This Creamy Gochujang Pasta is a TikTok-inspired recipe similar to penne alla vodka, with a balanced creamy, sweet, and umami flavor that you can make more mild or spicy. You can even whip up a batch in under half an hour!
For other Korean recipes with gochujang flavor, try my easy gochujang eggs and compound gochujang butter.
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About this recipe
Easy Korean Pasta Sauce: one thing I'm always looking out for is new Korean sauces to add to my rotation. This gochujang pasta sauce is the perfect all-purpose spicy cream sauce, great for zoodles as well as lasagna; it's creamy, savory, salty, and satisfying.
East Meets West: most uses for gochujang are both savory and fermented, so this American mashup of gochujang pasta sauce is both unique and delicious, especially if you can't have tomatoes.
Which Pasta to Use: we actually used a lentil pasta here, so I can confirm that even grain-free and gluten-free pastas taste fantastic with this creamy gochujang pasta sauce!
Ingredients
Dry Pasta: unless you like a very thin coating of sauce, this recipe will make enough to cover 8oz. of pasta (uncooked weight). I recommend using fresh pasta, if you can find it, but any type or shape of noodle will with with it.
Sesame Oil: you could also use butter, but sesame oil adds a bit more toasty umami to the creamy gochujang sauce.
Fresh Raw Garlic: using minced fresh cloves of garlic adds umami flavor to this creamy gochujang sauce, though you can also use granulated garlic powder in a pinch.
Gochujang Paste: this hot ingredient is the key to great kimchi, as well as adding flavor to this creamy Korean gochujang pasta recipe. You can find it in 5 levels of heat, so if you're not sure which to try, go for 3 to start with. a great substitute is harissa paste.
Heavy Cream & Sour Cream: these two types of cream form the base for this creamy gochujang pasta sauce recipe, adding heft and a bit of tang.
Maple Syrup: this is a fantastic way to get a bit of sweetness into your sauce without going overboard. Another more Korean-style alternative would be brown rice syrup or honey.
Chives: you could also use chopped green onions, but these little green bits add some vegetation to the sauce, as well as little pops of color.
How to make gochujang pasta sauce: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Set pasta water to boil with salt & oil, then start measuring your ingredients. Once you've finished prepping them, your pasta water should be about ready, so add your raw noodles and set a timer, keeping an eye on them in the background.
Step 2. Cook the garlic in the toasted sesame oil over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until starting to brown, and then add the gochujang and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 3. Next, turn the sauce's heat to low & slowly pour in the heavy cream, stirring as you go so they combine easily.
Step 4. Once all the heavy cream is in, add your sour cream and mix well, raising the temperature to medium-low and cooking everything for 2 minutes to flavor the fat. Keep an eye on it, but this is a good time to grate the parmesan, if using.
Step 5. Then stir in your chives, maple syrup, salt, and smoked paprika, and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 6. Your noodles should be done by now, so strain your pasta, turn the heat off under the sauce, and then add the pasta and stir well, until the noodles are fully coated in the gochujang pasta sauce.
Recipe notes & tips
Making it Gluten-Free: double check that your gochujang is gluten-free (traditional Korean brands aren't usually), and the only other swap you need to make is using a gluten-free pasta.
Customizing the Heat Level: While this creamy gochujang pasta may look spicy, that actually depends more on how hot your gochujang is. In Korea there are 5 different grades of heat at which gochujang is sold, so the heat in a level 1 paste will be barely detectable compared to a level 5.
I recommend buying a level 3 if you're good but not great with heat. And if you're completely new to cooking with gochujang, I suggest starting with just the 2 tablespoons the first time you make this (and trust me, you'll wanted make it again & again!).
How Long to Store: this creamy gochujang pasta sauce can keep in the fridge for up to five days in a well-sealed container (or on cooked pasta), though I wouldn't try to freeze it.
🌶️ Other Recipes Using Gochujang
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta dry weight
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil alt. butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced (alt. 1 tablespoon garlic paste)
- 2-3 tablespoons gochujang more is spicier
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup sour cream alt. ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup alt. any liquid sweetener
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced chives alt. 2 teaspoons chopped green onion
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese optional, for topping
Instructions
- Set pasta water to boil with salt & oil, then start measuring your ingredients. Once you've finished prepping them, your pasta water should be about ready, so add your raw noodles and set a timer, keeping an eye on them in the background.
- Cook the garlic in the toasted sesame oil over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until starting to brown, and then add the gochujang and cook for 1 more minute.
- Next, turn the sauce's heat to low & slowly pour in the heavy cream, stirring as you go so they combine easily.
- Once all the heavy cream is in, add your sour cream and mix well, raising the temperature to medium-low and cooking everything for 2 minutes to flavor the fat. Keep an eye on it, but this is a good time to grate the parmesan, if using.
- Then stir in your chives, maple syrup, salt, and smoked paprika, and cook for 1 more minute.
- Your noodles should be done by now, so strain your pasta, turn the heat off under the sauce, and then add the pasta and stir well, until the noodles are fully coated in the gochujang pasta sauce.
Notes
Customizing the Heat Level: While this creamy gochujang pasta may look spicy, that actually depends more on how hot your gochujang is. In Korea there are 5 different grades of heat at which gochujang is sold, so the heat in a level 1 paste will be barely detectable compared to a level 5. I recommend buying a level 3 if you're good but not great with heat. And if you're completely new to cooking with gochujang, I suggest starting with just the 2 tablespoons the first time you make this (and trust me, you'll wanted make it again & again!). How Long to Store: this creamy gochujang pasta sauce can keep in the fridge for up to five days in a well-sealed container (or on cooked pasta), though I wouldn't try to freeze it.
Robin Thompson says
I can’t wait to make this. What do you think about spinach pasta and adding diced veggies on top carrots mushroom spinach etc
Max says
That sounds delicious! I'd keep the sauce thick, then, in case the veggies or fresh spinach pasta add more liquid and over-thins it. You can always add more liquid, but can't as easily take it back away.