Vegan Drunken Noodles | Kathy’s Vegan Kitchen

Savory, sweet, and spicy vegan drunken noodles are a simple, few-ingredient recipe for making Thai food at home. Add seared tofu and your favorite veggies, and enjoy this vegan drunken noodles recipe.

When I’m in the mood for Thai food, I make my favorite vegan drunken noodles recipe. I love Thai food, but most Thai restaurants cook with a ton of oil. So despite having my favorite “go-to” Thai restaurants near my house, the best Thai food is the Asian meals I make at home. You will love this vegan drunken noodle recipe!

Tips for Eating Thai Food at a Restuarant

Although most Thai dishes are made with fish sauce, if you eat Thai food at a Thai restaurant, you must request no fish sauce or order a vegan dish. However, if you say “no oil,” most restaurants will accommodate your wishes.

Another quick tip is to ask if the Thai restaurant has a vegan menu.

Sometimes, there is a secret, hidden menu. For instance, one of my favorite Thai restaurants has just such a menu, which I ask for every time I go to eat there.  

Home Cooking vs. Eating Out

Not only is cooking at home a guarantee of the ingredients in your dish, but it’s also cheaper. So instead of going out, save money, and stay with this Vegan Drunken Noodles Recipe.

Making Thai at home is easy and healthier, even more, important than cost.  

The rice noodles, for instance, highlight this dish, and the tofu is used as a condiment. Similarly, the fresh Thai basil and lime juice cool down the Thai chili peppers, while the sweet soy and brown sugar add a sweet element.

It’s the perfect marriage between sweet and spicy with a hint of savory. 

Mild or Spicy

This vegan drunken noodles recipe is actually “drunk” with various flavors and spices. As a result, the rice noodles are hearty and filling. But, if you are spice sensitive, add the spicy slowly.

Tasting while you cook is a great way to gauge your taste buds. Remember, you can always add more spice; however, you can’t remove it once the spicy is added.

Preparing the Tofu

To choose the best tofu for this dish, always choose extra firm tofu. I only select soft tofu when making a dressing or pie.

So, when in doubt, get extra firm tofu. Another, even better option is sprouted tofu which is already pressed and much more firm. Sometimes, though, sprouted tofu is challenging to find.

Therefore, extra firm tofu must be pressed using a tofu press before cutting and marinating the tofu.

How to Press Tofu

First, carefully remove the tofu from the package, discarding the fluid.  

Then, place the tofu in the middle of the press and turn both knobs equally about four turns. I usually put the tofu press in the sink on its side, but I placed it on a plate to drain for this visual post.

1. Turn the knobs every two minutes, equally, until you have the result.
2. Most people stop here….NOT YET. Keep turning until the knobs are screwed as far as they can, almost to touch the end like this:
3. Although I have never tried this, I decided on this press to measure the amount of water I got from the bottom of the plate at the end.
4. The amount was ¾ cup of fluid.
5. Now, remove the press from the plate, and I give it another press with a paper towel for excess fluid removal.

As a result, the finished product is a little over 1 inch thick.

Indeed, correctly pressing the tofu makes or breaks your tofu experience. Moreover, pressed tofu marinates, cooks, and tastes better. 

Marinade Ingredients

• Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides an umami flavor to the marinade.
• Sriracha: The bottle lists the ingredients as chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, and xanthan gum. It is generally spicy with a tangy, sweet flavor, pungent garlic notes, and a consistency similar to ketchup.
• Lime Juice/Zest: The disadvantage to zesting first is that a zested lemon, lime, or orange tends to fall apart when you juice it. So let’s go with juicing before zesting.

Marinade Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose liquid amounts or Tamari for a gluten-free option. If you desire less sodium, choose low-sodium soy sauce.
• If you are sensitive to spicy, add a small amount at a time and taste before adding more.
• The best substitute for Sriracha is Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce. Any good hot sauce can be substituted if you want to match the heat levels. Tabasco is common, but try Tapatio, el Yucateco, Louisiana hot sauce, peri-peri sauce, Jamaican jerk sauce, gochujang, or harissa.
• Use bottled lime juice if fresh isn’t available. Add 2 extra teaspoons of lime juice if lime zest isn’t available.

How to Make the Marinade

Of course, the goal is to make marinade or sauce that absorbs into the tofu and noodles. The tofu marinade differs slightly from the sauce for the entire dish, so the flavors marry together in the end. As a result, marinating the tofu separately first is essential. 

1. Mix all ingredients and pour half the marinade into a large deep container to make a single row of tofu on the bottom.
2. Place a single layer of tofu on the marinade, then pour the remaining marinade on top of the tofu.
3. Seal and place in a refrigerator overnight.

Before cooking, combining the sauce and the noodles gives it the added absorption of the sauce. The sauce soaks into the noodles like a sponge and then cooks. Similarly, tofu already has its flavors, a marriage of flavors in your mouth. 

Tofu Cooking Options

Although this recipe calls for searing the tofu in a pan, some prefer grilling or baking their tofu.

Grilling

Grilled tofu, for example, has a harder exterior and charred grill lines. But, despite having a few more steps, grilling tofu is my favorite way to cook tofu. 

With this method, the tofu is cut into larger slabs to make grilling easier and cut into cubes after cooking. 

1. Preheat the grill to low
2. Place a grill mat on the grill (you can also use a grill pan; if you are careful, place the tofu directly on the grill.
3. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side
4. Remove from the grill and place back in the marinade until ready to use.  
5. Then, cut it into strips or cubes.

Air Frying

Another great and fast way to cook tofu is with the air-fryer. Initially, I didn’t want an air fryer because I’m “old school.” But my husband twisted my arm, and now I love my air-fryer. 

