Made with heavy cream, parmesan, and gochujang chili paste, this Creamy Gochujang Pasta recipe is a quick, easy, and ultra tasty dish ready in just 20 minutes. The sauce is so simple, but offers complex flavors with aromatics, a good amount of heat, and a rich velvety texture.

Creamy Gochujang Pasta Recipe
This simple pasta dish will literally spice up your typical weeknight menu! Including heavy cream, parmesan, gochujang chili paste, and spaghetti, Creamy Gochujang Pasta is ready in just 20 minutes and tastes incredible.
The ingredients list is simple because the gochujang chili paste is truly the star of the dish. If you’ve never tried it before, gochujang is a red chili paste used in a lot of different Korean dishes. It’s spicy, a little earthy, and a little smoky and adds incredible flavor to pretty much anything. It definitely turns this recipe from basic to off-the-hook.

Why You’ll Love This Gochujang Cream Pasta
- Ready in 20 minutes. The gochujang pasta sauce cooks in about the same time it takes to boil pasta, meaning the whole dinner is on the table in just 20 minutes or less.
- Spicy and creamy. Gochujang is spicy, but the heavy cream and parmesan in this recipe balance it out nicely.
- Simple ingredients. Besides the gochujang paste, the only other ingredients needed in this recipe are basics like heavy cream, parmesan, and pasta.
Ingredients Needed
This gochujang pasta recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients.
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for details and measurements.)
- Spaghetti – I love the long strands of spaghetti, but really any pasta works for this dish.
- Garlic – Provides wonderful aromatics and flavor.
- Olive oil – For sautéing the garlic.
- Salt & pepper – These season the dish.
- Gochujang chili paste – This is a common item found at most grocery stores where the other Asian sauces are located. If you can’t find it, you can also order it on Amazon.
- Heavy cream – Adds a rich, creamy texture to the gochujang pasta sauce and balances out the heat.
- Parmesan – Freshly grated from the block.
- Chopped parsley – For serving.

How to Make Gochujang Pasta
This pasta recipe is super quick and easy to prepare.
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions and don’t miss the video below.)
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water then drain and set aside.
- Make the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the gochujang paste and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the heavy cream and parmesan. Bring to a gentle simmer to thicken.
- Add the cooked pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Serve with red pepper flakes, freshly grated parmesan, and chopped parsley.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips for making creamy gochujang pasta, as well as a few simple variations to customize the recipe.
- Decrease the spiciness. Not gonna lie, this dish has a kick! It’s balanced out nicely by the heavy cream and Parmesan, but it’s still spicy. Simply use less of the gochujang paste if you want to tone down the heat. Alternatively, if you love your food ultra spicy, add in some more.
- Cook the sauce on low heat. You want to thicken the sauce at a gentle simmer. Increasing the heat or bringing the sauce to a boil can cause it to separate or curdle, due to the heavy cream.
- Add more pasta water if necessary. After you add the cooked spaghetti, you can add more pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.
- Use other pasta. Any pasta can be used in place of the spaghetti. I recommend one with a texture that holds the sauce well, such as rigatoni or penne.
- Add a protein. To make this a more filling meal, feel free to add some cooked chicken breast or shrimp.

Video: Gochujang Pasta Recipe
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your gochujang pasta while it’s warm and creamy. You could pair the pasta dish with a side salad and a slice of crusty dutch oven bread or breadsticks to make it a complete meal.
How to Store Leftovers
- Fridge. Store leftover gochujang pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Reheat the pasta dish on the stovetop or in the microwave. You may need to add a splash of water or milk to thin the sauce out again.
More Easy Pasta Dishes
- Boursin Cheese Pasta
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Sesame Noodles
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Mushroom and Zucchini Pasta
- Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound dry spaghetti
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 3 tablespoons Gochujang chili paste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- fresh chopped parsley , for serving
- red chili flakes , for serving, optional
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- In the meantime, in a large nonstick saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Season with just a touch of salt and pepper.
- Stir in the Gochujang paste and then pour in a 1/2 cup of the pasta water, mixing to loosen. Add the heavy cream and parmesan. Bring to a gentle simmer (it should be bubbly, but not boiling) and allow it to thicken.
- Dump in the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding more of the reserved pasta water if necessary for a nice creamy sauce.
- Serve portions in bowls with a dash of red pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.
So easy and delicious! A little trouble finding the paste, but everything else was amazing!