Yaki Udon is Japanese stir-fried udon noodles made with your choice of protein and vegetables seasoned with a savory sauce. This recipe is easily vegetarian or vegan adaptable. It’s ready in 25 minutes and incredibly delicious!
Is there anything more pleasurable and comforting than a hot plate of noodles? For a year-round favorite, I always count on Yaki Udon (焼きうどん) as my go-to noodle dish. You have thick and chewy noodles, savory sauce, crisp vegetables, and slices of seared pork — what’s not to love?!
It’s fast, easy, and packed with umami flavors. Forget take-out, and make authentic yaki udon at home instead!
Table of Contents
What is Yaki Udon?
Yaki Udon (焼きうどん) is Japanese stir-fried udon noodles with meat/seafood and vegetables, flavored with a sweet and savory sauce. It’s a variation of another wildly popular Japanese stir-fried noodle dish called Yakisoba (焼きそば).
Just like yakisoba, yaki udon is also synonymous with Japanese summertime festival food. It reminds me of energetic cooks at the yatai (屋台, mobile street food stall) with metal spatulas in their hands, working swiftly with a huge pile of thick fat noodles on a flat top grill. The steam wafting through the air and the enticing aroma luring you in.
Difference Between Yaki Udon and Yakisoba
- Yaki Udon – Yaki udon always uses udon noodles. Udon noodles are thick and chewy white noodles made with wheat flour and water. Udon noodles are very versatile – in hot noodle soup like Kitsune Udon and Nabeyaki Udon, in cold noodle dishes like Tanuki Udon, and lastly, in stir-fried dishes like yaki udon.
- Yakisoba – Yakisoba uses chukamen (中華麺), yellowish Chinese-style noodles made with wheat flour and kansui (alkaline solution). These same noodles are used for Ramen and yakisoba.
How to Make Yaki Udon
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can pretty much use any protein and vegetables from the refrigerator to make this ultra comforting stir-fry noodle!
- Protein: Pork is the typical choice of meat for a traditional yaki udon. I usually like to use thinly sliced pork belly for more flavors. That said, you can always use chicken, beef, or seafood such as shrimp and squid. For vegetarian options, you can just leave out the meat or use thinly sliced fried tofu (or tofu puffs).
- Vegetables: Use scraps of vegetables that you have in the fridge. Have some mushrooms on hand? Add them in!
- Udon Noodles: You can use frozen, fresh, or dry noodles to make yaki udon. I recommend using either fresh or frozen udon noodles because they have the best texture. Read more below.
- Sauce: For this recipe, I’ll give you two options. Both have a similar taste but are made with different condiments. I’ll discuss more of this below.
- Optional toppings: For extra oomph, I love topping the noodles with katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes) and beni shoga (red pickled ginger). You can find them at Asian grocery stores.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Cut ingredients into uniform shapes.
- Prepare the udon noodles by blanching (frozen udon) or boiling (dried udon).
- In a large frying pan or wok, stir fry the meat, onions, and the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the cooked noodles and mix them all together.
- Season the stir-fried noodles and serve hot!
Best Choice of Udon Noodles
In the ideal world, fresh udon is always the best. I have a homemade fresh udon noodle recipe that you can make from scratch. However, we don’t always have the time to make udon from scratch. If you live close to a Japanese, Korean, or Chinese grocery store, I recommend buying frozen Sanuki Udon for all your udon noodle dishes.
Sanuki udon is sold frozen in bricks, usually five bricks in a package. They have an elastic and chewy texture. All you need is to blanch the frozen noodles for one minute. If you can’t find Japanese brands, you can also use Korean frozen udon.
Another option is dried udon noodles. These noodles are usually flat and the texture is less chewy, but they won’t break into pieces like refrigerated udon noodles.
You could use instant udon noodle packs found at mainstream grocery stores (if it was your only option), but take note that they are more doughy in taste and tend to break easily.
How To Make Your Own Variation
To customize yaki udon with your own preferred protein, just sub the pork belly slices with the below ingredients and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Ingredient Variations
- Chicken Yaki Udon — use 6 oz (170 g) chicken pieces
- Beef Yaki Udon — use 6 oz (170 g) thinly sliced beef
- Shrimp Yaki Udon — use 6 oz (170 g) peeled and deveined shrimp
- Seafood Yaki Udon — use 6 oz (170 g) mixed seafood
- Tofu Yaki Udon — use 6 oz (170 g) sliced fried tofu
- Vegetable Yaki Udon — besides the vegetables we use, use an additional 1 cup of thinly sliced or chopped vegetables, such as bell peppers, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms.
