Instant Pot Garlic Noodles

5 from 10 votes

Easy 30 minutes Garlic Noodles made in the Instant Pot! This is one-pot dish, there's no boiling the noodles separately and makes for a nice vegan meal.

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We all love noodles, don’t we? More so if they are quick to make! These Instant Pot Garlic Noodles are just that.

So easy to make in the Instant Pot, pack a lot of flavor and make an easy weeknight meal. They are also vegan!

pair of hands holding a bowl of noodles with one hand holding a pair of chopsticks

Whenever I am pressed for time or can’t think of what to make for dinner, I usually end up making noodles of some sort.

Instant Pot has made it really easy to cook noodles and pasta. Earlier, I would dislike the idea of boiling the noodles separately and so I would not cook them as much.

But, now with the instant pot, they are always on our weekly menu.

One of my recent favorite is this Garlic Noodles. It’s really simple in a way that it doesn’t have any veggies and not many ingredients.

However, it’s very flavorful and I think that’s the best part about this dish- it’s simplicity. 

It has tons of garlic flavor (has to justify the name, right?) so if you are a garlic lover, then you will love this one!

This Instant Pot Garlic Noodles

✔gets done in 30 minutes or less.

✔one-pot meal, no boiling the noodles separately.

✔vegan and can be easily made gluten-free.

✔makes an easy weeknight meal.

Personally, I love noodles loaded with veggies. In fact I love everything with extra veggies whether it’s pizza or pasta, I think it’s just my love for vegetables that I find things tastier when they have more vegetables in them.

But I make an exception for these garlic noodles and love them as such. This is not to say that you can’t add vegetables here or they won’t work well here. They of course will but this recipe works really well just the way it is.

It’s simple and that’s what makes it work.

Ingredients

This recipe uses very few ingredients- only 9 ingredients out of which 2 are garnishes. I am not counting the salt and sugar here.

bottles of soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, packet of noodles, garlic-ginger arranged together

Rice noodles: I love using rice noodles in this recipe. The ones that I have used here are stir-fry rice noodles from Thai Kitchen brand which you can find at any Asian grocery store or even at regular grocery stores in the International food section.

You can also use regular spaghetti here, just the cooking time will change. See the frequently asked questions section below for more.

Soy sauce: regular soy sauce is what I have used here. You can use dark soy sauce and if you want to make this gluten-free, use tamari.

Hot sauce: for that heat, this recipe uses 1 tablespoon of sriracha. If that sounds like a lot to you, definitely cut down on it.

You can use any hot sauce you prefer like sriracha or sambal oelek. 

Rice vinegar: I like using rice vinegar in Asian inspired recipes but you can use white vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.

Garlic: since the name is garlic noodles, there’s obviously lot of garlic here. I use 2.5 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic.

Use a food processor to chop it really fine, you would probably need 10-15 cloves of garlic for this (depending on the size of cloves obviously).

Ginger: the recipe also calls for some ginger, it’s much less in quantity than garlic but it adds to flavor.

Garnishes: white sesame seeds and green onions are used as garnishes here. You may also garnish with cilantro.

Other than these ingredients, there’s of course some salt and sugar and also 1/2 of a red onion. You can skip on the onion if you want. We are an onion loving family so we happen to add it to most noodles and pasta.

This recipe also uses 2 types of oil- I have used a tablespoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of avocado oil. You can use any flavorless oil like canola etc. in place of avocado oil.

But I highly recommend not replacing the sesame oil. It adds to the flavor of the noodles.

Cooking time: for me 3 minutes high pressure with 3 minutes natural pressure release works perfectly. It gives me that right texture where it’s cooked yet not mushy at all.

If you prefer softer noodles, you may add an additional 1-2 minutes to your pressure cooking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make it gluten-free?

Easy, use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) in place of soy sauce. In my experience tamari has a lighter flavor than regular soy sauce so you might need to add more of tamari.

Can we use spaghetti here in place of rice noodles?

