Yakisoba is a classic Japanese noodle dish with a salty, sweet and sour sauce. Made in one-pan, this recipe is so easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser.

Yakisoba noodles have become quite the staple in our home. We love ordering takeout just like the next family, but this recipe is so quick we can whip it up before a delivery order could even arrive.
These noodles are made with chicken, but if you are craving beef try making Beef Yakisoba instead. Also, feel free to omit the chicken or beef if you are a vegetarian! The noodles are just as delicious meatless or tossed with some grilled tofu instead.
What is Yakisoba?
Yakisoba noodles look similar to ramen noodles, but they are slightly different. They are made of wheat and best when stir-fried. A traditional yakisoba dish is made with thin slices of pork, carrots, cabbage, onions and a signature sweet and salty sauce. We love our yakisoba with chicken, but feel free to substitute pork if you so wish!
Ingredients for Yakisoba Noodles
- Red Bell Pepper – you can also use green or yellow bell peppers.
- Carrot – add some color by adding mixed colored carrots.
- Green Onions – if you don’t have any on hand, you can skip out on it.
- Boneless Chicken – beef, pork, shrimp, tofu or more veggies are also great options.
- Cabbage Head – green cabbage is the best in this recipe.
- Yellow Onion – you can also use white onions.
- Yakisoba Noodles – ramen noodles, sold in most grocery stores fridge section.

Yakisoba Sauce Ingredients:
- Sugar – white sugar will give you the best flavors in this dish.
- Soy Sauce – low sodium soy sauce will make the best option.
- Oyster Sauce – that deep flavor, such a great addition to the sauce.
- Ketchup – this will add a tart and sweet taste to the dish.
- Worcester Sauce – is a must for the recipe, it gives it a really great deep flavor.
How to Make Yakisoba
- Combine all your sauce ingredients together
- Prep your veggies and cook your noodles.
Note: some varieties come precooked and only need a quick reheating. - Cook all your veggies in a skillet until golden brown.
- Cook your chicken in a separate pan.
- Add your veggies back into your chicken pan. Add in the sauce and stir to combine.
- Add your noodles into the mixture. Cook for a few minutes. Serve!






Where to Buy Yakisoba Noodles
Yakisoba noodles are becoming so popular that you can find them in most grocery stores. If you are having a hard time spotting them, your local Asian specialty store will definitely have them. You can also order them from Amazon in a pinch.
As a heads up, yakisoba noodles are sold a couple of different ways. Sometimes they are stored in packages with water and only need to be drained and tossed in the pan. Other times, yakisoba noodles are vacuum-sealed and need to be revived by placing them in cold water to loosen them up before cooking.
Tips for the Best Yakisoba
- Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time for easier stir-frying.
- Use a wok pan to prepare your noodles if you have one. If you don’t, use a large skillet.
- Slice your chicken into thin strips for quicker cooking.
- Don’t overcook your yakisoba. This dish has a tendency to dry out if stir-fried too long.