The Yaki Udon Sauce
There are typically 3 flavors for yaki udon recipes in Japan.
- Soy sauce base
- Mentsuyu base – My go-to as it takes only 2 ingredients!
- “Sauce” base – Known as sauce or so-su (ソース) in Japan, this Japanese Worcestershire sauce is slightly sweeter than its original counterpart. It is commonly used in the Osaka area. Some people combine both the “sauce” and soy sauce.
The soy sauce-based seasoning uses 4 ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and dashi powder. All four ingredients are standard Japanese condiments. I don’t really use dashi powder in my recipes, but here, I use it as an umami booster and a salt substitute.
The easiest and best udon sauce is made of only 2 ingredients: mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) and soy sauce. I always keep a bottle of mentsuyu at home for quick soba or udon noodle soup.
Note: I’ve seen some online recipes that call for sesame oil, dark soy sauce and oyster to make yaki udon sauce, but please note that we don’t use these ingredients in authentic yaki udon. Yaki udon should be light in color and not dark-colored. That would be more of a Chinese-style noodle dish.
Mentsuyu (also called tsuyu) is made from umami-packed ingredients: sake, mirin, soy sauce, kombu, and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). The ingredients for mentsuyu are very similar to my yaki udon seasoning A. Instead of four ingredients, you just need mentsuyu and a little bit of soy sauce.
The sauce comes in convenient bottles (pictured above). However, the store-bought mentsuyu in a bottle is not vegan-friendly. You can also make your own mentsuyu or use the soy sauce-based seasonings above.
Yaki Udon Cooking Tips
Yaki Udon is a quick and easy home cooked dish to make for your family or for yourself. You’ll need only standard ingredients you probably already have in the fridge.
Tip #1: Keep udon noodles in your pantry.
Always have frozen or dried udon noodle packages in your pantry. Then, you can make delicious yet simple udon noodle dishes instead of getting a take-out or eating out. My daughter loves udon noodles so I always keep some in my freezer for a quick meal.
Tip #2: Don’t overcook the udon noodles.
Since you will be cooking the udon with the rest of the ingredients in the frying pan, you don’t need to cook the noodles until they turn soft. Overcooking will only affect the final outcome of the texture.
Tip #3: Cover and steam the veggies.
Cover the frying pan to steam the veggies instead of stir-frying constantly. Do make sure to reduce the stove’s heat to low. With the moisture in the vegetables, all the bulky veggies will get steamed and become tender fast.
If you don’t have a lid that fits your frying pan, you can continue to stir-fry the ingredients.
Tip #4: Use a pair of tongs.
If you don’t have one in the kitchen, get this pair. You won’t regret the purchase. It’s so much easier to mix the noodles and other ingredients with a pair of tongs than trying to use a pair of chopsticks or a spatula or two. Trust me on this!
Tip #5: Use a large frying pan.
Lastly, I recommend using the biggest frying pan you have. Stir-frying requires more surface area, and it’s a big plus to have taller sides so the food stays in the pan.
Popular Udon & Other Noodle Recipes You’ll Love
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Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)
Video
Ingredients
- ½ onion (3.5 oz, 100 g)
- 2–3 leaves green cabbage (8 oz, 227 g)
- 2 inches carrot (1.8 oz, 50 g)
- 2 shiitake mushrooms (0.7 oz, 20 g)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 6 oz sliced pork belly (or use your choice of meat or seafood; substitute tofu, mushrooms, or extra vegetables for vegetarian/vegan)
- 2 servings udon noodles (1.1 lb/500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 6.3 oz/180 g dry udon noodles)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
For the Seasonings: Option A
- ½ tsp dashi powder (use kombu dashi powder for vegetarian/vegan or skip)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp mirin (or a pinch of sugar)
For the Seasonings: Option B
- 3 Tbsp mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) (for mentsuyu that is 3-times concentrated; if you use non-concentrated mentsuyu, please add more to achieve the same flavor; you can make my Homemade Mentsuyu)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
For the Garnish (optional)
- 3 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (or 1–2 small packages of katsuobushi; skip for vegetarian/vegan)
- 2 Tbsp pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For this recipe demonstration, I used seasonings option A. Start bringing a large pot of water to a boil on medium-high heat for heating or cooking the udon noodles later.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Slice ½ onion thinly.
