One of my favorite back-pocket recipes! Packaged noodles for ease, butter for creaminess, honey for sweetness, and sesame oil for depth. Just tangly slips of joy!
Shortcut Sesame Butter Noodles
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These are insanely, insanely delicious!! I think I need an intervention, as my daughter and I have eaten them every day for the past three days. They are so quick, so simple, and SO good! Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
Lauren
These Noodles Will Stay In My Back Pocket Forever.
The first time I made these, I was waiting for a sushi takeout order.
Bjork was working out, girls were in bed, sushi hadn’t come yet and I was just so extremely hungry. So I raided the pantry and found a package of those Momofuku noodles – which, obviously, are delicious, but have always just been lacking a certain lusciousness to my tastebuds.
So I made the noodles as directed, and then added a knob of butter for creaminess, a drizzle of honey for sweetness, and a glug of sesame oil for depth. And then I literally ate *the whole* package straight, hot, slippery and delicious right out of the pan. OOF. These are good.
I now rely on these noodles as a back-pocket lunch, SOS dinner, or honestly – just a really great snack – and I make them several times a month.
When I’m not having them as an eat-out-of-the-pan snack, I like to fill half the bowl some kind of a shreddy slaw and maybe a soft boiled egg if I’m really feeling fancy.
You could absolutely add some freshly ground black pepper or a clove of freshly grated garlic to punch them up even further; that said, I really enjoy them as is. Just minimal and uncluttered tangly slips of joy.
Make These Noodles With Me
1
Cook the noodles.
My favorite are the Momofoku spicy soy noodles which I buy at Target, but there are lots of similar varieties out there. We are cooking them basically as directed – boiling noodles and adding sauce.
2
Add sauce packet.
Boop! Here comes the sauce packet.
3
Add butter, sesame oil, and honey.
Now comes the extras that make it really magical. I never measure it – just a knob of butter, a drizzle of honey, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Then toss it up with tongs and add a bit of water if it gets too sticky.
4
You’re done! Yum!
Top with chili crisp, sesame seeds, or some kind of spicy sprinkle, plus some green onions… AMAZING little quick lunch, dinner, or snack.
Quick Tip!
I love to serve these noodles with something fresh and crunchy, or add a little bit of protein when I have time. For crunch, this Napa Chicken Salad or Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad are perfection. Or, you can even add some of this Air Fryer Chicken or Air Fryer Tofu!
Watch How To Make These Noodles
Shortcut Sesame Butter Noodles
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 1, maybe 2 (I can pretty easily eat a package by myself) 1x
Description
One of my favorite back-pocket recipes! Packaged noodles for ease, butter for creaminess, honey for sweetness, and sesame oil for depth. Just tangly slips of joy!
Ingredients
Scale
Shortcut Sesame Butter Noodles:
- 1 (3.35 ounce) package saucy shortcut noodles – my favorite are the Momofuku spicy soy or soy scallion
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1–2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (more to taste)
- a splash of water
- optional toppings: green onion, sesame seeds, chili crisp, togarashi
Instructions
- Make the noodles: Cook the noodles according to package directions, including adding in the little sauce packet.
- Add the extras: Once prepared, toss hot noodles gently with the butter, honey, and sesame oil. Taste and adjust to however you like it. It should be silky when hot but it will get more sticky the longer you wait – if it’s too sticky, add a bit of warm water to loosen it which will emulsify and make it just a little creamy. It’s perfect.
- Finish and serve: Finish with chili crisp, scallions, or some kind of sesame or spicy sprinkle! Ideal little snack, or you can make it more of a rounded out meal by serving with a fried egg and/or a salad. Or ground chicken. Or shrimp. It’s the kind of thing that’s good with everything.
Notes
Adjusting noodle stickiness level: You can rinse the noodles after boiling, before adding sauce, to reduce the overall stickiness – I usually rinse them for just a brief moment so they retain a little bit of starchiness. If you rinse them for more than a few seconds, you’ll take off quite a bit of starch and the noodles will be more slippery / silky. It’s still delicious, but the sauce won’t cling to the noodles quite as much. If you find that they noodles and sauce aren’t as clingy as you want, you can help it out by just heating it for a few minutes over low heat.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: sesame noodles, sesame butter noodles, momofuku noodles, shortcut noodles, quick and easy recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make sesame noodles vegan?
These noodles can be made vegan by using non-dairy butter and dash of agave instead of honey.
What noodles could I use if I can’t find the Momofuku noodles?
Trader Joe’s sells a similar product called Tingly Noodles which works exactly the same way. Other brands that would work well: any flavor of Omsom, or A-Sha noodles. The noodles that come in the Momofuku packages are A-Sha brand noodles, but Momofuku adds their own sauce which is what makes them different. If you’re using a noodle product that doesn’t have a sauce packet, that is totally fine – just add a shot of soy sauce and maybe a bit of chili crisp to create the same effect.
Can I use a package of ramen?
Yes, but don’t prepare them as directed – that will create a soup rather than a saucy noodle. I would suggest just using the noodles, ditching the broth packet, and creating your own sauce or flavor with soy sauce and chili crisp before adding the butter, sesame, and honey.
What protein goes well with sesame noodles?
Fried eggs or soft-boiled eggs, ground chicken or pork, shrimp, or thinly sliced steak.
What vegetables go well with sesame noodles?
