These sweet potato glass noodles are a simple and easy Korean noodle dish that can be ready on the dinner table in just 15 minutes! It boasts gluten-free sweet potato glass noodles, stir fried vegetables, beef strips, and a sweet and savory marinade sauce!
Korean glass noodles, traditionally known as Japchae, is a simple yet super flavorful noodle dish, made from sweet potato noodles that are cooked until al dente, tossed in colorful stir fried vegetables and marinated beef strips. It’s the Korean version of a traditional Chinese chow mein dish.
The beef is tenderized and flavored by soaking in a sweet and savory soy-based marinade, easy to pop in the fridge at the start of the day to cook for dinner. As with most home-cooking, these sweet potato glass noodles can easily be adapted with easy ingredient swaps or additions to suit your preferences!
One of my favorite things about a lot of Asian noodle dishes is how they can easily fit into a gluten-free diet. Sweet potato glass noodles are GF friendly just like the rice noodles you find in dishes like pho and many stir fries.
If you’re looking for more noodle dishes, try this spicy udon noodle stir fry or add some rice noodles to this ground beef stir fry or our popular pork and cabbage stir fry recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sweet potato glass noodles are gluten-free which makes them perfect for anyone who has gluten sensitivities or wishes to try something different than traditional pasta noodles.
- This Korean dish is incredibly quick and easy to make. You only have to spare a total of 15 minutes in the kitchen!
- This sweet potato noodle dish tastes just as good the following day – ideal as a make-ahead meal or when you have leftovers to reheat. The noodles soak up all the marinade sauce and become extra flavorful.
Ingredients For Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
- Marinade – The marinade for this noodle dish consists of toasted sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, maple syrup, and cracked black pepper. You could use brown sugar instead of maple syrup for the touch of sweetness.
- Sesame oil – You’ll also need a drizzle more to add to the noodles to stop them sticking.
- Sweet potato glass noodles – These can be found in the specialty section of most local grocery stores, or you could source them from an Asian market or grocer.
- Beef – Japchae is typically made with beef strips.
- Veggies – This stir fry dish calls for orange bell pepper, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and spinach. If you use dried shiitake mushrooms, make sure to soak them beforehand so they plump back up. Yellow and red bell peppers are also good in this dish.
- Garlic – Preferably minced from cloves, although you can also use pre-minced garlic too.
- Fresh cilantro – To garnish the dish.
- Toasted sesame seeds – This provides a little added crunch to the dish as well as some nutty flavor. Feel free to use white or black sesame seeds.
How To Make Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
Assemble the marinade in a mixing bowl and add the beef strips to soak. Place the marinating beef in the fridge, covered, for at least 15 minutes but ideally overnight.
Boil water in a large pot, add a ¼ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and cook the noodles for 5-6 minutes. Drain the al dente noodles and set aside.
Heat a non-stick skillet or frying pan. Add the beef strips along with half of the marinade and saute for about 3 minutes or until browned.
Add the noodles and cooked beef in a large bowl.
Cook the vegetables in the skillet with 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Start with the peppers and carrots and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Next, add the mushrooms, garlic, and the white part of the green onions, and cook for 3 minutes, adding a splash of water to deglaze the pan and prevent the veggies from sticking. Stir the remaining marinade into the vegetable mixture as well as the spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the spinach wilts.
Add the cooked vegetables to the bowl of noodles and beef and toss everything together. Serve with fresh cilantro and a generous sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Marinating the beef before cooking it helps to tenderize the meat and adds loads of flavor to the dish. If you aren’t rushed for time, I highly recommend allowing the beef to marinate overnight for maximum flavor infusion.
- Only cook the noodles until al dente as they will continue to cook in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients and you want to avoid them becoming mushy.
- Some of the vegetables take longer to soften and cook than others which is why they are added in stages. Do not add the spinach at the same time as the carrots as the spinach will wilt quickly.
Variations
- Vegetarian dish: For a vegetarian version, omit the beef strips and only add the marinade to the skillet once the vegetables have cooked, but before the spinach has been added. This is also a great option if you intend to serve these sweet potato glass noodles as a side dish to a main meal.
- Other veggies: Broccoli, zucchini, green beans, sugar snap peas, cabbage, and red and yellow bell peppers can be used in this dish. Keep in mind that some veggies require more cooking time than others.
- Noodle length: Traditional noodles are typically quite long. If you’re not a fan of the long strands, either cut the noodles down to your preferred length or buy the pre-cut noodles that are about 12-16 inches in length.
- Meat: While this dish is made with thin strips of beef, you could use pork instead like in this ramen stir fry recipe.
- Soaking the noodles: I’ve boiled the noodles for 5-6 minutes until al dente. Some recipes suggest soaking the noodles in hot water for 15 minutes. You could try either of these methods and see which you prefer.
- Temperature: Traditional Japchae can be served hot or cold, depending on your preference.
- Spicy: Add a kick of heat by including some Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) into the marinade sauce.
Storage
Once completely cool, store leftover Japchae in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Leftovers are best reheated in a heated skillet or wok with a touch or sesame oil or water to prevent the dish from sticking to the pan. You could also reheat leftovers in the microwave, but this can alter the texture of the glass noodles.
More Korean Dishes To Try
Korean steak and noodle lettuce cups offer a fun and interactive way to enjoy sticky sweet Korean style steak mixed with veggies and rice noodles, served in crispy lettuce cups. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
If you’re looking for a hearty main meal, this gochujang chicken is the answer! This Korean-inspired chicken dinner can be cooked and ready for the family in just 30 minutes, featuring a takeout-inspired sticky, spicy and sweet sauce that’s irresistible over white rice.
Nothing quite beats the simplicity of this bulgogi kimchi rice plate, consisting of soy marinated meat that’s topped with kimchi and served over a platter of rice!
Korean Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
- 3 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
- 3 teaspoon maple
- 1/3 teaspoon cracked black pepper
For the noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil , plus a drizzle more to prevent the noodles from sticking
- 6 ounces sweet potato glass noodles
- 1 pound beef
- 1 orange bell pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 medium carrot, julienne into thin strips
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and green divided
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the beef to the marinade and place in the fridge, covered for 15 minutes to the marinate, or ideally overnight.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add 1/4 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to stop the noodles from sticking. Add the noodles and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente. Drain.
- Warm a non-stick skillet or frying pan. Add the pre-sliced beef with half the marinade and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes.
- Place the noodles in a large bowl, top them with the cooked beef.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in the skillet. Add the peppers and carrots and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic and the white part of the green onions for 3 minutes, adding a touch of water to deglaze the pan and prevent sticking. Stir through the remaining marinade and spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
- Add all vegetables to the noodles and toss everything together.
- Serve with fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I have always loved Japchae. I have stayed away from it because of the gluten in the noodles. I now have a new favorite recipe in my repertoire!
Japchae is traditionally made with sweet potato noodles which are naturally GF so you can enjoy without worry!
This was so good! Such a perfect and flavorful meal and it’s absolutely easy to prepare. I’ll definetely have to share this recipe with my mom cause I know for sure she will love it. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
The beef turned out really tender and flavorful and the noodles had a great texture. I decided to add a bit of Korean red pepper flakes for some heat and it was so good. Overall, it’s such a tasty dish I’ll be saving it to make again!
I didn’t have sweet potato glass noodles on hand, so I used rice noodles instead. It still turned out great! Love how adaptable this recipe is.
Made this yesterday and everyone really enjoyed it! I used some Korean chili paste to make it a little spicy!
This meal was hearty and delicious, I made it for my husband’s birthday. We really enjoyed it, and was simple to make. I added shredded cabbage as well, so good!