When I shared my Sweet & Spicy Hot Chili Chicken Noodles a few years back, I had no idea how much you all would fall in love with them.
After that, I was on a noodle and pasta kick, so I decided to bring you a veggie-packed, vegan noodle stir fry for your next meatless dinner. Damn, THEY ARE GOOD. They quickly became an AK reader fav, so you know I had to reshare them.
These noodles are packed with a rainbow of veggies, an incredible sesame stir fry sauce, toasted sesame seeds, and a boost of plant-based protein from chickpeas. What more could you need? Get ready for an amazing new dinner to try that takes just 30 minutes.
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What you’ll need to make these vegan stir fry noodles
The flavors in these vegan noodles are out of this world delicious, thanks to a sweet & savory sauce and some fresh herbs. A rainbow of veggies and plant-based protein makes it the perfect, well-rounded meal! Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:
- For the sauce: you’ll need low-sodium soy sauce, water, garlic, coconut sugar or brown sugar, sesame oil (I recommend toasted sesame oil), rice vinegar, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and a little arrowroot starch to thicken it.
- For the veggies & chickpeas: we’re tossing these stir fry noodles with onion, carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, and a can of chickpeas.
- Noodles: I like to use stir fry rice noodles, but ramen or soba noodles would be delicious.
- To serve: garnish your bowl with fresh basil leaves, scallions, roasted cashews, and some extra sesame seeds. YUM.
Simple ingredient swaps
Out of a few ingredients in these vegan stir fry noodles? No worries! Here are some substitutions I can recommend:
- No sesame oil? Feel free to use coconut oil or regular olive oil. Though I will say sesame oil, and especially toasted sesame oil, adds a wonderful flavor to the entire dish.
- Swap the sesame seeds: you can also use tahini in place of the sesame seeds in the sauce.
- Choose your sweetener: I like to use coconut or brown sugar in the sauce, but a little pure maple syrup will also work well.
- Pick the starch: adding arrowroot starch helps to thicken the sauce, but you can also use regular cornstarch.
- Get veggie crazy: the best part about this recipe is that you can throw in any veggies you have on hand! These vegan noodles would also be delicious with mushrooms, snap peas, green beans, or cabbage.
Which noodles are best for stir-fry?
I love using rice noodles in this recipe because they cook quickly and make the recipe that much easier.
- Soba noodles will add a stronger texture and a slightly nutty, earthy flavor
- Udon noodles are thicker and extra chewy (I recommend buying the refrigerated kind)
- Ramen noodles will have a lighter, bouncier texture
- Spaghetti or fettuccine noodles will also work if that’s what you have on hand!
One bowl of sesame noodles, endless protein options
These stir fry noodles make the perfect base for tons of different proteins — plant-based or not! Have fun experimenting with some of these options:
- Tofu: bake, grill, or stir-fry tofu cubes right with the veggies! You could add cubes or ground/crumbled tofu for a delicious, plant-based protein.
- Chicken: cubed, cooked chicken or even ground chicken would be delicious in this recipe if you’re not vegetarian/vegan. Toss in some cooked, leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken!
- Shrimp: do you follow a pescatarian diet (or just like seafood?) Try adding some grilled, baked, or pan-fried shrimp!
- Egg: get fancy and throw a fried egg on top of your stir fry noodles — YUM.
Cozy stir fry noodles in 30 minutes
These vegan noodles come together in just 3o minutes for the perfect weeknight dinner.
- Make your sauce. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl until well-combined and set it aside.
- Cook the veggies. You’ll then cook down all of those beautiful veggies in a little sesame oil in a pot until they’re tender but still have a nice bite to them.
- Cook the noodles. While the veggies are cooking, cook the stir fry noodles according to the directions on the package.
- Add the chickpeas & sauce. Next, stir your drained can of chickpeas into the pot with the cooked veggies. Turn the heat to low and add your stir fry sauce.
- Finish with noodles & enjoy. Once your sauce has thickened a bit, stir in the cooked noodles, basil, and cashews, and enjoy!
You’ll love this time-saving tip
Looking to make these vegan stir fry noodles even quicker? Feel free to chop all of your veggies and make the stir fry sauce ahead of time and store them (separately) in airtight containers in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook!
Storing & reheating
Feel free to store any leftover stir fry sesame noodles in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat the noodles in a microwave-safe dish and enjoy!
More vegan dinners you’ll love
- One Pot Butternut Squash Yellow Curry
- Mama’s Chickpeas in Sofrito with Arroz con Gandules
- Crispy Broccoli Sweet and Spicy Sesame Tahini Noodles
- Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan-Spiced Stew
- Sheet Pan Roasted Veggie Tacos (with yummy sauce options!)
Get all of my vegan dinner recipes here!