I often serve this alongside a shredded cabbage slaw-type salad – something like this. The light, crunchy texture of the salad works really well with the silky noodles. A fast and easy side of vegetables could be a steam-in-the-bag broccoli or just some salad greens tossed with sesame oil and rice vinegar. More traditionally, you can serve sesame noodles with edamame or thinly sliced cucumber, carrots, or peppers.
Three More Saucy Noodle Recipes
February 5, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Since it requires minimal preparation, these noodles are perfect for busy weekday nights or when you need a hassle-free meal option. Whether you enjoy it as an independent dish or pair it with your favorite proteins and vegetables, it’s sure to be a must-have recipe in your culinary repertoire.
Love those noodles and I like to make something similar. I just had to comment about the “Trader Joe’s Tingly Noodles” 😂 Pretty sure they are called “squiggly noodles” but tingly sounds a whole lot more fun!
Joana,
Though I do think Trader Joe’s does have great food and tasty noodles, I don’t think their noodle blend will top Linday’s recipes. Just adding my humble 2 cents in! 🙂
Oh my noodles, Lindsay! I’m quite certain anyone who replicates this amazing dish may find themselves licking their fingers and pushing food on the fork. Thanks for sharing this slippery slope of deliciousness. And if they do decide to make this, I am also quiet certain their tastebuds are forever grateful to you for planing this seed of a great idea. 🙂
Can you tell a little bit of history of the food recipe of noodles it can help explain where it originated and the first to try it.
Fantastic post! ONE OF THE BEST ONE I thoroughly enjoyed reading your insights. The points you’ve raised about are particularly thought-provoking and align well with my experiences in the industry.
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So good and easy!
We have been making these noodles constantly since you shared this on instagram a few months ago! We scramble an egg right in the pot with the noodles after adding the butter/sesame oil. If I have time I like to air fry some tofu (tossed in hoisin) to top it off for extra protein!
Hi! Your Shortcut Sesame Butter Noodles recipe looks delicious and easy to make. I’m excited to try it! Thank you.
Lindsay – I have made sooo many of your recipes over the years and have loved every single one (your recent AirFryer Chicken has my partner in actual love).
But this is the first recipe I’m leaving a review for – and it’s because I can actually make this. A lot. And I have. On a Tuesday night. At 7:42PM. Ravenous.
It’s got just the right amount of semi homemade vibes with special zuzhing that makes it SO DELISH. Thank you so much for posting this non recipe!!!!
YES, we love this! Glad you enjoyed it!
Ok I riffed on this with what I had on hand while l’m home sick. I’m sure my end result was different than the original, but it hit the spot with a sore throat!
Used a packet of chicken ramen, cooked as directed with the flavor packet but scooped out the noodles leaving broth behind. Added 1 tbsp soy sauce and a quick squeeze of sriracha for some gentle warmth. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. Delicious! Probably saltier and a different flavor profile because I used the ramen flavor packet, but it’s what I needed while sick. Excited to eventually try it with the recommended noodles!
Wow! Looks delicious! I will try to cook this. My kids and I love noodles!
I just finished eating this and it blew me away! I had a momofuko spicy noodle pack leftover and honestly wasn’t a huge fan since I prefer homemade sauces etc. the butter/honey/sesame oil combo with the packet made it taste amazing and I love how fast/easy it is for me to make on nights I have less energy. I airfried some frozen stir fry veggies and fried an egg to toss along with it. Such a great pantry/freezer meal!
Glad to hear it, Lana!
Another winner, Lindsay! I made this exact as written and it was so quick and easy. I did put it in a bowl but thought about eating it from the pan. Next time I’ll add a protein and some veggies. As it is, it’s yummy!
Hi! I really liked this post! The food looked really good and it looks really easy to make, I am going to have to make this for my family someday. 🙂
These are insanely, insanely delicious!! I think I need an intervention, as my daughter and I have eaten them every day for the past three days. They are so quick, so simple, and SO good! Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
10/10!!! I could eat this every day. Such an easy, quick dinner. Our 7 year old loved it. She asked, “what was that delicious dinner we just ate!?”
Another POY winner!
I believe these noodles have become a cult following in my circles. I have texted my husband no fewer than 13 times since you posted this recipe… maybe 2 weeks ago? asking him to swing by target on his way home from work. We’ve had them on top of coleslaw, with eggs or ground beef or shredded chicken, and I’m currently enjoying them with leftover steak pieces and juicy sweet cherry tomatoes. I am not joking when I say there was a day I ate these leftovers for breakfast (over greens with an egg), lunch, and dinner (with some spicy ground beef). I’ve texted the recipe to approximately 97 of my closest friends, and the ones who don’t think I’m crazy and made it are now all buying stock in Momofuku. I texted my cousin this morning for meal prep ideas and she replied, “five pack of those noodles,” and she wasn’t joking. If being obsessed with these Shortcut Sesame Butter Noodles is wrong, I don’t ever want to be right!
Love this so much. So glad you’ve been enjoying them! 🙂
These are TOO good. I had them 4x the first week I made them and had to cut myself off. Now they are a once a week thing. 😍 I had them with snow peas + your air fryer tofu this week.
YUMMY! Big hit with the kiddos too! We topped ours with salmon.
My mother and I made this dish. We had to double the sauce as we had 4 people and added carrots, onions, and little cabbage. So delicious!!
These are fantastic for a quick lunch! I look forward to when there are no left overs for lunch in my fridge so I have a reason to make these. I usually add frozen edamame to the noodles during cooking to add some protein/veg.