A bowl of Japanese udon noodle soup topped with sliced beef, fish cake, green onions, and fresh herbs, with chopsticks and a chopstick rest on the wooden table beside it.

When a chilly day calls for something cozy, I reach for Beef Udon. Thick and chewy noodles soak up a flavorful dashi broth, while tender slices of seasoned beef and onion add richness that warms you from the inside out. Happily, you can recreate the same soul-hugging dish at home in about 30 minutes.

If you’re craving more Japanese udon recipes, try my Yaki Udon, Cold Udon, or Udon Noodle Soup next!

A bowl of beef udon with sliced beef, green onions, narutomaki (fish cake), and fresh herbs in broth, served on a wooden tray with chopped green onions and a bottle of seasoning on the side.

What is Beef Udon?

Beef udon (肉うどん) noodle soup is a beloved staple in homes and udon shops across Japan. The pairing of beef and noodles is relatively new, with the Japanese adopting Western customs like eating beef between the late 1800s and early 1900s. I first fell for this combo in Takayama, Japan, where a ryokan served it with prized Hida beef.

Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Why I Love This Recipe

  • Perfect for beginners. Super easy to make—even if you’re new to Japanese cooking!
  • Pure comfort food. Savory beef and umami-rich dashi create a warm, soothing broth.
  • Minimal ingredients. Just a few staples make this a quick, weeknight-friendly meal.
  • Pantry & freezer-friendly. I always keep udon noodles and thin-sliced beef in the freezer so I can whip this up anytime my family asks—which is often!

Ingredients for Beef Udon

  • Udon noodles
  • Thinly sliced beef
  • Tokyo negi – or green onion/scallion
  • Neutral oil, soy sauce, and sugar – for sautéing
  • Homemade broth: dashi (Japanese soup stock), soy sauce, mirin, sugar, kosher salt
  • Garnish and toppings: green onions, narutomaki (fish cake), mitsuba (Japanese parsley), and shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to Recipe

Substitutions

  • Udon noodles: I recommend frozen udon from a Japanese/Asian market, but you could use dried or fresh. For fresh udon noodles from scratch, try my Homemade Udon Noodles recipe. 
  • Thinly sliced beef: I use pre-sliced “shabu shabu” beef that you can find at a Japanese market. If you can’t find it, you can learn How to Slice Meat Thinly at home with ribeye or chuck steak. 
  • Homemade soup broth: Make my shortcut broth with mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) in the recipe instructions.
  • Dashi: I use convenient Japanese soup stock packets as the flavor is pretty good. Or, learn How to Make Dashi from scratch with dried kelp (kombu) and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi). Use dashi powder only in a pinch.
  • Mirin: If you don’t have it, use 3 parts sake (or water) to 1 part sugar. The flavor isn’t the same, but it’s close.
A bowl of udon noodle soup topped with sliced beef, narutomaki fish cake, green onions, and fresh herbs, served on a wooden tray with extra green onions and a pair of chopsticks on the side.
A bowl of udon noodle soup topped with sliced beef, fish cake, green onions, and cilantro, set on a wooden table with chopsticks and a condiment container nearby.

How to Make Beef Udon

Preparation

  1. Make dashi (Japanese soup stock). Prepare your preferred stock; I often use a packet for speed. (Skip if you’re making the shortcut broth.)
A small mesh bag filled with seasoning floats in a saucepan of water on a stovetop, as the water begins to heat but has not yet reached a boil.
A wooden spatula stirs a clear golden liquid, likely dashi broth, in a silver pot on a stovetop.
  1. Season the broth: Stir soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and salt into the hot dashi, then keep it warm.
Two hands holding measuring cups, one with a light liquid and one with a dark liquid, over a pot of light-colored broth on a stove. The liquids are about to be poured into the pot.
Two hands hold small glass bowls of salt and sugar over a pot filled with red liquid on a stovetop, preparing to add the ingredients.
  1. Cut the ingredients. Cut the white part of Tokyo negi diagonally into thick slices. Cut the thinly sliced meat in half. Thinly slice the green onions (and mitsuba) and the optional fish cake (narutomaki).
Thinly sliced green onions (scallions) arranged on a light wooden cutting board.
A hand holds thinly sliced raw beef while a knife cuts through the meat on a wooden cutting board.

Cooking

  1. Stir-fry beef and Tokyo negi in a skillet with oil and cook until no longer pink. Sprinkle in sugar and soy sauce; stir until glazed.
Thin slices of raw beef and chopped green onions being stir-fried in a hot pan with a pair of chopsticks.
Thin slices of beef and pieces of green onion are being stir-fried in a sizzling, oily pan with wooden chopsticks on a stovetop.
  1. Heat noodles in a pot of boiling water according to the package directions. Drain well and divide them into individual bowls.
Two hands place blocks of uncooked udon noodles into a pot of boiling water on a stovetop.
A bowl of cooked udon noodles being placed into the bowl with chopsticks and a metal strainer.