Other Asian Noodle Recipes
Asian noodle dishes are always LOVED in our home. Try your hand at making a couple other of our favorites:
- Beef Lo Mein – Most people LOVE chow mein, but have you tried it’s close cousin lo mein?
- Japchae Recipe – Korean sweet potato noodles are so addicting. I got this recipe from an old coworker and I have been smitten ever since.
- Veggie Lo Mein – This vegetarian dish is perfect for a light lunch or with a fried egg over the top for a filling breakfast.
- Spicy Korean Noodles – Craving something spicy? These hot Korean noodles bring the heat.
Recipe
Ingredients
Yakisoba Noodles Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 large carrot
- 1/2 bunch of green onions
- 1 lb boneless chicken
- 1/2 small cabbage head
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 16 oz yakisoba noodles
Yakisoba Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 4 tbsp worcester sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients together. Set it aside.
- Prepare all veggies for the recipe. Cut them into the size of your preference. Some noodles may need to be preheated in their original packaging. Follow the instructions on the box for the noodles.
- Cook all vegetables separately in a pan on high heat, just for a few minutes. This will add a golden color to them.
- Cook chicken in an oiled skillet until all sides turn golden brown.
- Add sautéed veggies and all the sauce ingredients to the pan.
- Add in noodles to the mixture. Cook for a few minutes and serve.
This was honestly just okay. I eat yakisoba ALOT. I’ve had it in Japan & and at probably a dozen Japanese restaurants. I followed this recipe to a T and it really doesn’t taste like any yakisoba I’ve ever had. And that’s not really a good thing. I taste the ketchup more than anything honestly. Definitely won’t be making this recipe again.
Hey Rachel, sorry this recipe didn't live up to your expectation. We make this version at home and it has been so loved. I bet one in Japan is amazing!
Made this last night and it was delicious. I doubled the sauce and added a little bit more noodles and veggies to have some extra leftovers. Will definitely be making this again 🙂
Thank you for the tips Anna, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I made this yakisoba noodle recipe but unfortunately my young children (11 to 14 y/o) did not like it at all and refused to eat it. My wife and I ate it but most likely this was a one-time make recipe.
Hey, sorry your kids didn't enjoy it. I totally can relate, my boys can be such picky eaters. 🙂
I am gluten free but want to try this. Do you think it would work with gluten free pasta? I would use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
Hey Lori, I think it should work but you may need to adjust the cooking time for gluten-free pasta. Enjoy
This was delicious! I made 1 1/2 times the sauce and added 4 oz more noodles. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before cooking. I seasoned the vegetables with all natural seasoning. I then added a little over a tablespoon of garlic to the veggie mixture a few minutes before I added it to the wok with the cooked chicken.
Thank you for all of your tips, Taylor! I think they will be super helpful to others. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I liked the process oriented approach and the way that each ingredient was cooked on its own before being combined. The flavor profile was unremarkable to our family's tastes. Likely we would use some subtle additions of ginger and garlic to energize it slightly.
Hi Kristi, thank you for your detailed feedback! I like your idea of garlic and ginger, that sounds like delicious additions.
I havnt made this yet but sounds delicious. But im going to add sugar snap peas to the recipe. Im a bid fan of sugar snap peas.
Thank you for recipe.
That's a great idea! Circle back and let me know how it went!
We loved the! Will double the sauce and add more pepper next time.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this and it is delicious! To be honest, it surprised me how good it was because I've tried recipes online and I ALWAYS have to "fix" the end result because it's always so bland. Not this recipe though. I did double the sauce since I like mine a bit more wet and it turned out perfectly. Would totally recommend.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Yakisoba really makes for an easy and delicious dinner.
I remember this recipe from Okinawa and have tried to replicate it. Usually it is made with egg but I don't see that on your list of ingredients. Is that a deliberate omission? I may have to try Worcestershire sauce, I usually use sesame oil.
I lived on Okinawa for 3 years and loved the yaki soba !! Best place on the island was a restaurant at the bottom of the hill to Futenma Marine Base (next door or close to David's Taylor if i remember correctly -- been about 40 years) I try repeatedly here in the US to find someone that makes it the "Okinawan way" I remember the best places used "flat" noodles and the flavor was out of this world !! I am looking forward to making this !! thank you
Hey Art, this is our take on Yakisoba noodles. I think every region makes it slightly different. I hope you love it as much as others. 🙂
This was a street food that I ate as an American 13 yr old in 1957! Adored it then and tried to replicate for years ... used linguine before Ramen was available. What I loved and couldn’t imitate was a crispy edge to the noodles ! I now. Order Yakisoba sauce from Amazon and use my griddle to finish the fry ! Very kid friendly for the grands ! Thank you for a recipe!
Oh, that sounds amazing, I love the idea of the extra crispiness. Yes, this recipe is super kid-friendly, super awesome for the whole family.
Are these noodles just Ramen noodles that you buy for maybe $2 a 12 pack or something else?
Typically I get Yakisoba noodles from the fridge section. You can see how they look like in the image of the ingredients.
yummy but tastes nothing like yakisoba 🙁
Hey Clara, glad you liked it. I guess everyone makes Yakisoba a bit different.
Really enjoyed the recipe although I doubled the sauce.
Albert, Thank you for sharing that tip, I think it will help others.
Can you suggest a substitute for ketchup? I’m allergic to tomatoes 🙁
Hey Joyce, you can skip out on it altogether. Maybe add a bit of sugar for sweetness.
So so good! And it's so quick to make. Plenty of flavor and color! Just replaced the 2 tbsp of oyster sauce with 1 tbsp of sweet spy sauce!
Awesome! thanks for sharing.
Haven't tried it yet but really want to! What kind of beef tastes good with this dish?
Flank steak, skirt steak, ribeye or top sirloin will all work great in this recipe. Cut the beef very thinly.
I will make this tonight and hope that everyone will love it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Keep me posted, hope it was a good dinner 🙂
Great meal - simple to male with lots flavor! The family just loves it!
Melissa, thank you! Glad your family loved it.
Love how filling this is! It's a great mix of flavors, and definitely going to be a repeat meal in our house!
Julie, this is so good to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Whipped this up for lunch today. Wow, so good. the flavors and colors were amazing.
Aimee, thank you! SO happy you guys loved it.
Do you mean cook veggies one by one or just in a separate pan from the chicken?
Depending on the size of the pan. I like cooking them one by one because they cook quickly and create a nice color.
When you say cook veggies separate, do you mean cook one veggie at a time or can we throw it all in one pan?
Can I substitute oyster sauce for fish sauce?
I think the flavor wouldn't be the same. Oyster sauce is a little different, I would suggest just skipping it all together.
I replaced the oyster sauce with one tbsp of sweet sauce and it was heavenly!
Zahra, thank you for sharing that tip. This will useful for others.
Made this for dinner tonight. My family really enjoyed it. All tho next time I'll probably add more sauce, the noodles were a bit dry to me and I used less noodles( 12oz) then what the recipe indicates. Yours looks more saucy. It still tasted good. Thank you, will make again!
Hmm interesting. I wonder why. Maybe you were cooking it on higher heat, that can have the sauce dry out.
Wow! This looks so yummy!!! Thank you very much for posting, Nataliya! Can I freeze this dish if we have leftovers?
I wouldn't recommend freezing it because veggies wouldn't be the same. But I am sure it wouldn't be terrible.