Make your own Thai coconut instant noodles! Much healthier than the store-bought kind, and they have so much flavor.
When I’m craving noodles for lunch, I prep these Thai coconut instant noodles or these Homemade Instant Noodles. They always hit the spot! Find more healthy soup recipes here.
These Thai coconut instant noodles have a slightly spicy Thai flavor with a bit of a creamy consistency. They are so delicious and one of my favorite lunches to have! One of the reasons these instant noodles are my favorite lunches is because they are so customizable! You can use any kind of noodle you have on hand, whatever vegetables are on hand or in season and the protein is completely interchangeable too!
These noodles cups are good up to about 3 days in the fridge, so they make a great make-ahead work lunch recipe. I recommend these stoneware portable mugs, as they are much safer to pour boiling water in than glass jars. I LOVE mine and use them all the time!
Reasons to ♡ these Thai coconut instant noodles
- they are easy to make up to 4 days ahead
- they are just like instant noodles- just add water!
- they are super customizable and have swaps suggested
The Flavor Base
For the flavor base, you will need a chicken stock concentrate (*), Thai curry paste (red or green), lime juice, and brown sugar. I recommend using the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base as it contains natural ingredients.
*Chicken stock concentrate is not the same as bouillon cubes. I prefer the chicken stock concentrate as it dissolves easier in this recipe.
The noodles
For this recipe, I've used whole wheat spaghetti cooked al dente as my pasta. You are welcome to swap this with your favorite noodles, however, you will need to make sure it is cooked most of the way through before adding to your noodle cups, as adding the boiling water will have minimal effect on cooking the noodles.
Here are some guidelines:
- Any regular pasta noodle- cook first
- Ramen- cook first
- Vermicelli (thin rice noodles)- no need to cook first
- Zucchini noodles- no need to cook first
Equipment and storage
Make sure you use jars that can withstand a quick temperature change, like mason jars or meal mugs. Repurposed pasta or nut butter jars are not made to withstand high temperatures and I do not recommend using these. These instant noodle cups will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge and I do not recommend freezing them.
Recipe tips + swaps
- bouillon- make sure to use a chicken stock concentrate rather than a bouillon cube. This ensures that it will dissolve properly once the hot water is added.
- Thai curry paste- you can use red or green curry paste for this recipe
- veggies- I recommend using fully thawed frozen vegetables, as they have already been cooked before freezing, and are softer upon thawing. A thinly sliced stir fry mix works well in this recipe.
- protein- feel free to play around with the protein- fully cooked chicken, beef or pork will work, as will chickpeas
More Noodle Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Spicy Instant Pot Peanut Noodles
- Asian Chicken Soba Noodle Salad
- Spicy Tofu Noodle Meal Prep Bowls (vegan)
- Cold Sesame Noodle Meal Prep Bowls (Vegan)
Thai Coconut Healthy Homemade Instant Noodles
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut milk full fat
- 2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate see note 1
- 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste see note 2
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti cooked al dente (see note 3)
- ½ cup frozen vegetables thawed (see note 4)
- ½ cup chicken breast cooked and cut into small pieces (see note 5)
Instructions
- In the following order, place in a portable stoneware mug: coconut milk, green curry paste, chicken stock concentrate, lime juice, brown sugar, spaghetti, veggies and chicken breast.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- When ready to serve, pour boiling water up to the top of the cup (about ½ cup). Allow to sit for 3 minutes, then put a lid on it and shake until everything is completely combined.
- Serve immediately.
Anneke
I make these for work ALL the time! I found these great brown rice noodles at Costco (Lotus Foods brand) that are FANTASTIC in here 🙂
Denise
Oh thanks for the recommendation for those Lotus Foods noodles, I have been eyeing them up but have never actually purchased. I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your review 🙂
Mila
Just tried this! It’s delicious and flavorful. Does any one have any suggestions on what to add to kick up the spice a little bit? I
Denise
Hi Mila! So happy you enjoyed! You could try adding extra curry paste, or some sriracha?
Heidi
I CANNOT WAIT to try this! Love!
Denise
Thanks Heidi, hope you enjoy!
Chloe
I love this idea but when I made it it tasted really empty and watery. What would you recommend adding to get more flavor? (I'm okay with it being unhealthy! ?)
Denise
Hi Chloe, sounds like maybe you added too much water? What size were your jars? Mine were pint jars and I only added about 1/2 cup of water in (I will update the recipe with this info). You could also try increasing the flavorings in the base for next time: coconut milk, chicken stock concentrate, curry paste, lime juice, brown sugar. I hope this helps!
Lady
How many portion does this makes?
Lady
Oh I just read again and this if for one serving... So basically this recipe is for one mug right?
Denise
Hi! Yes, this serves one 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Jayne
I really love this idea and I'm prepping right now to make some. Do you think they could be frozen and then thawed before adding the hot water? Such a great idea.
Denise
Hi Jayne sorry for the late reply. I have never tried freeze/thawing them. Not sure how the noodles would hold up? I'm pretty sure the rest of the ingredients would be fine frozen, as I've frozen coconut milk, curry paste etc before. If you try it, would you let me know how it turns out?
Charlene
Can we have some nutritional info ?
Denise
Hi Charlene, I'm not a nutritionist and am not comfortable providing nutritional information for liability reasons. You are welcome to use the online calculators, I've used My Fitness Pal in the past!
Theresa
How many grams is a cup of wheat spaghetti ? Also this should be fine with other type of noodles right?
Denise
Hi Theresa, according to this page, 1 cup cooked pasta is roughly 200g, but I've never weighed it myself. This recipe works well with rice noodles and zucchini noodles as well (don't pre-cook them). For other shapes of pasta, I haven't tested. I hope this helps!
charlotte
how much boiling water
Denise
I've never measured (just up to the top of the pint jar), but I believe it was about 3/4 cup?
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life
Oh I want this bad!! I had a Thai coconut soup last week and I can't get the flavors out of my mind. Love that this is homemade (and healthier!)
mary w
I'm wondering if I really need to thaw frozen vegetables, if it will be stored in the refrigerator and water added to serve? Thanks.
Denise
Hi Mary, if you are making them ahead of time there is no need to thaw the frozen veggies since they will thaw as they sit in the fridge. If you are going to use them right away the frozen veggies really cool down the boiling water, which is why I wrote for them to be thawed. I hope that makes sense!
Annie
I basically don't eat all day long, I grab a granola bar in the morning then have dinner at night. I just haven't been able to think of easy lunch ideas lately! I can't wait to try this!
Denise
I hope you like them Annie! I feel like being a food blogger sometimes like I eat the weirdest stuff throughout the day. Mostly breakfast right now LOL!
Ashley - The Recipe Rebel
Seriously LOVE these Denise! They are so fun and perfect for prepping ahead for those craaaaazy days. Plus, noodles!
Denise
Thanks, Ashley! I loved cup of noodles growing up (even though I was never allowed), so this is really me indulging my inner child 🙂
marcie
I'm glad you came out with this because it looks delicious! I love thai coconut and these look like the perfect lunch or quick dinner!
Denise
I actually had to retrieve it from the trash! I had no idea the trash would still have it! Wooo.
Taylor @ The Girl on Bloor
Seriously, I've been making mason jar noodles for lunch for so long but I've never thought to switch them up like this!!! Why didn't I think of green curry before?!
Denise
I'd love to hear more about your mason jar noodles, Taylor! Thanks so much 🙂
Medha
These Thai noodles look delicious and surprisingly easy to throw together- love the complexity of flavors and the creamy coconut milk 🙂
Denise
Thanks, Medha!