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
Tastes absolutely amazing, and easy to make for someone like me who usually hates cooking!
This recipe is a huge hit in our house! I only use 1 tablespoon of chili oil otherwise ours lips burn off. The recipe states it served 4 people but we (2 people) usually finish the whole dish as it is so delious. I reduce the sugar & salt as well without noticing a real difference. We like to double the garlic as well. All I can say is YUM!
Great recipe – thank you! We made this with only 1 tsp sugar, no added salt, and 1/3 of the oil recommended and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Thank you Mark! 🙂
I used aminos instead of soy sauce and didn’t add any extra salt to the recipe and it turned out soooo salty.. don’t know why!
That’s so strange Kay, I’m so sorry! I’ve made this so many times and never had trouble with the salt level. Did you salt the pasta water?
Cant wait to try this. I see people substituting for the chili oil. Do you think sambal oeleck would be ok or should I do sriracha?
Hi Susan, sambal oelek would be okay but in case you are not super familiar with it, it’s extremely spicy! I would say use with caution, start with 1 tablespoon and go from there 🙂
Sriracha would also be good although I think sambal would add some really nice southeast Asian flavors to the noodles, making them more pungent 🙂
I halved the sugar and used a bit of sirracha in place of the chilli oil and we loved this recipe! Thanks so much!
I never leave comments on recipe blogs but this is just so good I have to thank you! The sauce is so flavorful! I was a little skeptical because I don’t like typical Thai peanut sauces, but this is a totally different flavor. I didn’t have chile oil so I substituted chili garlic sauce (just added an extra tablespoon). This far exceeded my expectations, so tasty and also quick and easy! This will definitely go on my regular rotation 🙂 Thanks again for sharing this!
Thank you so much Tess for leaving such a nice comment! You put a big smile on my face 🙂
I tried this and really liked it – I will certainly make it again! My pictures of it are here: https://tmifood.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/vegan-dan-dan-noodles/
Looks great! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi again, Caroline! Writing this after dinner. The noodle dish was a big hit! I used almond butter and the sauce turned out great. Thanks so much for getting back with me promptly because I was hot to try the dish right away!
I’ve been browsing around your website and I am so impressed by your work! I have a little blog of my own where I will be featuring your recipe next week (without reprinting) and linking to your site 🙂 I will send you a link when it goes live!
I am blown away by your photography…it’s so good! Do you shoot your own images? Have you posted about what equipment you use? Just enviable 🙂
So glad I found your site. I am inspired to raise the bar on my own!
Thanks again!
Melanie
I desperately want to try this recipe but my husband hates peanut butter sauces. Do you think it will work with tahini of almond butter instead?
Hi Melanie,
My husband also hates peanut sauces (with a capital H) but loves this recipe! If yours hates the cloyingly sweet peanut sauces used for dipping skewers (like in Indonesian cooking) or for summer rolls (Thai cooking) but loves peanut butter on toast, then you are fine with this recipe since this sauce is completely different and not sweet. This peanut sauce is spicy, acidic and savory and has lots of umami from the soy sauce. If he simply hates peanut butter then you could swap 1 or 2 tablespoons of the peanut butter for almond butter or tahini. Let me know how it turns out!
Delicious karyl,thank you for sharing
I’m not even remotely vegan, but damn this looks delicious! Will have to try it out
I made these noodles for lunch and they turned out delicious! I didn’t have chili oil, so I used some chili garlic sauce instead. My mushrooms were also iffy, so I used Beyond Beef crumbles in place of them. Overall, good recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this for dinner. Halved the recipe and it turned out perfect.. YUM! Will definitely make this again!
Thank you Jen! 🙂
Delicious!
Thank you Michelle!
I really want to try this tonight, but I forgot to buy mushrooms! 🙁 Could I substitute anything?
Hi Sarah,
This happens to me all the time, go the grocery store and get everything but one ingredient! It’s become sort of a joke in my house, my husband asking me, as soon as I get back from shopping, if he needs to go to the store to get the missing ingredient, ha! If you’re not vegetarian, I would suggest substituting with a protein like ground chicken or beef. Or if you have vegan ground meat that would also work. Otherwise, dicing up a bunch of veggies might also work. 🙂
I just made this too and we loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
Can’t wait to make this it looks amazing! Quick question is it necessary to mince the garlic and ginger if they’re going into the blender anyway?
Hi Xyz!
I prefer to do it because the ginger can sometimes come out stringy if it’s throw into the blender in chunks. But that’s up to you, if you haven’t had any bad experiences you can totally do it your way!
I just cooked this dish…It came out just like the picture and it taste as good as it looks..my family loves it
Wonderful! So glad it did and that your whole family enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Love this veganized take!!! It looks and sounds fantastic!
Thank you Rebecca! I hope you like it, we LOVE this dish!
I LOVE sichuan food and am all about that numbing spice 🙂 I’m so excited to find a veg version of this dish – totally checking out the test of your site ASAP too. 🙂
I was wondering, if one DID wish to add the sichuan peppercorn, how much and at what step would you do so?
Thanks so much!
Hi Rowan, I would suggest soaking about 1 or 2 teaspoons in warm water for about 30 minutes soften them, and add them together with the tofu 🙂