I hope you love these 30 minute vegan stir fry sesame noodles! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
30-Minute Vegan Stir Fry Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar (or sub 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (preferably toasted sesame oil)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (or sub 1 tablespoon tahini)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ tablespoon arrowroot starch (or sub cornstarch)
- For the veggies & chickpeas:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (preferably toasted sesame oil)
- ½ white onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- For the noodles:
- 10 ounces stir fry rice noodles (or feel free to sub ramen noodles or soba noodles)
- For serving:
- ½ cup basil leaves, ribboned/julienned
- ½ cup roasted cashews, chopped
- Scallions (green part of the onion only)
- Extra sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, make your stir fry sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, garlic, coconut sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch). Set aside.
- Cook the veggies: Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to a large pot, then add in chopped onion and sliced carrots and cook for 2-4 minutes until onions begin to soften. Next, add in broccoli and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is slightly tender but still has a bite.
- Cook the noodles: While the veggies are cooking, make your stir fry rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Then drain and set aside.
- Combine the veggies and noodles: Add the drained chickpeas to the pot with the cooked veggies. Immediately turn the heat to low and add in the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes over low heat until the sauce begins to thicken a bit. It should be nice and saucy. Stir in rice noodles, fresh basil ribbons and cashews; toss again to combine. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on April 26th, 2021, republished on April 27th, 2023, and republished on February 2nd, 2026.
Easy. Flavorful. Beautiful. I used GF fettuccine. I love the addition of ch I k peas as a protein since I’m soy free. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This is the best stir fry recipe I have ever made and had. The sauce is well-balanced, something I have struggled when following other stir fry recipes. I didn’t have chickpeas, but that is okay because I am not crazy about their texture, so I subbed in northern white beans and it worked perfectly! Thanks for making going vegan not scary and starting off on a great foot with this recipe.
Wow! This is really, really tasty. I’m enjoying making recipes from Ambitious Kitchen lately, and this will go in our permanent rotation.
I used Hokkien stir fry noodles. I swapped in cauliflower (hunny doesn’t like broccoli). No red peppers because I cannot have them.
So happy to hear that! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
No notes, it was perfect and so simple! Made with chicken and loved the chickpeas as added fiber and protein. I immediately sent it to my friends. Great weeknight meal.
So happy to hear that!
No notes, it was perfect! Made with chicken and loved the chickpeas as added fiber and protein.
Love it!!
This is one of my family’s GO TO recipes during the week. Vegan or not this is beyond satisfying and so easy!
So happy to hear that!
Delicious sauce. I topped with it coriander and roasted cashews. Really flavour-full.
Love that!!
Absolutely delicious. I try new recipes all the time and I’m often disappointed. Not this time! We all loved it!!! I used edamame in place of the chickpeas since I’m not a fan of chickpeas. Thank you for giving me a new recipe to add to my cookbook!
Amazing noodles, full of flavor! Followed recipe with one exception. Used pan fried tofu instead of chickpeas. So far my favorite noodles! Thank you ❤️
Perfect! Glad you loved this one!
Could I use another type of oil? I don’t care for sesame oil. Thanks!
Yes feel free to use coconut oil or olive oil!
I love this recipe. I made it for the second time just now, feeling pretty proud of myself 😀 I added cooked chicken and shrimp.
Love it! You should be proud!
I absolutely love a good stir fry and this recipe is great! For those who don’t want a peanut butter based sauce as many recipes have. My husband can’t tolerate PB so this is a welcome edition to our dinner rotation.
Absolutely – this sauce is a great alternative!
This came out so good!! Did not have enough rice noodles on hand, so used lentil spaghetti. The combination of the two was delicious!!
Perfect!!
Hi! I don’t see tahini in the recipe anywhere other than if you sub for sesame seeds? Is that incorrect ?
That’s correct! There is no tahini in the sauce for this recipe.
Delicious! I used the veggies I had in my fridge (leek, cauliflower, celery, carrot, bell pepper), but it was still so good.
Yay! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Nina 🙂
This was sooooo good. I wanted a second helping, but my daughter’s claimed it for lunch. Next time, I want to add in the chickpeas a little sooner, and give them some char love. So delicious!!
YAY! Glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you ❤️
this was so yummy! such a great base recipe to make your own with what you have on hand! i did not use chickpeas (although i’m sure they’d be delicious), we had a lot of veg to use up so i doubled the sauce and did onions, bell pepper, kale, and string beans. also added some sauteed shrimp and used thin spaghetti. side note: i accidentally 3x the brown sugar but it was not noticeable so if you mess up just keep going (:
Ah yay! I am so glad you’re enjoying this recipe and it turned out great for you (even with the additional brown sugar lol 😂)
Made this last night and it was fantastic! That dressing/sauce is so flavourful. A keeper for sure. Did not change anything. Definitely going to be on a regular rotation and just change up the protein occasionally. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Such a staple meal, Karen! Glad you’re loving it and it turned out great for you ❤️
Full of flavor and simple once the veggies are prepped. Added zucchini too.
