Crazy Good Quick Garlic Noodles
This post may contain affiliate links. Please check our privacy and disclosure policy.
Learn how to make THE BEST quick garlic noodles. There are a few unusual ingredients here, but trust me, these are the best garlic noodles you’ll ever have!
Here it is! Here it is!
The recipe that I’ve been dying to make us from the moment I got back from Hawaii — quick garlic noodles!
No joke, I’m probably the only person on the planet that goes equipped with a small notebook and a pencil to scribble down all the flavors I taste when we dine out. Between that and the number of times I close my eyes to let my taste buds relish things more clearly, I’m pretty sure we manage to get more than a few curious looks. Anees, on the other hand, isn’t even bothered. He’s happily munching away, wholly accustomed to our now ‘normal’ dining out lifestyle.
Okay. I know, I know. The internet is full of garlic noodles. But believe me, this one is different — it has a couple of unusual ingredients. Not usual like I’m sending you on a wild goose chase for ingredients you’ve never heard of. Unusual in the sense that you don’t see them too often in a pan-fried garlic noodles recipe. But you know what, I’ll never make garlic noodles without them now. Not that I needed any more reassurances but when I walk into the kitchen to find hubby cleaning the tongs with his mouth as he goes slightly wide-eyed from being caught in the act; I’m pretty sure I’ve made the garlickiest garlic noodles.
I didn’t just tell you that.
Honestly, when I had my first bite of these noodles in Maui, I thought I’d spend a good year dissecting this recipe from my then frantically scribbled notes and what I could recall from memory. But with more than one garlic lover in this family, I knew I had to get on it fast. And I love how some of you seem to love garlic as much as we do.
What makes this quick garlic noodles super dangerous is that they’re easy to make. They take in the ballpark of 15 minutes, and it’s almost a bad thing at this point, but it uses mostly pantry or refrigerator staples.
The ingredient list on my quick garlic noodles is short. Ten simple ingredients, one of which is optional and that’s the little niblets of fried garlic that you see on top there.
It can be a tricky ingredient to find in a regular grocery store, so you can certainly omit it from the recipe or make your own! Just a quick google search will help you with that. Keep in mind; if you’ve got easy access to an Asian supermarket, you can find this easily! Just know that a lot of the brands fry their garlic in palm oil. If you also feel strongly about avoiding palm oil, I suggest checking the ingredient list before you buy. I was lucky enough to find a brand that didn’t, locally. But here’s (affiliate link) a brand that fries them in soybean oil in case you’re interested.
For the noodles I used Chuka soba noodles (affiliate link) that my local grocery store carries. You can use just about any kind you like! Egg noodles, Hong Kong style noodles, even spaghetti or angel hair pasta will do.
This is a fusion recipe; there’s no wrong answer here!
The key to making good garlic noodles is to make sure you do the first step right. Which is allowing the minced garlic and scallions to really infuse all of their flavors into the olive oil and butter. This will take you about 5-7 minutes but TRUST. Once you get that part done, it’s smooth sailing. Let your noodles boil while the garlic is doing its thing and make the sauce.
I want to also just mention that yes, the recipe reads fish sauce AND parmesan cheese together and I know you’re about to hit the ‘x’ at the top of this window, but I wouldn’t do you wrong. It’s not weird when the garlic has a chance to get in there and work its magic. It’s seriously a flavor bomb from all the umami that this recipe is loaded with.
There’s a whole lot to love about these quick garlic noodles:
- They take about 15 minutes, give or take.
- You’ve probably got almost all the ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator.
- You can serve this with just about anything! Hubby made a spicy Thai chicken last week, and we swapped the quinoa for these garlic noodles. But really, we’ve had this with miso salmon too, and you just can’t go wrong here.
- You can grill or stir-fry chicken and toss it in here at the end too, and then you’ve got garlic noodles with chicken (so doing that).
- Perfect for when you’re a single lady (or dude) like I am on some weeknights, and all you want it a bowl of comfort food and you want it FAST.
Quick garlic noodles serve four but if you ask my husband, he’ll tell you there’s just enough for one. Honestly though, plan on making more than you think you’ll need.
