This umami-packed recipe for garlic noodles is super quick and incredibly tasty. Definitely a recipe you’ll want in your regular rotation!

Addictive? Yes. Because You Won’t Be Able to Stop Eating Them.

You know how when you make something so good, you keep shimmying over to the stove to snag “one more bite” straight from the pan before you call folks in for dinner?

That’s exactly what happens with these slurp-worthy garlic noodles. You just can’t stop yourself.

And that’s totally okay. In my mind, if you cook it, you get extra bites.

This fusion dish throws East Asian flavors into what could be your regular ol’ pasta aglio e olio, and it’s the best thing ever.

What’s in This “Addictive” Garlic Noodles Recipe?

Mostly pantry staples, really. Don’t you love when that happens? When you find a bomb recipe that calls for stuff you already have? BOOM. Win.

Here’s a list of everything you’ll need:

  1. Noodles. This recipe welcomes noodles of all types! but of course I have my favorites. Chinese noodles or Ramen noodles are my go-to’s. You can, however, sub in soba noodles, or even pastas like spaghetti or angel hair.
  2. Fresh garlic. You want beautiful, fresh garlic because, well, it’s kind of the star of the dish! I recommend slicing the garlic into thin slices rather than mincing it. There’s no reason to hide your garlic here.
  3. Oyster sauce. This adds thickness to your sauce so it can coat your noodles with all of that sweet, salty, and savory goodness.
  4. Low-sodium soy sauce. Always low-sodium. Us Americans don’t need extra salt in our diet.
  5. Fish sauce. Does it smell like gym socks? Yes. Does it lend anything to Asian-inspired dishes? Also yes. Just a splash of fish sauce helps all of the flavors in your dish sing.
  6. Honey. Raw liquid honey is my choice of sweetener here. You could dissolve brown sugar into your sauce, but I like using honey. It works super well.
  7. Butter. Buttery noodles, please and thank you. Using butter here adds a nice smooth texture and extra flavor to the sauce.
  8. Sesame oil. Not all garlic noodle recipes call for sesame oil. Some call for olive oil, some stick with butter alone. But I love the light sesame notes it offers in this dish, so I highly recommend it.
  9. Scallions. The scallions, or green onions, just finish this dish off perfectly by adding a smidgen of zesty freshness. With some Asian-inspired dishes, I use them uncooked and as a garnish. Here, I think they’re perfect tossed in and slightly softened.
  10. Parmesan cheese. No, this isn’t a mistake. Though the parmesan cheese seems like it doesn’t fit in here at all, it is a pretty regular ingredient in garlic noodles and it really does add to the strong umami of this dish. Don’t skip out.
  11. Sesame seeds + chili flakes (optional). For garnish!
Dry Chinese noodles on a countertop next to small bowls of ingredients and a small cutting board with grated parmesan cheese.

How to Make Garlic Noodles

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. A lot of Asian noodles are made with salted dough so do not require salt in the water. Check the directions on the package before salting your water.
  2. Cook the noodles as per the directions on the package. Before draining the noodles, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water for your sauce.
  3. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic slices to the skillet. The butter will likely foam, and that’s fine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until they are lightly browned/caramelized. Stir them often as they cook to prevent burning.
  4. Stir in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in the sliced scallions.
  5. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the parmesan cheese and, with tongs, toss well to coat the noodles and melt the cheese. If the sauce seems too thick and as though it’s not covering all the noodles, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and continue to toss.
  6. Garnish with sesame seeds and, if you like a little heat, chili flakes! Then serve.
Hand tossing noodles in skillet with tongs.

Useful Tools

Recipe Tips

  1. I’m a huge fan of Sriracha or Sambal Oelek (hot chili sauce), but these sauces are big on flavor. I didn’t want to take away from the garlicky sweet umami goodness of this dish, so I recommend sticking to chili flakes. That way you’re getting a little kick without interrupting the recipe’s flavor.
  2. Instead of honey, you could use agave nectar or brown sugar. I wouldn’t use maple syrup as you might get a maple flavor here and I don’t think that would work well.
  3. If you’re looking to add a protein to this dish, some cooked chicken or shrimp would be awesome.
  4. If you don’t have fresh parmesan cheese, you could use Romano, but no other will really work. (Don’t go adding mozzarella or cheddar. The point of the cheese is the punch of umami, not to make this a “cheesy” dish.)

Have You Made This Recipe?

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Other Noodle Dishes You’ll Love:

Side shot close up of bowl of garlic noodles.
Bowls of garlic noodles with chopticks.

Garlic Noodles Recipe

This umami-packed recipe for garlic noodles is super quick and incredibly tasty. Definitely a recipe you'll want in your regular rotation!
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Dana Sandonato

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Chinese noodles
  • 6 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 8 cloves if they are on the smaller side
  • 3 TBSP butter
  • 1 TBSP sesame oil
  • 1 TBSP oyster sauce
  • 1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tsp liquid honey
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish
  • Chili flakes, for garnish

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook the noodles as per the directions on the package.
  • Before draining the noodles, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. This can be used to thin out your sauce if necessary.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat the sesame oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, stir in the garlic slices. The butter will likely foam—that's normal. Cook the garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning, or until lightly browned/caramelized.
  • Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Simmer for about 30 seconds; stir in the sliced scallions.
  • Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with the parmesan cheese. Using tongs, toss the noodles well to coat them evenly and to melt the cheese. If the sauce seems too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the skillet; continue to toss.
  • Garnish the noodles with sesame seeds and chili flakes, if you want to add a little kick. Serve right away!