1. Follow the same pressing and marinating process. 
2. Set the air fryer temperature to 375 degrees
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket a couple of times through the cooking process.

Baking

When baking tofu, I use my copper crisper pan for baking the tofu. The tofu gets crispy on top, but it also cooks underneath. However, using a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat also works.

1. Follow the same pressing and marinating process. 
2. Then, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Place cut or uncut tofu on a silicone baking mat  or parchment paper
4. Cook for 15 minutes
5. Remove from oven and flip tofu over; cook for an additional 15 minutes. 

Drunken Noodle Sauce Ingredients

As said earlier, the vegan drunken noodle sauce is different than the tofu marinade.

• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is tangy yet sweet tasting.
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco because I often use it.
• Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides an umami flavor to the sauce.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is used in place of brown sugar in this recipe.
• Thai Red Chili: Thai chili, also known as bird’s eye chili, is a chili pepper that is ubiquitous in Southeast Asia. Its intense flavor is used to add heat and fragrance to foods.
• Sriracha: The bottle lists the ingredients as chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, and xanthan gum. It is generally spicy with a tangy, sweet flavor, pungent garlic notes, and a consistency similar to ketchup.

Drunken Noodle Sauce Ingredient Substitutions

• The closest match to rice vinegar’s sweet-to-sour ratio is apple cider vinegar.
• Try liquid aminos or Tamari for a gluten-free soy option.
• Use brown sugar or date syrup as a substitute for maple syrup.
• Serrano peppers are a common variety found in many grocery stores to substitute for Tahi Red Chilis. Or try chili garlic sauce.
• The best substitute for Sriracha is Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce. Any good hot sauce can be substituted if you want to match the heat levels. 

In my opinion,  Taste of Thai Wide Rice Noodles is the best noodles for many recipes. But more importantly, rice noodles are gluten-free, fat-free, and oil-free, high in protein, fiber, zinc, and iron.

If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Vegan Pad Thai,  Vegan Zoodle Pad Thai, or Panera spicy Thai salad.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• I suggest marinating the tofu overnight for the best results.
• Extra firm, extra-extra firm, or spouted tofu is the best for marinating and cooking.
• If grilling the tofu, do not cut it into cubes first. Wait until after grilling.
• When working with spicy ingredients, add them slowly and taste them to get the correct flavor for individual taste preferences.
• Serve with wedges of lime and cilantro for additional flavor.
• I prefer thick wide noodles, but any rice noodle works well with this dish.
• To reheat this vegan drunken noodle recipe, gently reheat noodles over medium-low heat in a large skillet until warm, adding a splash of water or oil as needed.
• Vegan drunken noodles will stay freshly refrigerated for 3-4 days.
• Rice noodles do not freeze well. 

Enjoy this quick and easy vegan drunken noodle recipe! Kick up the spice level for those who like it hot!

Great Vegan Thai Food to Make at Home

If you love vegan drunken noodles, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

📖 Recipe

Vegan Spicy Thai Drunken Noodles with Seared Tofu

Kathy Carmichael

Savory, sweet, and spicy, drunken noodles are a simple, few ingredient recipe for making oil-free Thai food at home. Add some seared tofu some favorite veggies, or eat these savory noodles alone.

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Entrees

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 416 kcal

Instructions 

Preparing the Noodles

• I used Taste of Thai Wide Rice Noodles.

• Rice noodles are much more delicate and fragile than typical spaghetti noodle.

• Place all your rice noodles in a wide mixing bowl.

• Bring 4 cups of water to boil.

• Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles until they are completely submerged.

• Stir to loosen the noodles every few minutes, so they don’t stick together.

• When they are completely limp, give them a taste to see if they’re cooked through.

• The flat rice noodles might take upwards of ten minutes, depending on thickness.

• Pay attention and test the noodles frequently because they’ll become mushy if they overcook.

• The noodles are being stir-fried for the drunken noodles, so you want to under-cook them.

• They will absorb more moisture and cook the rest once in the stir fry. If your noodles are perfectly cooked to start, they will turn to mush in the stir fry.

• Once the noodles are tender, drain them and run them under COLD water to stop the cooking.

Drunen Noodle Sauce

• Whisk Drunken Noodle sauce ingredients together.

• When noodles are drained and rinsed in COLD water, pour the sauce over the noodles before cooking.

• Stir sauce into the noodles and let sit while you cook the tofu.

Cooking

• Heat wok to medium-high.

• Add onion and garlic, and cook until translucent.

• Add red Thai chili pepper.

• Add tofu and sauce, and sear tofu.

• Let it cook before tossing it around in the wok.

• Add rice noodles and sauce to tofu.

Serving

• Add ¾ cup basil, reserving ¼ cup for garnish.

• Add noodles mixture to a bowl.

• Sprinkle with extra basil.

• Serve with a wedge of lime.

• Serve with a side of red pepper flakes for those who want to add more heat.

• I also serve Sriracha on the side because I like it hot. 

Notes

• I suggest marinating the tofu overnight for the best results.
• Extra firm, extra-extra firm, or spouted tofu is the best for marinating and cooking tofu.
• If grilling the tofu, do not cut it into cubes first. Wait until after grilling.
• When working with any spicy ingredients, add them slowly and taste them to get the correct flavor for individual taste preferences.
• Serve with wedges of lime and cilantro for additional flavor.
• I prefer thick wide noodles, but any rice noodle works well with this dish.
• To reheat this vegan drunken noodle recipe, reheat noodles gently over medium-low heat in a large skillet until warmed through, adding a splash of water or oil as needed.
• Vegan drunken noodles will stay freshly refrigerated for 3-4 days.
• Rice noodles do not freeze well.

Nutrition

Serving: 4gCalories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 11gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 483mgPotassium: 520mgFiber: 5gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 413IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 117mgIron: 3mg

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Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