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This Thai Basil Beef Noodle Stir-Fry recipe is easy to make and tossed with the best savory Thai basil sauce. Feel free to sub in chicken, pork, shrimp or crispy tofu in place of the beef if you would like!
Breaking news out of Barcelona — you guys, I finally tracked down a place to buy fresh Thai basil in this city!
For nearly two years, I’ve been having to make do with Italian basil in my favorite Thai recipes because I simply could not find its irresistibly savory, slightly spicy, anise-y cousin anywhere in Barcelona. But earlier this month, I happened to be passing by an Asian market in a different part of town and decided to pop in to pick up a few things. And lo and behold, there it was — all the fresh Thai basil a girl could ask for! ♡
Naturally, I brought home an enormous bouquet and set right to work cooking up all of my favorite Thai basil recipes. And one evening in particular — when my vegetarian husband was out for the night — I ended up throwing together a quick Thai basil beef and noodle stir-fry that ended up being so good that I had to share it with you.
It’s basically a slightly-simpler version of my favorite drunken noodles recipe, made with lots of tender steak, al dente rice noodles, a few quick veggies, and a savory stir-fry sauce (featuring lots of Thai basil). And it absolutely hit the spot. It’s full of the bold savory flavors that I love in a good stir-fry. It’s easy to whip up in just 30 minutes or so. It’s easy to customize with whatever veggies and protein (such as chicken, pork, shrimp or crispy tofu) that you happen to have on hand. And I can vouch (ha, as the sole meat-eater in this house) that it also makes for fantastic leftovers.
If you love a good stir-fry as much as I do, I already know you’re going to love this one. Let’s stir-fry!
Thai Beef Noodle Stir-Fry Ingredients:
To make this Thai Beef Stir-Fry recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Thai Basil: Fresh Thai basil absolutely makes this recipe, so I really recommend tracking some down if you can. It’s most often sold at Asian markets, and packs the most delicious, savory, anise-y flavors. That said though, if you can’t find the Thai variety, regular Italian basil would also work as a substitute.
Noodles: I used rice noodles, but any other favorite noodles would work.
Steak: I would recommend flank steak or a tender sirloin, but feel free to use whatever cut of beef you prefer. You could also make this recipe with ground beef instead, if you prefer.
Veggies: I kept things simple with some red bell pepper, onion, shiitake mushrooms and garlic. But feel free to add in whichever stir-fry veggies that you love most.
Stir-Fry Sauce: A quick and easy combination of low-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce and garlic chili sauce.
Toppings: If you would like to sprinkle on some extra toppings, sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, fried garlic and/or fresh lime wedges would be great with this stir-fry.
How To Make This Stir-Fry:
As with any stir-fry recipe, I highly recommend prepping all of your ingredients (chopping all of the meat/veggies, making the sauce, prepping the noodles) before you begin to sauté the meat the veggies, since they cook quickly. Otherwise, it’s pretty straightforward! Simply…
Prep the sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup until combined.
Prep the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package instructions until they are al dente. Then drain and set aside until ready to use.
Sear the beef. Heat some cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Cook the beef briefly until it is browned on both sides. Then transfer it to a separate (clean) plate, and return the pan to the heat.
Cook the veggies. Give the veggies a quick sauté until they are cooked through.
Combine everything together. Then add the cooked noodles, sauce, beef, and Thai basil to the pan, and toss until everything is coated evenly with the sauce.
Serve warm. Serve immediately while the stir-fry is nice and hot, garnished with any of your desired toppings.
Possible Variations:
Want to customize your stir-fry? Feel free to…
Make it spicy: Feel free to add in some thinly sliced Thai bird chiles, or sriracha, or a sprinkling of crushed red chili flakes if you would like to kick up the heat in this dish.
Use a different protein: This stir-fry would also be delicious with chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu in place of the beef. Or you could skip adding a protein altogether and just toss in some extra veggies.
Use different veggies: Other veggies that would taste great could include broccoli, carrots, snap peas, green beans, zucchini, bok choy, etc.
Use different noodles: Udon noodles, egg noodles, soba noodles or sweet potato noodles would also work great in place of rice noodles.
