Gochujang Butter Udon Noodles

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These gochujang butter udon are my new favorite noodles, full stop. Back when the gochujang butter noodles trend was blowing up, I was messing around in the kitchen and stumbled onto this thick, saucy udon version, and it hits SO much harder than the thin-noodle ones. Picture chewy udon tossed in a glossy, sweet-and-spicy gochujang butter sauce with garlic and scallion whites cooked right in. It comes together in about 10 minutes with a pack of frozen udon, and one bite in, I was hooked.

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What Makes This Gochujang Butter Udon So Good

It is all about the sauce and those noodles. Udon is thick, chewy, and bouncy, so it grabs onto a heavier sauce way better than skinny noodles do. And the sauce is the real star: gochujang brings sweet-savory-spicy depth, butter makes it rich and glossy, and the whites of the scallions cook into it for a mellow, aromatic base.

The whole thing is born from the same gochujang butter craze that inspired my sriracha butter, except here the gochujang goes straight into a saucy noodle instead of a compound butter. If you love saucy udon like I do (jjajang udon and curry udon live rent-free in my brain), this one belongs right up there.

Can You Use Frozen Udon?

Yes, frozen udon is exactly what you want here, and it is ready in a few minutes. Frozen udon has that fresh, chewy, bouncy texture that dried or shelf-stable udon just can’t match, and it cooks straight from frozen in boiling water in about 2 to 3 minutes. I always keep a couple packs in the freezer, and it’s the same frozen udon I toss into my miso carbonara udon when I want something creamy instead of spicy. Just One Cookbook has a good rundown on cooking frozen udon if you’re new to it.

Tips for Making Gochujang Butter Udon

1. Mix your cornstarch slurry before you start

Stir the cornstarch into the warm water and set it aside before anything hits the pan. Frozen udon cooks in just a couple of minutes, so you want the slurry ready to go. It is what turns the buttery gochujang into a glossy sauce that clings to every noodle instead of sliding off.

2. Cook the garlic and scallion whites first

Let the garlic and the white parts of the scallion cook in the melted butter until the garlic just turns golden. That is where a ton of the flavor comes from. Save the green scallion tops for the finish so they stay fresh and sharp.

3. Adjust the heat to taste

Gochujang is a sweet-savory fermented Korean chili paste, and it builds a mellow heat rather than a sharp burn. Maangchi has a great explainer on gochujang if you want to nerd out. Start with 1 tbsp, then add gochugaru at the end if you want it hotter.

4. Toss fast so the sauce coats everything

Once the sauce thickens, kill the heat, add your drained udon, and toss quickly so every strand gets coated while it’s still glossy. This concentrated, cling-to-the-noodle sauce is the same idea behind my garlic olive oil ramen hack, where you skip the broth and let a silky sauce coat every strand instead.

Storage and Leftovers

Gochujang butter udon is best fresh, while the noodles are hot and the sauce is glossy. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The sauce thickens and the noodles soak it up as they sit, so when you reheat, add a splash of water and warm it gently in a pan or the microwave, tossing until the sauce loosens back up and coats the noodles again.

Equipment

• frying pan
• sauce pan
• mixing bowls

Ingredients

Here’s what you need for one serving. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

• 1 frozen udon package (single serving)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 green onion, chopped (whites and greens separated)
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/3 cup warm water
• gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes), to taste
• toasted sesame seeds, to taste
• black sesame seeds, to taste

Instructions

1. Chop the green onion and separate the white pieces from the green (you will use both).
2. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the warm water to make a slurry.
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the frozen udon per the package, just a few minutes. Move quickly through the next step while it cooks.
4. In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and the white parts of the scallion and cook until the garlic turns golden. Stir in the gochujang until combined, then turn off the heat, give the slurry a final stir, and pour it in. Mix until the sauce thickens.
5. Drain the udon and add it straight to the pan with the sauce. Toss until every noodle is coated.
6. Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, gochugaru, and the reserved green scallions.

Saucy udon is the thing I keep coming back to. Jjajang udon, curry udon, and now this one, all built on the same idea that thick noodles hold onto a sauce in a way thinner ones just don’t.

The scallion whites are worth not skipping. They go into the butter first, and a lot of the depth comes from right there. 🙌

If you make these gochujang butter udon, drop a star rating on the recipe card and let me know in the comments how you like them. These noodles are CRAZY good, and I want to hear if they become your new favorite too!

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