My spicy, nutty, salty and tangy vegan dan dan noodles taste like the Sichuan original with one insanely easy ingredient switch. I’m using chopped mushrooms as a stand in for the usual ground pork. Trust me, it works! I’ll show you how to make these Chinese noodles with common pantry ingredients in less than 20 minutes.
I created this vegan dan dan noodles recipe as a birthday present for my husband. He has always loved the mixture of fiery and numbing Sichuan chili oil, ground pork, sesame paste and leafy greens mixed with thin wheat noodles from the traditional Chinese version. But we had both dialed way back on meat consumption – and he really missed dan dan noodles (担担面). So I went to work.
My vegan version has the same nutty, spicy, sour, sweet, and salty flavors from the original, with one glaring omission: the meat. The trick I came up with was to pan fry diced mushrooms until slightly caramelized. It’s the same trick I use to make vegan mapo tofu and my meatless Korean jajangmyeon. It didn’t fool my husband into thinking he was eating meat or anything – but the texture was similar enough and the deep, umami flavors were on point. He LOVED it. And I was proud to have made noodles that honor the flavors of the time honored original with ingredients that are accessible to everyone.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This
- Smacks with authentic flavor, but is accessible to home chefs. My Sichuan noodles are full of traditional Chinese flavors – but the ingredients are easy to track down and won’t intimidate.
- The mushrooms mimic meat. Dicing and pan frying mushrooms produces a savory stand-in that strikingly resembles the ground pork used in traditional dan dan noodles.
- Easy to make and budget friendly. I love that I can make this in less than 20 minutes from start to finish with common low-cost pantry items.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Noodles: I use thin wheat noodles specifically. There are dried, frozen and fresh options at Chinese markets – but I make this with thin spaghetti all the time.
- Cooking Oil: Any neutral oil such as vegetable, peanut or grapeseed oil.
- Mushrooms: Button mushrooms and creminis are my go-to choices because they’re always available at the store. Not only are these a great source of umami – I dice and cook these until they practically mimic the texture of ground pork.
- Celery: Finely chopped celery adds a refreshing fragrance and the perfect amount of pliant crunch.
- Baby Spinach and Chopped Scallions: I use baby spinach instead of the traditional choy sum. It’s always available at the corner market and it makes the dish bright and colorful. Scallions add sweetness, a mild sharpness, and a lovely crunch
- Dan Dan Sauce: My sauce is a fiery, bold, savory and sweet mixture of rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, Sichuan chili oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
Ingredient Variations
I consider most recipes a general blueprint. That way, I get to feel free to use what I have at home, and ingredients I prefer.
- Shiitake mushrooms would work in place of the button mushrooms.
- When I have Chinese sesame paste in my pantry, I use that instead of peanut butter.
- White pepper, ground sichuan peppercorns and black vinegar would all be delicious additions.
- Cilantro is a fragrant stand in for the baby spinach.
- Traditional versions also call for a preserved and fermented mustard green called sumiyacai.
A Note on Sichuan Peppercorns: Although not assertively spicy, ground Sichuan peppercorns are more known for their mala – or tongue tingling, mouth numbing properties. There are some floral and citrusy tasting notes around the edges too. While they are essential in Sichuan cooking, they’re not for everyone. My advice: if you decide to add ground peppercorns to this recipe, start with a small amount – and work your way up from there.
Expert tip While thin spaghetti doesn’t seem like the most authentic ingredient, since it’s a thin wheat noodle, it’s actually perfect. Dry spaghetti from both Barilla and De Cecco is vegan. Cook until al dente.
How to Make Dan Dan Noodles
- Boil and drain the noodles. Fill a pot with water and bring it to boil. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain the noodles, rinse them under cold water, and drain well. Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms and celery. In a pan over medium heat, add the oil, chopped mushrooms and celery, and stir fry until the mushrooms are tender, yet beginning to caramelize (8-10 minutes).
- Make the sauce. Place the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. No blender? You can vigorously whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Just make sure the peanut butter is well incorporated.
- Mix, garnish and serve. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Season with salt if needed. Add the mushroom mixture to the noodles and toss well. Finally, add the spinach and scallions, toss a final time – and serve.
Expert tip I add the baby spinach last. It allows the delicate leaves to wilt slightly – but they won’t become soggy or watery.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight food storage container for up to 3 days.
- These noodles taste great cold, right out of the fridge.