This Thai Basil Beef Noodle Stir-Fry recipe is easy to make and tossed with the best savory Thai basil sauce. Feel free to sub in chicken, pork, shrimp or crispy tofu in place of the beef if you would like!
Ingredients
Scale
Stir-Fry Ingredients:
8 ounces (uncooked) rice noodles
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1¼ pounds sirloin or flank steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce, or more/less to taste
Instructions
Prep the sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup until combined.
Prep the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package instructions until they are al dente. Drain and set aside until ready to use. (I would also recommend tossing the noodles with a drizzle of oil if it will be a few minutes until you add them to the stir-fry, to prevent them from sticking together.)
Sear the beef. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Season the steak with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Then add the steak to the oil and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until it is browned on all sides. Transfer the cooked steak to a separate (clean) plate, and return the pan to the heat.
Cook the veggies. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan along with the onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic, and sauté for 3-5 more minutes, or until the veggies reach your desired level of tenderness.
Combine everything together. Immediately add the cooked noodles, sauce, steak and Thai basil to the pan. Give everything a good toss until everything is evenly coated with the sauce, and remove the pan from the heat.
Serve warm. Serve immediately, garnished with any of your desired toppings.
So excited to see this recipe but a cup and a half of Thai Basil? I planted a plant but I’m seriously doubting it will have that much basil on it even after the whole summer…What do restaurants do —how do they get this much Thai basil?
Patrick Gardella —
I think you’d need two Thai basil plants to get this much. I’ve got four, and can’t find enough to use it in. So I’m really looking forward to this recipe. It’ll be on the menu at home this coming week.
YUM!!! I cannot wait to make this recipe. The colors are great and I can only imagine how delicious these flavors will be. I’m going to stop by an Asian market on my way home today to get the Thai basil and other ingredients for the sauce. Thanks for sharing :)
Made this exactly like the recipe. It was perfect … the sauce was spot on. The funny thing was that I had just gotten some thai basil from the River Market (you know our market!) and was wondering how to use it up. Then your recipe popped up … great timing except I forgot to put it in! Luckily I remembered before we dug in. This is a go to meal to for sure!
Attempting to make this. Tia basil is not readily found and when I did find it, expensive.
Did find out sweet basil is the same as Italian. Might try that due to expense. Really want this to work.
This has become my family’s favorite Thai dish and I make it at least every 2 weeks. It’s simple to make and tastes like I ordered takeout. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Looks amazing and I was able to find some Thai Basil at Hmart my my home. I’d like to make this for a group of about 18 adults. Do you recommend tripling or doubling this recipe?
So excited to see this recipe but a cup and a half of Thai Basil? I planted a plant but I’m seriously doubting it will have that much basil on it even after the whole summer…What do restaurants do —how do they get this much Thai basil?
I think you’d need two Thai basil plants to get this much. I’ve got four, and can’t find enough to use it in. So I’m really looking forward to this recipe. It’ll be on the menu at home this coming week.
YUM!!! I cannot wait to make this recipe. The colors are great and I can only imagine how delicious these flavors will be. I’m going to stop by an Asian market on my way home today to get the Thai basil and other ingredients for the sauce. Thanks for sharing :)
Made this exactly like the recipe. It was perfect … the sauce was spot on. The funny thing was that I had just gotten some thai basil from the River Market (you know our market!) and was wondering how to use it up. Then your recipe popped up … great timing except I forgot to put it in! Luckily I remembered before we dug in. This is a go to meal to for sure!
Attempting to make this. Tia basil is not readily found and when I did find it, expensive.
Did find out sweet basil is the same as Italian. Might try that due to expense. Really want this to work.
Do you have this option without the beef ?
This stir fry definately got a big ‘thumbs up’ from my family of early 20s sons! Would make again and so easy but very tadty
This was amazing!!! Tasted just like something I’d get at my favorite Thai restaurant. Sauce was on-point. Thanks very much for an excellent recipe!!!
This has become my family’s favorite Thai dish and I make it at least every 2 weeks. It’s simple to make and tastes like I ordered takeout. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Looks amazing and I was able to find some Thai Basil at Hmart my my home. I’d like to make this for a group of about 18 adults. Do you recommend tripling or doubling this recipe?
Extremely salty even with low sodium soy sauce. Added some hoisin sauce at the end to cut the salt.
how many does this recipe serve ?