It’s so dang hard to stop yourself from eating the whole pan!
shop this post:
Crazy Good Quick Garlic Noodles
Learn how to make THE BEST quick garlic noodles. There are a few unusual ingredients here, but trust me, these are the best garlic noodles you'll ever have!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6-8 fresh garlic cloves, minced (we always use 8)
- 2 scallions, greens only (thinly sliced)
- 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces noodles (see notes)
- fried garlic, for topping
Instructions
- Infuse the Butter: Heat a large pot with water and allow it to come to boil, cook the noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. While the water is boiling, grab a large, non-stick skillet and place it on medium-low heat. Add the butter, oil olive, garlic, and scallions. Let the butter infuse with the garlic for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. The garlic should barely sizzle here, you don't want it to brown.
- Garlic Noodles: While the garlic is going, grab a small bowl and mix together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and the sugar. When the garlic is cooked, kick the heat up to medium-high, stir in the prepared sauce; let cook for 30 seconds. Add the prepared noodles and toss with parmesan cheese (yes, parm!) Let the noodles cook for a minute so they soak up all that flavor. Top with fried garlic and serve immediately! That flavor is like NOTHING you'll ever have.
Notes
- Please note: after a few responses from readers, I've adjusted the amount of fish sauce + oyster sauce to read '1-2 tablespoons.' I use 2 of each and didn't find it had a fishy flavor but a few people mentioned that it was a bit pungent for their taste. I suggest starting with 1 tablespoon of each and adjusting as desired!
- You can use a lot of different kinds of noodles here. I used Chuka soba noodles, but egg noodles, Hong Kong noodles, spaghetti, or even angel hair pasta will work here.
- You can serve this with just about anything you like!
- This recipe can easily be doubled if you want leftovers, and really with all that garlic, who wouldn't?
If you like this Garlic Noodles recipe, you might also like:
Garlicky Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
We are a participant in both the RewardStyle and Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and through RewardStyle.
66 Comments on “Crazy Good Quick Garlic Noodles”
Thee were an umami bomb. I’m vegan and substituted with the vegan counterparts. Easy and delicious.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the noodles, Chely! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
These noodles are so yummy! I made it just as your recipe instructs and they did not disappoint. Can’t wait to make it with veggies and some shrimp!
Oh. My. Word. This recipe has changed my life! It’s rare to find a meal that the whole family loves and this one rocketed straight to the top of the ‘love-it-list! I must admit, the first time
I made this I was skeptical about adding the Parmesan cheese, but for some magical reason, it totally works! (Duh, or otherwise it wouldn’t be listed in the ingredients… lol) We have made this around 10 times now and I usually cook up some sliced chicken breasts separately and add them into the noodles just before serving just to help fill up the hungry tummies. Thanks for such a delicious recipe ?
These were so good! I doubled the recipe, and 3 adults and 2 kids killed it. Definitely a new staple in our house. Thank you
This recipe is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! I got home feeling like I had a cold coming on, after a really long day at work. I thought garlic, I need garlic. I’m tired, run down and need an easy meal that is GARLICKY! Noodles, I need noodles…and GARLIC. This recipe was fabulous, I used 8 HUGE cloves of garlic and garlic chives instead of scallions. I told you I wanted garlic! This recipe fit the bill perfectly, was easy to make when I’m feeling less than 100% and was totally tasty. I added spinach at the last minute and topped these tasty noodles with sliced red chilli, left over steamed miso salmon from the fridge and a poached egg. Dinner, done. Thanks for this recipe, hubby loved it too.
Was as good as it looks !!!
How is this recipe if I leave out the cheese? No one in this home eats any kind of cheese.
A year later lol but I just made this for the first time, and yeah next time I make this I’m omitting the cheese-not that we have lactose issues, it just got kinda gloopy. I’d like to let the oil and butter do it’s thing and let them add cheese after if they wanna. Great flavor though!
WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS…………..How fn good these noodles are!!!!!! (Sorry but that’s just how good they are) ?! I wanted to post a pic but I don’t see if that’s an option. My mom is Chinese Cantonese (in Asian cuisine Cantonese is known for their cooking styles that can almost seem like Science)but grew up with a Mexican stepmother so she was the only grandma I knew, my dad is African American but Creole decent, I grew up in Southern Cal and speak fluent Spanish, I married a Navy man from New York and we live in Florida but def traveled A LOT! Years ago I would have him take me to a seafood with Asian twist restaurant called Crustacian that originated in San Fran for their Dungeness crab GARLIC NOODLES! I love cooking so after trying and trying , I figured out it wasn’t the it was DEF the garlic noodles, so I then sought out looking for another resource but eventually just let it go as one of those love affairs that just maybe you wonder what could of happened had I hung in there?…… Like where would we be now?…….it’s been years, and then ALONG CAME YOU WITH THIS AMAZING GIFT OF AN EVEN BETTER LOVE AFFAIR!!!!! (And btw I believe in only falling in love once in real life but this story OMG!)
Our youngest is now 12 and my husband being retired military can be obnoxious at times with his perfectionism of not being a big fan of leftovers. Well not only did I double the batch, did the MAX amount of garlic, Fish sauce and oyster sauce (which has been my go to sauce in ALL things applicable), we had them AGAIN tonight with a fried egg on top (due to running low of tilapia that I just soaked in soy sauce for 10-15), refreshed with a quick cucumber/shallot/jalapeno salad and I FOUND HIM EATING OUT OF THE PAN scraping for the now crispy noodles from being twice pan fried and my son with egg yolk on his Polo ?
That, in my LONG Book is a HOMERUN and I OWE IT ALL TO YOU!!!!! I am not one to follow many recipes NOR write reviews but you have fans Marzia! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING and Please keep up the AWESOME Job you are doing! Just reading thru, I anticipate trying more out that I can already relate to! The diversity is phenomenal!
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I tried it for the first time and today and scrambled back to write a review. I’ll almost always make a recipe “as-is” the first time to know exactly what to expect. I’m glad I wasn’t swayed by the other reviews.
To start; I’d DOUBLE this recipe. I probably ate half of it before serving. The brand of Chuka Soba noodles I used (Welpac) was only 6 oz. The amount of garlic was just right and a true garlic lover could even do with more. But I would add more green onions as garnish next time.
Do yourself a favor; try this recipe!!! You’ll not lose anything and it takes no time at all plus you’ll earn a lifetime keeper of a recipe; good enough to pass down.
L
Have made this at least once a week since I discovered this recipe a few months back. So weird and so deliciously addictive.
I have an allium intolerance and get really sick when I have garlic or onions BUT I make this and substitute garlic flavored olive oil and use garlic free Hoisin sauce. Seriously so yummy! And YES the parmesan is necessary!
If you’re not a fish person (for example, you cannot tolerate sushi because of the seaweed wrap) then I suggest cutting the fish sauce and oyster sauce in half, and replacing with something else. Soy sauce maybe? The fishiness was way too pungent for me but my husband LOVED this dish. I really want to try it again with a milder tweak.
The dish is awesome…..love it … this is the restaurant rated dish… highly recommended….
This is now our family’s favorite recipe!!! I’ve tried so many versions of garlic noodles, and this is the only one I’ve found that’s really hit the spot. The only modification I’ve made is always doubling the recipe, because we were always finding ourselves bummed out that we didn’t have any leftovers!
I have tried so many of Little Spice Jar recipes and so far have loved them all. However, I tried these garlic noodles and doubled the recipe (all ingredients) using 16 cloves of garlic (UK size so small bulb). No one could eat the noodles. The garlic was so overpowering to the point it was inedible (and I like garlic!!)…. had to throw them away…..What a waste 🙁
Made spaghetti squash with this recipe and its so delicious! Added some spinach as well.
These noodles were sent straight from heaven!!! Thank you so much for introducing these into our lives!!!
Haha I love it! So happy you feel that way ❤️
First, I have never posted a comment to a blog ever. I am compelled to do so tonight. This is an amazing recipe. It is hard to describe the umami flavour with this dish. It is the perfect balance of sweet and sour and that garlic! I made a batch at lunch and then it was so good I made it again for dinner on the same day. It is fall now and I had loads of peppers and greens so I chucked them in the pan. I had some fresh sockey salmon and voila! I could cry…it was that good.
Well i didn’t really look at how many noodles i was working with, but when i finished boiling my noodles to prep for cooking, it looked like enough to feed two whole families… so i doubled your recipe and used 16 cloves of garlic haha! It turned out very delicious and not a disaster at all! Thank you so much!
