Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon) (Video) かけうどん

This classic Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon) is all about simplicity and comfort. The thick and chewy noodles are nestled in a delicate broth that’s vegan adaptable. Enjoy this basic udon soup as is or add your favorite toppings for a more substantial meal.

Of all the Japanese noodles, udon is my go-to comfort food. These thick, chewy wheat noodles have a unique way of satisfying hunger and soothing the soul. While there are many variations, nothing beats the simplicity of classic Kake Udon (かけうどん). Today, I’ll show you how to make an authentic bowl with my homemade soup broth for rich, umami taste or a quick version with store-bought soup base.

If you’re craving more Japanese udon recipes, try my Kitsune Udon, Beef Udon, and Yaki Udon (Stir-fried Udon Noodles) recipes next!

What is Kake Udon?

Kanto-style kake udon (かけうどん) is the most basic form of hot udon noodle soup with a most simple garnish of sliced green onions. The Kansai region (Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto areas) calls this dish su udon (素うどん) and uses a lighter-colored dashi broth. Udon is a specialty of several areas in Japan including Kagawa (the “Capital of Udon”) in the Shikoku region that’s known for the popular Sanuki udon (讃岐うどん). Fukuoka in the Kyushu region and Saitama in Kanto are also famous for their delicious variations.

Why I Love This Recipe

Learn to make my homemade udon broth – I’ll teach you how to make soup broth from scratch that tastes just as good or better than any restaurant.
Chewy and bouncy noodles – I’ll share the udon noodles that I always use for the best and most satisfying texture.
Optional quick soup broth – If you’re short on time, try my quick broth option to make this Kake Udon in just 15 minutes!

Ingredients for Udon Noodle Soup

Udon noodles – frozen (recommended)
Homemade soup broth (or make the quick broth below):
- Dashi (Japanese soup stock) – For the best flavor, make Awase Dashi and Vegan Dashi from scratch before starting this recipe. Short on time? Use a Dashi Packet for a quick 5-minute stock!
- Mirin
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Kosher salt
Green onions and optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) – for garnish

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Substitutions

Udon noodles: For gluten-free, you can use rice udon noodles as well as gluten-free soy sauce or tamari soy sauce.

Short on Time?

Try my quick broth in the recipe below instead of making dashi from scratch using katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Simply use bottled mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) from a Japanese grocery store or Amazon. Just follow the bottle‘s instructions for hot udon soup (うどん or めんのかけつゆ).

For an even better option, make my Homemade Mentsuyu ahead of time!

How to Make Udon Noodle Soup

Preparation

Step 1 – Make the homemade soup broth. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth ingredients to a gentle simmer, then cover it with a lid and set it aside. (Or, make my shortcut quick broth.)

Cooking

Step 2 – Reheat or cook the udon noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the noodles to reheat or cook per the package instructions. Stir to loosen up the noodles. Drain in a colander. Divide into bowls.

Assemble

Step 3 – Pour the hot broth over the noodles. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion and optional shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick.

Nami’s Recipe Tips

Use a good, flavorful dashi – Quality Japanese soup stock is the key! Homemade dashi offers the best flavor and takes under 30 minutes to make. If you’re short on time, a dashi packet is a 5-minute shortcut with good flavor. Dashi powder works in a pinch, but it lacks depth and is my least favorite option.

Use frozen udon noodles – It takes just 1 minute to reheat them in boiling water. My favorite is frozen Sanuki udon for its thick and chewy texture.

Boil the noodles separately from the soup broth – Avoid cooking or reheating the noodles directly in the soup broth as they release excess starch that can make the broth cloudy.

Make homemade noodles for the best texture – If you have time, try making Homemade Udon Noodles with wheat flour, water, and salt!

Customizations

There are many ways to customize this simplest of udon soups. I encourage you to experiment with different proteins and toppings for added flavor, nourishment, and variety.

Add protein. I like to use Shrimp Tempura to make a simple tempura udon. You also can add fish cake like kamaboko and chikuwa or deep-fried fish cake called Satsuma age. Tofu works well, too; try deep-fried tofu pouch (Inari age) or deep-fried tofu cutlet (atsuage).

Many are pre-prepared and readily available at well-stocked Japanese markets. My video shows four variations!

Top with vegetables. Try leafy greens like blanched komatsuna or spinach. Grated mountain yam called nagaimo/yamaimo adds a unique slimy texture.
Sprinkle with yuzu zest. This aromatic citrus peel adds a refreshing touch. Check out my post on How to Store Yuzu Zest from your winter harvest!

Add nutrient-rich toppings. My favorites are wakame seaweed, natto (fermented soybeans), and dried kelp shavings called tororo kombu.

