Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 28, 2025 
This cozy one-pot Taiwanese Noodle Soup with Beef is hearty but not too heavy, and is sure to satisfy! Our Asian beef noodle soup recipe is easy to make with chunks of tender chuck roast and pasta noodles simmered with fresh veggies in a robust, savory broth.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Warm and snuggly noodle soups are some of our favorite dishes! You can find soup recipes all around the world that include some kind of meat and pasta, from American chicken noodle and Mexican sopa de fideos to Italian meatball soup and far beyond.
Why You’ll Love Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Like those other classics, this fabulous, authentic Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe is simple to make in one pot, yet tastes incredibly complex. While the concept is pretty basic – meat, pasta, veggies, and broth – the specific lineup of fragrant spices and aromatics like ginger and spicy bean paste gives the dish a wonderful depth of flavor.
Although it is not a fast process, this recipe omits the need for extra ingredients or confusing steps. Just follow our step-by-step guide, and you’re sure to make the most amazing traditional Asian beef noodle soup from Taiwan right at home!
Ingredients You Need
- Cooking oil – high-heat oil like vegetable, canola, or avocado oil
- Boneless beef chuck roast – cut into 1-inch cubes
- Scallions – green onions
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Ginger – fresh slices
- Star anise – left whole
- Bay leaves – dried
- Water – for the soup broth
- Soy sauce – can be dark soy sauce, low-sodium, or swap with coconut aminos
- Shaoxing wine – or mirin rice wine
- Spicy bean paste – *see note below
- Granulated sugar – or coconut sugar
- Refrigerated fresh pasta – spaghetti or linguine are traditional
- Bok choy – chopped
- Cilantro – chopped
*Note: Most of these ingredients are found at a regular grocery store. However, spicy chili bean sauce (doubanjiang) can be a little tricky to find. You can order it online or visit a local Asian market. If spicy bean paste is nowhere to be found, you can use Asian red chili paste as well. Add 1 tablespoon to the recipe. Then add more at the end if desired.
How to Make Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Find the full Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, cooking tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
- Beef – Chuck roast is a delicious cut of meat that’s inexpensive and great for cooking low and slow. However, you can also use other tougher cuts, such as chuck shoulder, top chuck, or beef shank.
- Other proteins – In fact, this Taiwanese noodle soup recipe can be made with any protein you like! Swap beef for chicken or shrimp, but adjust the cooking time accordingly. Pieces of chopped chicken breasts will only need to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add raw shrimp to the pot just in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Nonalcoholic – The small amount of wine essentially cooks out of the Asian beef noodle soup. However, if you prefer a recipe without alcohol, feel free to omit the wine and substitute beef stock for maximum flavor.
- Gluten-free – Simply use your favorite GF pasta to easily make this a gluten-free Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe. Also, be sure to check that your soy sauce does not have any hidden gluten.
- Veggies – Change out or add other vegetables in the recipe as you like! You can use whole baby bok choy (vs cutting up large pieces), broccoli florets, napa cabbage, Chinese mustard greens, or spinach.
Serving Suggestions
Ladle the Taiwan beef noodle soup into bowls. You may need tongs to portion the noodles into each bowl.
Top each bowl with chopped scallion greens and cilantro, or other toppings you want! Try the dish with fresh bean sprouts, pickled cucumbers, or other pickled vegetables, or fiery red chiles.
I also suggest offering some garlic chili oil, sriracha, or other hot sauce on the side for an extra spicy kick!
Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional Mandarin Chinese name for this recipe is Niu Rou Mian (牛肉麵). It is known as the beloved national dish of Taiwan, always including chunks of beef, chewy noodles, and an iconic beefy base.
Sure, you can! Recipes vary from home to home in Taiwan. Some soup recipes include fresh tomato or tomato paste, sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and other greens besides bok choy, like spinach or mustard greens.
Leftover beef and noodle soup will keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I suggest separating the noodles from the soup, if possible, and storing them separately. This helps to keep the pasta from getting overly soft.
Yes, you can! However, as noted above, I do recommend storing the soup base with vegetables and meat separately from the noodles. I usually don’t even bother freezing the noodles, to be honest. Refrigerated pasta cooks so quickly that it’s easy to just add it to the soup when reheating.
To freeze beef soup, first, let it cool completely to room temperature. Transfer the soup to an airtight container, and then wrap that container in a layer of aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat leftovers on the stovetop, adding the fresh pasta in the last few minutes of simmering.
Looking for More Satisfying Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 bunches scallions divided
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 6-8 slices fresh ginger
- 4-6 whole star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 quarts water
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine or Mirin
- 2 tablespoons spicy bean paste*
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 16-18 ounces refrigerated fresh pasta 2 packs
- 4 cups chopped bok choy
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Prep: Cut the beef roast into 1-inch chunks. Then cut the scallion bunches into 1-inch segments, separating the white ends and the green ends. Slice the ginger and mince the garlic.
- Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil to the pot. Once hot, add the beef cubes. Liberally salt and pepper the beef. Stir and sear the beef cubes to brown on all sides. Then push the beef to the sides of the pot and add in the scallion whites, minced garlic, and sliced ginger. Stir and sauté the vegetables for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the star anise, bay leaves, water, soy sauce, shoaxing wine, spicy bean paste, and sugar to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Stir well, then cover the pot with a tight lid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer the soup 90-120 minutes, until the beef chunks are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, chop the bok choy and cilantro. Once the beef chunks are soft and tender, remove the ginger slices, star anise, and bay leaves.
- Stir in the refrigerated pasta and bok choy. Stir and simmer for 1-3 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. You may need tongues to portion the noodles into each bowl. Top the soup bowls with chopped scallion greens and cilantro.
