Dan Dan noodles, a Sichuan street food classic. This is a Taiwanese-style take. Numbingly spicy, nutty, and umami, this bowl is everything you wished in a bowl of vegan noodles, and more.

Dan dan noodles (担担麵) is an extremely popular Sichuan street food noodle dish. This is a Taiwanese take. It is everything you want in a comforting bowl of noodles — numbingly spicy, nutty, and umami. It is also everything you thought vegan food couldn’t taste like.


To replace the traditional crispy pork topping, I chose to use a combination of textured vegetable protein (tvp) and mushrooms. When dehydrated enough, textured vegetable protein becomes crispy and golden-brown just like the traditional pork topping.
Dan Dan noodles are not complete without a flavorful chili oil — it’s super easy to make at home, and a homemade chili oil will top any store-bought chili oil by ten-fold.
Looks really delicious!! I will try out this recipe, with tvp…
Tried this and LOVED it!!! Big punch in the face and perfect with pak choi
Tried this and have to give it 5 stars!! Loved being able to have a jar of sauce on hand ready to make dandan noodles.
Ahh so glad you liked it Ray!! 🙂 Good idea to prep the sauce ahead of time hehe
My mouth is on fire!
The flavours were incredible, but I’d highly recommend starting with half the chili oil, giving the sauce a taste, and going from there. This was a lot spicier than the average Dan Dan Noodle place in Vancouver – I had to sip soy milk between every other bite.
Will definitely make again, but with the proportions in the sauce recipe slightly altered. I’m a wimp!
Hi Laura!! Hahaha this was a fun read — I’m glad you liked it despite the heat!! Perhaps I should tone down the spice in my recipe too as I realized I am eating a lot spicer than most. Thank you for the recs!!
Me too!! So good, mouth on fire. I cut the chili oil as suggested (thanks Laura!). Didn’t add the bok choy which probably would have helped. Note: used
Tahini vs peanut due to allergy. Will make again…on the wimpier side. 🙂
I made this last night! thank you for the amazing recipe.
This, like everything else I make from here, was absolutely AMAZING!
So glad you liked them Tiffani!! =)
This is a fantastic dish. Looking forward to working through all you recipes.
Was bored and saw this on Instagram and it was amazing my whole family liked it
This was so good! Thank you for the recipe. As mentioned by others, I only used half of the chili oil and it was perfect! I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Hi! Just wondering if the 180 grams of noodles is measured dry or cooked? Thank you!
Hi Robin! It’s measured dry. Hope you’ll like the recipe!! x
This sounds A-mazing! And, so easy! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Is it ok to sub rice vinegar for black vinegar?
Hi Barb!! No problem, I hope you liked it! Rice vinegar will be perfect.
Omg! All the flavors! This recipe is amazing and I love the idea of having extra chili oil on hand. It took me a while to make, but I don’t have much counter space so that could be why. Also, its definitely way too spicy for me, but I’m a spice punk. I can barely eat buffalo sauce hahaha. However, I will absolutely be making this again. It’s truly a flavorful recipe.
could I chop up jackfruit to resemble tvp? Not a big fan of soy
Yes, jackfruit would be perfect!! You can shred them by pulling with a fork as well.
AMAZING recipe! My partner and I both loved it and look forward to making it again in the very near future.
Hey! I’m a little turned off by TVP. What would you recommend I use in place of this?
Hi Taylor! You could use crumbled firm/extra-firm tofu too, for an almost identical texture. Check out my “Fish Fragrant” Eggplant recipe for some details about the substitution!
I genuinely love this recipe so much! The flavours are amazing. I find it really hard to find easily accessible vegan asian recipes and this one genuinely fills me with so much joy
The best noodles I ever made. We eat them on a weekly basis und we totaly love them. I like to add pak choi or soy sprouts sometimes.
Tried this recipe two nights ago with slight variations, and once more today. These noodles really are incredible! If anyone is thinking about trying this recipe, please do, you will not be disappointed. I recommend also trying with a squeeze of lemon juice on top! Absolutely delicious.
I have to admit, I’m lazy in the kitchen. I only make the spicy sauce in this recipe and steam some veggies to eat on the side while my mouth tingles from the Sichuan pepper. Still, dan dan noodles have become a weekly staple in my home thanks to this recipe! For those that find the sauce too spicy, instead of reducing the chili oil, just omit the Sichuan pepper in the sauce and then individually spoon chili oil on top of the noodles if you think they need more spice. I also find that 200 gr of pasta is… Read more »
I did ist yesterday and it was awesome, but way too hot for european tastes (and I used less than half the chili)…🔥 🥵🌶 😂
This is exactly what I was looking for, for a while now… Had the chili oil I made a few months ago- it’s super spicy and now this… I’d say it was how pure happiness would taste, if it was food 😛
🥵🔥🌶