Sesame Ginger Noodles
These Sesame Ginger Noodles come together in about 30 minutes with pantry staples, making this recipe the perfect choice when you want a delicious dinner without a lot of work. It’s an easy, effortless meal that’s bold, bright, and packed with flavor in every bite.
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If you’re anything like us, there are a lot of nights when you want something absolutely delicious without spending forever in the kitchen. Enter these Ginger Sesame Noodles. Chewy udon noodles, crispy tofu, fresh vegetables, and a savory sesame ginger sauce come together in a meal that’s packed with flavor and ready in about 30 minutes.
The best part? Most of the work happens while the tofu cooks. Then just toss everything together, add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions, and dinner is ready. You can serve these tofu sesame noodles immediately, or let them sit for a few minutes so everything absorbs even more of that sesame-ginger flavor. And whether you serve them warm or cold, they’re equally delicious.
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Why You’ll Love Vegan Sesame Noodles
- These tofu sesame noodles are packed with flavor from fresh ginger, garlic, lime, and toasted sesame oil.
- Everything comes together in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- This vegan noodle bowl tastes great both hot or cold, making leftovers especially convenient.
- It’s easy to customize with different vegetables, noodles, or spice levels.
Vegan Noodle Bowl Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu – drained and pressed
- Baby bok choy – roughly chopped
- Large carrot – julienned
- Udon noodles – see the substitutions section for other options
For the sauce, you’ll need:
- Fresh garlic – grated or finely minced
- Fresh ginger – grated or finely minced
- Fresh lime – for both the juice and the zest
- Toasted sesame oil – make sure you get toasted sesame oil and not regular sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil has a darker color and a lot more flavor!
- Water
- Soy sauce – you can also use tamari or liquid aminos
- Rice wine vinegar
- Vegan chicken bouillon powder – We recommend using our homemade vegan bouillon for the best results. It takes just 5 minutes to make.
- Spice Cabinet: red pepper flakes, white pepper
Substitutions & Alterations
- Swap the udon noodles for ramen noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles, or even spaghetti or linguine.
- Substitute napa cabbage or regular green cabbage for the bok choy.
- Add bell peppers, snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli, or edamame.
- Increase the red pepper flakes or add sriracha sauce for extra heat.
- Use baked tofu instead of air-fried tofu. (It might just need a little extra time)
- Garnish with chopped peanuts or cashews for added crunch.
How to Make Easy Ginger Sesame Noodles
1 – Air fry the tofu
- Drain and press your tofu, then dice it into small ½-inch cubes and add to your air fryer.
- Air fry the tofu for 10-20 minutes at 400F. I like to stop and shake the basket halfway through. Use a rubber spatula to gently pull any pieces that might be stuck to the bottom away before returning to continue cooking.
2 – Cook the veggies
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and add the chopped veggies.
- Let cook 2-3 minutes, then stir and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- We’re not really looking to sear them. You just want to cook them just enough, so they blend well with the sauce!
- Set aside to let them cool while you make the sauce
3 – Make the sauce
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium mason jar or measuring cup.
- Cover and shake the jar or whisk in a measuring cup to combine.
- Set it aside or in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
4 – Cook the noodles
- Cook your noodles according to the package directions
- When done, drain and run the cooked under cold water so they don’t stick together
5 – Bring everything together.
- Combine all the noodle bowl ingredients in a large bowl and toss until evenly coated.
- Serve in bowls garnished with sesame seeds, green onion, and an extra squeeze of lime!
Equipment Spotlight
For this recipe, we used several Microplane tools that made prepping the fresh vegetables and aromatics feel incredibly quick and streamlined.
The Julienne Peeler was especially helpful for creating thin carrot strips with zero fancy knife skills required!! These strips are the perfect size for noodle bowls like this and also salads, slaws, and stir fries. We also used the Swivel Vegetable Peeler for the carrots, and the weight and balance of this peeler genuinely makes it feel smoother and easier to use compared to lightweight peelers that can feel awkward or flimsy during prep.
The real flavor powerhouse in this recipe, though, was the Microplane Fine Grater Jar Attachment. We used it to grate fresh ginger, garlic, and lime zest directly into the mason jar for the sauce, which helped extract maximum flavor while keeping the process neat and low-mess.