Add a spicy kick. While shichimi togarashi is a classic choice, other condiments that we love to use are yuzu kosho, sansho pepper, and Crunchy Garlic Chili Oil (taberu rayu).

Udon Variations

Add signature toppings to make popular udon dishes! In Japan, we have different names for udon soup depending on the toppings we use.

Kitsune Udon – Add seasoned fried tofu pouches and pink-swirled fish cake (narutomaki).
Nabeyaki Udon – Crack a whole egg and cook in the noodle soup.
Tsukimi udon – Add a raw egg yolk on the top of the noodle soup.
Tanuki udon – Sprinkle tempura scraps (tenkasu or agedama) over the hot udon noodle soup.
Chikara Udon – Add a toasted mochi on top of the udon noodle soup.
Niku Udon – Add seasoned beef on top of the udon.
Curry Udon – The soup is mixed with curry roux.

The possibilities are endless!

Storage Tips

To store: You can keep the udon noodles and broth separately in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use dried udon noodles?

You can. However, dried noodles won’t give you the chewy bite (called koshi (コシ) in Japanese) that frozen udon noodles have. I recommend frozen Sanuki udon from the Japanese market in the freezer section.

Can I use dashi powder?

I don’t recommend it, since dashi powder lacks flavor. Please use a dashi packet or dashi made from scratch for the best results.

Can I make kake udon ahead of time?

You can make the homemade soup broth ahead of time and reheat it right before serving. However, I recommend boiling the frozen noodles right before serving for the best texture and quality.

Why was my soup broth too salty?

If you used a bottled mentsuyu from the store, it’s possible that you did not dilute the concentrated soup base enough. Usually, dilution instructions are written on the bottle, and each brand provides different ratios. Often times, the instructions are written in Japanese, so please be sure to follow the bottle‘s instructions for hot udon soup labeled うどん or めんのかけつゆ.

Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)

4.67 from 92 votes This classic Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon) is all about simplicity and comfort. The thick and chewy noodles in a delicate broth are perfectly garnished with sliced green onions. Enjoy this vegan-adaptable soup as is or add your favorite toppings for a more substantial meal. Print Pin

Video

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 2

Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x

For the Homemade Broth

▢ 2⅓ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, a dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
▢ 1 Tbsp mirin
▢ 1 tsp sugar
▢ 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
▢ ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (plus more, to taste)

For the Quick Broth (optional)

▢ ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) (or enough to make 2½ cups, 600 ml of soup; each brand is different, so follow your bottle‘s instructions for hot udon soup (うどん or めんのかけつゆ); I used Kikkoman Koidashi Hontsuyu; you can make my Homemade Mentsuyu)
▢ 2⅓ cups water (for my bottle‘s mentsuyu-to-water ratio of 1 to 7; please adjust the water based on your bottle‘s dilution ratio for hot udon soup)
▢ 1 Tbsp mirin

For the Udon Noodle Soup

▢ 2 servings udon noodles (1.1 lb, 500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles; or 10.6 oz, 300 g Homemade Udon Noodles)
▢ toppings of your choice (thinly sliced green onion/scallion, shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), and more options in the blog post)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

To Prepare the Homemade Broth

In a medium saucepan, add 2⅓ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.

To Prepare the Quick Broth (optional)

Follow the instructions on your bottle of concentrated mentsuyu for the correct dilution ratio for noodle soup broth (shown here as めんのかけつゆ).
Combine the water, mentsuyu, and mirin in a medium saucepan. For the brand of mentsuyu that I use, I add 2⅓ cups water, ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), and 1 Tbsp mirin. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.

To Cook the Udon Noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add 2 servings udon noodles and cook according to the package instructions. The brand of frozen udon noodles I use requires reheating them for 1 minute. Using chopsticks, stir the noodles to loosen them up. For fresh noodles, see the cooking instructions in my Homemade Udon Noodles recipe.
When the noodles are done, drain them in a colander or scoop them up with a fine-mesh strainer. Serve the hot udon noodles in individual bowls.

To Serve

Pour the hot broth over the noodles and top with thinly sliced green onion and shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick (optional). For a more substantial lunch or dinner, you can top it with tempura, beef, fish cake and toasted mochi, tofu, Inari age, or vegetables. Watch the video above for 4 variations!

To Store

You can keep the udon noodles and broth separately in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 271 kcal · Carbohydrates: 54 g · Protein: 8 g · Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 554 mg · Potassium: 41 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 60 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 25 mg · Iron: 1 mg Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen Course: SoupCuisine: JapaneseKeyword: udon noodle ©JustOneCookbook.com Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any website or social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 8, 2021. It was updated with new images and a new video on May 3, 2024, and republished with more helpful content on February 4, 2025.