This Yaki Udon recipe will be your go-to on your busiest days! Slippery, chewy noodles cooked in a savory sauce with crisp veggies and your choice of protein—it’s quick, comforting, and guaranteed to be delicious and filling.
Since yaki udon is one of my son’s favorite noodle dishes, I included it in our Easy College Meal Series. You have my word: Anyone can make this popular Japanese street food in their dorm or small apartment.
Easy peasy is the way to go, so you can cook this up anytime you want hot, savory noodles. Simply toss in whatever odds and ends are lying around in your fridge or pantry, and it will still taste amazing! Let me show you how.
Quick Notes on Yaki Udon
Classic yaki udon consists of udon noodles stir-fried with cabbage, onions, carrots, and thin pork slices, all seasoned with a slightly sweet and savory soy-based sauce.
The Japanese consider yaki udon a quick comfort food, so it’s often served at Japanese festivals or in izakayas (gastropubs).
What makes yaki udon interesting is the thick, chewy, and slippery texture of udon noodles, which sets it apart from the more familiar egg or rice noodles. If this is your first foray into Japanese food, but you’ve enjoyed other Asian-style noodles, I believe you’ll love yaki udon just as much.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No extra pot is needed to boil the noodles! Thanks to the electric cooker, we’ll add the udon straight into the pot to cook with other ingredients. Bonus: easy cleanup!
- Easily Adaptable—read below for tips.
- It’s exciting to create a classic Japanese street food dish in such a short time. Noodles craving satisfied!
Ingredients for This Yaki Udon Recipe
- Protein: Pork is the typical choice of meat, but feel free to use chicken, bacon, beef, or seafood. For vegetariansyou 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.
- Udon Noodles: I recommend using a package of pre-cooked frozen udon noodles. The noodles defrost while you fully cook the vegetables and chicken.
- Sauce: Mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base) and soy sauce
- Toppings (Optional): We typically top yaki udon with katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes) for an extra umami boost, but you can leave them out. They make a great pantry item on hand, as they are not only a flavor booster but also an excellent source of protein to add to rice bowls and other noodle dishes.
Substitution Tips
This recipe won’t make it to the Easy College Meal Series if it’s not flexible. So, go ahead and make it your own with a few swaps when needed.
- No frozen udon noodles? Simply add in pre-cooked noodles after the veggies are almost tender.
- No complaints? Use soy sauce and mirin instead.
- Vegan and vegetarian? Skip the chicken and use mushrooms or firm tofu instead.
How to Make Yaki Udon
- Cut the ingredients.
- Fry the protein and onion. Add a touch of oil to a pan, and brown the chicken, flipping as needed. Add the onion slices to get started.
- Add the rest of the veggies and frozen udon noodles. Without stirring, pour the measured water and cover to steam for 8 minutes, flipping the noodles halfway through.
- Season the noodles. Toss everything with the seasonings until the noodles are glossy and well coated with sauce.
- Enjoy! Top off with some bonito flakes and green scallions, and slurp away!
Recipe Tips and Techniques
- Cut the chicken into smaller pieces to ensure it cooks faster and thoroughly. Big chunks of chicken may not be ideal here because we want to cook fast. I use the Japanese sogigiri cutting technique. More about it in the recipe card.
- Remember to lower the heat when cooking with the lid. This electric pot is strong, and we do not want the steam to escape too fast and burn the ingredients.
- Let the seasoning sizzle in the pot for a nice charred taste. It gives an additional flavor.
How to Store
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing it as it will change the texture of the noodles drastically.
FAQs
Udon noodles are made from wheat flour, so they are not gluten-free and unsuitable for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Please use rice noodles instead!
For an authentic flavor, I do not recommend using oyster sauce for yaki udon, as its intensity can overpower the dish. The sauce I’m sharing here is flavorful on its own while preserving the delicate taste of Japanese food that we appreciate.
Easy College Meal Series
We use this versatile Dezin Electric Cooker to cook various dishes, including my son’s favorites like 10-Minute Elevated Instant Ramen. You can use your saucepan or frying pan to cook these dishes instead of the Dezin as well.
I hope you enjoy this 10-Minute Yaki Udon Recipe. Don’t miss the video, which my son actually cooked following my recipe on Instagram!
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To Prepare the Ingredients
To Cook the Yaki Udon
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Heat the pot on high heat. Once it’s hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil and distribute it to coat the cooking surface.
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When the oil is hot, add the chicken.
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Cook until it’s no longer pink, 3–4 minutes.
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Next, add the onion and stir-fry with the chicken.
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When the onion is tender, add the carrot, cabbage, and white part of the green onion to the pot. Do not mix yet.
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Place 1 serving udon noodles (no need to defrost) in the pot, the add 2 Tbsp water. Reduce to low heat.
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Cover the pot with the lid and steam over low heat until the frozen udon thaws and loosens, about 8 minutes.
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Flip the block of frozen udon at the halfway mark. Do not mix yet with the veggies and chicken.
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Cover with the lid and continue to steam.
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Open the lid and toss all the ingredients together. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
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Add 1½ Tbsp mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) and 1 tsp soy sauce. Toss everything together to distribute the seasonings well.
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