10 Minute Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Saucy gochujang pasta made with creamy coconut milk, fresh garlic, and grated parmesan. These sweet and spicy noodles are seriously the most delicious thing you will ever make in 10 minutes!
Gochujang pasta has been a trending recipe on TikTok for a little while now. The popular recipe gets its creaminess from heavy cream and pasta water. I decided to give it a little twist and make the recipe even MORE accessible by using a pantry ingredient, like coconut milk, for the creaminess. To say I was blown away by the outcome is an understatement. If you’ve been wondering what you’ve been missing in your life, it’s this gochujang pasta.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
What is gochujang?
Gochujang is a sweet and spicy Korean paste, made from fermented chili peppers and glutinous rice. The paste is thick in texture, similar to tomato paste, making it incredibly versatile to use. Gochujang is perfect for soups, stir fry, and sauces, as it melts right in with other liquids. It adds an incredible boost of flavor to any dish with the ability to gauge the heat as it is very concentrated.
Gochujang is pretty easy to find these days, most grocery stores carry it in the Asian aisle with the stir fry sauces and Asian condiments.
6 Ingredients you’ll need
RAMEN NOODLES are my favorite to use for Asian-inspired pasta dishes, they’re made of wheat flour and cook very quickly. Packaged ramen can be found in the Asian isle of the grocery store, I love this brand.
GARLIC adds an aromatic component to the dish and compliments the creamy coconut milk and grated parmesan.
SESAME OIL is used to sauté the fresh garlic and adds a pop of slightly nutty, toasty flavor. I like to use this kind.
GOCHUJANG is the star of the sauce, with a unique sweet & spicy, deeply savory, flavor.
COCONUT MILK provides the creamy indulgent base to the sauce, the perfect foundation for the umami of the parmesan, and flavorful gochujang. Make sure that it is full-fat and unsweetened! Coconut milk tends to separate in the can and the fat will solidify to the top – so you want to remove all contents from the can (the solid and liquid) into a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.
PARMESAN provides a salty, nutty, umami flavor needed to tie the creaminess of the coconut milk and the flavor of the gochujang together.
My favorite garnishes
My favorite way to enjoy this pasta is with chopped green onions, for an added texture and flavor, and sesame seeds for a bit of crunch. Sometimes I get a little crazy and add some ground fresh chili paste (sambal oelek), which I LOVE adding on top of rice bowls too!
Chili fried egg
To chili fry egg or not to chili fry egg. I mean, for me this is a no-brainer. I’ve had it with and without, and it just adds another layer of yumminess and protein. I like to use chili oil to give the egg a touch of heat, but you can use any cooking oil in place of the chili oil.
4 easy steps
- Boil the water and cook the ramen
- Sauté the garlic in the sesame oil
- Add the gochujang and the coconut milk
- Stir in the parmesan and the cooked noodles
Tip for success: Some brands of ramen are thinner than others, and tend to need a thinner sauce. Reserve some pasta water to add in at the end to thin out the sauce if you find it’s a little sticky.
Substitutions & FAQs
what can i use in place of coconut milk?
You can use heavy cream in place of coconut milk.
Will i like this recipe if i don’t like spicy foods?
The spiciness is really toned down in this recipe with the coconut milk. I recommend starting off with 1-2 tablespoons of the gochujang paste, tasting, and then adding more to taste. I usually use 4 tablespoons and I don’t consider it spicy for my taste.
what is the best way to reheat the noodles?
Add a few tablespoons of water to a serving of the noodles in a bowl before microwaving. This will help keep the noodles from being sticky once reheated.
10 Minute Gochujang Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz ramen noodles dried
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk full fat *see note
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1-2 green onions for topping, optional
- sesame seeds for topping, optional
- fried egg in chili oil optional
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pan of water to a boil. Cook the ramen for 6-7 minutes and reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water before draining. Careful not to overcook! You want the noodles slightly al dente.
- In then same sauce pan, add the sesame oil and sauté the minced garlic for 1 minute. Add the gochujang paste and coconut milk. Stir until heated through, 2-3 minutes until heated through.
- Return the ramen to the pot and stir in the parmesan. If sauce is too thick slowly stir in some reserved pasta water, until you meet your desired consistency. Serve with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
- If serving with a fried egg, heat 1-2 tbsp of chili oil in a large fry pan over low heat. Let the pan get hot for 5 minutes. Once the pan is hot, crack 2 eggs into the pan, a couple inches apart. Cover with a tight fitting lid and let cook uninterrupted for 2-2½ minutes. Slide eggs on top of gochujang pasta servings.
