These spicy Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil are ready in only 10 minutes! Wide noodles are tossed in a spicy, garlicky Szechuan chili oil sauce made with garlic, Szechuan chili peppers, soy sauce, and fresh herbs.
These Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil deliver a huge kick of flavor and it's ready in just 10 minutes! Wide Chinese noodles are tossed in a spicy chili oil sauce made with garlic, Szechuan chili peppers, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar.
This dish was inspired by spicy garlic chili oil noodles at a local restaurant. It's versatile and can be customized to add chicken, beef, shrimp, and pork. Or add vegetables and tofu to keep it vegan.
For extra flavor, add a spicy chili oil condiment called Lao Gan Ma. It's a favorite in our household!
Ingredients
- Chili pepper flakes - I used Szechuan chili pepper flakes because they have the perfect amount of heat, flavor, and color to make a delicious chili oil.
- Oil - use a neutral vegetable oil like avocado, canola, or corn oil.
- Black vinegar - A dark vinegar with a malty, smokey flavor. Substitute with balsamic vinegar.
- Garlic - Use fresh garlic instead of powdered. Add more to your liking.
Types of Noodles to Use
You can use any type of flat, wide noodles but I prefer wheat noodles for this dish because they hold up best to the sauce as it has a denser texture than rice noodles. You can even use flat pasta if you're really in a bind.
I found these dried flat ribbon noodles at my local Asian store but I've also seen Asian noodles at my local grocery store in the Asian food aisle.
The name of these wide ribbon noodles is 刀削面 Dao Xiao Mian, which translates to knife shaven noodles, and originate from the Shanxi Province. They are traditionally made by shaving long noodles from a block of dough directly into a pot of boiling water by using a sharp knife or a special tool. They should be thin on the edges and thicker in the middle.
Additional Ingredients for Chili Oil Garlic Noodles
- Protein - Tofu, pork, chicken, shrimp, or beef.
- Vegetables - Peppers, onions, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots, broccoli, zucchini.
How to Make Szechuan Noodles with Garlic Chili Oil
- Heat the oil over medium low heat. Once heated, sauté the garlic until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat and while the garlic oil is still hot, add in the Szechuan pepper flakes, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Boil the noodles according to the directions and rinse under cold water. Drain well.
- Add scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and garlic chili oil sauce to your liking. Toss to combine and enjoy!
Other Serving Suggestions for Garlic Chili Oil:
- dipping sauce for dumplings
- pour over steamed fish
- use as a spicy dressing
- serve with Asian style cooked meats
- spoon over sautéed vegetables
You can serve these hot or cold. They taste amazing either way. For cold noodles, rinse them under cold water and drain very well.
For hot noodles, drain well with a colander and toss with the garlic chili oil immediately.
If preparing in advance, drizzle a bit of oil over the noodles to prevent them from sticking.
Store leftover in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Store leftover oil in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want it to last longer, sterilize the jar and keep in the fridge to prevent growth of bacteria. The oil will harden in the fridge but will melt at room temperature.
I hope you make these spicy Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil! Please share, rate, and comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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Recipe
Spicy Szechuan Noodles with Garlic Chili Oil
Video
☑ Ingredients
- 7 oz Flat or Wide Chinese wheat noodles - 100g or 2 servings; substitutions see Note 1
- 1 stalk scallion - chopped
- handful cilantro - chopped
- sesame seeds - for garnish
Szechuan Garlic Chili Oil Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Szechuan chili flakes - or to taste
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce - substitute with regular soy sauce
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar - substitute with balsamic or rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ginger - grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon sugar - (optional)
Optional for more spice
- 1 teaspoon Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp
- 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
- finely chopped Thai chilis
Instructions
- Garlic Chili Oil: Saute garlic with vegetable oil in a small pot until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the pot.
- Boil noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles according to the directions. Rinse under cold water and drain very well.
- Add sauce: Add as much of the Szechuan chili oil sauce according to your liking and spice level.
- Serve: Top with fresh cilantro, scallions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
✎ Recipe Notes
- Noodles options - Substitute with other wheat noodles or flat rice noodles. Check your Asian grocery store for wide ribbon noodles. They can be found in the dried noodle section or fresh noodles can be found in the refrigerated or frozen section.
- Protein and vegetables - Add any cooked protein or vegetables and toss with noodles and chili oil.
- Szechuan Garlic Chili Oil Sauce - Makes a little over ⅓ cup of sauce. Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Leftovers - can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Nicole
OK, I'm totally obsessed with these noodles right now! This has been my go-to quick lunch recipe all week. I made the chill oil in advance and used it up over the course of the week. I've been added smoked tofu, too. 100% keeping this in our regular rotation.
Jamie
Great idea making the chili oil ahead of time! I'm so glad to hear you loved it Nicole!
