These sweet, salty, and rich Garlic Noodles are an absolutely addictive dish that you’ll want to make again and again. Serve them as the bed for glazed meat, like my Sticky Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken, Honey Sriracha Tofu, or simple stir-fried vegetables. With a super short ingredient list of pantry staples, this delicious garlic noodles recipe will become a staple in your menu.
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Where Do I Find Oyster Sauce?
Oyster sauce can be found in the International aisle of most major grocery stores (look near hoisin sauce). If you can’t find it there, it’s worth it to seek out an Asian market, where oyster sauce is likely to be much less expensive than in chain grocery stores.
What Can I Use in Place of Oyster Sauce?
I personally feel that the salty rich flavor of the oyster sauce makes this dish what it is and I wouldn’t suggest substituting it. That being said, several readers have said they’ve used hoisin sauce, which is much sweeter, and have enjoyed the results. Substitute the oyster sauce in this garlic noodles recipe at your own risk.
What Else Can I Add to Garlic Noodles?
This is a great base recipe to which you can add all sorts of other ingredients! Garlic noodles are great as a side dish, but you can add protein and vegetables to make it a meal. Try adding some Teriyaki Chicken or Honey Sriracha Tofu on top, or check out my Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli for some inspiration.
Looking for a spicy noodle recipe? Check out my Spicy Sriracha Noodles!
Quick & Easy Garlic Noodles
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz angel hair pasta ($0.54)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 bunch green onions ($0.35)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.50)
- 2 tsp soy sauce ($0.20)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.05)
- 1 tsp sesame oil ($0.40)
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce ($0.26)
Instructions
- Add the oyster sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil to a bowl and stir until combined.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes). Drain the cooked noodles in a colander, then set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, mince the garlic and slice the green onions. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the garlic and onions (save a few for garnish) and sauté until they are soft and fragrant (1-2 minutes).
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the drained pasta and oyster sauce mixture to the skillet, and stir well to coat the pasta. If your pasta is stiff or sticky making it hard to stir, sprinkle a small amount of hot water over the pasta to loosen it up. Garnish the pasta with any reserved sliced green onions, then serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Garlic Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Mix the easy noodle sauce before you begin. In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Stir until combined.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, mince four cloves of garlic and slice about four green onions (1/2 bunch).
Heat 4 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the minced garlic and most of the sliced green onions (save a few for garnish). Sauté the garlic and green onions until soft and fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Remove the skillet from the heat, then add the cooked and drained pasta and the prepared sauce.
Toss the ingredients in the skillet until the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Garnish the garlic noodles with the reserved green onions and serve.
This easy Garlic Noodles Recipe is totally addictive… BEWARE.
I liked it but it was a bit sweet for my taste, next time i make it i may either cut sugar in half or don’t add it at all. It was still tasty though
I love this recipe. We are addicted to it now.
OMG THIS WAS SO AMAZING.
This is amazing. I’ve made it twice now, but used udon noodles instead. The second time, I added some diced chicken (1 1/2 lbs) to cook with the garlic and onions and made it into a main dish. My son and I couldn’t get enough. Next time I’ll have to double the recipe!
These garlic noodles are the bomb!!
I added spiralized yellow squash and it was an amazing duo. This is definitely going to be one of my go to sides when cooking an Asian inspired dish. So good! I could have eaten the whole pan myself.
I’m thinking about trying this with traditional rice noodles. Just doesn’t seem quite right to do it with angel hair for me. Should still be yummy I think, I just prefer rice noodles to regular. Gives it a little different flavor.
Wow!! Amazing pasta dish. I made it without sugar and you can’t even tell it’s missing.
Yum, I made this tonight. I added some leftover chicken but other than that, made as the recipe instructed. It was delicious! Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
I’m allergic to seafood oyster sauce is considered seafood too?
You’ll need to check the ingredients for the particular bottle that you buy. While oyster sauce was originally made from oysters, many less expensive brands don’t even have oyster in them anymore (although they may contain other fish products, so make sure to check).
I needed a quick pasta side dish to go with boiled shrimp and this was perfect! I cut the sugar in half and added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Very hard to not stand over the stove and eat it out of the pot!
Can I use fish sauce instead of oyster sauce
No, unfortunately the two are VERY different in both flavor and texture. :(
It was a bit sweet for my taste but still so good! Will adjust the sweetness next time!
A must rule to all pasta cooks. When draining the pasta “always” save atleast 3 cups of the boiled water that cooked the pasta. This is used when your pasta starts to dry up. Adding several table spoon amounts fefore serving and afterwards when left overs are going into the frig will keep your past wet/moist and not sticky. The waster saved has all the right flavors to keep your pasta great tasting. Depending on what type of pasta you cook, I always add salt, and whatever the final sauce is..with beef, chicken, sea food stock soup powders or onion – garlic.. Gives that overall extra taste. Never throw away that pasta water. It keeps pasta alive and revives it when stored for tomorrow.
What can I use instead of oyster sauce???
While some people have said they’ve made it with Hoisin sauce and enjoyed it, I think that would change the recipe quite a bit. Unfortunately I don’t think there is anything that is really comparable to oyster sauce. If you don’t want to use it because it contains fish, there are vegetarian versions out there. And if you’re concerned about it tasting fishy, it definitely doesn’t. :)