This simple and comforting Chinese Shrimp Noodle Soup can be made spicy or not, depending on what you like. It’s a light, healthy one-pot noodle soup, and the Chinese seasonings take the flavour to the next level.
This recipe takes me back right to my childhood. I remember my dad cooking this for us for lunch quite often. It was an easy way to get a balanced meal—protein, carbs, vegetables—all in one dish.
We often swapped out the shrimp for whatever we had on hand. Think squid balls, fish tofu, or imitation crab. Any hot pot seafood ingredient is delicious in this soup.
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Ingredients + Substitutions
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Chinese Shrimp Noodle Soup recipe:
Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock: Homemade or storebought, both are fine. Last time we used leftover broth from Instant Pot Chicken Pho, and it was amazing!
Fish Sauce: Boosts the umami flavour of the soup. You can also substitute with soy sauce, though fish sauce is preferable.
Star Anise, Garlic Powder, White Pepper: You can also use fresh minced garlic, but here I like garlic powder because it makes for a much quicker recipe.
Noodles: Use Asian dried wheat noodles like these or these (or these, for a thicker option), which are flatter and cook much quicker than pasta. Or you can also use two bricks of instant ramen. We like these non-fried instant noodles because they’re made with just wheat, water, and salt, and no oil.
Peeled Shrimp: We usually buy peel-on shrimp because it’s much cheaper, and we just peel it ourselves. But it’s handy to stock a bag of pre-peeled shrimp in the freezer so you can use it on demand, without having to wait for it to defrost.
Substitution Option: Use any similar-sized seafood in place of peeled shrimp. Try hot pot ingredients like squid or fish balls, fish tofu, surimi (imitation crab), etc.
Chinese Vegetables: If you’d like, throw in a handful of veggies. We’ve tried bok choy, Napa cabbage, baby spinach, winter melon, and bean sprouts. This shrimp noodle soup is a versatile way to clear out your wilting veg!
Scallions and Chili Crisp: Optional, but highly recommended—adds a nice flavour and crunch to the soup. We like Lao Gan Ma original chili crisp.
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions
Step 1. Combine stock, fish sauce, star anise, garlic, pepper, and salt in a small stockpot. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat.
Step 2. Once the broth is simmering, add noodles, shrimp, and vegetables. Cook until the noodles are softened and the shrimp are just pink.
Step 3. Take off the heat immediately and transfer to bowls to prevent overcooking.
Step 4. Discard the star anise. Top with chopped scallions and chili crisp if using.
Storage
Leftovers are best eaten within the next day. Store in an airtight container and when ready to eat, pour it back into a pot on the stove and reheat on medium heat. I recommend storing the noodles separately to prevent them from getting soggy.
More Chinese Recipes
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What to Serve with Shrimp Noodle Soup
These are some of our favorite sides to serve alongside Shrimp Noodle Soup:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Chinese Shrimp Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 ounces dried noodles or instant ramen see Note 2
- 6 to 8 ounces peeled shrimp
- 2 cups Chinese vegetables (optional) such as bok choy, Napa cabbage, baby spinach, or bean sprouts
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock we used leftover broth from our Homemade Chicken Pho
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce *optional
- 1 star anise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste (see Note 1)
- 1 diced scallion *optional
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp *optional
Instructions
- Combine 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 star anise, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small stockpot. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Once the broth is simmering, add 4 to 5 ounces dried noodles or instant ramen, 6 to 8 ounces peeled shrimp, and 2 cups Chinese vegetables (optional). Cook until the noodles are softened and the shrimp are pink, around 3 to 4 minutes.
- Take it off the heat immediately and transfer to bowls to prevent overcooking. (They will continue cooking slightly in the hot broth.)
- Discard the star anise and top with 1 diced scallion and 1 tablespoon chili crisp if using.
Notes
- Salt: If you’re using a salted stock or leftover soup broth, you won’t need more than ¼ teaspoon of salt. If using low-sodium stock, you’ll want to add more.
- Noodles: Use Asian dried wheat noodles like these or these (or these, for a thicker option). Or you can also use two bricks of instant ramen—we like these non-fried instant noodles because they’re made with just wheat, water, and salt, and no oil.
Laura Zielinski says
delish
Kelly Zhang says
Yay, thanks for the rating and review Laura!