This delicious vegan Yaki Udon recipe takes about 12 minutes to make! It’s based on Yaki Udon (焼きうどん), a popular Japanese stir-fried noodle dish made with thick, chewy udon noodles, vegetables, and a savoury soy-based sauce
To make Yaki Udon vegan, simply swap the meat for tofu and cook it so it’s a golden crumbled tofu, which creates a delicious texture that soaks the sauce with a umami flavour.
Recipe for Vegan Yaki Udon
One of the easiest Japanese noodle dishes you can make at home is this Yaki Udon vegan recipe!
All you need is thick udon noodles (which are basically pre-cooked and ready in 2 minutes when soaked in hot water), vegetables such as carrot and onion, and seasoning ingredients like soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and mirin (essentials for Asian cooking).
This is a one-pan recipe that requires very little effort and is perfect for a dinner of two (double recipe measurements if feeding 4 people or want leftovers).
Ingredients
- Udon Noodles
- Tofu
- Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Mirin
- Brown sugar
- Vegetables of Choice: Onion, carrot, garlic, bean sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms, green onions, etc
This Yaki Udon is vegan, vegetarian, nut-free and fish-free.
How To Make Yaki Udon Vegan?
To make Yaki Udon vegan, heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large wok on medium-high heat and crumble up extra-firm tofu with your fingers. Cook the tofu for about 2-3 minutes, until slightly golden.
While the tofu cooks, prepare your udon noodles by soaking them in hot, boiled water for about 2-3 minutes until you can carefully loosen the noodles with chopsticks. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
Once tofu is slightly golden, turn the heat down to low and add 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce. Mix until evenly coated, then move it from the wok to a bowl to set aside.
In the same wok, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and add 1/2 sliced onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to brown slightly and onions before to soften. Add your sliced carrot, cabbage and mushrooms for another 2 minutes of cooking. Add bean sprouts and cook for another minute.
In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients: 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp dark soy sauce.
To finish making yaki udon, add to the wok: udon noodles, crumbled tofu and the sauce you just made! Toss everything until evenly coated. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds (optional) and voila! Vegan Yaki Udon!
Watch me make this recipe on YouTube here.
Vegan Yaki Udon
Equipment
- 1 Wok large, or deep frying pan
- 1 Pot medium, or heatproof bowl (for soaking noodles)
- 1 Strainer or colander
- 1 Mixing Bowl for sauce
- 1 Chopsticks or tongs (for loosening noodles and tossing)
- 1 Wooden Sppon or spatula (for stiring)
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
- 2 packs udon noodles
- 1/2 block tofu extra firm, crumbled
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot julienned or sliced thinly
- 1 cup cabbage shredded
- 1 cup bean sprouts optional
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced thinly (optional)
Vegan Yaki Udon Sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or coconut or white sugar
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 Green onions chopped (for garnish)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds for optional garnish
Instructions
- To make Yaki Udon vegan, heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large wok on medium-high heat and crumble up extra-firm tofu with your fingers. Cook the tofu for about 2-3 minutes, until slightly golden.
- While the tofu cooks, prepare your udon noodles by soaking them in hot, boiled water for about 2-3 minutes until you can carefully loosen the noodles with chopsticks. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Once tofu is slightly golden, turn heat down to low and add 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce. Mix until evenly coated and then remove from wok into bowl to set aside.
- In the same wok, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and add 1/2 sliced onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to brown slightly and onions before to soften. Add your sliced carrot, cabbage and mushrooms for another 2 minutes of cooking. Add bean sprouts and cook for another minute.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients: 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp dark soy sauce.
- To finish making yaki udon, add to the wok: udon noodles, crumbled tofu and the sauce you just made! Toss everything until evenly coated. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds (optional) and voila! Vegan Yaki Udon!
Nutrition
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