Best Chinese Noodle Recipes

Made of wheat, rice or egg, and ranging from flat and wide to thin and spindly, noodles are a benchmark of Chinese cuisine. We've gathered our best recipes – from stir-fries and soups to simply boiled and, of course, spicily dressed.

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Ching's Classic Beef Noodle Soup

One sip of this traditional Taiwanese soup is all it takes to see why it's earned a five-star rating. Ching stir-fries cubes of marbled beef chuck in the Chinese trinity of garlic, ginger and chili and then adds a hearty broth, allowing the meat to simmer and slow-cook until it's incredibly juicy and tender.  

Get the Recipe: Ching's Classic Beef Noodle Soup

Chicken Chow Mein

To make really stand-out chow mein, start with high-quality noodles. Ching recommends using shi wheat flour noodles ("shi" means "thin" in Mandarin), which cook in only three minutes. Toss the noodles in a wok along with crunchy vegetables and strips of spicy chicken for a few minutes and you've got yourself a "mein" dish that's as easy as it is healthy.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Chow Mein

Shrimp Lo Mein

Stir-fried shrimp, assorted veggies and hearty egg noodles are generously coated in Kelsey's salty and spicy soy-sesame-oyster-chili sauce. Seasoned with garlic, ginger and scallions, this better-than-takeout dish is ready in little more than 30 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Shrimp Lo Mein

Fast Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

This Sichuan province-based dish is one of Ching's favorite soups, which gains its "sour" from black rice vinegar, its "hot" from plenty of chiles and an overall earthy flavor from shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to omit the chicken strips for a vegetarian preparation and add extra chiles if you want to amplify the heat.

Get the Recipe: Fast Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

Radish and Sesame Soy Noodle Salad

Bulk up this whole-wheat noodle salad with radishes and cucumbers, then dress in a minimal amount of vinegar-sesame-soy dressing. Consider adding dipping sauces, but with a topping of toasted sesame seeds, this cold pasta dish already possesses plenty of nutty flavor.

Get the Recipe: Radish and Sesame Soy Noodle Salad

Ching's Midnight Dan Dan Noodles

Looking for Chinese street food at its best? Try these long, uncut wheat flour noodles doused in salty beef broth and topped with hot, crumbly ground beef. With plenty of garlic, ginger and chili – the "holy trinity" of Chinese cooking – and speckled with diced cornichons (pickled cucumbers), this dish epitomizes umami.

Get the Recipe: Ching's Midnight Dan Dan Noodles

Dali Vegetarian Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Thin and tender rice noodles do a spectacular job of soaking up the deliciously nutty and spicy peanut-chile-sesame sauce, while the bean sprouts and Chinese cabbage add a pleasant crunch in this traditional Chinese side dish.

Get the Recipe: Dali Vegetarian Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Hot and Sour Fresh Noodles with Zucchini

With a mix of green, red and dried chiles plus a dash of tingle-inducing Sichuan peppercorns, it's fair to say these noodles are a bit more hot than sour, but it's that kick that keeps you coming back for more.

Get the Recipe: Hot and Sour Fresh Noodles with Zucchini

Vegetable Chow Mein

In Mandarin, "chow" means to stir and "mein" means "noodle," so this dish literally means stir-fried noodle. While this is one of Ching's favorite Chinese comfort dishes, it's actually quite healthy. She uses little more than a tablespoon of oil and one or two tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce to soften and flavor the dish's fragrant vegetables.

Get the Recipe: Vegetable Chow Mein

Mapo Dofu

True to its Sichuan roots, this dish gains much of its hot, numbing flavor from a spicy, salty bean paste known to be characteristic of the region. Tales abound as to where the tender tofu got its name, the most popular being that a "Ma Po" – or old woman with a pockmarked face – served the unique recipe to poorer workers on the outskirts of a highly trafficked merchant city.

Get the Recipe: Mapo Doufu

Crisp Five-Spice Calamari with Spicy Citrus Noodles

Ching uses vermicelli – a thin, translucent bean noodle that’s uniquely chewy – and drenches it in a sweet, zesty grapefruit that nicely contrasts with the crispy, peppery calamari that tops this dish.