Yes should be fine. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes on high pressure in that case. If using whole wheat spaghetti, cook for 8 minutes.

Do I need to add more water if using an 8qt?

This recipe has been tested using a 6qt only. The newer models especially 8qt are more prone to the BURN message.

So, if your IP shows that message often, you might want to add additional 1/2 cup of water here. Again, hasn’t been tested in 8qt but I am assuming it would need more water if your IP is prone to the burn problem.

Can I add vegetables to this recipe?

Yes, some of the veggies that you can add here are carrots, mushrooms, peppers.

You can also add broccoli but I would add that after the noodles are pressure cooked otherwise it would turn to mush. You can also add fried tofu for protein.

noodles in instant pot

Method

1- Press the sauté button and then press the adjust button to set sauté to “less”. Once it displays hot, add a tablespoon each of sesame oil and avocado oil (or any flavorless oil) and then add the chopped garlic. I like to sauté the garlic on low since it works better this way for the noodles to absorb the garlic flavor without the garlic burning away too quickly. 

Cook for around 4 to 5 minutes stirring often until the garlic just starts to change color. At this point press “cancel” and then press the sauté again and press adjust button to set sauté to “normal” now.

2- Add the chopped ginger and sliced onions. Cook for 1 minute.

3- Then add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot sauce and stir.

4- Add the water, scrape the bottom and make sure there’s nothing stuck at the bottom of the pot else the pot won’t come to pressure. If you have an 8qt and you get burn message, you might need additional 1/2 cup of water here.

step by step picture collage of making garlic noodles in instant pot

5- Also add the sugar and salt and stir.

6- Add the noodles on top, you might have to break a few in order for them to fit. Press the noodles slightly with the help of a spatula, just so that they are a little wet.

(PS: if placing the noodles is taking time and water starts boiling a lot, you can always press cancel and the layer the noodles).

Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position (you can add extra 2 minutes for softer noodles, for me 3 minutes is perfect).

7- Let the pressure release naturally for 3 minutes and then do a quick pressure release by manually moving the valve from sealing to venting position.

Open the lid and toss the noodles with a pair of tongs.

8- Add the chopped green onions.

step by step picture collage of making garlic noodles in instant pot

Garnish with more green onions, white sesame seeds and serve these garlic noodles with your favorite hot sauce on the side!

bowl of noodles with chopsticks placed on the side

More Instant Pot Noodles 

Instant Pot Vegetarian Singapore Noodles

Instant Pot Drunken Noodles

Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles

If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Garlic Noodles Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Instant Pot Garlic Noodles

5 from 10 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 3
Easy 30 minutes Garlic Noodles made in the Instant Pot! This is one-pot dish, there's no boiling the noodles separately and makes for a nice vegan meal.

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons oil 30 ml, I used 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 2.5 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion sliced
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce 60 ml
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 15 ml
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce like sriracha, adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1.5 cups water 12 oz
  • 8 oz stir-fry rice noodles
  • green onions chopped, to garnish (the green part only)
  • white sesame seeds to garnish
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Instructions 

  • Press the sauté button and then press the adjust button to set sauté to "less". Once it displays hot, add a tablespoon each of sesame oil and avocado oil (or any flavorless oil) and then add the chopped garlic.
    Cook for around 4 to 5 minutes stirring often until the garlic just starts to change color. At this point press "cancel" and then press the sauté again and press adjust button to set sauté to "normal" now.
    garlic being cooked in oil in a pot
  • Add the chopped ginger and sliced onions. Cook for 1 minute.
    chopped ginger, garlic and sliced onion in pot
  • Then add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot sauce and stir.
    soy sauce, hot sauce added with garlic, ginger, onion in a pot
  • Add the water, scrape the bottom and make sure there's nothing stuck at the bottom of the pot else the pot won't come to pressure. If you have an 8qt and you get burn message, you might need additional 1/2 cup of water here.
    Also add the sugar and salt and stir.
    water being added to a pot with soy sauce, onions
  • Add the noodles on top, you might have to break a few in order for them to fit. Press the noodles slightly with the help of a spatula, just so that they are a little wet.
    (PS: if placing the noodles is taking time and water starts boiling a lot, you can always press cancel and the layer the noodles).
    noodles being added to a pot with a spatula pressing them down
  • Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position (you can add extra 2 minutes for softer noodles, for me 3 minutes is perfect).
    Let the pressure release naturally for 3 minutes and then do a quick pressure release by manually moving the valve from sealing to venting position. Open the lid and toss the noodles with a pair of tongs.
    pair of tongs holding noodles
  • Add chopped green onions. Garnish with more green onions, white sesame seeds and serve these garlic noodles with your favorite hot sauce on the side!

