We Tested (and Rated) All of Omsom’s Saucy Noodle Flavors — And There Was One Clear Favorite

published Jun 17, 2024
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Omsom Saucy Noodles Variety pack
Credit: Omsom

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What We Tested: In this installment of The Test Kitchn, we tested out all the flavors from the Omsom Saucy Noodle Sampler. Omsom is an editor-favorite brand that was started by two sisters with the mission to bring proud, loud Asian flavors to your fingertips any day of the week. The sampler includes 10 boxes of noodles (20 total servings) with three packs of the Coconut Lemongrass Curry flavor, three packs of the Soy Garlic flavor, two packs of the Chili Sesame flavor, and two packs of the Garlic Black Pepper flavor. These are air-dried, never fried noodles made with no artificial flavors or preservatives — and they’re ready in just 4 minutes. The noodles are also available à la carte. In addition to noodles, Omsom sells sauces, sets, and merch.  

Meet Our Testers: This week, we have Ivy Peterson, manager, Brand Strategy & Innovation; Morgan Pryor, commerce editorial assistant; Nikol Slatinska, shopping writer; and myself, senior commerce editor. We’re all noodle lovers, so for these to score highly, they’ll have to stand out from the rest of the competition. 

Credit: Ian Burke

The Test

How We Tested: These Omsom Saucy Noodles are exactly what they sound like: quick-heating noodles with flavor packets that have way more sauce than anything else I’ve seen in this category currently on the market. To cook them, you can either use a pot of boiling water on the stovetop (4 minutes), a microwave (6 minutes), or an electric kettle (6 minutes depending on the heat of the water). I opted for the usual break room stovetop setup, and after whipping up four batches of noodles — which only took about 10 minutes using just two pots and burners — we were ready to sample. 

The Verdict  

Credit: Apartment Therapy Media

Coconut Lemongrass Curry: Personally, I thought the Coconut Lemongrass Curry was the best out of all the flavors, but I was alone in that department. However, there were some other fans, including Ivy, who said that “I really liked this classic curry lemongrass flavor with a subtle spice. I think it would be great with chicken and broccoli, and it feels lighter than the other flavors.” 

Credit: Apartment Therapy Media

Soy Garlic: Out of all the testers, Morgan loved the Soy Garlic flavor the most, explaining that, “This was a good in-between flavor compared with the others, and I could definitely eat this on the regular.” I liked this one, too, but it wasn’t as punchy as the other ones, which is why it didn’t score as high in my book. Nikol and Ivy felt the same, but while it wasn’t our favorite, it was still delish. 

Credit: Apartment Therapy Media

Chili Sesame: I really liked the Chili Sesame flavor, and it came in at the second-best in my rankings, since I really liked the pronounced sesame flavor. Nikol thought so. too, saying that it has “just the right amount of spice without being too hot.” Morgan agreed, saying, “Loved this one! It had a nice kick and was a bit tingly without being too overwhelming, and it didn’t overshadow the flavors.” 

Credit: Apartment Therapy Media

Garlic Black Pepper: Well, folks, here’s our winner: Garlic Black Pepper! This was a tenth of a point away from getting a perfect five-star rating, and we can confidently say that it was the unanimous favorite. “I found that it had the most interesting flavor with the fish sauce, and it had a creamier texture,” Morgan said. Ivy agreed, saying that “It has a really interesting, rich flavor that’s almost creamy. I can definitely see myself reaching for this on a weeknight when I want something comforting.”

Good to Know: The Omsom noodles have two servings per pack, but we think the noodles alone are enough for one person to handle if they’re hungry. That being said, if you’re planning on adding meats and veggies to your bowl, each packet could easily be split between two people. 

Buy: Omsom Saucy Noodle Sampler, $49