These noodles are to die for! I made them recently and there were no leftovers. Quick and easy to make! I served them with marinated tofu. Soooooo goooood!
Made these tonight and they were soooooo good. I was skeptical for sure, but I’m so glad I tried it. Amazing garlic flavor. Big fan!
I am late to the party but everyone should know this is a hella great dish! going in my weekly rotation for sure.
Oh my. These were so much better than I hoped. I would cut sugar to 1/2 tablespoon next time. I don’t like fish and didn’t find the sauce fishy at all! I came back and finished the pan, even though I wasn’t hungry. Served with pot stickers for a delish, filling meal.
This was soooo good! Just made it tonight to go with some lobster tail. I put parmesan in it, because i happened to have some, but I think it would taste just as good without it. We went to a Vietnamese/crab place a week ago and had garlic noodles. These were just as good. And the best part is that this recipe does not have msg (which the restaurant’s probably did). So, i would encourage you to try it! Thank you Marzia for putting this recipe together and making it available for people to enjoy!!!
I loved this recipe! I’m a Mediterranean girl so I adore garlic. These noodles have great flavour. I used soy sauce instead of oyster sauce simply because that was what I had in the kitchen and it worked well. And you were right – egg noodles are fantastic for this recipe. I think next time I’ll add some red peppers or chilli sauce for a bit of spicy kick.
This is a go-to, much-requested comfort food recipe for our family for years ever since we saw a slightly different version in an Asian cookbook. A few differences:
– we use a lot more scallions — say 4-6 scallions for 8 ounces of pasta — and we use everything, both the white and the green parts. I actually usually double the recipe anyway and use a full pound of pasta and even more scallions! With this recipe you probably can’t use too much garlic or scallions
– we don’t use fish sauce and don’t miss it. We’re not vegetarians, but noticed people asked about it.
– we also never add parmesan cheese — so if there are recipe purists (or vegetarians) who are hesitating, cheese is definitely not necessary for this recipe. Maybe a Maui thing?
– for a little more depth substitute brown sugar for white
– works with many different types of noodles but I think the long noodles are best. We usually use angel hair.
The oyster and fish sauce were too pungent for flavor. I love garlic and was excited to try this recipe. But, I was severely disappointed because the fish flavor was too overpowering.
This was sooo’ good. I love garlic and to have a dish so easy and flavorful it’s just awesome! The fried garlic is a new favorite too! I was eating it out of the bottle! Thank you for this recipe, I will be be making it for Life!
Isn’t that fried garlic just the best? We pretty much use it every chance we get now. Happy to hear you loved the noodles! 🙂
I just want to make sure I have it right. These sound amazing and I can’t wait to try them. This is shredded Parma not the o powdery kind you shake on spaghetti or pizza? Thank you so much.
Shredded or grated (pizza style) either would work here, really! I just suggest using something that’s good quality (anything from the deli dept. rather than shelf stable stuff!)
This is a fantastic recipe. I give it a try with a little twist. A little veggie & shrimp. Delicious ??????
Holy cow! Do not hesitate, make these noodles NOW! My picky, picky, picky nine-year-old daughter said this is her new favourite dish.
Any other idea’s besides fish/oyster sauces( family member allergies?
I just had a quick look on substitutes for oyster sauce and it recommended either vegetarian oyster sauce, or hoisin sauce. Hope this helps 🙂
Seriously, if you’re on the fence about trying these noodles, just go for it. They. Are. AMAZING!! We made these noodles last night and we’re making a double batch tonight!
Anyone ever tried this with zoodles?
I’ve made these with zucchini noodles a few times and I like it!
This noodle recipe was excellent, so full of flavor, my family really enjoyed it.
This was AWESOME!!!! I used roasted garlic, made a double batch of the recipe for 3 of us, and there wasn’t a bit left! New favorite!!!! Thanks!
These noodles are OUTRAGEOUS! I can not shovel them into my mouth fast enough. I added steamed broccoli and carrots, it’s perfect meal!
Made these with the lettuce wraps. SO good and my daughters loved it. Great flavor
Couldn’t eat this. My husband and daughter loved it, but I couldn’t get over how incredibly fishy it was. I have always used fish sauce as an additive to a more complex sauce, so using it here as a main portion of the sauce was overwhelming.
