Spicy Korean Gochujang Beef Noodles
These spicy Korean Gochujang noodles are so easy to make, saucy, spicy yet sweet and perfect for a simple 30 minute dinner! Served with ground meat of choice such as beef, turkey or chicken for a simple and protein packed recipe.
Is this a noodle blog yet?! It’s starting to feel like it. My sesame noodles and spicy chili noodles have been so popular, and I’m so excited to share these Korean Gochujang noodles. They’re so easy to make and delicious on their own or with your favorite veggies and protein added.
Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste that is savory, sweet and spicy. It can be added to ramen, a marinade for meat, a dip for veggies or used in a sauce for noodles!
I like to keep the spice level fairly mild because I have such a low tolerance for spice, but you can definitely add more red pepper flakes or sriracha for extra spice.
If you like more of a buttered gochujang noodle flavor, you can toss the noodles with a few tablespoons of butter after cooking, before adding the sauce. If you love this recipe, try my gochujang popcorn cauliflower bites next or my other popular asian noodle recipes or ramen stir fry!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ready in 20 minutes
- Gluten free
- Easy to make
- Family friendly!
How to make korean gochujang beef noodles
Cook noodles. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions, then toss with butter.
Cook meat. Cook your ground beef in a pan until completely cooked through. I used beef, but turkey or chicken are also delicious.
Make sauce. Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and set aside. There may be some chunks of coconut cream, but it will melt once combined with the noodles.
Combine. When the noodles are done, drain and rinse and add back to the pot. Add in about half of the sauce and toss to combine. Add in the cooked meat and the rest of the sauce and toss until well coated.
Taste and serve. Taste and add more sauce as needed. Serve with chopped scallions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. Enjoy and try my gluten free beef bolognese or gochujang chicken next!
Add your favorite veggies
This recipe as written is very simple, essentially just the sauce, meat and noodles. You can add any additional protein or veggies you like!
If you really want to hone in on the gochujang noodle theme, you can use my korean tofu and toss that in or serve it on the side for a vegan option.
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I love adding in some sauteed bell peppers, bok choy, kale, snap peas, broccoli or whatever veggies I have on hand. Same with my miso noodles!
How to store
These korean gochujang noodles will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can serve them hot or cold, so there’s no need to reheat!
If you do choose to reheat, the microwave or stovetop works best. Just be sure to let them cool completely before transferring to a container for best results.
I have not tried freezing these noodles after cooking. I do think it would be ok, but the noodles themselves will likely fall apart a bit when they defrost. Just the nature of rice noodles!
Frequently asked questions
What noodles should I use?
I used brown rice soba noodles, but you can use ramen noodles, white or brown rice noodles, udon noodles, or even just spaghetti. Whatever you have on hand is fine!
I would love to use udon noodles, but I have yet to find any that are gluten free! I also love to throw in some zucchini noodles to sneak in some veggies into the dish. They blend right in if you peel the skin!
What is gochujang?
Gochujang is a fermented chili paste that’s sweet, spicy and savory. It has a bright red color, is sticky and thick, and is used as a condiment or in sauces in Korean cooking.
It’s comparable to miso in its fermented nature and can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian section.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes! The sauce is vegan if you use brown sugar in place of honey. Instead of the ground beef, you can serve with my air fryer tofu or my sesame tofu.
Try these noodles next!
- Peanut Butter Noodles
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Ramen Noodles
- Red Curry Noodles
- Spicy Ramen Noodles
- Kung Pao Chicken Noodles
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Spicy Korean Gochujang Noodles
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
- 12 ounces rice noodles or noodles of choice
- ¼ cup low sodium gluten free soy sauce (tamari)
- ¼ cup gochujang paste check ingredients for gluten!
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less as desired for spice
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse, then toss with 2 tablespoons of butter after cooking and let melt so they don’t all stick together.
- Add the ground meat to a large skillet and saute until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and set aside. There may be some chunks of coconut cream, but it will melt once combined with the noodles.
- Add in about half of the sauce to the noodles and toss to combine.
- Add in the ground meat and the rest of the sauce. Toss until well coated and let the flavors combine over low heat for a few minutes.
- Serve with chopped scallions, sesame seeds, cilantro and/or red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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Fabulous! So simple and still so tasty!!!! I actually ended up making it twice the same week. I did add 400g finely chopped mushrooms – i fried them first until brown, removed and added them at the end.
I will certainly make this again!! Thank you so much!
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Love it! Thank you!
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Love this recipe. The flavours are incredible and I now make this weekly!
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Thank you, Tamara!
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Very warm and comforting. I used coconut milk in substitution with the cream. After trying it both with the noodles (per suggestion), we tried the beef over rice. It was much better with rice than rice noodles. The texture was better and the flavors were better captured by the smaller grains. Overall very happy with it.
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The steps about the noodles are confusing. The first step is to cook them and then coat them with butter. The 4th step is to rinse them when they are done cooking. What’s the point of adding butter if you’re just going to rinse it off?
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Sorry about that! Just updated it, so should clear up the confusion.
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Hi,
I don’t see the update. Should I add the butter after rinsing the noodles?-
It was a typo- you don’t need to add butter unless you want!
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I can see the update now, so you can cancel my comment. Thanks!
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Such a great recipe. It tastes sooo good. Spicy and warm. Perfect winter night meal.
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Can i use heavy cream in place of cocnut cream? If not another sub for coconut cream?
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Yes, heavy cream is fine!
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Just made it, will definitely be on regular rotation! Fantastic, doubled the chili flakes and was perfect heat wise.
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Thank you, Andrew!
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Love your videos!!
teaching me a quicker ways to cook and use loose random spices i’ve been collecting -
I stumbled across this recipe when trying to find something with ground pork. OH MY GOSH, this is going to be a new staple in my recipe lineup. So simple and so delicious!!
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Any substitution recommendations for the coconut cream? (Coconut allergy). Thanks!
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Should be ok if you just leave it out! Otherwise, heavy cream will work if you can do dairy.
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Hi there, I have an issue with hot spicy pepper-ery things, but, am wondering if you have an alternate for the gochujang paste? Thank you!
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I would probably suggest using a different sauce, maybe from my sesame noodles, since gochujang is a key component of this recipe.
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Just made this for dinner for my family. This was my first time trying a Korean dish. It tasted amazing. Will be trying more of your recipes. Thank you Claire! 🙂
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Thank you, Golda! Can’t wait to see what else you make.
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This was delicious! Pro tip: save some of your pasta water to add. It helps the sauce to coat the noodles.
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DELICIOUS! I added some veggies (carrots, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. So so good, and will make it again. Thank you very much for sharing the recipe and how-to steps!
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Thank you, Paula!
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What kind of noodle did you use in this picture?
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These are brown rice ramen noodles!
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