These super Creamy Tofu Udon Noodles with Minced Pork is a viral Tik Tok recipe famous for it’s delicious flavors and cheese-like texture! This dish is inspired by Chinese Mapo Tofu, packed with Chinese flavors and protein from the silken tofu.
🔍 Quick Look:
- What is it? Creamy udon noodles mixed with creamy silken tofu and minced pork.
- Why you’ll love this recipe: The minced pork is a little spicy and umami from the chili oil and bean paste. Mix this with soft silken tofu and you have a flavorful sauce for your chewy udon noodles!
- 🕒 Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Method: Frying the pork in a saucepan with soybean sauce and chili oil for amazing flavor! Then, make cooking quick by boiling your udon noodles while you blend your silken tofu (no cooking needed for the sauce).
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: The chewy noodles are coated in a spicy, creamy (you can’t even taste the soybean flavor), and super savory sauce inspired by the flavors of Mapo Tofu!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love trying new dishes with innovative flavors, this Creamy Tofu Udon is up your alley! The dish is inspired by the spicy and flavorful Chinese dish Mapo Tofu, so you know it’s going to be good! Especially if you love creamy asian-fusion pastas like Miso Carbonara or Japanese Mentaiko Pasta, this recipe is a must try without the cream and heaviness! Perfect for lactose folks!
Udon noodles are also great to have as a pantry staple. If you don’t have udon noodles, swap with ramen noodles or pasta. Ramen noodles like this Ram-Don soak up the creamy tofu and minced pork sauce very well! Best of all, it’s a healthier option that still feels indulgent, so you can enjoy it any day of the week.
If you’re searching for more easy tofu recipes, don’t miss my Tofu With Black Bean Sauce, Korean Braised Tofu or my Tofu Miso Soup—these are all must-try dishes!
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Key Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Creamy Tofu Udon with Minced Pork. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Silken tofu – the silken tofu texture makes the creamiest sauce compared to firm or soft texture tofu. If you have other types of tofu, you can still use it, but keep in mind other textures will make the sauce a little grainy (from the soybeans).
- Soy milk – this helps make the sauce more silky and smooth! I found that blending tofu without liquid can make the texture of the noodles too dry and thick. If you don’t have soymilk, that is totally okay, substitute with water, oat milk, or regular milk!
- Minced pork – fatty minced pork is usually used to make mapo tofu and the fat really brings lots of flavor to the dish. Other types of meat like ground beef can make the dish less similar to mapo tofu.
- Fresh aromatics like green onions and garlic is sauteed to bring out the gaminess of the meat and add lots of flavor to your dish. I highly recommend adding this!
- Shaoxing cooking wine helps take out the gaminess of the meat and also makes the sauce taste a little bit sweeter. If you don’t have this, you can substitute with sake or dry sherry.
- Soybean paste or miso paste is used to replace Chinese doubanjian (the primary ingredient for mapo tofu). I find this less strong and less salty than doubanjian but any bean paste in your pantry works, especially spicy!
- Chili oil – makes the dish more spicy and the fragrant oil makes the noodles extra silky. I recommend our homemade chili oil that has more of a Chinese flavor than extra spicy to ensure you have an umami flavor forward dish.
- Chinese black vinegar – the acidity will make the flavor not sour but makes the meat sweet when the vinegar gets cooked down. I highly recommend Chinese black vinegar only (no subs) that can be purchased at most asian grocery stores.
- Frozen udon noodles can be cooked in under 5 minutes and has a chewy texture. They are found in the frozen section at all asian groceries like Hmart and 99 Ranch that come in 5 packs. No need to defrost these noodles before boiling.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute minced pork with ground chicken or beef for a different protein profile. I would recommend a higher fat content minced meat because the fat brings in a lot of flavor in your noodles!
- Toss in stir-fried vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, or bell peppers for more nutrition and color. Also, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, nori strips, or a soft-boiled egg for extra umami and flavor.
- Don’t have udon noodles? Use what you have in your pantry like ramen noodles, wheat noodles or even pasta. I found that thicker noodles tastes best with the creamy sauce and meat, but anything you have works!
How to Make Creamy Tofu Udon with Pork
Step 1: Chop green onions and garlic.
