Instant Pot Dan Dan Noodles–don’t order takeout! Make this easy, Instant Pot spin on warm Chinese noodles with a savory, almost creamy sauce.
Instant Pot Dan Dan Noodles
I was honestly surprised at how well these noodles turned out! There are things I make in the Instant Pot that I know will work and then there are things I make that are total experiments and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and consistency of these dan dan noodles.
My version of dan dan noodles is a little different than what you’ll order in restaurants. I altered the dish to include ingredients that are more common and easier to find. I also used plain old spaghetti noodles instead of Chinese rice noodles which would turn into mush in the Instant Pot. Even though it’s different it’s still such a tasty dish. I think you are your family will all love it! I know mine did.
What you’ll need to make Instant Pot Dan Dan Noodles:
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil–a flavor enhancer with a distinctive nutty aroma and taste
- 1 pound ground pork or chicken–look next to the other cuts of pork at your grocery store
- 1 medium shallot, diced–kind of like a cross between an onion and a garlic bulb
- 6 garlic cloves, minced–I used my garlic press* to mince the cloves
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper–for a tiny bit of heat
- Fresh cracked pepper–for flavor
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth–you can also use 1 ¾ cups water + better than bouillon chicken base
- 8 oz spaghetti (thin or normal, whole wheat or white)–I used whole wheat angel hair
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped–I chopped mine with this handy scraper/chopper tool*
- 2 cups chopped spinach–I used fresh but frozen spinach will also work
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce–low sodium so the dish doesn’t get too salty
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce–find it in the Asian section of your grocery store. It’s kind of like Asian BBQ sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey–for a little bit of sweetness
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar–for a little acidity
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter or tahini sauce–to add a creamy element
- 4 green onions, chopped–to use as a garnish for color and flavor
How to make Instant Pot Dan Dan Noodles:
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says hot add in the oil and the pork. Break up the ground pork. I like to use this hamburger chopper tool*. Add in the shallot. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, cayenne and fresh cracked pepper to taste and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking (to prevent the burn message). Turn off Instant Pot.
- Break the spaghetti in half and lay it in a criss-cross pattern on top of the meat. This will help to prevent the noodles from clumping together. Press down. Some of the noodles will be in liquid but most will not be. Cover the spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach.
- In a bowl stir together the soy sauce, hoisin, honey, vinegar and peanut butter. Pour the mixture over the top. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 2 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Scoop into bowls and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
More Instant Pot Noodles Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Hoisin Beef Noodles
Recommendations
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Instant Pot Dan Dan Noodles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An easier, Instant Pot spin on warm Chinese noodles with a savory, almost creamy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 pound ground pork or chicken
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz spaghetti (thin or normal, whole wheat or white)
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter or tahini sauce
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says hot add in the oil and the pork. Break up the ground pork. Add in the shallot. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, cayenne and fresh cracked pepper to taste and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Break the spaghetti in half and lay it in a criss-cross pattern on top of the meat. Press down. Cover the spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach.
- In a bowl stir together the soy sauce, hoisin, honey, vinegar and peanut butter. Pour the mixture over the top.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 2 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Stir in the green onions. Scoop into bowls and serve.
- Category: Pork
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
It’s a good thing I doubled the recipe!!!! This dish is amazing!!!
Thank you for another successful dinner!!!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome! So glad to hear you all enjoyed it. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Karen, this is soo yummy!!!loved it, you really are the best, thanks for sharing!!! I love trying all your recipes.
This was easy, i had all the ingredients, family friendly and fast.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Carrie! I appreciate it!
Dan Dan Noodles were fantastic!!! The comment at dinner..”Can you double this recipe? Everyone needs to try this!”
The Karen
★★★★★
Heck yes! Double it!
This was excellent ! I used what I had on hand..Turkey instead of pork and kale instead of spinach , used up a bit of veggie broth..turned our 100% perfect… I will try Pork next time ..
Another winner Karen ! Thanks so much for all your hard work in providing your subscribers with all these amazing recipes !
★★★★★
You’re welcome Roberta!! I like that idea to use kale!
I made this last night. I used ground beef because that’s what I had plus I’m not crazy about pork.
I had printed the recipe and it didn’t say what to do with the green onions so I omitted them. I came this morning and saw the photo instructions. Duh! I should have thought of that. Next time because there will be a next time.
