Easy to Make Vegan Gochujang Pasta
This gochujang pasta is the perfect blend of sweet-and-spicy with a thick sauce that coats noodles and an endless variety of vegetables. It is so easy to mix together and with the ingredients used, makes a bowl of noodles that tastes incredibly layered.
It’s no exaggeration to say that I make this meal about once a week. Sometimes twice a week. It’s so flavorful, quick, and I can make it with any combination of veggies that I have on hand.
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe box below.
Gochujang Paste
Gochujang is a Korean staple ingredient and honestly one of my favorite ingredients. It’s a fermented chili paste that is spicy, tangy, deeply savory, and kinda funky thanks to the fermentation. I freaking LOVE this stuff and have even made vegan gochujang cookies with it and have added it to vegan baked mac and cheese.
Substitute: There really isn’t a substitute that has the same flavors as gochujang paste. If you are gluten free, please see the substitutions below for brand suggestions on wheat free gochujang pastes.
Noodles
Fresh or dried noodles both work fantastic in this recipe and it really is up to you on your own food adventure for what type you like best.
- Fresh udon noodles are thick and chewy and make for a super hearty bite.
- Dried spaghetti or linguine or fettuccini all work great.
- Use gluten free brown rice spaghetti for a gluten free option.
- Don’t use a thin noodle like rice vermicelli or angel hair pasta as it won’t hold up well in this sauce.
Vegetables
What makes this one of my favorite recipes for the week is how many options you have when it comes to the veggies. Use any quick-cooking vegetables you happen to have on hand for this.
- Napa Cabbage: 5-6 cups of thinly sliced cabbage
- Bell Peppers: 1-2 medium, thinly sliced (red, yellow, or orange)
- Peas: Snap peas, snow peas, or petite green peas
- Baby Bok Choy: 2-3 heads with the leafy greens cut into 1” pieces and the whites cut into smaller bite sized pieces
- Broccoli: 1 cup, chopped
- Bok Choy: 4-5 cups, sliced same as with baby bok choy
Substitutions
Need to make this gluten free? No worries! Start with your favorite brand of gluten free pasta. For this recipe, I would recommend a spaghetti like brown rice pasta, like the brand Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti. Swap out the soy sauce with your favorite Tamari or Coconut Amino Acids. For a gochujang sauce that is gluten free, make sure to seek out the brands Sempio, Chung Jung One, or O’Food.
Variations
Add your favorite protein with this to make it a totally complete meal. Some of my favorites include:
- Terriyaki Oven Baked Tofu
- Pan Fried Apricot Tofu
- Stir fried tempeh
- Store-bought pre-baked tofu
Wait. What if I don’t like spicy food?
Try making this with only 1 tablespoon of gochujang and see if it’s an okay heat level for you!
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Start with cooking the noodles and prepping the veggies. This recipe goes by pretty quick as you can multi-task your way to dinner.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Different noodles have different cooking times, from 3 minutes to 14 minutes.
While the noodles are cooking, wash, chop, and steam the veggies in a skillet.
As the noodles and vegetables are cooking, whisk the sauce together in a small bowl. When the noodles are done, drain them but don’t rinse. You don’t need to reserve any cooking water.
Finally, combine everything in the pan, let it cook for an additional minute to warm through, and enjoy!!
How to Store
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat either in the microwave, covered, warming in 30 second intervals until heated through, or, warm in a pan on the stove top over medium heat with a few tablespoons of water until warmed.
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls and spoons
- 2 stove top pots, one large for pasta and one for steaming veggies
- Whisk
Ingredients
Gochujang Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Gochujang Paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari or coconut aminos
- 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup depending on how sweet you want it
Pasta & Veggies
- 10 oz Dried Noodles OR 16 oz Fresh Noodles
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Depending on what type of noodles you used will determine how long they need to cook. In general, wheat spaghetti will take about 11 minutes to cook.
- Prep and cook the veggies. While the water is coming to a boil for the pasta, begin to wash and chop all the veggies that you are using. Add the veggies to a pot with a few tablespoons of water to help them steam. Add them in order from longest cooking to quickest cooking. For the vegetables used here, that was first the broccoli, then after 2 minutes the peppers and peas together. Finally, I added the garlic and ginger. They cooked for about 6 minutes in total. However, they may cook more quickly or more slowly depending on what vegetables you use.
- Mix the sauce. While everything else is cooking, quickly whisk the sauce together in a bowl. No need to cook this!
- Combine and serve. When the noodles are cooked, carefully remove the noodles from the boiling water to the pot with the veggies. Pour the sauce over and mix well. Season each bowl with sliced green onions and a hearty sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy!!
Notes
Nutrition
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