Lacey says
Love this recipe! So good
Thank you
Mamma says
Why, oh why are all American recipes, even for the simplest dishes 5 pages
Long. No need to tell the story about who invented the sugar plant and when someone first discovered the dish!!!
No hate. Just trying to be to the point! No need for photoshopped spiffed fotos!
Qashang says
It's for the people who are interested in the background of the dish and all the extra details that will help them perfect the recipe. If you are not, there is a Jump to Recipe button at the top, which will take you right to the point. Thanks for your feedback. Let me know if you need any help with the recipe! x
Phyllis Cathey says
My son found this recipe and wanted me to make it for him. I added ground chicken to the recipe for a little meat and it was delicious. I will be making again
Thanks for sharing
Arshad says
This was absolutely delicious! I used vegetable bouillon and put a fried egg on top for a super tasty, vegetarian dinner. Thanks for a great recipe!
2pots2cook says
Such a beautiful combination of flavours, Qashang! Ten minutes only? I'm so into making this one for our week dinner ASAP!
Qashang says
Hope you love it! 🙂
Aimen says
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out AMAZING. And it only took less than an hour which is great because I don't get a lot of time for cooking. These noodles are already a favourite of mine
Qashang says
So happy they turned out amazing! x