Easy Vegan Udon Noodle Soup Recipe with Homemade Broth

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This simple Vegan Udon Soup recipe is an easy base recipe to make your own with a flavorful kombu-shiitake and leek stock, crunchy vegetables, and thick, chewy udon noodles. A comforting dish that everyone will love. 

vegan udon soup in a white bowl

What Makes This Recipe Great

There’s nothing like tucking into a piping hot bowl of homemade Vegan Udon Noodle Soup. With the savory kelp broth, colorful vegetable toppings, and soft noodles, udon is both comfort food and health food. A win-win!

And if it sounds intimidating to make at home, I have good news for you: it’s easier than you think to make comforting, plant-based udon at home. This recipe includes homemade broth, toppings, and chewy noodles with minimal effort. 

If you love my Vegan Dduk Guk: Korean Rice Cake Soup and Mushroom Zoodle Soup, then this recipe is for you. Enjoy!

How to Make Vegan Udon

This simple vegan soup has three components:

  • Kombu-shiitake broth
  • Fresh veggies
  • Udon noodles

The most important step is to make the broth. Then, you simply soften up the veggies and noodles and combine everything in bowls to serve.

Note: Instead of cooking them directly in the broth, cook them in a separate pot of water. This way, they won’t overcook when you heat the broth, and the noodles won’t absorb all of your delicious broth.

an overhead shot of noodles and veggies in a white bowl

Ingredient Notes

  • Filtered water
  • Piece of kombu/kelp
  • Dried shiitake mushrooms
  • Large Asian leek stem
  • Gluten free soy sauce
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Sugar: You can use brown sugar, maple syrup, or white sugar. 
  • Frozen udon noodles: I use frozen udon noodles for this recipe, which are pre-cooked noodles, but you can use fresh udon noodles if desired. Find them at your local Asian market or at some larger grocery stores. 
  • Toppings: Sliced carrot, sliced lotus root, shimeji mushrooms, scallions/green onions, and togarashi. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Soak kombu and shiitake mushrooms in water overnight (for maximum flavour) or at least half an hour. Remove mushrooms, transfer liquids into a pot, and add your leek and carrots.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, lower to a simmer for 5 minutes, and remove kelp. Add gluten-free soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  3. Quickly blanch mushrooms, lotus root, and any other additional toppings in boiling water. Alternatively, you can season and sauté in a large skillet!
  4. Prepare noodles according to package directions. If using from refrigerated or frozen, boil water and cook for 2-3 minutes to defrost. Do not overcook, as the noodles will break!
  5. Add broth to a bowl along with cooked noodles. Arrange toppings and garnish with sliced scallions and togarashi to taste if desired.
a bowl filled with vegan udon soup and a white soup spoon.

Vegan Kombu Dashi Broth for Udon Noodle Soup

If making your own broth sounds like a lot of work, don’t worry. This vegan vegetable broth is much simpler and faster than bone broths. In fact, you can make the entire recipe, including soaking, in less than an hour.

However, I recommend soaking the dried kombu and shiitake mushrooms overnight. They’ll give up a ton of flavor for your soup. In a pinch, a half-hour soak will do.

Then, to make the broth, bring everything to a simmer, remove the kombu and mushrooms, and season your stock with soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar.

Tip: You can easily make a big batch of stock and use it for healthy vegan soups and more. It freezes well, too!

What is Kombu?

Kombu is actually a type of seaweed. It’s sold dried-in sheets. Kombu is a central ingredient in Japanese cooking because it’s the base of dashi. Kombu dashi is a simple broth that’s served in soups, turned into sauces, and more in many Japanese recipes.

However, traditional dashi isn’t vegan because it’s made with bonito, which are dried fish flakes. That’s why I use dried shiitake mushrooms in this udon recipe to bring all of the umami goodness. My vegan dashi broth is full of umami flavor and just as delicious as the original! 

Is Udon Gluten-Free?

Udon noodles are typically made with wheat flour and, therefore, not gluten-free. However, you can swap out the wheat noodles for 100% buckwheat soba, which is naturally gluten-free. There are some rice-based gluten-free udon noodles you can purchase, but they are thinner and lack the same thick chewiness. 

As long as you use gluten-free noodles (and use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari), this recipe is celiac-friendly because the broth is gluten-free. It’s also naturally oil-free!

Vegan Udon Toppings

You can use any fresh vegetables that you like in this soup recipe. I love the color combo of carrots, lotus root, mushrooms, and scallions. You can use any variety of mushrooms. If you choose to saute instead of blanch, feel free to season with salt and black pepper, garlic, and saute in your favorite oil. 

Other vegan udon toppings that work well include:

  • Shredded cabbage (napa cabbage or green cabbage)
  • Thinly sliced onion
  • Daikon radishes
  • Snow peas
  • Bell Peppers
  • Extra-firm tofu for added protein (Stir-fry first to cook, and then add the crispy tofu to your dish.)

Storage Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over the stovetop or in the microwave. 

More Favorite Vegan Noodle Recipes

Vegan Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stirfry)

Vegan Tofu Chicken Noodle Soup

Oil-Free Stir Fried Noodles

Vegan Ramen with Gluten-Free Ramen Noodles

If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!

Easy Vegan Udon Noodle Soup Recipe with Homemade Broth

Servings: 1 serving
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
This simple Vegan Udon Soup recipe is an easy base recipe to make your own with a flavorful kombu-shiitake and leek stock, crunchy vegetables, and thick, chewy udon noodles. A comforting dish that everyone will love. 

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 1 post-it note sized piece of kombu/kelp roughly 2″x2″
  • 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 large asian leek stem halved (use the white part at the bottom of the leek)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • pinch sugar to taste
  • 1 package frozen udon noodles or use a gluten free noodle option
  • Toppings
  • sliced carrot
  • sliced lotus root
  • shimeji mushrooms
  • scallions thinly sliced
  • togarashi

Instructions 

  • Prepare broth
  • Soak kombu and shiitake mushrooms in water overnight (for maximum flavour) or at least half an hour. Remove mushrooms and transfer liquids into a pot and add your leek and carrots.
  • Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer for 5 minutes and remove kelp. Add gluten free soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  • Prepare toppings
  • Quickly blanch mushrooms, lotus root and any other additional toppings in boiling water. Alternatively, you can season and sauté!
  • Cook udon noodles
  • Prepare noodles according to package directions. If using from refrigerate or frozen, boil water and cook for 2-3 minutes to defrost. Do not overcook as the noodles will break! 😊
  • To serve
  • Add broth to a bowl along with cooked noodles. Arrange toppings, garnish with sliced scallions and togarashi if desired.

Video

@veggiekins

Reply to @manucita21 The broth is #glutenfree & you can use gf noodles too 😌 #foodontiktok #veganrecipes #vegan #japanese #asmrfood#healthyliving

♬ Bath Time – omniboi

Notes

Vegan Udon Toppings

You can use any fresh vegetables that you like in this soup recipe. I love the color combo of carrots, lotus root, mushrooms, and scallions. You can use any variety of mushrooms. If you choose to saute instead of blanch, feel free to season with salt and black pepper, garlic, and saute in your favorite oil. 
Other vegan udon toppings that work well include:
  • Shredded cabbage (napa cabbage or green cabbage)
  • Thinly sliced onion
  • Daikon radishes
  • Snow peas
  • Bell Peppers
  • Extra-firm tofu for added protein (Stir-fry first to cook, and then add the crispy tofu to your dish.)

Storage Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over the stovetop or in the microwave. 

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @veggiekins on Instagram and hashtag it with #veggiekins

About Remy

Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.

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