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We love these 20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles on the busiest of nights. Homemade basil garlic oil with Thai red curry and frizzled scallions. All tossed with quick-cooking (and delicious) ramen noodles and ready in just about 20 minutes. Not only is this a healthy (vegan) noodle bowl, it’s delicious for nights you’re craving saucy noodles, but need them to be homemade – and quick.
Lately, my family has been requesting a lot of chicken fried rice or quick stir-fries with a Thai-style sauce. Anything with a little soy and a touch of heat is their favorite. I don’t mind because most of these dishes are pretty quick. But after making chicken fried rice for the third time in one week, I needed a change of pace.
Since they were still looking for something saucy and soy-based, I went the noodle route. Ever since I made chili oil noodles a few weeks ago, I’ve been into making noodles with an oil-based sauce.
They’re so easy to do, and always so delicious.
The noodles I’m sharing today are truly so super simple, but wow, the flavor is so delicious. I really wanted to incorporate some Thai basil flavors and use up all the fresh Thai basil I had in the fridge.
Thai red curry paste with Thai basil and a few dashes of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) is one of my favorite combinations. So I thought, “why not toss that up with some noodles?”.
These ended up coming together in just minutes and they really are so delicious.
The details
The oil is the heart of this recipe. The noodles are, of course, important, but it’s really the oil that adds all the flavor. You’ll want to start out by warming together the sesame oil and green onions (or scallions, or shallots…what do you call them ??♀️). Warm until the green onions are super fragrant and frizzled up.
Basically, you’re frying the onions in the oil, which creates a really wonderful flavor. Once the onions are frizzled up, stir in the Thai red curry paste. Allow the curry paste to cook a minute or so to really intensify the flavors.
At this point, I start adding the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes to a bowl big enough to toss the noodles in. Then add lots of fresh Thai basil. If your grocery store doesn’t carry Thai basil, regular Italian basil works too.
When the oil is ready, pour it over the garlic and basil. The heat from the oil will cook the garlic and you’ll immediately smell all the fresh basil.
The rest is simple. Boil the noodles. I love using Brown Rice Ramen (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real deal ramen noodles, but they’re much healthier, gluten-free, and vegan.
Toss the noodles with the oil and a bit of tamari, then serve them up warm!
These saucy noodles are currently the go-to favorite. You can even include chicken for added protein. Sautéed mushrooms or greens would be delicious additions too!
Looking for other fun noodle recipes? Here are some favorites:
Crispy Sesame Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Stir Fried Honey Ginger Sesame Noodles
Creamy Thai Turmeric Chicken and Noodles
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 376 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sesame or peanut oil
- 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai or regular basil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 squares brown rice ramen noodles, or 6 ounces rice noodles
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
Instructions
- 1. In a skillet, cook the sesame oil and green onions over medium heat until very fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat, stir in the red curry paste, cook 2 minutes.2. in a large bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, basil, cilantro, and season with chili flakes. Pour the hot oil over the herbs.3. Cook the noodles according to package directions, then drain. Toss the warm noodles and tamari/soy sauce with the oil.4. Serve the noodles with additional green onions.
I made this tonight. My 11 yr. old said it’s his new favorite recipe. I used an entire 4 oz jar of red curry sauce. I used 3 T in the sauce. But, then after pouring over the basil mixture, I threw raw shrimp in the pan and added the rest of the curry sauce and some garlic. Then topped that off with soy. I also added cashews. I did the raw cashews, toasted.
I think I am going to just keep all these ingredients on hand at all times now! I may even start growing basil year round. It seems to be one of the shortage items. Anyway….AMAZING recipe. And I love that I have something to use my sesame oil up on. I feel like sesame oil just doesn’t keep that long! Can’t wait to make another dish of your’s soon.
Hey Nicole,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Have the best day:) xT
I could not find the ramen anywhere. Can I use stir fry rice noodles? (I’m totally new to this!!!)
Hi Susan,
Sure, you can really use any noodles that you like. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
how big is the cup ???????
Hi Aaron,
So sorry, I am not sure what you are asking? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Used reduced sodium tamari sauce and a little less than the 1/3 of a cup and it was too salty had to throw it out
Hi Jeanette,
So sorry to hear the recipe was too salty for you, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
YUM!! It was a hit with the fam. After reading comments, I reduced the sesame oil to a little over 1/8 cup since my ramen circles weren’t that big. I used 5 ramen circles. The basil and cilantro were a delicious touch. Added some pan fried honey & soy sauce marinated shrimp and a soft boiled egg. Will definitely be making this again.
Hey Alicia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight with fried tofu tossed in at the end, topped with a fried egg, accompanied by quick pickled cucumber, red pepper and snap peas. Huge hit! Quick, delicious, adaptable! Thank you for the great recipes and inspiration!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Delicious but way too salty
Hi Amber,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, sorry to hear it was salty for you! xTieghan
No mention in instructions of when to use the soy sauce?
Hi Bridgette,
The soy sauce is used in step 3:)
Loved this recipe! I did 1/4 peanut oil and 1/4 sesame oil instead of all sesame oil. Topped it with lots of fresh squeezed lime and a drizzle of honey. Chef’s kiss!!!
Hi Allison,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
I definitely agree with the other commenters – next time I would use a little bit less sesame oil and definitely about half of the soy sauce. I also added the juice of 1/2 a lime and about 1 T. hoisin sauce (which tends to be a little sweeter) to balance out the flavors. Overall, I really like the concept and I’ll just tweak it next time I make it. 🙂
Hey Christina,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback. Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
I loved this, didn’t think it was too salty. We added a bit of honey on top and it went very nicely. Quick and easy!
Hi Tess,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
This recipe was great. After reading the comments that it was too salty as written, I used about 1/4 cup coconut aminos and a liberal splash of Tamari and it was the perfect blend of sweet, salty, and spicy. Perfect with a soft boiled egg!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
The potential for this recipe is there – good flavors but agree with others it is too salty and too much sesame oil. I would maybe make it again and allow everyone to add soy and sesame to their taste. Added broccoli and bok choy.
Hi there,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
SO good and so quick! I added some steamed chicken from the Instapot!
Hi Kelly,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
First HBH recipe I’m not in love with – like others, it was very salty (I even reduced the soy sauce to 1/4 cup after reading other’s recommendations) – after making, I literally took about 80% of the dish back into the colander and rinsed it with warm water to get the soy sauce, and other sources of sodium off. I think I also cooked my onions too high and some were browned which gave it a very bitter taste – wanted to love this recipe :-(. Onward to the sundried tomato pasta with whipped ricotta for tonight!! On another positive note, recieved your new book yesterday, can’t wait to spend some quality time with it :-).
Hi Donna,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. I hope you love the cookbook!! xTieghan