Get the Recipe: Crisp Five-Spice Calamari with Spicy Citrus Noodles

Classic Shrimp Laksa with Rice Noodles

This classic Asian fusion dish seamlessly blends Indian, Thai and Chinese influences. Though Ching prefers to make her delicious coconut laksa curry paste from scratch, you can easily substitute store-bought yellow curry or Tom Yum paste (available at any Asian grocery) for a simpler version of the recipe that doesn't sacrifice the authentic flavors. 

Get the Recipe: Classic Shrimp Laksa with Rice Noodles

Lemongrass-Coconut Noodles with Spicy Chinese Meatballs

For a Chinese twist on the classic spaghetti and meatballs, Ching seasons pork and beef meatballs with salty fish sauce, garlic and chili pepper and tops them with a sweet, gingery, lemongrass-infused coconut sauce. 

Get the Recipe: Lemongrass-Coconut Noodles with Spicy Chinese Meatballs

Beef and Black Bean Ho Fun

Don't be mistaken by this dish's cheery-sounding name – it's jam-packed with hot, hot, spicy flavor. (Three words: Bird's. Eye. Chile.)

Get the Recipe: Beef and Black Bean Ho Fun

Savory Sour Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate healthy comfort food, and studies show it really helps the body fight off ailments. Ching's savory and sour soup is sure to open up your sinuses with its ginger- and Fresno-chile-infused broth and fresh cilantro garnish. 

Get the Recipe: Savory Sour Chicken Noodle Soup

Shiitake and Black Bean Ho Fun with Crisp Pastrami

Ho fun, the Chinese name for wide and flat rice noodles, look like long, luscious ribbons when piled in a bowl. Here, they are the perfect vehicle for Ching's scrumptious black bean sauce and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. The crispy pastrami and chive topping truly sets this dish apart, but can be left off for an almost-as-tasty vegetarian version.

Get the Recipe: Shiitake and Black Bean Ho Fun with Crisp Pastrami

Longevity Noodles

You can have your noodle and eat it too. Embrace an age-old Chinese tradition and in lieu of cake, make longevity noodles at your next birthday celebration. The long, thin uncut wheat noodles are thought to be good luck as they symbolize a long and prosperous life.

Get the Recipe: Longevity Noodles

Soft Shell Chili Crabs with Mango Noodle Salad

Vermicelli noodles are perfect in a fresh and zesty mango salad and provide a balancing "yin" to the "yang" flavors and textures of the crispy chili fried crabs.

Get the Recipe: Soft-Shell Chili Crabs with Mango Noodle Salad

Italian Soba Noodle Salad

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flower (as well as wheat), which is what gives the noodles a characteristic grayish-brown color and unbelievably nutty flavor. Ching tosses these Asian noodles with classic Italian ingredients such as olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and olives for a happy fusion of Italian and Chinese cooking.

Get the Recipe: Italian Soba Noodle Salad

Singapore-Style Noodles

Cracking an egg over a mixture of chicken, veggies and thin, springy noodles elevates the rich flavors of this dish and binds the individual components together into slightly eggy, bite-sized clumps. 

Get the Recipe: Singapore-Style Noodles

Chile Crab

"Since I came back from Shanghai, I have had an obsession with crabs. Inspired by my trip, I invented this dish," says Ching. "It is not quite a traditional recipe and you may be surprised by the use of ketchup."

Get the Recipe: Chile Crab

Black Bean Steamed Scallops with Noodles

"My favorite sauce of all time is black bean sauce," says Ching. She loves it with poultry and shellfish, and it's perfect with this steamed scallop-and-vermicelli-noodle dish.

Get the Recipe: Black Bean-Steamed Scallops with Noodles

'Dragon Prawn' Noodles

"Dragon Prawn" is the translation of the Mandarin word for lobster. For this dish, Ching prepares fresh lobster with yellow Shi whole wheat noodles, which can be found in Asian markets. Egg noodles work well as a substitute.

Get the Recipe: 'Dragon Prawn' Noodles