Original Post: March 2023
Vegan Yakisoba-Inspired Noodles
Yakisoba Noodles are one of my go-to noodle dishes when dining in Japanese restaurants. One night I was craving some Yakisoba Noodles and took inspiration from a few different Yakisoba noodle recipes as well as what I had in my kitchen.
When researching new recipes, I love to find food bloggers and cookbooks from authors who grew up with those cuisines’ cultural influences. For this recipe, I was searching the internet for some Japanese chefs! So, shout out to Namiko (Nami) and Lisa, two amazing food bloggers from whom I drew inspiration for this Yakisoba Noodle recipe.
Inspiration For This Yakisoba Recipe
Look for a more authentic Yakisoba experience (which includes ingredients like oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and often meat), then check out this Yakisoba recipe by Namiko Hirasawa Chen. Nami’s food blog Just One Cookbook focuses on authentic and modern Japanese recipes.
Another fantastic food blogger is Lisa the voice behind Okonomi Kitchen. Her Yakisoba is 100% plant-based. Lisa uses her background which includes a lot of Japanese influences in her recipes and cooking. Fun fact, in Japanese Okonomi (お好み), translates to “how you like” or “what you like”.
Like Lisa and Nami, I hope this Yakisoba Noodle recipe inspires you to get into the kitchen to cook, play, and even go on a culinary adventure in the comfort of your own home.
The Ingredients: Vegan Yakisoba-Inspired Sauce
Homemade Yakisoba Sauce is thick and sweet. It typically requires oyster and/or Worcestershire sauces however, this sauce can be vegan with some adjustments. Below are the ingredients in this vegan yakisoba noodles sauce.
Soy Sauce and Apple Cider Vinegar: To make vegan Worcestershire sauce you include lots of apple cider vinegar and soy sauce.
Onion, Garlic, Ginger Powder, Cinnamon: I use these spices because they add flavor. I often use them when making a plant-based Worcestershire sauce.
Mushroom Sauce: Instead of Oyster Sauce, I use mushroom sauce. It has an earthy flavor, I love to pair it with lots of mushrooms in my Yakisoba noodles. You could also use a vegan oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce.
Date Syrup: Yakisoba sauce is savory yet sweet! I use date syrup in most of my savory-sweet sauce recipes but sugar, honey, or maple syrup will work too. Adjust the amount of date syrup based on your taste preference.
Ketchup: One of the ingredients used in traditional Yakisoba sauce. I prefer no-added sugar ketchup.
The Ingredients: Vegan Yakisoba-Inspired Noodles
Noodles: You can purchase soba noodles at some grocery stores and international markets. However, to bump up the protein in this vegan stir-fried noodle dish, I use Barilla Protein+ Spaghetti.
You could also replace the soba noodles with udon noodles, which the dish would then be called yaki udon noodles.
Other noodle options are buckwheat noodles or ramen noodles.
Veggies: Typical vegetables in a Yakisoba recipe might include cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, and carrots. In this recipe, I use what I had in my kitchen due to seasonal availability. Luckily for me, mushrooms are available year-round because I purchase from Columbia Mushroom Company, a small business growing mushrooms in the Columbia Gorge.
Mushrooms: Yakisoba typically includes meat such as chicken, pork, or fried ham. Rather than meat, I like to use mushrooms, because the mushrooms pair oh so well with the mushroom sauce, an ingredient in the Yakisoba sauce. Some mushrooms that would work well include shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and portabella mushrooms.
Greens: I used “braising greens” from the farmer’s market. Choose whatever seasonal greens are available such as spinach, cabbage, or kale.
Scallions (green onions): You could use yellow onions, white onions, scallions, or even shallots in this recipe.
Optional: Garnish with some toasted sesame seeds, sliced bell pepper.
How to Make this Vegan Yakisoba-Inspired Noodle
Sauce
Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix. Set aside for later.
Noodles
Heat your wok/skillet to medium-high heat.
Add avocado oil and mushrooms. Sautee for about 5 minutes.
Add spinach and scallions, and continue to stir fry for about 5 minutes or until spinach or greens are cooked down.
Add cooked noodles to the skillet. Pour sauce directly over the noodles. Continue to stir-fry for 2 to 5 minutes. Take care to not overcook the noodles.
You may add additional chopped scallion, sesame seeds, or other fresh herbs as desired.
Sautéed or baked tofu, flavored with the Vegan Yakisoba sauce, would make for an excellent addition to this quick and easy meal.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: Protein Pasta
As someone who trains for endurance races and eats a mostly plant-based diet, I pay attention to protein.
One way to ensure I am consuming enough protein to support my training and recovery is to consume foods supplemented with protein, like protein pasta!
Some ways to supplement my diet with additional protein include:
- Supplementing smoothies, oatmeal, and baked goods with protein powder
- Mixing half chickpea pasta and half plain pasta in pasta salads, stir-fries, and soups
- Protein pasta like Barilla Protein+
I like to include a protein noodle like Barilla Protein+ in this recipe to help meet my daily protein needs. Barilla Protein+ noodles are high in fiber, and protein, and are 100% plant-based. These noodles also hold up during the stir-frying process. If you have ever stir-fried a rice noodle and watched it fall apart in the pan you know how exciting it is to keep a noodle intact.
*These noodles have 10g of protein and 4g of dietary fiber per 2oz of cooked noodles.
Like This Recipe? Check Out My Other Posts!
Healthy and Easy Vegan Kimchi Instant Ramen
Vegan Yakisoba-Inspired Noodles
Equipment
- 1 wok or large skillet
- 1 noodle pot and colander
- wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- 1 Set measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lbs cooked barilla protein+ spaghetti cooked per packaging instruction. See recipe notes.
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups spinach or other greens mixed or alone like kale, collards, bok choy, cabbage
- 1/3 cup chopped scallion greens
Yakisoba Inspired Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp mushroom sauce
- 2 tbsp date syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Vegan Yakisoba Inspired Sauce
- Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix. Set aside for later.
Yakisoba Inspired Noodles
- Heat your wok/skillet to medium-high heat.
- Add avocado oil and mushrooms. Sautee for about 5 minutes.
- Add spinach and scallions, continue to stir fry for ~5 minutes or until spinach or greens are cooked down.
- Add cooked noodles to skillet. Pour sauce directly over noodles. Continue to stir-fry for 2 to 5 minutes. Taking care to not overcook the noodles.
- You may add scallions tops, sesames seeds, or other fresh herbs as desired. Some sautéed or baked tofu flavored with the Vegan Yakisoba sauce would also make for an excellent addition to this quick and easy meal.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sarah Harper. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves to cook, eat, and talk about food! Here at The Addy Bean, you'll discover an array of flexitarian recipes. My mission is to inspire and encourage others to eat and explore the world of plant-based foods!
0 Comments