Alexandra Todd
This is so so so good! Especially for late-night food! I found that if you add a little bit of sugar, it rounds out the flavors even more!
Allyssa
Love this noodle recipe! this is my new favorite! Thanks a bunch for sharing!
Rachel
this is one of my go to recipes for a quick and delicious dinner! I often add some zucchini, sliced into ribbons about the thickness of the noodles, to bulk it out/add some vitamins; tonight I'm going to try it with water spinach!
Jamie
Thanks Rachel! It's a regular recipe we make too! Great idea adding vegetables!
Tara
Such gorgeous noodles! I love all the amazing flavors and how easily the come together in 15 minutes. So good!
Bintu
I love that this can be made so quickly! The chili oil is so flavorful and delicious in these noodles! I've been using it on everything.
Jen
I am going to use this chili oil on everything! Great overall recipe and so easy to add additional veggies or proteins.
Dolly
Love how easy and simple this is to make for a big-flavor food! These are perfect for an at-home date night or just something special for treating yourself. Love it.
Aimee Mars
Spicy noodles that are made quickly!! I'm in! These look delicious and amazing. I bet they would make a great weekday lunch.
Jay
YUMMMM!!! I made these today, and they were delicious! I realized that I didn't have the hot chili oil, so I just added more chili crisp. I also used thin udon noddles, since I was too lazy to go to the store today 🙂 I cooked a pound of ground pork with a bit of dark soy sauce, then tossed it all together. There's not a drop left, ate it all. Can't wait to try the yaki udon recipe. Thank you so much, I've found the perfect recipe site for me!
Jamie
Thanks Jay! It's definitely a versatile recipe that can work with any noodle and add-ins! So happy you enjoyed it!
Jay
I'm making it for the third time today 🙂 Adding some snow peas and bok choy to use them up. I think it's now a favorite sauce. So simple, but it really is loaded with tons of flavor!
Annie
Finally found the Taiwanese noodles and loved this dish served with a vegetable stir fry.
Jamie
Thanks Annie! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Victoria
These were absolutely delicious! I made these with the same noodles pictured, knife cut noodles, and topped it with parmesan cheese/cilantro. Will definitely make again.
Jamie
Thanks Victoria! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Laura
My friend Josie recommended I check out your blog, and I am so excited to try literally all of your recipes. I made these noodles first, and loved the simplicity of the recipe and the huge amount of flavour.
I am so glad to have found your blog! Kind regards, Laura
Jamie
Thank you Laura! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! The Szechuan sauce adds so much flavor to these noodles doesn't it? 🙂
Jill
These tasty noodles taste incredible - and I love that the ingredients list isn't terribly long! The flavours are incredible - and I am really happy I came across both your recipe and blog. I am going to try your Yaki Udon next. Thank you so much!
Jamie
Thank you so much Jill! So glad you liked these noodles. And yes, definitely try out the udon noodles next. They're amazing! 🙂
Robert
I made this tonight and topped it with sesame encrusted tuna. Amazing!
Afua
I made it today. I didn't have Chinese black vinegar so I used ume plum vinegar. It is delicious, the flavors are amazing. This is definitely a keeper
Jamie
Thanks so much Afua! That's a great substitute for black vinegar! You can also use balsamic vinegar too! So glad you loved these Szechuan noodles! 🙂
Sophia
Hi!
How long did you cook the dried ribbon cut noodles for? My package of noodles doesn't come with cooking instructions.
Thanks!
Jamie
Hi Sophia! My packaging says to cook them for 5 - 7 minutes in boiling water but I would check halfway through since these noodles can be different from yours. Hope you enjoy!
Daniel
I am going to try this! Just to clarify... sauté garlic, take off heat, and then add all other sauce ingredients... you don’t return it to the stove after adding the chili etc?
Jamie
Hi Daniel! Yes add the other sauce ingredients while the oil is still hot. The oil should be hot enough to draw out the flavors without having to return it to the heat. It's similar to an Asian technique of pouring scalding hot oil onto aromatics (like garlic, ginger, scallions) but in this case, it's easier since you can add all the ingredients to the pot of oil. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Terri E.
I've been eyeing so many noodle recipes similar to this. Thank you for showing us how to make this amazing sauce. My question for you is, where can I find these same noodles you use? I have never seen these before. Thank you.
Jamie
Hi Terri! These are called ribbon cut noodles or knife cut noodles and can be found in most Asian superstores. They're traditionally made using a special knife to cut the noodles hence the name. 🙂 I updated the recipe with a link to buy them on Amazon, but they are much cheaper if you can find them in a store. I bought a package for under $5 if I remember correctly.
Candice
Obsessed with spicy szechuan noodles! And such an easy, quick recipe... perfect for a weeknight dinner. Cannot wait to make this recipe again!