How To Make 30-Minute Vegetarian Udon Noodle Soup Recipe

If you are a vegan and want to try udon, you might face the challenge of it containing animal-derived ingredients. Typically, udon is made with dashi soup stock, which contains dried bonito flakes. Additionally, udon is often served with ingredients like meat, seafood and eggs. If you’re looking to eschew these ingredients and want a hearty vegetarian udon dish, this article is the perfect guide.

In this article, we are going to introduce vegetarian udon with bok choy and other vegan-friendly ingredients.

We chose bok choy for its crunchiness, which adds a nice balance to the dish and offers a variety of textures in each bite. To preserve the texture and enhance its flavor, it is quickly stir-fried with sesame oil. The key to making the bok choy topping is speed.

We also chose wakame seaweed, Japanese leek and deep-fried tofu cutlet (atsuage) as additional toppings.

The atsuage provides a good source of protein. It’s grilled in the toaster oven to make it crispier. If you can’t find atsuage, you can substitute it with regular tofu or deep-fried tofu (aburaage).

For the dashi, we are using dried kombu seaweed. Usually, dashi soup used for udon is made with both dried kombu and bonito flakes. However, in this recipe, we use only kombu, which gives a mild yet elegant flavor and provides umami to the dish.

Vegetarian udon is a comforting and flexible dish that works well for both quick lunches and light dinners. By using kombu-based dashi instead of bonito flakes, this recipe keeps the soup fully vegetarian while still delivering deep umami flavor. Kombu creates a clean, subtle broth that pairs perfectly with soy sauce and mirin, allowing each ingredient to shine without feeling heavy.

This recipe is also highly customizable. You can easily switch vegetables depending on the season or what you have on hand. Mushrooms, spinach, napa cabbage, or carrots all work well. The combination of crisp bok choy, savory wakame, and golden grilled atsuage provides a satisfying balance of texture, flavor, and plant-based protein.

Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, or simply looking for a lighter Japanese meal, this udon noodle soup is an easy and reliable option you can return to again and again.

Why not try this vegetarian udon for a quick lunch? And feel free to let us know in the comments below what vegan ingredients you prefer to combine with udon!

Want more vegetarian recipes? Try these recipes next: Mushroom Tempura (Vegan & Vegetarian), Ganmodoki (Japanese Fried Tofu Patties), Eggplant Unagi-Style Don (Vegan Kabayaki Sauce), Tofu Katsu Curry (Vegan Japanese Curry) and more!