Vegan Udon Noodle Soup

Vegan udon noodle soup, or kitsune or "fox" udon, is a classic Japanese noodle soup with thick, chewy udon noodles in a delicate broth, topped with sweet, seasoned fried tofu. The name comes from Japanese folklore, where foxes are said to love fried tofu. This vegan version stays true to the original, using a plant-based dashi for a broth that’s light but full of umami.

This vegan take on the Japanese classic is easy to make and full of flavor. The broth is light yet rich, and you can switch up the toppings to suit your taste—add tempura for extra crispiness and texture, or inari age for sweetness, like I’m using here.

Ingredients

Serves 2 | Prep time 10 minutes | Cooking time 20 minutes

For the inari age

• 2 aburaage (fried tofu sheets) – If you haven’t used these before, they’re delicious!
• ⅓ cup vegan dashi (recipe here)
• 2 ½ teaspoon sugar 
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce

For the soup broth

• 2 ½ cups vegan dashi (use the same recipe as above) 
• 1 tablespoon mirin 
• 1 ¼ teaspoon sugar 
• 5 teaspoon light soy sauce 
• 1 teaspoon sake 
• A small pinch of salt

For the garnish

• 4 medium leaves of Pak Choi 
• 2-3 spring onions 
• Shichimi togarashi (optional, for a kick of spice!) 

For the noodles

• 2 packets of fresh udon noodles (400g) 
• Large pot of water to boil (about 2 litres)

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the inari age: Boil half a kettle of water and pour the boiled water over the inari age sheets in a bowl. Gently dunk them for a minute to remove excess oil.

2. Drain and rinse the aburaage under cold water, then squeeze out the moisture. 

3. Place the dashi, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar.

4. Add the aburaage and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Tip: use a drop lid or small plate to compress and cover whilst cooking.

5. Once the aburaage is ready, let it cool, then slice it into triangles. At this stage, it’s now inari age since it’s been seasoned.

6. Now, let’s prepare the broth. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat gently until it starts to simmer. Then, lower the heat to keep it warm without boiling.

7. On to prepping the toppings: Thinly slice the spring onions and set aside.

8. Chop the Pak Choi leaves. I like to slice the stalks thin and keep the leaves a little thicker since the stalks are firm whereas the leaves are more tender.

9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles for 1 minute, gently separating any strands that stick together with chopsticks or a fork.

10. Drain the noodles and immediately divide them between your serving bowls.  

11. Divide the inari age slices between the bowls, placing them over the noodles before pouring in the broth.

12. Top with some Pak Choi and spring onions. I like these fresh but you could blanch the Pak Choy first, if you prefer.

13. Sprinkle some shichimi togarashi over the top if you like a bit of chili, and serve immediately while everything is beautifully hot.

Hint: Take your time with the broth, it’s the heart and soul of the dish. Taste it as you go and adjust if needed, but keep it light and be especially careful not to add too much sugar (which is easy to do!). If you want to tweak it, add a little soy sauce or sugar at a time, but go easy. A tiny bit can make a big difference.

Substitutions

• Gluten free - Swap udon noodles for gluten-free rice noodles and use tamari instead of soy sauce. 
• Soy free - Switch out the inari age (fried tofu) for fried mushrooms or vegetable tempura, and replace soy sauce with coconut aminos, Braggs liquid aminos or Noya sauce for seasoning the broth

Variations

• Make it spicy - Add a dollop of chili paste or a few drops of chili oil to the broth.
• Mixed mushrooms - Fry up some mushrooms, any mix you like - enoki, oyster, shiitake, chestnut, button, white caps… Once they’re golden and even a little crispy, finish with a sprinkle of lightly toasted sesame seeds over the top of your udon.
• Go green - Use a variety of green vegetables to top the udon. Choose your selection of greens and pan fry them in mirin, sugar and soy sauce - follow this recipe for soy seared pak choy - you can use the method with any green veg.

Storage

Vegan udon noodle soup is best made and served fresh, though you can store any leftover broth and inari age in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Noodles are best cooked fresh but can be kept separate for a day. Once you're ready to serve, gently reheat the broth on the stove before combining with noodles. Remember not to let the broth boil.

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

Choose some side dishes to serve with your udon:

Vegan Udon Noodle Soup (Kitsune)

Aaron Zahl

A classic Japanese udon soup with a delicate umami broth and sweet, seasoned fried tofu.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

For the inari age

• 2 aburaage fried tofu sheets
• ⅓ cup vegan dashi
• 2 ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce

For the soup broth

• 2 ½ cups vegan dashi
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 5 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sake
• A small pinch of salt

For the garnish

• 4 medium leaves of Pak Choi
• 2-3 spring onions
• Shichimi togarashi optional, for a kick of spice

For the noodles

• 2 packets of fresh udon noodles 400g
• Large pot of water to boil about 2 litres

Instructions

 

• Start by preparing the inari age: Boil half a kettle of water and pour the boiled water over the inari age sheets in a bowl. Gently dunk them for a minute to remove excess oil.
• Drain and rinse the aburaage under cold water, then squeeze out the moisture.
• Place the dashi, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the aburaage and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Tip: use a drop lid or small plate to compress and cover whilst cooking.
• Once the aburaage is ready, let it cool, then slice it into triangles. At this stage, it’s now inari age since it’s been seasoned.
• Now, let’s prepare the broth. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat gently until it starts to simmer. Then, lower the heat to keep it warm without boiling.
• On to prepping the toppings: Thinly slice the spring onions and set aside.
• Chop the Pak Choi leaves. I like to slice the stalks thin and keep the leaves a little thicker since the stalks are firm whereas the leaves are more tender.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles for 1 minute, gently separating any strands that stick together with chopsticks or a fork.
• Drain the noodles and immediately divide them between your serving bowls.
• Divide the inari age slices between the bowls, placing them over the noodles before pouring in the broth.
• Top with some Pak Choi and spring onions. I like these fresh but you could blanch the Pak Choi first, if you prefer.
• Sprinkle some shichimi togarashi over the top if you like a bit of chili, and serve immediately while everything is beautifully hot.

Keyword noodle soup, noodles, soup, tofu, udon, vegan