One of the easiest Japanese noodles that you can make at home is Udon Noodles (うどん). Thick, chewy, smooth, and utterly slurp-worthy, they are my all-time favorite. Udon holds a special place in my heart because it is also humble and comforting. While I often stock up on frozen packages of udon, I take great pleasure in making these noodles from scratch. It is a fun and fulfilling cooking experiment that even a beginner will enjoy!

What are Udon Noodles?

Udon noodles, or simply Udon as we would say in Japan, are a type of wheat flour noodle commonly used in Japanese cuisines. These fat noodles are loved for their springy, supple texture and neutral flavor. Udon noodles can be served in hot dashi soup made with kombu and katsuobushi (bonito flakes), or eaten cold by dipping in a soy-sauce based sauce called Tsuyu, or stir-fried with meat and vegetables. From there, they can be enjoyed with your choice of protein, be it chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. These noodles are also delicious with a great variety of sauces like curry, pesto, miso, gochujang, and more!

Kitsune UdonYaki noodlesCold Tanuki UdonNabeyaki UdonCurry UdonKake Udon (Simple Udon Noodle Soup)

Why Make Homemade Udon Noodles?

I’ve never made pasta or soba noodles (yet!), but I enjoy making homemade udon for these few reasons:

Fresh tasting and great texture – The texture of udon noodles sold in grocery stores are usually not of good quality. Not only the noodles break too easily, but they can be floury and doughy. Homemade noodles are chewy with an elastic toothsome bite. The freshness is simply unbeatable.Easy and requires 3 simple ingredients – The methods to make udon are very straightforward, and best of all, you’ll need only flour, water, and salt. No special kitchen gadget required – Unlike making pasta noodles, which requires a pasta machine, udon noodles only call for your hands, your feet (read on to find out why), and a sharp knife!

Sounds great, right? Just to be completely honest, here are two things you do need to know before we begin.

It takes time – To be exact, you need at least 3.5 to 4 hours from start to finish (which includes 2.5 hours of inactive time). Just like making bread, the dough needs to rest to relax the gluten.It requires your feet – No, I’m not joking. Because the dough is very hard to knead with hands, the Japanese have been using our feet to roll out the dough for many years!

My family devours these homemade udon noodles every time I make them. There are no preservatives and the taste and texture are much better than store-bought brands.

How to Make Homemade Udon Noodles

The ingredients and method for making udon noodles are very simple!

Ingredients You’ll Need

All purpose (plain) flour (中力粉)SaltWaterPotato starch (cornstarch) for dusting*

Yes, that’s it. *Why do we use potato starch (or cornstarch) instead of flour? The flour will be absorbed into the noodle dough; therefore, to prevent the dough from sticking to each other, it’s best to use potato starch or cornstarch.

Standard Udon Noodle Recipe Measurement

So, for two and four servings, it is as simple as: – 100 g all-purpose (plain) flour – 50 g salted water (5 g salt and 45 g water) 2 servings: 200 g all-purpose flour + 100 g salted water (10 g salt + 90 g water) 4 servings: 400 g all-purpose flour + 200 g salted water (20 g of salt + 180 g water) For the best result, please use a kitchen scale. I didn’t include a “cup” measurement (I’m sorry!) as 1 cup of flour varies depending on how you measure it. The flour is compressed while you scoop, so it will not be accurate.

Overview: Quick Steps

Make the dough by combining ingredients together. Rest for 30 minutes. [Inactive Time]Knead the dough by stepping it with feet.Rest for 2 hours (3 hours in winter). [Inactive Time]Roll out the dough and cut into noodles.

Enjoy Immediately or Freeze for Later

You can cook and the freshly made udon right away! But if you plan on using it for later, you can divide the uncooked noodles into smaller portions and freeze up to a month. Udon making is truly one of the rewarding and joyful rituals for any noodle lovers and home cooks. Give it a go and let me know how it turns out for you!

How to Best Enjoy Your Udon Noodles

There are a variety of soups, sauces, and toppings that you can enjoy with your udon noodles to make a complete, delicious meal. Below I have included some ingredient options for you to build your best udon experience!

Ingredients: cabbage, carrot, green onion, mushrooms, protein (beef, chicken, egg, seafood, and tofu)Flavors: black pepper, garlic, ginger, miso, sesame oilCooking style: noodle soup, dipping noodle, stir-fry noodle,

10 Important Tips to Remember

Tip #1: Use a Kitchen Scale

The kitchen scale these days is about $10 and it’s effortless to measure ingredients in metrics. And, zero error! If ten people use a kitchen scale to measure flour, everyone gets the same amount, and you know it’s almost impossible with a cup measurement.

Tip #2: Don’t adjust the amount of salt

There are a few reasons, but salt plays a key role in tightening the gluten in the flour and increasing the elasticity of the dough. Don’t worry, the noodles will release some salt while cooking in unsalted water and they won’t be salty. Trust me!

Tip #3: Evenly distribute salted water

When adding salted water to mix with the flour, you want to go slow and steady and make sure to distribute it evenly into all parts. This helps to achieve a consistent elasticity of the dough.

Tip #4: Try not to add more water

This is probably the MOST IMPORTANT TIP. Bear in mind that the udon dough is tough and hard. If you feel like you can use a rolling pin or hands to knead, then I think you probably added more water than you should. If you really struggle to combine the dough mixture into a ball, you can add a very little amount of water but do so with care. Avoid adding more if possible.

Tip #5: Get a large plastic bag

I try not to use plastic bags, but for this instance, it is a very helpful tool, especially when we have to step on them with our feet. Get a 2-gallon bag for this recipe. No, those 1-gallon ones are way too small.

Tip #6: Do not skip “resting” time

The same approach as bread making, it’s very important to let the gluten relax before you work on the noodle dough.

Tip #7: Step on the dough from the center

When you press down the dough, start stepping from the center with toes. Then spread the dough toward the outer edges. Just like how you would roll the dough with a rolling pin.

Tip #8: Knead until ear lobe texture

“Knead until the dough is as soft as your ear lobes” is a common expression in Japanese cookbooks and recipes. The dough should become pliable and softer after kneading, so you can finally roll out the dough with a rolling pin!

Tip #9: Roll out the corners of the dough

Ideally, you want the dough to be rolled out into a perfectly rectangular or square shape. That way, all of your noodles will have equal length.

Tip #10: Use a sharp knife

A sharp knife gives a clean edge to the noodles that lead to a great texture of noodles.

How about Making Pink Udon Noodles?

In 2015, I collaborated with other talented YouTubers for Tastemade‘s new “Hero Series“, and the star ingredient was beets which I used as a natural dye to make pink udon noodles.

Pink Udon Ingredients

200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour80 ml (⅓ cup) water 10 ml (2 tsp) beet juice (see below)10 g tsp kosher/sea saltpotato starch/cornstarch (for dusting)

For Beet Juice: Peel and slice a beetroot ½” (1.3 cm) thickness. Boil it in 1 cup (240 ml) of water for 20 minutes until the beet juice is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. You will only need 2 teaspoons of this liquid to color the udon. Follow the exact same method as the regular udon noodle recipe below or watch my tutorial video. If you are wondering about the taste of these pink udon noodles, you don’t really taste the beets.  My daughter LOVED these pink udon noodles. They are fun for special occasions, like Valentine’s Day or Japanese Gir’s Day or Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Do You Like Making Food from Scratch?

Looking for another delicious made-from-scratch cooking project? These Homemade Gyoza Wrappers are a treat! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 7, 2015. The post has been updated with a new video, new images, and new content in October 2021.