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Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the comfort food we all need for the chilly months ahead. This spicy soup combines a fragrant broth with tender beef and chewy noodles, and best of all, you can make it in the Instant Pot!
I LOVE Taiwanese beef noodle soup (牛肉麵). It’s a simple dish made with warming spices, garlic cloves, ginger, and chilies. Every bite is full of tender beef shank and noodles and warms you from the inside out. This easy beef noodle soup recipe is the next best thing to the real deal you’ll find in Taiwan, where it’s wildly popular year-round. I vividly remember going to the market, getting beef noodle soup for lunch, and slurping away in 90-degree heat and humidity. WORTH IT.
If you love Chinese-American recipes like my Beijing beef and orange beef, it’s time to take a trip to Taiwan with this spicy beef noodle soup recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe
- Made in the Instant Pot. Making beef noodle soup in the Instant Pot is a game-changer. It’s quick, tasty, and basically hands-free. The one-pot recipe below is the one that my mom makes, so you know it’s tried and true!
- Full of flavor. Like other traditional Asian dishes like Vietnamese bo luc lac, this easy beef soup brims with complex, savory, spicy flavors. Juicy beef, chilies, garlic, ginger, and an array of spices combine in a warming broth with tender onions and tomatoes.
- Perfect any time. Sure, this soup is wonderful when served on a chilly day. But it’s one of those classic comfort food recipes that you can make year-round. The pressure cooker makes it even easier!
What Is Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup?
Beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) is the national dish of Taiwan, though its origins are Chinese. It consists of tender beef cooked in a delectably spiced broth with freshly simmered noodles and tender vegetables. The savory, salty, fresh, chili-infused flavors are reminiscent of Sichuan-style cuisine and Hunan beef. This recipe combines everything in the Instant Pot for a quick, easy, and flavorful bowlful.
What You’ll Need
Below are some notes on the important ingredients for Tawainese beef noodle soup. You’ll find the full recipe with recommended amounts at the bottom of the post. (Whenever my family makes this recipe, we eyeball the ingredients, so feel free to adjust things to your liking.)
- Bone-in beef shank – Good substitutes are beef arm, oxtail, chuck roast, skirt, and silverside.
- Onion and Tomatoes – Regular yellow onion and your choice of tomatoes, cut into quarters.
- Garlic and Ginger – Freshly minced garlic and ginger root will lend the best flavor.
- Soy sauce – You can use tamari instead if you prefer.
- Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) – Dry sherry can be used in a pinch.
- Spices – Star anise, cinnamon sticks, ground fennel seed, ground cloves, and ground cumin. In Taiwanese cooking, this combination is known as five-spice.
- Thai red chilies – You can skip these for a milder soup, or use red pepper flakes if you can’t find them at the grocery store.
- Asian noodles – You can use any variety you like, and you can add as much or as little as you want, depending on your ideal broth-to-noodle ratio.
- Green onions – For garnish.
How to Make Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in an Instant Pot
Since this is an Instant Pot recipe, it’s super easy to make in any kitchen. It probably takes more effort to assemble the ingredients than it does to actually cook the soup. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Prep the beef. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully drop in the beef shanks for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the impurities. Remove the beef from the pot and discard the water.
- Make the soup. Add the beef shanks to your pressure cooker, along with the remaining ingredients. (You don’t need to add water because the beef naturally releases liquid throughout the cooking process.) Use the meat preset (or similar) to pressure cook the beef for 25 to 26 minutes.
- Prep the noodles. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and divide them into soup bowls.
- Finish. Once the soup is done and the pressure is released, divide the meat and soup into the bowls with the noodles.
Why Do You Blanch the Beef?
Blanching the beef shanks in boiling water before pressure cooking isn’t essential, but it does produce a clearer broth. Blanching beef removes impurities, which are then discarded with the water before you combine the beef with the other ingredients in the Instant Pot. This process prevents the final soup from turning out murky.
Tips and Variations
Here are some hints and tips for the best Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup:
- Adjust the recipe to taste. If you feel the spices and liquid amounts are not enough, feel free to add more. This recipe is easy to customize!
- Mind the hot steam. As always when pressure cooking, be careful when opening the lid to your Instant Pot after the cooking time is up. Wear an oven mitt if needed, as the steam will be hot!
- Make a spice sachet. You can tie the anise, cinnamon sticks, and chilies in a cheesecloth if you like, then pull it out before serving.
- Add greens. Make this soup with different vegetables such as bok choy, kale, or cabbage.
Frequently Asked Questions
This homemade beef noodle soup recipe is savory and spicy thanks to a combination of beef, vegetables, umami-rich soy sauce, cozy spices, and hot chilies.
In Taiwan, traditional beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) goes by the name tai wan niu rou mian.
Serving Suggestions
We serve our Tawainese beef noodle soup with a side of cooked spinach, but you can enjoy it as-is, use another cooked green, or substitute a different vegetable. You can also serve this soup with a side of plain white rice or sticky rice along with a smashed Asian cucumber salad or a side of cabbage stir-fry, and fluffy steamed buns for dunking.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For best results, reheat in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Freezer. Place it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm it on the stovetop.
