These garlic noodles taste just like the ones served next to your favorite crawfish or seafood boil at the crab shack! Buttery, savory and loaded with garlic, they only take 20 minutes and a few pantry sauces to make.
I usually serve them with lemongrass chicken or cha siu pork, and if I'm feeling fancy I'll make some Cajun seafood or garlic roasted crab too. Since these noodles are full of savory Asian flavor, they go with any protein you like.
Making these for the holidays? Garlic noodles are on my lists of 27 Asian Thanksgiving side dishes and Asian Christmas recipes, so check them out for more ideas to round out your table!
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😍 Why you'll love these garlic noodles
- Crab shack flavor at home: garlic butter, oyster sauce, fish sauce and parmesan, just like the seafood boil spots.
- Ready in 20 minutes: the sauce comes together while the pasta cooks.
- Pantry ingredients: if you cook with me a lot, you probably already have every sauce in this recipe.
- Budget friendly: regular spaghetti works better than pricey fresh egg noodles.
🍜 What are garlic noodles?
If you live in California or have been to a Vietnamese fusion restaurant, you've probably seen garlic noodles on the menu. We have chef Helene An to thank for them! She created her famous garlic noodles at Thanh Long in San Francisco in the 1970s, and her family later brought them to Crustacean in Beverly Hills.
Today you'll find a version of these garlic noodles at crab shacks and Cajun seafood boil restaurants everywhere, usually piled next to a bag of crab, shrimp or crawfish. My recipe is how I make that crab shack style at home: savory, garlicky, buttery and a little sweet.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients:
- Spaghetti: I really love using spaghetti here (see why below).
- Garlic: about 20 cloves, minced. Yes, really! It's called garlic noodles for a reason.
- Butter and olive oil: the olive oil cooks the garlic and the butter makes the sauce rich. Add more butter if you like.
- Noodle sauce: oyster sauce, Maggi seasoning, fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken powder, garlic powder and a little brown sugar.
- Parmesan and green onion: for topping. The parmesan is optional, but so good.
A full list of ingredients and amounts is in the recipe card below.
🍝 What noodles to use for garlic noodles
Some recipes call for fresh egg noodles, and I've tried them time and time again. They cost $4-5 a pack at the Asian market, they're easy to overcook, and they're so fragile they break and clump together.
That's why I love using spaghetti for this recipe. It's inexpensive and holds up really well while you toss it in the sauce. I'm pretty sure it's what a lot of restaurants in my area use too!
🦐 Variations
- Seafood garlic noodles: toss in cooked shrimp or crab meat at the end, or serve the noodles next to your seafood boil.
- Cajun garlic noodles: sprinkle in a little Cajun seasoning with the sauce for some heat.
- Extra buttery: add a few more tablespoons of butter for an even richer sauce.
- Make it a meal: top with lemongrass chicken, cha siu pork or crying tiger beef.
🔪 How to make garlic noodles
Here's how I make them. The full instructions and amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Cook and rinse the pasta: Cook the spaghetti 1 minute less than the package says. Save ½ cup of pasta water, then drain, rinse and toss with a little olive oil so it doesn't clump.
- Cook the garlic: Heat the rest of the olive oil over medium low and cook the minced garlic for about 5 minutes, until fully cooked and fragrant.
- Make the sauce: Add the butter and the noodle sauce and bring it to a simmer. Add the pasta and toss to coat, adding a splash of pasta water if it sticks.
- Top and serve: Top with parmesan and green onions and serve right away!
Hint: I usually don't rinse pasta, but for garlic noodles I do. Unrinsed noodles tend to clump together in the sauce.
💡 Pro tips
- Mix the sauce first: stir the noodle sauce together while the pasta water comes to a boil so everything moves fast at the stove.
- Go low and slow with the garlic: medium low heat cooks the garlic through without burning it.
- Undercook the pasta a little: it finishes cooking in the sauce.
- Save that pasta water: a tablespoon at a time loosens up the noodles if they start to stick.
💭 Garlic noodles FAQ
They're the buttery, garlicky noodles served next to crab, shrimp and crawfish at seafood boil restaurants. They are seasoned with savory sauces like oyster sauce and fish sauce, then topped with parmesan and green onion.
Garlic noodles are credited to chef Helene An, who created them at her family's restaurant Thanh Long in San Francisco. Her family's restaurant Crustacean in Beverly Hills is also famous for them.
I like regular spaghetti. It's inexpensive and holds up well in the sauce. Fresh egg noodles work, but they overcook easily and tend to break and clump.
Rinsing washes off extra starch, so the noodles don't clump together when you toss them in the garlic butter sauce. A little olive oil afterward keeps them loose.
Seafood boil, Cajun shrimp or garlic crab are classic. They're also great with lemongrass chicken, cha siu pork or grilled steak.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water or a little butter, tossing until hot.
🫙 Storage
Keep leftover garlic noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water or a little butter, tossing until hot. They're best fresh, so I like to make just what we'll eat.
🍜 More easy noodle recipes
If you love these garlic noodles, try my yaki udon, pad kee mao (drunken noodles), Korean japchae or spicy peanut noodles. Craving rice instead? My golden fried rice and hibachi fried rice are quick weeknight favorites.
Did you try this recipe?
I'd love to hear from you! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below, and tag me @thesavorychopstick on Instagram.
📖 Recipe Card
The Best Garlic Noodles | Crab Shack Style
Ingredients
- 16 oz Dry Pasta (I used Spaghetti)
- 3.5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoon Butter **you can also add more butter for more flavor if you prefer too!
- 20 cloves Garlic (minced)
- ½ cup Pasta Water
Noodle Sauce:
- ½ tablespoon Chicken Powder
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Maggi
- 1.5 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- ½ tablespoon Brown Sugar
Garnish:
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese + more for serving (optional)
- 1 stalk Green onion (sliced)
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Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and mince about 20 cloves of garlic.
- Combine the following ingredients in a bowl to make the noodle sauce:½ tbsp Chicken Powder, 1 tbsp Garlic Powder, 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce, 1 tbsp Maggi, 1.5 tbsp Fish Sauce, 1 tbsp Soy Sauce, ½ tbsp Brown Sugar
- Cook pasta al dente, about 1 minute less than the package's recommendation
- Save ½ cup of the cooked pasta water then drain and rinse the cooked pasta under running water. Add about .5 tablespoon of Olive Oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. *Typically I do not rinse my pasta, but I found that when the pasta is not rinsed for these garlic noodles, it tends to clump together*
- Heat a pan to medium/Medium low and add remaining 3 tablespoon Olive oil and minced garlic. Cook the garlic about 5 minutes until fully cooked.
- Add butter, and noodle sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Add cooked pasta, and mix together with the sauce and top off with parmesan.
- If the noodles are sticking together a bit, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved pasta water until desired consistency is achieved.
- Garnish with green onions and Enjoy!
Toni says
delicious and easy thank you.
Reece says
Just like kicking crab, Thank you!