We especially love using this setup for sauces and marinades because everything goes directly into the jar without needing extra prep bowls or trying to awkwardly balance a regular grater on top of a container. (IYKYK) It’s one of those small kitchen upgrades that makes everyday cooking feel dramatically easier!
Tips & Tricks for the Best Sesame Oil Noodles
- Pressing the tofu before cooking releases extra liquid and helps it become crisp in the air fryer.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables. A little crunch gives the finished dish much better texture.
- Rinsing the cooked noodles under cold water helps prevent them from becoming gummy and sticking together.
- Toss the noodles with the sauce before adding the vegetables if they seem stuck together.
- If your noodles absorb too much sauce, add a splash of water or lime juice before serving.
How to Serve Ginger Noodles
These noodles make an excellent main dish or can be served alongside spring rolls, dumplings, or vegetable stir-fries.
Additional toppings/add-ins:
- Lime wedges
- Chili crisp
- Crushed peanuts or cashews
- Green onions
How to Store Leftover Sesame Noodles
The flavors continue to develop as the noodles sit, making leftover noodles especially delicious.
Store leftover noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Reheat
Honestly, I love these noodles cold the next day, but if you do want to warm them up you can microwave them for 2 minutes on high.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The noodles keep well for several days and can be served either warm or chilled.
Udon noodles provide the chewiest texture. If you can find egg-free lo mein noodles, those would probably be my second choice, but ramen, soba, rice noodles, spaghetti, or linguine all work well.
Yes. Use tamari instead of soy sauce and choose your favorite gluten-free noodles.
No. The tofu can be baked in the oven at 400°F for 30-35 minutes until crispy or pan-fry the tofu in a skillet.
The recipe is only mildly spicy. Increase the red pepper flakes, add chili crisp, or chili oil if you’d like more heat.
Absolutely. They’re excellent as a cold noodle salad, making them great for meal prep and lunches.
More Tofu Dinners
When you make these sesame noodles, we’d love for you to leave a 5-star rating and review! This makes a huge difference in more people seeing and trusting our vegan recipes, and we love to hear about your experience,
Enjoy those noodles!
Ginger Noodles with Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 large baby bok choy roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot julienne
- 4 oz noodles We used Udon noodles
For the sauce:
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1- inch piece ginger
- ½ lime zested
- 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp vegan chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp white pepper
For serving:
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Step 1: Get the tofu air frying
- Dice your drained and pressed tofu into small ½-inch cubes and add to your air fryer.
- Air fry the tofu for 10-20 minutes at 400F, stopping to shake the basket halfway through.
- When you stop to shake the basket, use a rubber spatula to gently pull any pieces that might be stuck to the bottom away before returning to continue cooking.
Step 2: Cook the veggies
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat
- When hot, add the chopped veggies to cook 2-3 minutes.
- Then, stir and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. We want to cook them just enough, so they blend well with the sauce!
- Set aside to let them cool while you make the sauce
Step 3: Make the sauce
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium mason jar or measuring cup.
- Cover and shake the jar or whisk in a measuring cup to combine.
- Set it aside or in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
Step 4: Cook the noodles
- Cook your noodles according to the package directions
- When done, drain and run under cold water immediately
Step 5: Bring everything together.
- Combine the cooked and drained noodles in a large bowl with the sauce, tofu, and veggies.
- Toss until evenly coated.
- Serve in bowls garnished with sesame seeds, green onion, and an extra squeeze of lime!
Notes
- Don’t overcook the vegetables. A little crunch gives the finished dish much better texture.
- Rinsing the cooked noodles under cold water helps prevent them from becoming gummy and sticking together.
- Toss the noodles with the sauce before adding the vegetables if they seem stuck together.
- If your noodles absorb too much sauce, add a splash of water or lime juice before serving.
- Feel free to swap the udon noodles for ramen noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles, or even spaghetti or linguine.
- You can sub napa cabbage or regular green cabbage for the bok choy if needed
- Feel free to add bell peppers, snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli, or edamame.
- If you want it extra spicy, ncrease the red pepper flakes or add sriracha sauce