More Asian-Inspired Soup Recipes
- Beef Ramen Noodle Soup
- Drunken Chinese Chicken Soup
- Coconut Curry Ramen
- Kimchi Ramen
- Curry Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl
Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds (1134 g) bone-in beef shank
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 tomatoes, quartered
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 piece of large ginger, sliced into large thin pieces
- ⅓ – ½ cup (79 ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (59 ml) shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 dried Thai red chilies, optional
- 1-2 pounds (454 g) Asian noodles, depends on how much soup vs. noodle ratio you like
- Green onions, for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil then blanch the beef shanks. You don’t want to cook them all the way through, just about 2-3 minutes. This allows the impurities to get cooked off. Remove the beef shanks and discard the water with the impurities.2 ½ pounds (1134 g) bone-in beef shank
- Add the beef shanks to the pressure cooker then add the remaining ingredients. You DON’T need to add water because the beef naturally releases water throughout the cooking process.1 large onion, 2 tomatoes, 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1 piece of large ginger, ⅓ – ½ cup (79 ml) soy sauce, ¼ cup (59 ml) shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine), 3 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed, ½ teaspoon ground clove, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 3 dried Thai red chilies
- Using the meat preset (or similar), pressure cook the beef. With my mom’s pressure cooker, she had to run the meat preset twice. If this confuses you, just pressure cook it for 25-26 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook the noodles and divide evenly into bowls.1-2 pounds (454 g) Asian noodles
- Once the pressure cooker is done and pressure is released, add meat and soup on top of noodles.Green onions
Notes
- If you feel the spices and liquid amounts are not enough, feel free to add more. My mom gave me this recipe and since she has been making this for years and years, she pretty much eyeballs it all so tweaking this recipe is very easy to do yourself :)
- We typically serve this soup with a side of cooked spinach but you can enjoy it with any vegetable of your choosing.
This was delicious!!! We’ve never had Taiwanese cuisine before, but I was looking for something to do with my 2 lb beef shank and also looking for soup, since the weather has turned. This hit the spot! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed your first taste of Taiwanese cuisine!
Hi. I am new to instant pot and love to use your recipe. Would you please give me a little more details about setting for instant pot. We choose meat setting on high pressure for 25-30 minutes and natural release. Is that what you mean?
Yes, exactly! :)
This is a great recipe! Adding 2cups chicken stock was a great idea. This was abit too salty for me so I’ll be using the lower sodium soy sauce in my next try.
excited to try! i’m getting a 3qrt instapot. curious to know what size you’re using? I want to make sure things will fit! thanks
I’m using a 6 quart
This was such a rich broth and delicious supper. I added a bit of turmeric (it was handing around) and some pumpkin slices.
Hi there,
do you chop the meat to bite size after you blanch the beef or after cooking in pressure cooker? Thanks!
You chop the meat into bite size prior to blanching the beef!
Oh my gosh! This was so good! I made it yesterday, it turned out amazing. The meat was so tender (we used brisket) and soup was super tasteful. I’m from Taiwan originally and my husband lived there for many years, we both agree this recipe is very authentic, its probably better than a lot of of Taiwanese restaurants’ beef noodle soup. We followed the recipe exactly but had few changes – we used boneless beef brisket instead of beef shank, used 1/2 cup soy sauce, added 2/3 cup chicken broth in the beginning, and used an about 2” ginger root. I’ll definitely make it again, perhaps try one tomato instead of two since my soup was a little bit acidic. Thank you for the recipe!!
Just made this tonight! It was great. I made 2 batches since we bought over 7lbs of meat and had a 6 quart pot. Few suggested tweaks. Use 1/2 cup of soy sauce. Also add 2-3 cups chicken stock. We didnt get enough soup on the first batch and we added 1 cup of stock. We also added carrots and radish. Besides using the meat setting (35mins), I added an additional 10 minutes. 2nd batch, it melted in my mouth! On my next attempt, i will try dark soy sauce. as well.
Oh my goodness this was so amazing, I followed the recipe almost to the letter, just substituted the fennel seeds for fresh fennel (it was all I had at home) and omitted the alcohol. Thank you so much for this it will definitely become a staple meal in our house ?
I’m trying out the recipe now but it seemed to be over 30 mins and it’s still not cooked? Am I doing something wrong? Is a multicooker the same as instant pot?
A multicooker is the same as an Instant Pot. There are many questions for me to ask you so we can figure out why it’s not cooked: Did you use the multicooker on the pressure cooker function? Did you make sure the valve is sealed? Have you cooked anything using the pressure cooker function before? Did you substitute anything? What do you mean by “it’s still not cooked?”…like the meat still isn’t cooked or the multicooker hasn’t gotten to pressure or the multicooker isn’t doing anything?
Found this in a search for instant pot recipes. Was delicious and so easy – thanks to you and your mom! I cooked 35 min and meat was perfect. Next time I’d use more liquid – ideally chicken stock – so there’d be more broth. But really so great. Brought my husband around to instant pot love!