Slurpy and chewy, you'll keep coming back to this easy and simple sesame noodles recipe again and again. These Asian-inspired sesame oil noodles using spaghetti is ready in under 20 minutes. Delicious cold or hot, they're great for lunches and meal prep!

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These sesame noodles were inspired by Chinese-American restaurant buffet noodles we had that were slurpy, chewy and delicious.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

If you have these ingredients (or easy substitutions) on hand, you can make these sesame noodles in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Simple Sesame Noodles Recipe: spaghetti, scallions, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, mirin, soy sauce and olive oil (optional)

Spaghetti pasta (yes, normal spaghetti!) - The same spaghetti noodles you would use to make Italian spaghetti work beautifully in this dish.
Toasted sesame oil - Toasted sesame has the most amazing aroma. It's really key to the yumminess of this recipe. Use it if you can.
Mirin - Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine. It is easy to find in the Asian section of a well-stocked grocery store. You can also find mirin online. We use it for many of our homemade Asian dishes, as it adds complex flavor and sweetness.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

Spaghetti - Switch up the noodles by using rice noodles or linguini. If you have a long pasta that you like and will hold up to sauce, feel free to try it in this recipe.
Olive oil - sub with more sesame oil or, for oil-free, use some reserved pasta water instead.
Soy sauce - sub with tamari or coconut aminos
Mirin - sub with a little less agave nectar (or sugar) and a touch of rice vinegar
Toasted sesame oil - If you have toasted sesame oil, use it. It really makes this dish. But, if you don't have it, sub with more olive oil or some reserved pasta water and extra toasted sesame seeds.
Sriracha hot sauce - sub with chili garlic sauce or your favorite hot sauce to switch up the flavors. If you don't want any spiciness, skip the sriracha.

Switch things up with these variation ideas!

Round it out - Add in diced bell pepper, grated carrot and baked tofu cubes to make this a full meal all by itself.
Garlic Ginger Sesame Noodles - Add minced/crushed garlic and ginger to sauce for extra pop of flavor.
Love spicy? - Instead of sriracha, add chili garlic sauce, general tso's sauce or your favorite hot sauce to switch up the flavors.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1: Cook your spaghetti, according to the package instructions. Drain well, but do not rinse. Toss in olive oil, if using.

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sriracha, sesame seeds and sliced green onions/scallions. Add to spaghetti and mix well with tongs.

Serving: Serve garnished with extra toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

These slurpy sesame noodles can be eaten cold or warm, making them a fantastic option for picnics, meal prep, school or work lunches.

Pair them with a protein like sweet chili air fryer tofu, stir fried veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, shelled edamame or charred cabbage.

☕️ Tea pairing

Oolong tea, such as Formosa Oolong or Coconut Oolong would be delicious with these noodles.

The Chinese have long paired oolong teas with oily dishes because oolong tea is thought to help break down oil.

These sesame noodles would also be delicious paired with a delicate, light and floral jasmine oolong tea or jasmine green tea.

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