- Remove the tough core of 2–3 leaves green cabbage. Then, cut the leaves into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square.
- Peel 2 inches carrot and cut it into thin slabs. Then, julienne them into strips 2 inches (5 cm) long.
- Discard the tough stems of 2 shiitake mushrooms and slice the mushroom caps.
- Cut 2 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Cut 6 oz sliced pork belly slices into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
- When the water is boiling, blanch 2 servings udon noodles (frozen) for 30–40 seconds or until it just starts to loosen up. If you‘re using dry udon noodles, boil them according to the package instructions. Transfer the noodles to a plate and set aside.
To Stir-Fry
- Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil and spread it evenly. Add the pork belly and stir-fry.
- Season the pork with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Cook until it‘s no longer pink.
- Add the onion slices and stir-fry until tender.
- Add the cabbage, carrot strips, shiitake mushrooms, and green onions. Mix it all together until the ingredients are coated with oil.
- Cover with a lid and reduce the stove‘s heat to low. Let the ingredients steam for 3 minutes, or until the ingredients are slightly wilted.
- Add the udon noodles to the pan and toss with a pair of tongs to combine (it‘s a lot easier to use tongs than two spatulas).
- Add the ingredients for either seasonings option A or B to the pan. For option A, add ½ tsp dashi powder, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sake, and 1 tsp mirin. If you‘re using option B, add 3 Tbsp mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) and 1 tsp soy sauce. Tip: If you have mentsuyu at home, definitely try my go-to seasonings option B because it‘s easy and delicious!
- Mix it all together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more ground black pepper and salt to your liking.
To Serve
- Transfer the Yaki Udon to individual plates. Optionally, sprinkle 3 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top and garnish with 2 Tbsp pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) on the side.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days and in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2011. It was republished with a new video, revised recipe, and updated content on May 2, 2022.
Sorry I meant yaki udon*********
Hi Kajal, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! Nami used “Hon Tsuyu” from Kikkoman in this recipe. The Hon Tsuyu (Kikkoman’s brand name) is concentrated, and it’s a versatile seasoning that can be used for a wide range of purposes. The Shiro Dashi is milder seasoning and has more Katsuobushi taste. Of course, this is up to your preference, and both can be used for this dish as well. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami! What’s the difference between hon tsuyu vs mentsuyu for yaki soba. I bought the orange kikkomen brand that you have up on your blog post (hon tsuyu). My boyfriend uses shiro dashi for his yaki udon from the same kikkomen brand. I’m confused on which one to buy/use specifically for yaki soba.
Hi Nami! I see you filed this under freezer friendly meals. How Long can this cooked yakisoba be kept in the freezer ? Just reheat with microwave or fry it in the wok again? Thanks
Hi Mel,
Yes! You can put it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to one month.
You may use the microwave or wok to re-heat it!
Enjoy!
Tried this and it was great! I came across ‘dry’ udon in Tokyo and I’ve been meaning to replicate the dishes I tried.
Hi Claire,
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
My favorite noodle shop on Oahu, which is now permanently closed, used to make my favorite Spicy Yaki Udon with Tofu and Vegetables. I’ve tried to replicate the recipe by using Nanami/Shichimi Togarashi, but to no avail. Do you have a recipe for Spicy Yaki Udon. Thank you, Holly
Hi Holly,
We currently don’t have a Spicy Yaki Udon recipe on the site. Have you tried with La-Yu, Kimuchi, or Gochujang?
Nami, I made this recipe {Yaki Udon) and it was delicious. I bought the chicken stock from Amazon and it adds so much flavor to the meal. I’ve made many of your recipes and they’ve all be excellent.