Stove-top Instructions

  • Boil noodles according to instructions on the package and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok on low-medium heat. First cook the garlic until it starts changing color then turn heat to high and add the ginger and onions. Cook for 1 minute then add the soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, salt and sugar. Mix everything and then add in the boil noodles. Toss until noodles are well coated with the sauce. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and serve.

Notes

  1. Please adjust the amount of hot sauce to taste. 1 tablespoon of sriracha might seem like a lot but it was really not that spicy (and I can't eat very spicy food) so this was fine for me. But reduce it to taste or add more if you like it spicier.
  2. To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1633mg, Potassium: 143mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 8IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


5 from 10 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




20 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have tried (and failed) to make Asian style noodle dishes for years, and I have finally succeeded. This recipe is delicious! I’m going to add basil and egg next time. Fantastic recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    Definite hit. Doubled the amount, including water, added veggies separately. Same cooking time. 13-year old asked to “add it in rotation”!
    Thanks, Manali.

  3. Hi Manali,

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Amateur cook here. I tried this recipe, it almost came well except for the Soy Sauce. I went as per the measurement mentioned in the recipe, but my noodles was blackish in color unlike yours and also felt the taste was bit overwhelming with sauce. I researched later and found that the Sauce i had used was Dark Soy Sauce and there are lighter versions of Soy Sauce. Does it make a difference? I immediately rushed to indian store and all i could find was same Ching’s Dark Soy Sauce. Could you please help, i want to try this one more time.

    Thank You!

    1. a regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce are different. Other than the color, they have difference in taste too with the dark soy sauce being much stronger in taste. That’s why your sauce was overwhelming. Please just get “soy sauce”, I don’t buy sauces from Indian store. Go to any regular store like Whole Foods, QFC etc and get a soy sauce. It should not say “dark soy sauce”.

  4. 5 stars
    THANK YOU!

    I added broccoli (cooked separately), frozen corn, tamari sauce and garlic chili paste and it was amazing !

    Super simple weeknight food. 10/10

    1. When using the instant pot for noodles you take note of cooking time on the package and then halve the cooking time minus one minute. For instance if package calls for 12 minutes you use 6 minutes and deduct 1 minute. If cooking time is in odd minute then use the lower number. Hope that helps.

  5. Could you please explain what makes a stir fry rice noodle different from all the other rice noodles that I see at the Asian market? I don’t want to buy the wrong one.
    Many thanks!

  6. 5 stars
    Another great recipe from you!! I added some extra spices (just a basic Chinese five spice mix) and served the noodles with broccoli on the side. I never thought I’d be able to make noodles that taste so good and have such a lovely texture being a little sticky, even less so in an instant pot, so these will definitely become a regular on my table!

    These days I rarely bother making recipes from sources other than your blog, each and every dish I make is so flavourful, simple and easy with the use of Instant Pot – so huge thanks from Poland, Manali. 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    Turned out perfect. I used oyster sauce and garlic powder. Paired this with lemon chicken for a great Asian style meal.

  8. 5 stars
    Awesome! I added broccoli, but neglected to stir it into the noodles, so it didn’t cook… careless mistake on my part. I had to just toss out the broccoli. The finished dish was amazing… even my 14yr old gave it a 9 out of 10 (that’s the highest I can hope for). 🙂
    Thanks Manali!