- Although this is not intended to be a hot dish, you can gently warm up leftovers in the microwave so they are closer to room temperature.
What to Serve With Dan Dan Noodles
I frequently serve these vegan dan dan noodles as a main or a side dish. Since they are quite flavorful, I recommend pairing them with milder dishes that won’t overwhelm the palate. Some of my favorites are:
- Chinese Restaurant Style Napa Cabbage
- Baby Bok Choy With Garlic and Oyster Sauce
- Chinese Broccoli With Garlic Sauce
- Easy Homemade Wonton Soup
- Chinese Lotus Root Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Not unless you want to. You can use store bought chili oil. However, if you’re looking to take the flavor to the next level (and want an all-purpose Sichuan condiment that will last 4 months in your pantry) I have a recipe for hot Sichuan chili oil that you can make at home in just over 30 minutes.
Traditional dan dan noodles are thin wheat noodles. If you live near a Chinese market, you may be able to find fresh dan dan noodles in the refrigerated or frozen sections. There are also shelf stable dried dan dan noodles. However, thin spaghetti works for this recipe – and it’s almost always handy in the pantry. That said, I’ve used udon and somen noodles in a pinch. And Chinese egg noodles would be delicious (but not vegan). If you’re following a strict plant based diet, be sure to read the ingredients label.
I get it. Mushrooms aren’t for everyone! You could actually use a plant based ground meat alternative instead. Some of them are very meaty – actually closer to the ground pork from the original recipe – than mushrooms.
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Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
I use chopped mushrooms to replace the ground meat and bring umami to this spicy, nutty and tangy Chinese noodle dish.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti such as Barilla or De Cecco, which are both vegan
- 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 9 ounces white button mushrooms, finely chopped
- handful baby spinach
- 2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
Dan Dan Sauce
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili oil (use less if you are sensitive to hot dishes)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the noodles. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions (usually 7-9 minutes), until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Pan fry the mushrooms and celery. In a pan over medium heat, add peanut oil, celery and mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes, until mushrooms are beginning to turn a golden brown color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Make the sauce. Put all the ingredients for the dan dan sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix, season and serve. Add sauce to the spaghetti and toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Season with salt until you are satisfied with the taste. Finally, add the mushroom mix, spinach and scallions to the noodles and toss well again. Serve.
Notes
These noodles taste their best when made fresh but are still delicious cold (after being refrigerated the next day). Store the leftovers in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also quickly zap them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 406
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 409.3mg
- Fat: 16.g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50.5g
- Fiber: 5.7g
- Protein: 10.8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Questions and Reviews
I have made this twice this week. So simple, satisfying, tasty. It will be a constant in my rotation from now on. Thank you!
Thank you so much Addie!! 🙂
I LOVE the sauce for this recipe! It’s so easy and packs a real punch.
Love this recipe, it is soooo yummy! Do you think you could replace the spaghetti with zucchini noodles?
Hi Laura! Yes, I think it would be delicious with zucchini noodles as well. Maybe use less sauce at first so the noodles aren’t weighed down too much by it 🙂
DELICIOUS, EASY AND VEGAN!
A small query, my family likes saucy noodles. how should I change ther recipe so its not dry?
Hi Neeraja! The noodles are actually quite saucy but if you would like them to be even, you can double the sauce (but go easy on the garlic. I wouldn’t add more than the first two cloves) and that should be good 🙂
This is one of our new favorites! The first time, I followed the recipe as written. The second time, I added more mushrooms and used baby broccoli and peas and skipped the celery. So delicious! Thank you for sharing@
Thank you Sheree! 🙂
So tasty, will make this recipe again! Love the the little kick of heat with the chili oil!
STUPENDOUS! This recipe is bookmarked as a favorite. It’s perfect as is, and also great modified with less sugar, salt, or oil. Sometimes we add broccoli and/or edamame to bulk it up with more veg. It’s always amazing. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for sharing this Mark, you just made my day !
Wow it’s delish! I made it with bunch of weird wild mushrooms and it came out amazing!
These noodles are so yummy! They taste like something you would eat at a restaurant, yet they’re so easy to make. I used rice noodles and left out the chili oil and ginger in the sauce, but it was still really great. Thank you for the recipe! I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you so much Mimi! 🙂
Delicious! We ended up eating this cold and it was so tasty! Thank you for a great recipe
Wonderful Charlotte, thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
She’s not lying, this recipe is spectacular. Super easy and absolutely delicious! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Thank you so much Gabi!