YUM! Sounds so amazing, glad you’re loving this recipe, Allison 🙂
Wow! This was delicious! I am making it again this week. The only thing I am changing is making extra sauce!
Yay! I am so glad you loved this recipe. You can NEVER go wrong with extra sauce!! ❤️
Love this dish – so tasty. I wonder if anyone has any tips on how to incorporate the rice noodles into the dish and prevent them from being a lump in the middle of the pan. I have had this problem with rice noodles in other recipes in the past, so would really like some advice. I used Kame thin rice noodles and cooked them as directed on the package.
Delicious! And easy to make! I made the exact recipe however I did t have cilantro as it was not on the ingredient list so I didn’t buy any. This was just delicious. It will become a regular in our rotation. The beauty is you can add other veggies if you wish.
When I make it again I will increase the broccoli by 50% and will double the sauce and increase the pepper flakes by 50% also as we like really spicy saucy Asian dishes. If you don’t like too much spice the. The recipe is perfect. It has a slight amount of spice that is quite pleasant.
I think fresh lime squeezed on it would add another layer of flavor. My son who is visiting from Guatemala noted that cilantro and lime would go great with it. I agree.
YUM! Glad you are loving this recipe ❤️🙂
For more protein I think I will add chicken, and for less carbs I will omit the noodles and serve over brown rice? Thought’s?
That should work!
This was excellent! And added to my favourites. Thanks!
Yum! So glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
This meal will now be a staple in our home. We had all the ingredients on hand, easy to make and delicious!!
Ahhh this is amazing. SO glad you and the family enjoyed this recipe. Easy and delicious ☺️
This was sooo good! My son doesn’t like alot of food ever since he had covid, it changed how things taste to him. He ate a huge bowl! That made my momma heart happy, I only had a small amount of broccoli so I used some cauliflower with it. When I toasted the cashews I put a little maple syrup on them, it was really good!
Oh man, so sorry to hear that! But I’m glad that he really loved this one and that you did, too!
Delicious!! Last minute dinner party, and these noodles were a hit for even the pickiest eaters!! Thank you!
Super simple and tasty, just what I needed on a week night. The only changes I made were to sub a little of the soy sauce for fish sauce and to use fresh ramen noodles.
Yay! Happy you loved it, Beth. And those are great swaps — I bet the fresh ramen noodles were fabulous!
Monique! I just made this for the first time tonight, and it is awesome. I love that I used 4 different colors of veggies. The sauce was so good too!
Oh I’m so glad you loved it!! Thanks for the review, Angela 🥰
Hi Monique
I’m curious about the nutrition info listed for the
30 Minute Vegan Stir Fry Sesame Noodles with Chickpeas & Basil.
It states 100 plus carbohydrates per serving, or is it for the total 4 servings? I would love to make this, but, having to be cautious about carbs (diabetes) I’d be unable to eat it! I know pasta and nuts are high in carbs, but, if it is 100 plus carbs per serving, what makes it so high? Thanks!
Hi, Kathy! We just recalculated and it’s right around there; the noodles + chickpeas + veggies are what lend all the carbs. Feel free to use a lower carb noodle like Banza chickpea-based pasta or even hearts of palm noodles if you’d like 🙂
This is so delicious and pretty quick to make. My kids even liked it! Will definitely be making it again.
Loved this! Added cabbage to the veggies and a little tahini to the sauce. We had Rice ramen style noodles and they were perfect. Also added shrimp for some extra protein and it was amazing. Thank you!
Loved!! Easy meal for a busy week night. Will definitely make again!
Made this for supper using pork chops cut very thin. Loved it! The sauce was perfect…not too salty. (Sometimes I worry about that with Asian dishes) Even my 10 year old loved it!
AMAZING! I made this for the first time two weeks ago and it’s one of my new favorite meals. I’ve already made it three times and the flavors are so good!
Oh YAY!! So glad this one’s on repeat in your kitchen 🙂 One of my fav dinners, too!
One of the best things I’ve cooked in a long time. My entire family loved it, I’d recommend doubling the sauce recipe because there wasn’t really enough to coat everything, but the flavor was still absolutely amazing.
Nice!! So happy everyone loved it 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a review, Isabell!
Yummmm! My boyfriend was a fan, too. Easy and a great week night recipe.
Another great recipe by Monique! Loved it. I made it exactly as the recipe stated and it worked beautifully. I am not vegan but love yo change up the meals for my toddler and I. Will be making again.