Assemble

  1. Build the bowls. ladle in hot broth, and top with the sweet-soy beef mixture. Garnish with green onion, fish cake, mitsuba, and a pinch of shichimi togarashi to taste. Serve immediately while piping hot.
A bowl of udon noodles is being filled with a dark, savory broth poured from a pot, set on a light wooden surface.
A hand places a slice of narutomaki fish cake into a bowl of udon noodle soup topped with sliced beef and chopped green onions.

Nami’s Recipe Tips

  • Reheat frozen udon; don’t boil it. A 1-minute dip keeps the texture bouncy.
  • Loosen noodles with chopsticks so they don’t clump in the boiling water.
  • Use a wide pan to give the beef room to sear instead of steam.
  • Remove the beef as soon as it browns; ultra-thin slices cook in seconds.

Variations and Customizations

  • Extra veggies: For more color and nutrition, add sliced onion, bell pepper, cabbage, mushrooms, or bok choy.
  • Aromatic boost: Sauté minced garlic and ginger with the beef for deeper flavor.
  • Swap proteins: Thinly sliced pork or chicken also tastes wonderful in the same sweet-soy glaze.

What to Serve with Beef Udon

A white plate containing Blistered Shishito Peppers With Ginger Soy Sauce.
A Japanese black mortar containing cut tomato wedges dressed in ground sesame ponzu seasoning, garnished with mitsuba leaves on top.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Keep cooked beef, broth, and noodles in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat: Warm the broth and beef together on the stove until hot; reheat noodles at the last minute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead?

Prepare the broth in advance, but cook the beef and noodles right before eating for best texture.

Can I make it gluten-free?

Substitute wide rice noodles and use gluten-free soy sauce.

What if I have no mirin?

Mix 1 tablespoon sake (or water) with 1 teaspoon sugar for each tablespoon of mirin required. The taste is slightly different but close enough for a weekday fix.

A bowl of beef udon with sliced beef, green onions, narutomaki (fish cake), and fresh herbs in broth, served on a wooden tray with chopped green onions and a bottle of seasoning on the side.
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4.75 from 268 votes

Beef Udon

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Steamy broth, chewy noodles, and sweet-savory sliced beef come together in this easy Beef Udon recipe. I'll share my best tips and time-saving options for delicious flavor in this go-to bowl of Japanese comfort.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 
 

For the Broth from Scratch

For the Udon Noodle Soup

For Serving

For the Quick Broth with Mentsuyu (optional)

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the udon noodles. Once boiling, keep it covered on low heat until you‘re ready to heat the noodles.
    Beef Udon Ingredients

To Make the Broth from Scratch

  • First, make 2½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) of your choice. (To make a quick broth with mentsuyu noodle soup base, see the instructions at the end of the recipe.) Here, I‘ll show you how to make a quick dashi using a dashi packet (you can find it on Amazon). In a medium saucepan, add 2½ cups or 600 ml water and 1 dashi packet. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.
    Beef Udon 1
  • Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Then, squeeze the liquid from the dashi packet and discard the packet.
    Beef Udon 2
  • Season the dashi with 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix it all together. Cover the pot with a lid to keep it hot and prevent evaporation. Turn off the heat and set aside.
    Beef Udon 3

To Prepare the Ingredients

  • Cut the white part of ½ Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) diagonally into ½-inch (1.3-cm) slices. Set aside.
    Beef Udon 5
  • Thinly slice the leaves and tender stems of 4 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley)(optional).
    Beef Udon 6
  • Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin slices. Transfer the green onion slices and optional mitsuba to a small plate or bowl for topping the soup later.
    Beef Udon 7
  • Diagonally cut 4 slices narutomaki (fish cakes) (optional). Then, cut 6–8 oz thinly sliced beef (such as ribeye) in half to about 1½–2 inches (3.8–5 cm) wide.
    Beef Udon 8

To Cook the Beef

  • Heat the frying pan on medium heat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil and the Tokyo negi.
    Beef Udon 9
  • Sauté the negi until golden brown and tender. Then, add the thinly sliced beef and cook until it‘s no longer pink.
    Beef Udon 10
  • Add 2 tsp sugar and 1 Tbsp soy sauce.
    Beef Udon 11
  • Stir-fry the meat until it is well coated with the seasoning. Remove from the heat.
    Beef Udon 12

To Boil the Udon Noodles

  • Cook 2 servings udon noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. For frozen udon noodles, boil from frozen for 1 minute to reheat.
    Beef Udon 13

To Serve

  • Divide the drained udon noodles into individual serving bowls and pour the hot broth to cover.
    Beef Udon 14
  • Place the stir-fried beef, narutomaki, green onions, and mitsuba on top. If you like it spicy, sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on top. Enjoy!
    Beef Udon 15

To Store

  • You can keep the stir-fried beef, udon noodles, and broth separately in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To Make the Broth with Mentsuyu (Optional)

  • In a medium saucepan, combine ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), 2⅓ cups water, and 1 Tbsp mirin and mix well. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. The udon broth is now ready to use.
    Udon Noodle Soup with Mochi 1

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 976mg, Potassium: 353mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 107IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 8, 2015. It’s been updated with new images and video on November 17, 2021, and republished with more helpful information on July 31, 2025.