20-Minute Beef Gochujang Noodles, cooked at home

Make tasty gochujang noodles fast, in less than 20 minutes. This unfussy Korean-inspired meal mixes ground beef with spicy gochujang chili paste, sweet apple, and basic ingredients from your kitchen. It’s a satisfying one-bowl dish that you can easily adjust to your taste.

Craving noodles? These beef gochujang noodles are the steady fix!

Made with leftover ground beef and fresh noodles mixed gochujang sauce, this dish is savory, satisfying, and has just the right kick of spice. A keeper part? You can customize it with whatever ingredients you have on hand!

Gochujang, a fermented red chili paste, adds savory, sweet, and spicy flavors to various dishes. Whether in ramen, meat marinades, veggie dips, or noodle sauces, its versatility enhances every meal.

If you’re interested in making more recipes with gochujang, we've compiled a roundup of recipes with this flavorful ingredient, so be sure to check it out.

Also, don’t miss our Korean ground beef noodle recipe. It’s mild and not spicy at all, using ground beef and cucumber to create a completely different yet equally savory dish.

What stands out

• Flavorful sauce made with fresh everyday ingredients.
• Nutritionally well-balanced one-bowl meal.
• Adaptability – Use any protein of your choice.
• Direct to Make – takes only 20 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You will need some lean ground beef, basic Asian pantry staples such as gochujang, rice wine, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. You can easily find all of them at well-stocked grocery stores, specialized Asian markets, or conveniently online.

For noodles, you can use any type of noodles—fresh or dried, they all work well. We went with fresh ramen noodles, but you can use udon noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles, or even spaghetti if that’s what you have.

How the dish comes together

1. Prepare Noodles: Cook your choice of noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Note: If using fresh wheat noodles (such as ramen noodles), rinse under water to remove extra starch, and coat with a small amount of oil to prevent sticking.

2. Cook the Beef Mixture: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir-fry green onion and garlic for 30 seconds, then add ground beef and cook until fully browned.

3. Add Apple and seasonings: Turn off the heat and grate an apple over the beef. Turn the heat back on, add gochujang, honey, and rice wine, and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

4. Combine noodles and serve: Drizzle sesame oil, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, and stir. Add the noodles to the skillet and toss well to coat in the sauce.

Ways to serve it

It is best to serve gochujang noodles immediately while hot. For serving, place individual portions of noodles in a bowl, top with shredded cucumber, and serve right away.

• Yield: 4 people
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 servings fresh udon noodles or egg noodles, see note below
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3-4 green onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 lb ground beef, preferably 90% lean. See note for vegetarian or vegan option
• 1/2 small sweet apple, seeded. See note for substitute
• 2-3 tbsp gochujang, see note below
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp rice wine, or 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 English cucumber, shredded

Method

1. Prepare the Noodles: Cook your choice of noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Prepare the Beef Mixture: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onion and garlic; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink and cooked through.
3. Add Apple and Seasonings: Turn off the heat. Use a fine grater to grate the apple directly over the beef mixture. Turn the heat back on, add gochujang, honey, and rice wine; stir to combine. Continue to stir-fry the sauce until it thickens, about 3 minutes.
4. Combine Noodles and Sauce: Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds. Add the noodles to the skillet and give everything a good toss to evenly distribute the flavors.
5. Serve: Place individual portions of noodles in a bowl, top with shredded cucumber, and serve right away. Enjoy!

Notes

For noodles, fresh options such as udon, egg noodles, or ramen noodles work great. But dried spaghetti will work too. We don’t recommend thin wheat noodles (somen) since they can break easily while tossing with the sauce.

If reducing the amount of gochujang, add 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce to compensate for the seasoning.

To substitute for grated apples, use 1/4 cup of apple juice or pineapple juice.

For a vegan or vegetarian option, substitute the ground beef with a plant-based protein or simply omit it from the recipe.