Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Ready in 20 Minutes)

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This stir-fried glass noodles recipe is packed with umami goodness! Featuring tender noodles, savory shiitake mushrooms, and a sweet-savory sauce, every bite is comforting and satisfying. It comes together in 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you’re craving something homemade!

Stir fry glass noodle with veggies in a bowl with chop sticks.

If you're looking for a fun twist on takeout, these stir-fried glass noodles are about to be your new go-to! And if you love easy noodle dinners, you need to try my chow fun noodles.

Why I Love This Recipe

Stir-fried glass noodles are one of my all-time favorite weeknight meals. They're quick, simple, and packed with bold flavors. Plus, everything comes together in one pan, making cleanup a total breeze!

The savory-sweet sauce, fresh veggies, and chewy glass noodles create the perfect balance of texture and taste. It's also endlessly customizable—add tofu or tempeh for extra protein, or switch up the vegetables to clean out your fridge!

As an added bonus, this stir-fry is completely vegan and can be made gluten-free by swapping soy sauce for tamari. Whether you’re meal-prepping for the week or whipping up a quick dinner, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Ingredient Notes

Here's a breakdown of everything you'll need to make stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables.

Stir-fried glass noodle ingredients laid out separately.

Sweet Potato Glass Noodles: These are also known as Korean vermicelli, cellophane noodles, or mung bean noodles. Look for them in the international aisle of large grocery stores or your local Asian food market.
Vegetables: The veggies are entirely customizable, but I personally love shiitake mushrooms, red chilis, carrots, red onions, and Chinese chives here.
Sauce: The sauce is my favorite part! I add fresh minced garlic for savoriness, sesame oil for a toasty flavor, soy sauce for more umami-rich notes, rice vinegar for tanginess, and brown sugar to balance the spice.

Substitutions

Noodles: If you can’t find glass noodles, replace them with rice vermicelli, soba noodles, or any other vegan noodle option you can find.
Veggies: Other great options include broccoli, baby corn, bell peppers, cabbage, baby bok choy, Chinese cabbage, spring onions, enoki mushrooms, and snow peas.
Oil: Feel free to use any neutral vegetable oil instead of sesame oil.

How to Make

Once you learn how easy these stir-fried glass noodles are to whip up, you'll be making this recipe on repeat! Just follow my tips for the best results.

Preparation

Wipe the mushrooms and wash the other vegetables. Peel and thinly slice the red onions, carrots, and mushrooms and chop the chives into 2-inch pieces. Slice the red chilis. If you prefer less heat, remove the seeds before slicing.

Mushrooms, red chili, chives, onions and carrots sliced and grouped separately.

Cooking

Step 1
Cook the noodles in boiling water as per the package instructions. The noodles should be completely translucent when cooked. Taste-test the noodles, then drain and rinse them under cold water. Roughly cut the noodles with a pair of kitchen shears, transfer them to a mixing bowl, and coat them with oil.

Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until golden brown. Stir in salt and soy sauce to enhance the umami taste, then remove from the pan and transfer to the bowl with the noodles.

Step 3
Back to the same skillet. Add more oil, and turn the heat down to medium. Sauté the onions for 30 seconds, then add the carrots and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.

Sautéed sliced onions and carrots with garlic paste in a wok.

Step 4
Toss in the red chilis, Chinese chives, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Mix it well, remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer the vegetables to the mixing bowl with the glass noodles.

Stir fry veggies sliced lengthwise in a wok.

Glass noodles with mushrooms and veggies in a mixing bowl

Step 5
Add brown sugar, rice vinegar and the reminder of the salt and soy sauce to the mixing bowl with the noodles. Toss everything together until evenly coated (use tongs to prevent breaking the noodles apart).

Stir fry noodles with mushrooms and veggies in a bowl garnished with white sesame seeds.

Step 6
Taste test and adjust the seasonings to suit your preferences. Garnish the stir-fried glass noodles with sesame seeds, and serve with a side of your favorite crunchy chili oil for some heat and extra flavor!

Expert Tip

Glass noodles absorb liquid quickly, which means if you add all the sauce at once, you might end up with a clumped-together mess. Instead, pour in the sauce gradually while tossing the noodles to prevent them from becoming overly sticky or mushy.

Also, I definitely recommend cooking the noodles separately and rinsing them under cold water before stir-frying to stop the cooking process and keep them from sticking together!

Cooking Tips

Use a Wok (if Possible): Not everyone has access to a wok, but if you do, it’s the best option for stir-fries. It handles high heat well, and it cooks the vegetables much faster on its sloped edges!
Prep Ahead: Before you heat your pan, make sure you’ve diced and sliced all the vegetables. Once you start cooking a stir-fry, things move quickly.
Adjust Seasoning to Taste: Since soy sauce brands vary in saltiness, always taste the stir-fry before adding extra salt.
Time The Veggies: Don’t dump everything in all at once! Cook the vegetables that take longer first (like carrots and broccoli), then add softer vegetables (like peppers and snow peas) as you go.

Stir fry noodles with mushrooms and veggies in a bowl with chop sticks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are stir-fried glass noodles gluten-free?

This particular stir-fried noodles recipe is gluten-free, but it will depend on the specific recipe. The glass noodles themselves are gluten-free, but you will need to double-check any additional ingredients you incorporate (specifically those in the sauce).

Do I need a wok?

Although helpful, a wok is not absolutely necessary to make stir-fried glass noodles. You can use any large non-stick skillet or pan that is available to you!

How do I prevent glass noodles from sticking?

After rehydrating the noodles, it’s best to rinse them in cold water to remove excess starch. From there, you’ll easily be able to add them to the wok (or pan) without them sticking together.

Storing & Reheating

There’s nothing better than having leftover stir-fry for lunch or dinner the following day (some might even argue leftovers are better!). Just follow these easy storage and reheating tips.

Fridge: Transfer the stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze leftovers, but the vegetables and noodles will be much softer once thawed. I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge, but they will last in the freezer for a few months in a freezer-safe container.
Reheating: Reheat the glass noodles in a pan over medium-low heat until the noodles and vegetables are warmed all the way through. Alternatively, heat them up in the microwave in 30-second intervals.