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Home / Recipes
40 minutes
4.64 from 95 votes
47 Comments

Tofu Drunken Noodles

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
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by: Joanna Cismaru
07.02.20
Updated: 10.01.20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tofu Drunken Noodles! Spicy, succulent Udon noodles made with Tofu and an array of bright veggies. An easy and addictive meal!

side view shot of tofu drunken noodles freshly made in a serving platter

I regret to inform you that although the name of this dish is Tofu Drunken Noodles, no alcohol was actually used in the making. Why are they called drunken noodles you ask? One theory is that they are so spicy, people get drunk in the process – trying to quench their thirst. Even though drunken noodles have no alcohol in them, that doesn’t make them any less delicious!

I just love the idea of these noodles – they are so simple to put together and create an outstanding dish that is both flavorful and filling! In my opinion, making your own noodles at home beats take out any day!

overhead shot of tofu drunken noodles in a wok with a wooden spoon inside

The benefits of tofu

Tofu is made from soy bean curds and is an excellent source of protein (especially for vegans and vegetarians) – it also contains all nine essential amino acids!

Tofu is a valuable plant-based source of iron and calcium. A diet that contains a variety of plant-based foods helps contribute to overall health and wellbeing, and lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It can enhance your skin and hair, boost energy, and help maintain a healthy weight!

If the mere thought of eating Tofu turns you off, then by all means use chicken, beef, pork or whatever you fancy for this recipe!

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make tofu drunken noodles

Ingredients in drunken noodles

Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

Sauce

  • Sesame Oil – You can substitute for any nut or seed oil. A light oil like vegetable or peanut oil mixed with toasted sesame seeds will work as well.
  • Soy Sauce – I used low sodium.
  • Fish Sauce – If you don’t like the taste of fish sauce, you can add extra soy sauce or substitute with tamari.
  • Brown Sugar – To sweeten the sauce.
  • Honey – You can substitute with maple syrup or agave.
  • Sriracha – You can substitute with your favourite hot sauce.
  • Dark soy sauce – This is slightly sweeter than regular soy sauce, but it’s usually used to darken the color of sauces. If you can’t find it, you can replace it with regular soy sauce. I usually find this in my local Asian store.
  • Oyster sauce – This sauce is made from oysters and it tastes like a combination of soy sauce and barbecue sauce. You can use hoisin instead.
  • Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
  • Water

Stir Fry

  • Sesame Oil – You can substitute for any nut or seed oil.
  • Olive Oil – You can substitute vegetable oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil or avocado oil.
  • Udon Noodles – I used cooked, Japanese udon.
  • Tofu – Firm, chopped into small 1 inch pieces (you can substitute with chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork)
  • Onion – I used a small onion, thinly sliced.
  • Bell Pepper – I used a red bell pepper, thinly sliced.
  • Additional Veggies – I used baby corn, broccoli florets, mushrooms and snap peas.
  • Green Onion – Chopped.
detailed process shots showing how to make tofu drunken noodles

How to make tofu drunken noodles

  1. Make the Sauce: In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together.
  2. Cook Tofu and Veggies: In a large skillet or wok heat olive oil and sesame oil. Cook the tofu on all sides over medium-high heat, should take 3 to 5 minutes. You might have to do this in a couple batches. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until the onion begins to soften a bit, another 2 to 3 minutes. Next, bell pepper and mushroom and continue sautéing the pepper starts to soften and mushrooms begin to brown a bit, stirring occasionally. Finally, add the broccoli, baby corn and snap peas. Toss everything together and cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Finish and Serve: Add the cooked udon noodles to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Toss and cook for 2 to 3 minutes then remove from heat. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.
overhead shot of tofu drunken noodles in a plate with chopstick laying on the plate

How to serve

Another reason I love these drunken noodles so much is because the ingredients are so interchangeable! You don’t have to use the veggies I listed above – you can use whatever you have at home! Try throwing in some water chestnuts or chopped carrot for a little crunch! One thing you do have to do, eat this hot! The aroma will make you want to eat it before it’s even out of the wok, trust me.

overhead shot of tofu drunken noodles freshly made in a serving platter

Leftovers

Store leftover drunken noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. To reheat, toss in the microwave or back into a skillet/wok until heated through.

You CAN freeze your drunken noodles to have them keep longer but keep in mind they might lose their quality and are best served fresh.

side view shot of tofu drunken noodles in a wok with a wooden spoon inside

More great recipes to try:

  • Mongolian Chicken
  • Easy Fried Rice
  • Hoisin Chicken Udon Noodles
  • Instant Pot Cashew Chicken
  • Chicken Lo Mein
  • Skillet Chicken Satay
  • Chow Mein
  • Shrimp Shiitake Noodles
  • Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
  • Easy Beef and Broccoli

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side view shot of tofu drunken noodles freshly made in a serving platter

Tofu Drunken Noodles

4.64 from 95 votes
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 40 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
Tofu Drunken Noodles! Spicy, succulent Udon noodles made with Tofu and an array of bright veggies. An easy and addictive meal!