I will probably reduce the amount of meat or increase the amount of spaghetti. Also, I would cook it about a minute longer because my spaghetti didn’t get done. Either that or let it natural release a minute longer.
★★★★
Thanks for letting me know! I just updated the recipe to include instructions on the onions.
Thank you!
I just made this tonight and my family agrees, it’s delicious and is going into the regular rotation!
Thank you so much!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Donna! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Delicious! I made this tonight and was a big hit at our house. I did add fresh ginger and found that the noodles needed 3 minutes in the instant pot. Thanks for something different!
★★★★★
Ohhh Jill, fresh ginger is an excellent idea.
Fresh ginger is a terrific idea! Thanks Jill!
These are not even close to Dan Dan noodles. Take the time to find Chiankiang vinegar, sui mi ya cai (preserved vegetable) and Sichuan peppercorn. All are easily found online. BTW, rice noodles are not used in these noodles, any thin wheat noodles like spaghetti will work fine, but the texture of Chinese noodles are great. A good Chinese chili oil is great and can be made easily at home. I’m not trying to be mean here, but the real thing is soooo good. I often blanch some bok choy or Chinese greens and serve it on top of the noodles. Good resources are the Woks of Life website, cookbook author Fuschia Dunlop, and especially Chinese Cooking Demystified on YouTube. A good source for authentic Sichuan products is the Mala Market. https://themalamarket.com/
★★
Hi Lori, thanks for the suggestions. My version is an easy ingredient version that you can make in your Instant Pot. If you want to make an authentic version then yes you are right to go another route.
I think an instant pot version with even some of the ingredients I listed would make it taste more like the real thing. I would hesitate to label these as Dan Dan Noodles, maybe just call them Asian inspired Noodles. You would never find Hoisin Sauce in Dan Dan Noodles. And to truly call this a Sichuan dish, you would need the MaLa (hot and numbing) flavors of Sichuan Peppercorns and chilies. As you can tell, I feel very strongly about being precise when cooking or talking about foods outside one’s own culture. If I were Sichuanese, I would very likely be offended. I’m trying to be honest and kind about this.
Hey Karen I made this last night and made it a point to get every ingredient listed. I don’t eat spinach or mushrooms but I got some anyway, even found tahini sauce. Used thin spaghetti and it came out perfect. Is this the best dish I’ve ever made? Probably. I was not expecting it to be so good but it definitely passed my “would I pay for this meal?” test.
You’re awesome and I love your recipes. Oh and guess what? I ate these noodles using…. a fork 😱
★★★★★
WOOO HOOOOO!!! So glad to hear that you loved it…even the mushrooms and spinach!!!
We loved this! I used ground turkey because it’s what I had and used apple cider vinegar in place of the rice vinegar – a quick Google search said it was the perfect substitute, and the only thing I’d change next time is to add another minute to cook as some of the spaghetti wasn’t quite done – and that was with cooking under pressure for 3 minutes rather than the instructions of 2 minutes. Still, we loved it and will definitely make this again. I served it with vegetable egg rolls.
Karen – your site is the first website I check when I get to work each morning – you amaze me at how fast you put new recipes out – many thanks again!
★★★★★
Ahhh, thanks Brenda! I really appreciate it. I’m glad you liked these noodles. They are almost better the next day as leftovers!
Tried this tonight with ground turkey; I layered as directed but about 10% of the noodles were crunchy., which was our only complaint. Interesting flavors, almost sweet. I think the tahini added a bit of sweetness as well as the honey.
★★★★
Darn! Did you layer the mushrooms on top? That kept my noodles wet.
Could I use broccoli instead of spinach?
You could but it will be really mushy by the time the cooking is up. A better choice is to steam broccoli separately and then stir in afterwards.
Excellent flavor! My husband and I love this! We used beef, will try turkey next time.
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Renee!
My daughter is gluten free so we need to use rice noodles instead. Any suggestions on what to try?
I would make the rice noodles separately and toss in the sauce after it has cooked in the Instant Pot. I haven’t tried it yet, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Did you use ground chicken? Or could you use chicken breast? If so what would the cooking time be? While we don’t really do pasta much, this sounds too good, so we might make an exception! 🤤😋 😊
I used ground pork. If you do chicken breast you could cut it up into bite size pieces and lightly sauté it. I don’t think it will taste as good as the ground pork/chicken though.
How can I make a vegetarian version?
You could leave out the pork and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.