This creamy gochujang pasta is super easy to make and takes only 15 minutes, making it perfect for any weekday meal! It's a little spicy, savory, and slightly sweet, with fragrance of garlic and green onions. Garnished with grated parmesan, this fusion pasta is absolutely irresistible!
Craving a creamy pasta dish with a little heat? This gochujang pasta totally hits the spot! Plus, it takes only 15 minutes to make, which makes it perfectly for a quick weekday meal!
Now you have a tub of gochujang in your fridge, try our favorite gochujang recipes that we think you'll also love: gochujang foil baked salmon, Korean BBQ chicken rice bowl, rice paper cheese tteokbokki, and bibim guksu.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Pasta - Any pasta is fine, but we recommend ones with ridges and groves. These pastas pick up sauce really well. Our favorite is rigatoni.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is highly recommended so that you can easily control the seasoning of the sauce.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic will add a lot of flavor to the gochujang sauce.
- Gochujang - Also known as Korean red pepper paste. It's usually sold in plastic, rectangular tubs. You can find them at most Asian markets and even some grocery stores like Whole Foods.
- Heavy cream - Cream adds body and richness to the pasta sauce and makes the sauce super creamy!
- Sugar - Just a little bit of granulated sugar is needed to help balance and round out the gochujang pasta sauce. You can also use your preferred sweetener instead.
- Pasta water - Save some pasta water when the pasta is cooked to al-dente. The pasta water contains starches that will thicken the pasta sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.
- Green onion (optional) - Mostly for color but also adds some onion flavor to the sauce.
- Parmesan (optional) - Parmesan is definitely the classic duo for any pasta dish. It'll be a nice color contrast to the gochujang pasta, adds richness, and add a little more saltiness the pasta needs. We like to grate fresh parmesan, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.
- Salt - We recommend salting the pasta water so that the pasta gets seasoned as it's boiled. The salt in the pasta water will also slightly season the pasta sauce.
Instruction
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt to taste. Add the pasta and give the it a stir. Cook the pasta to al-dente, about 10 to 12 minutes or according to the package instructions. Make sure to stir occasionally.
🌟 Pro tip: We recommend about 1 teaspoon of salt per 3 to 4 cups of water, but feel free to season to taste.
2. While the pasta is boiling, make the sauce. First, add 2 tablespoons of butter into a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. Add the gochujang paste and cook briefly, about 30 seconds or until fragrant and combined with the garlic.
📝 Note: Depending on the brand of gochujang, the spiciness, sweetness, and saltiness may vary. So if needed, hold back about ½ tablespoon of gochujang and adjust to your preference.
4. Pour the heavy cream into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Mix the sauce until the gochujang and heavy cream are well combined. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
📝 Note: When cream is heated, a film may form over the cream. That is okay. You can just stir it up later when adding the remaining ingredients.
5. When the pasta is al-dente, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Then, drain the pasta well.
6. Add the reserved pasta water and sugar into the gochujang cream sauce and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and add the drained pasta. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the pasta well. Stir and toss the pasta frequently.
7. Once the sauce is thick and the pasta is well coated, turn off the heat and add the last tablespoon of butter and the sliced green onions. Constant stir and swirl the pan until the butter is well combined.
8. Serve the pasta immediately and garnish with some more green onions and your desired amount of grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Recipe tips
- Use pastas that can hold sauces. This way, each bite of pasta will be sauce-y. We recommend pastas with ridges and grooves like rigatoni and penne, but spaghetti and fettuccine is great too!
- Don't rinse the pasta. The starch on the surface of the pasta actually helps it hold on to sauces and to thicken the sauce. And don't worry about clumping! The pasta will naturally separate with added to the sauce.
- Don't make the sauce over high heat. Because this sauce is a cream-based sauce, cooking over high will either break the cream (the sauce will look separated) and/or curdle the cream.
Storage and reheating
Let any leftover gochujang pasta cool completely before storing in airtight containers. Keep refrigerated and it will be good for up to 4-5 days.
To reheat, add a couple tablespoons of cream or water into a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the leftover pasta and heat until warmed through. Make sure to stir frequently. Garnish with more parmesan if you wish.
You could also reheat the pasta in the microwave, but the sauce will likely curdle. If you don't mind that, it'll be much faster and convenient. Just make sure to cover the pasta when microwaving.
FAQ
Depending on the pasta, the cook time can vary. But generally speaking, dry pasta will be al-dente in about 10 to 12 minutes.
Korean red pepper paste, or gochujang, tastes spicy, slightly sweet, and a little salty. However, depending on the brand, gochujang could vary in spiciness, sweetness, and saltiness.
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📖 Recipe
Gochujang Pasta (Only 15 minutes)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni or any pasta of your choice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 2-3 cloves)
- 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or your preferred sweetener
- 1 stalk green onion sliced (just the green part; plus more for garnish)
- Parmesan grated (optional)
- Kosher salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt to taste. Add the pasta and give it a stir. Cook the pasta to al-dente, about 10 to 12 minutes or according to the package instructions. Make sure to stir occasionally.*We recommend about 1 teaspoon of salt per 3 to 4 cups of water.*
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. First, add 2 tablespoons of butter into a large nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the gochujang paste and cook briefly, about 30 seconds or until fragrant and combined with the garlic.
- Pour the heavy cream into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Mix the sauce until the gochujang and heavy cream are well combined. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
- When the pasta is al-dente, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Then, drain the pasta well.
- Add the reserved pasta water and sugar into the gochujang cream sauce and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and add the drained pasta. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the pasta well. Stir and toss the pasta frequently.
- Once the sauce is thick and the pasta is well coated, turn off the heat and add the last tablespoon of butter and the sliced green onions. Constant stir and swirl the pan until the butter is well combined.
- Serve the pasta immediately and garnish with some more green onions and your desired amount of grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- Protein - If you wish to add protein to this gochujang pasta, we recommend shrimps/prawns, chicken, or tofu. When melting the butter, add a small amount of cooking oil. Cook the protein about 70 percent first, then add the garlic. From there, follow the recipe as is.
- Gochujang - Depending on the brand of gochujang paste, the spiciness, sweetness, and saltiness may vary. So if needed, you can hold back ½ Tablespoon of gochujang and adjust to your taste.
- Pasta - You can use any pasta that you prefer or have on hand. But if you need a recommendation, we recommend any pastas that have groves and ridges, like rigatoni and penne. Although, spaghetti and fettuccine are great too!
Nichole says
Made this tonight and added chopped hot dog sausages! worked really well with the slightly sweet spicy sauce
Mei says
Hi Nichole!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the gochujang pasta! Also, love that you added hot dogs!
Mei ❤️
Sez says
This was brilliant. Made crispy chicken dipped in laoganma to go with. Thanks 😋
Mei says
That sounds amazing, Sez! Anything with Lao Gan Ma is so good! So glad you enjoyed it =)
Mei ❤️
Mary says
Can you make the sauce ahead of time and just reheat it on the stove when the pasta is ready? Thank you!
Mei says
Hi Mary!
Yes, you can make the creamy gochujang sauce ahead of time with a couple changes to the instructions. If you wish to make the sauce ahead of time, we recommend following our recipe instructions up to adding the heavy cream. You can also go ahead and add the sugar. Once the sauce is well mixed, take it off the heat let the sauce chill and refrigerate until needed (if necessary). When ready to serve with the pasta, add the pasta water to the sauce and heat it up. Then follow the recipe as is. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️