Angelo
Hi Angelo,
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed them!☺️
Easy lunch idea that I just did and it was delicious: if you have leftover vegetable/meat stir fry, boiling some udon noodles and stir frying it into the leftovers is an easy way to add carbs and heat up the leftovers all at once. I still drained and rinsed the noodles, of course. I made the stir fry vegetables with thinly sliced pork the other day and used that as the base for this yaki udon, and it came out great. Just leaving this here to give an idea to others. ^^
Oh, and since the stir fry vegetables/pork already had seasoning, I only put 1/2 teaspoon of gomen tsuyu into the noodles (I believe this is the 5x concentrated kind but not sure). I like my food less salty, so I am more conservative with seasoning.
Hi Iza! Thank you for sharing your tip with us!
Your recipes are amazing and so delicious.! I am presently working through all 15 in the “15 Easy Japanese Recipes”. I was not really familiar with Japanese cooking before except for sushi.
I was planning a trip to Japan for 2021, but will postpone it until after the world has recovered from the coronoviris.
To prepare for this, I wanted to find out as much as possible about Japanese people, culture, food and language. I was attending a Japanese Language School until it was forced to close because of the quarantine.
Part of our class was devoted to culture and food, so it was fun to eat homemade Japanese recipes.
Your recipes are very easy to follow and very helpful. Your suggestions about various kitchen items, where to purchase certain ingredients and how to make the different sauces have made my cooking so much better and flavorful. (I didn’t think I liked teriyaki until I made it from scratch!) Domo Arigato!
Hi Julie! Thanks so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy cooking Japanese foods from that recipe roundup. Thank you for sharing your story! Hope you and I will get to visit Japan soon. Till then, have fun cooking Japanese food at home. xoxo
Excellent and thank you. Only thing I changed was the protein ( I used shrimp). Thanks for the supporting notes- I was able to find the noodle base soup concentrate.
Hi Phoebe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I just tried this today and it’s marvellous!
Couldn’t find anything labelled mentsuyu at my supermarket so bought this Mizkan Oigatsuo Tsuyu Bonito Soup Base that seems to be similar. Reduced the udon portion ‘cos wanted less carbs, used Shabu Pork and purple cabbage.
What a gem! Even a novice cook like me couldn’t mess it up. Definitely going to be a regular meal at home. Thanks so much for this!
Hi Jace! I just changed the ingredient name from Mentsuyu to “Mentsuyu/Tsuyu (noodle soup base)” as we say both and it might have helped if you knew. What you got was correct! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! With Mentsuyu/Tsuyu (noodle soup base), you can make all kinds of noodle soup easily! 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe.
I love this recipe! So far my favorite yakiudon. Do you have any modified steps for chicken? I think my dish was missing a bit of flavor because I used chicken instead of pork belly so would love some suggestions to make up for it!
Hi Aura! Thanks for trying this recipe! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Since chicken won’t absorb enough flavor by stir-frying and seasoning with the sauce, I would season with salt and pepper before cooking it. 🙂
Major HIT with my family! Thank you so much!!!
Everyone loved it and it was ‘easy’ to do! I made my own broth following your directions.
Excellent
Hi Colleen! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I am gradually working my way through your “15 Easy Recipes” series and I made this today. It’s amazing! So much umami flavor in a simple and easy dish. It was a great excuse to use my carbon steel wok, which always needs love, so it can develop a nice patina over time and impart delicious char flavors to dishes. I used tea seed oil to cook this, an oil used in Chinese cooking that has a very high smoke point. The one I have is infused with green tea leaves and gives a rich green tea umami flavor. It was perfect!
Hi Lion! Wow, thank you for working on the 15 easy recipe series! I’m happy to hear you tried this recipe! And I can imagine how delicious it must have been with the wok and tea seed oil! 🙂
If using homemade udon do I need to boil udon for shorter period of time before using it for this recipe?
Hi Diana! It should be cooked al-dente – almost done stage. We need to stir fry udon a little bit as we have to season and mix with other ingredients. We won’t be “cooking” the udon in the yaki udon process. The remaining cooking process will keep it warm but not enough heat to cook the raw udon. So make sure to almost cook, but don’t overcook the udon before adding to the stir fry process. 🙂
I did not have any mentsuyu so I mixed one part fish sauce and one part rice vinegar to two parts soy sauce – umami goodness! It really tasted like I’ve had it in Japanese restaurants here in the US. I doubled the recipe and quadrupled the vegetables. AMAZING!
Hi Maki! Wonderful! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