Use an equal amount of soy sauce for a substitute.
I tried this recipe!! My family loves garlic, made my own fried garlic. I’m in heaven. I am hoping that there’s a more serious version for it( without sugar) maybe a little spicey. Either way Awesome Recipe. Thks
Feel free to omit the sugar, we’ve tried it and it’s not bad without it! You could also add a little chili oil or chili in oil to this for a spicier take!
Do these have a fishy flavor with the fish sauce and the oyster sauce? Maybe I could just omit? I’ve never used either one. Thoughts?
Hi Michelle! I wouldn’t say it has a ‘fishy’ flavor but these ingredients do enhance the noodles and give it a really unique, addicting flavor. Fish sauce is very pungent so if you’re a first time user, I suggesting not smelling it before you add it in, it tastes 1000x better than it smells! That said, you could reduce the amount of fish sauce if you’re worried (oyster sauce doesn’t taste fishy here at all so I’d keep it at the amount listed) but omitting these ingredients entirely will definitely alter the intended outcome of the dish. Hope that helps!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This turned out delicious! I added cooked pieces chicken and slivers of carrot.. loved how it turned out!
Hi, when did you add the chicken and the carrots? How did you prepare the chicken for this dish?
Thank you,
LP
This is so good. I first made this with thin spaghetti and it was awesome! The second time I made it I added sautéed shrimp and shiitake mushrooms. So yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Every time I’ve cooked with chuka soba I thought they tasted like raw wheat . How do you get around that? Or am I imagining that?
To be honest, I’ve only ever used chuka soba to make garlic noodles (my grocery store justttt started stocking them) and with all that garlic, I can’t taste anything else ? I’m curious now and will have test them in something else and see if I have the same experience! In the meantime, feel free to use one of the other types of noodles listed if you’d like ?
wow…Looking so yummy
Read the directions many times, and am unable to find where the fried-garlic That goes on top at the finish is cooked, and prepared. I see the garlic and onions which are mixed with sauce and mixed w/ noodles. But i’m Lost w/ the topping. Please help me.
Hey Miriam! The fried garlic that goes on top is a prepared ingredient that you can either make yourself or purchase. For this reason, the directions aren’t written on how to make it, as it’s explained in the post. I purchased the fried garlic in a bottle from an Asian supermarket but you can also make your own (just a quick google search for recipes.) Hope that helps!
My two teenagers are garlic and noodle crazy. I used 16 cloves of garlic, fried 8 cloves for the crispy top and used 8 in the noodles. I would use a tiny bit less fish sauce next time but that is just to our taste. Otherwise, these were great! I live in the LA area with an abundance of Asian markets around me and I couldn’t find fried garlic anywhere. Easy to make your own.
Hey Marzia, your garlic noodles look sooo delicious!!! Waiting to try this out since my kids love noodles! But since we’re vegetarians, do I have alternatives for fish sauce and oyster sauce to use in the recipe and still get good results?
Hi Gokul! Oyster ‘flavored’ sauce is a good alternative as some of them are made from oyster mushrooms rather than real oysters. I’d suggest checking the ingredient label before purchasing to make sure though. As for the vegetarian fish sauce, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a good alternative yet. If you’d like to give it a try, I’d suggest making your own (just a quick google search) or checking for one at the local Asian supermarket. Hope that helps!
Dumb question: what is fish sauce?
Hi Betsey! Fish sauce is a condiment commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines (and others as well). It’s like Worcestershire sauce but different in flavor and smell. You can usually find it in the international aisle of most grocery stores. Just know that the smell isn’t very appealing, so if you’re a first timer, don’t smell it! Just add it in – it tastes amazing in these garlic noodles! 🙂
I made this using egg noodles and 9 cloves of garlic it was divine.
So happy to hear you enjoyed them and that you upped that garlic! 😉
I tried these same noodles when I was on Maui and have been trying to recreate this dish ever since! Have never gotten it quite right, the taste of theirs is so unique. I can’t wait to try your version!
I’m glad you feel the same way, Rosanna! They were sooo good! These do come pretty close though. Hope you love them!!