Can I make this recipe with no oil?

Yep! Omit the toasted sesame oil from the sauce and cook your mushrooms and the rest of your veggies in a nonstick skillet. If your mushrooms start to stick before they release some of their liquid, you may want to add one tablespoon of water or broth.

Can I use fresh udon noodles?

Yes, however those noodles are already quite soft and they won’t be as chewy in this dish. Just know that going in. If you are using fresh udon noodles, do not boil water. Just add the fresh noodles to the pan with the cooked vegetables and proceed with the recipe, unless the package directs you to cook them first, in which case I would subtract one minute from whatever cooking time the package indicates. Also a word of caution: some fresh udon noodle packs come with a seasoning packet that usually has meat bouillon powder or fish flakes in it. Make sure to discard that.

Can I use dried udon noodles?

Yes, simply cook them according to package directions and add to your cooked vegetables once the noodles have been drained and proceed with the recipe.

Is Vegan Yaki Udon healthy?

Udon noodles are made from wheat flour, salt, and water, making them a great choice for the starch in this meal. We are adding a ton of veggies which add lots of nutrients (and not a lot of calories) to this meal as well. If you would like to add plant-based protein, you’re definitely welcome to. I think soy curls, seitan, tofu, or a store-bought meat replacement are all great ideas. My panko tofu , crispy tofu , or puffed tofu would all make tasty additions, for example.

What other vegetables could I use?

This is a great question because you don’t have to use the vegetables I used! Snow peas, grated or matchstick carrots, baby bok choy, water chestnuts, or bamboo shoots are all great options. You could even add some baby spinach in at the end and just toss it through the hot noodles to wilt it for some extra greens.

Vegan Yaki Udon

Name: Vegan Yaki Udon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 2 bricks/packs of frozen udon noodles, about 250 grams each (see note 1); 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, quartered or sliced (or any mushrooms); 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut in 2-inch pieces; 8 ounces broccolini / baby broccoli, thinly sliced and cut in 2-inch pieces (regular broccoli is fine); 4-6 green onions, cut in 2-inch pieces; Toasted sesame seeds for serving, optional; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see note 2); 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce (see note 3); 2 ½ tablespoons organic brown sugar (see note 4); 1 ½ tablespoons mirin (see note 5); 1 teaspoon rice vinegar; ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional (see note 6 for oil-free instructions)

Description

Vegan Yaki Udon is a savory and umami-rich dinner that is super easy to make in 20 minutes or less. This dish will please the whole family.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Yaki Udon

2 bricks/packs of frozen udon noodles, about 250 grams each (see note 1)
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, quartered or sliced (or any mushrooms)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut in 2-inch pieces
8 ounces broccolini / baby broccoli, thinly sliced and cut in 2-inch pieces (regular broccoli is fine)
4-6 green onions, cut in 2-inch pieces
Toasted sesame seeds for serving, optional

Sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see note 2)
1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce (see note 3)
2 1/2 tablespoons organic brown sugar (see note 4)
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (see note 5)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional (see note 6 for oil-free instructions)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Boil water: Start by putting a large pot of water on to boil.
Mix the sauce: In a large (2 cup or larger) measuring cup, jar, or bowl, whisk together the dark soy sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil (if using).
Cook the mushrooms: In a large nonstick skillet, start sautéing mushrooms on medium high heat. If you cook with oil, add a tablespoon or two to the pan and allow it to get hot before adding the mushrooms. If you cook without oil, dry sauté the mushrooms and only add liquid if they start to stick (a tablespoon of water or broth is usually enough). Mushrooms will release their own liquid after a bit. Cook the mushrooms until soft, around 3-5 minutes.
Add the chopped broccolini or broccoli florets and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the red bell peppers and stir fry for 1-2 minutes more.
Cook the udon noodles: When your pot of water is boiling, add the frozen udon noodles and set a time for one minute. They are done when they start to separate and become more pliable. Try not to overcook them.
Drain the udon noodles and rinse with cool water until cooled down to stop the cooking process.
Add drained noodles to the pan along with the green onions and the sauce. Stir well with tongs.
Cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently with tongs.
Serve immediately with toasted sesame seeds.
Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I will say, the sauce flavor is just as good the 2nd day, but the noodles are a bit more limp. So as with most noodles and pasta, this dish is best the first night. Feel free to halve the recipe if needed.

Notes

Note 1: Frozen udon noodles work best for this dish. I’ve tried it with fresh udon noodles and it is still good (add the fresh noodles directly to the cooked vegetables and then add sauce, unless the package directs you to cook them first, in which case I would subtract one minute from whatever cooking time the package indicates), but the texture is better with frozen in my opinion. Plus you can keep them on hand for a while. The noodles take only 1 minute to cook in boiling water before they can be added to the stir fry. You can also use dried udon noodles and cook them according to package directions. You can technically use other noodles in this dish but you may have leftover sauce since this dish is made specifically for udon noodles.
Note 2: If you can find dark soy sauce it has an amazing umami flavor. You can order dark soy sauce online or it can be found in any Asian market. You can also check the international section of your grocery store, though I have rarely found it there. You can substitute this by adding a little more regular soy sauce and perhaps some mushroom powder or even a bit of hoisin.
Note 3: I like this for balancing the sauce to take out some of the sharpness without adding too much saltiness. Feel free to use half a teaspoon of regular soy sauce with half a teaspoon of water instead.
Note 4: This helps sweeten and thicken the sauce. If you do not want to use brown sugar, maple syrup will work, but keep in mind that the sauce will not thicken as much so you may have excess sauce in your pan. That’s not a huge problem in my book, but I’m just letting you know.
Note 5: Mirin is optional, but it is a traditional ingredient in a yaki udon sauce. Mirin is a rice wine with a sweet flavor that compliments savory and umami flavors very well. You can also find this online, in Asian markets, and I’ve actually often found it in the international section of my grocery store (near the soy sauce). Since this recipe already includes rice vinegar, I would not recommend adding more. Substitute a bit more sugar or omit it altogether.
Note 6: Omit the toasted sesame oil from the sauce and cook your mushrooms and the rest of your veggies in a nonstick skillet. If your mushrooms start to stick before they release some of their liquid, you may want to add one tablespoon of water or broth.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Pasta, dinner
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: Vegan Udon, Vegan Yaki Udon, dinner, entree