Step 2: Heat pan on medium heat. When pan is hot, add oil, garlic and green onions. Saute for a minute.
Step 3: Then add ground pork and break apart so the meat is not clumpy. Add your shaoxing cooking wine and cook for a few minutes.
Step 4: Add your soybean paste, chili oil, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar and sugar to your ground pork.
Step 5: Saute and mix together until meat is golden and the liquid is evaporated. This should take 5-8 minutes. Once meat is golden brown, turn off heat and set aside.
Step 6: Cook your udon according to packaging directions until al dente.
Step 7: Blend your creamy tofu sauce in a blender by combining silken tofu, peanut butter, soymilk (can use any milk or water), and salt.
Step 8: To assemble, add creamy tofu sauce, and stir-fried meat on top of the udon noodles. Mix together and garnish with sliced green onions and some more chili oil. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Even if you find the tofu sauce watery, trust the process! The starches of the noodles will thicken up your sauce naturally and you’re left with silky noodles instead of a thick & clumpy sauce.
- Make sure to fry the minced pork until there is no liquid (from the sauces) so it’s nice and crispy. We want to make sure the cooking wine liquid has evaporated and the meat is cooking in it’s own fat.
- Use silken tofu so the sauce is not grainy. If you use firm or extra firm, the sauce will be less smooth! If you have extra leftover tofu, make some Egg Drop Soup!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can skip the pork and use beef, chicken or vegetarian minced meat. Depending on the fat content of your meat, the meat will be more water-y and less crispy when pan-fried. If you’re looking for a vegetarian dish, try my Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce.
Make sure to blend the silken tofu well with the milk and peanut butter. The sauce may look watery but don’t be fooled! The starches from the noodles will thicken up the sauce super quickly and you will be left with the perfect sauce consistency.
Yes, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for an extra day of days. Reheat gently on the stove or microwave, adding a splash of water in the container to ensure that the sauce is not too thick. I recommend eating the noodles fresh so the noodles don’t get mushy the next day.
A perfect pairing for this udon noodle tofu dish is something light and fresh—like Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce, Har Gow – Shrimp Dumplings, a side of Easy Tofu Miso Soup or pickled veggies.
Creamy Tofu Udon Noodles with Minced Pork
Ingredients
creamy tofu sauce:
- 1 box silken tofu
- ¼ cup soy milk (can sub with milk, nut milk of choice, or water)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
stir-fried pork:
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 1 pound minced pork
- 1 chopped green onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon soybean paste or miso
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
assemble:
- 2 packs frozen udon noodles
- tofu sauce (to taste) I like half cup sauce per pack of noodle
- stir-fried pork (to taste)
- sliced green onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Chop green onions and garlic.
- Heat pan on medium heat. When pan is hot, add oil, garlic and green onions. Saute for a minute.
- Then add ground pork and break apart so the meat is not clumpy. Add your shaoxing cooking wine and cook for a few minutes.
- Add your soybean paste, chili oil, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar and sugar to your ground pork.
- Saute and mix together until meat is golden and the liquid is evaporated. This should take 5-8 minutes. Once meat is golden brown, turn off heat and set aside.
- Cook your udon according to packaging directions until al dente.
- Blend your creamy tofu sauce in a blender by combining silken tofu, peanut butter, soymilk (can use any milk or water), and salt.
- To assemble, add tofu sauce, and stir-fried meat on top of the udon noodles. Mix together and garnish with sliced green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Even if you find the tofu sauce watery, trust the process! The starches of the noodles will thicken up your sauce naturally and you’re left with silky noodles instead of a thick & clumpy sauce.
- Make sure to fry the minced pork until there is no liquid (from the sauces) so it’s nice and crispy. We want to make sure the cooking wine liquid has evaporated and the meat is cooking in it’s own fat.
- Use silken tofu so the sauce is not grainy. If you use firm or extra firm, the sauce will be less smooth! If you have extra leftover tofu, make some Egg Drop Soup!
Sam Lee says
Tried this recipe, and it turned out amazing! The tofu sauce was smooth and creamy, while the ground pork with chili oil added a deliciously savory punch!