Equipment

  • 14-inch Wok

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup water

Stir Fry

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 21 oz udon noodles cooked (3 packages, 7 oz package)
  • 12 oz firm tofu chopped into small 1 inch pieces (substitute with chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork)
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup baby corn
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 cup snap peas
  • 2 green onions chopped
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Make the sauce: In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together.
  • Cook the tofu: To a large skillet or wok add the olive oil and sesame oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until browned on all sides, should take about 3 to 5 minutes. You might need to do this in batches.
  • Cook veggies: Add the onion to the skillet and cook until the onion begins to soften a bit, another 2 to 3 minutes. Next, bell pepper and mushroom and continue sautéing the pepper starts to soften and mushrooms begin to brown a bit, stirring occasionally. Finally, add the broccoli, baby corn and snap peas. Toss everything together and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Finish and Serve: Add the cooked udon noodles to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Toss and cook for 2 to 3 minutes then remove from heat. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Recipe Notes

  1. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. To reheat, toss in the microwave or back into a skillet/wok until heated through.
  2. You CAN freeze your leftover noodles to have them keep longer but keep in mind they might lose their quality and are best served fresh.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 497kcal (25%)Carbohydrates: 69g (23%)Protein: 23g (46%)Fat: 17g (26%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Sodium: 2226mg (97%)Potassium: 478mg (14%)Fiber: 8g (33%)Sugar: 19g (21%)Vitamin A: 1490IU (30%)Vitamin C: 94mg (114%)Calcium: 151mg (15%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Course:Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine:Asian
Keyword:drunken noodles, tofu drunken noodles
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Karyn says

    February 11, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    We have a sesame allergy, any thoughts on what I can use to replace the sesame oil?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      February 11, 2017 at 6:32 pm

      How about peanut oil or just vegetable oil but you will lose a bit of that sesame flavor.

      Reply
  2. Kaitlin says

    January 20, 2017 at 8:11 am

    Is it okay to leave out the fish sauce? It’s not an ingredient that I keep in the house much.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      January 20, 2017 at 8:13 am

      Sure, you can replace it with soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

      Reply
  3. Erica says

    October 14, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    5 stars
    Made these a few times now and it is super easy and tasty. I always make double the sauce and pop heaps more sriracha in. Thank you for this recipe. I don’t have to spend a fortune on Asian takeaway all the time now.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      October 15, 2016 at 10:15 am

      My pleasure, I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  4. Shahed says

    July 20, 2016 at 6:04 pm

    Hi! How can I cook the udon noodles?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      July 20, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      There should be instructions on the udon noodle package on how to cook them. It depends, some come precooked already and in that case you just need to add them to boiling water for about a minute or two until they separate.

      Reply
      • Shahed says

        July 22, 2016 at 2:07 pm

        Thanks

  5. Debbie says

    January 11, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    So yummy! My entire family loved it. Both my daughters, aged 9 & 11 asked me to make it again.

    Reply
  6. Vivian says

    July 7, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is sooo good! I substituted some veggies with what I have in my fridge and it turned out great! I also used shiitake mushroom for added Asian flavor and marinated the tofu with the same sauce for a few hours to allow the flavor to seep through the tofu. No doubt, I’ll do this again! Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  7. Kiwi says

    February 21, 2015 at 12:30 am

    For a vegetarian option substitute vegemite or marmite for the fish sauce. It gives the same savory flavor (Which in japanese dishes is called ‘umami’ if I’m remembering correctly) which gives the finished sauce a bit more thickness whereas more soy will just make a watery kind of sauce instead.

    Another note for anyone mourning the loss of brown gravy for mashed potatoes- vege/marmite simmered in a vegetable stock with shittake mushrooms and thickened with something like gravy flour gives an almost identical sort of flavor/texture and looks identical!

    Reply
  8. Nina says

    November 19, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much, this recipe is awesome. I make it all the time at home!

    Fish sauce isn’t vegetarian, so if you’d like to omit it, then you’d need a salt based subsitute. Fish sauce gives the saltiness to this recipe, so maybe at a little more soy?

    Reply
  9. Linda says

    July 28, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Thank you for the yummy recipe. My toddler loves it and so do I. Will be my go to recipe for baby girl. Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Beth says

    July 27, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Sounds good, except “fish sauce” doesn’t sound vegetarian (and I’m pretty sure it’s not). Got any ideas for a good vegetarian substitute for fish sauce?

    Reply
  11. mamieo says

    June 16, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    This recipe for drunken noodles has my mouth watering! Can’t wait to gather all the ingredients to try it myself! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  12. Kulsum says

    June 16, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    I made these on Saturday and my family LOVED them!! They have asked me to make them again tonight!!! Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking says

    June 15, 2014 at 9:13 pm

    Dinner tonight!!! Heck yes! I don’t have as many veggies as I’d like to put in like you but I want them now, so sacrifices must be made! YUUMMMM. And I pinned it so everyone else can try it too 🙂

    Reply
    • jo says

      June 16, 2014 at 2:46 am

      Thanks Lindsey! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jessica says

    June 15, 2014 at 5:36 am

    These look delicious! Reminds me of what I get at my favorite Thai restaurant – pad kee mao

    Reply
  15. Giselle says

    June 14, 2014 at 5:04 am

    It looks delicious and quick! I cannot wait to try this on a weeknight. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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