Simple and comforting, this vegan ramen will hit the spot on those chilly nights. It’s also super easy to prepare, making it an excellent vegan recipe for beginners.
Simply sauté ginger and garlic in a large pot, then add ingredients like vegetable broth, soy sauce, and miso. Together, these components will create a flavorful base for the soup.
From there, toss in dried mushrooms for a meaty texture and instant ramen noodles (sans seasoning packets!) and simmer until everything is cooked. And just like that, you have homemade vegan ramen.
Finish it off with your favorite plant-based toppings, like cooked tofu, bok choy, or seaweed snacks. The possibilities are deliciously endless.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Instant ramen noodles. For this recipe, you’ll need two bricks of instant ramen noodles without the seasoning. However, you can use three bricks if you prefer a chunkier soup.
- Vegetable broth. Of course, no soup is complete without broth. Consider using homemade vegetable broth for the best flavor and quality.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms will add a meaty and umami element to the ramen. To rehydrate the mushrooms, simply add them to the ramen as it cooks.
- Soy sauce. Soy sauce adds depth of flavor to the recipe. We recommend using low-sodium soy sauce so you can better control the saltiness.
How to Make Vegan Ramen
Homemade vegan ramen is satisfyingly easy to make. What’s more, like most other soup recipes, you can easily customize the dish based on your preferences and needs. You can find the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions at the bottom of this post.
1. In a large pot or deep pan, warm 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté minced garlic and ginger for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown and fragrant.
2. Add the soy sauce, miso, sesame oil, dehydrated mushrooms, vegetable broth, and water. Be sure to whisk the miso to break it up. Simmer for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften.
3. Add the bricks of ramen noodles. Cook until soft and separated, about 3 minutes. The exact time will depend on the product.
4. Divide the ramen into bowls. Garnish with your favorite ramen toppings such as cooked tofu, sliced carrots, chopped scallions, seaweed snacks, cilantro, sesame seeds, and hot sauce.
Recipe Tips, Variations, and Substitutions
- Add more liquid. If the ramen is too chunky for your liking, simply add more broth or water.
- Try adding mirin. For a sweeter flavor profile, add a splash of mirin. This is a type of rice wine that can help brighten up your dish.
- Use mushroom broth. The process of rehydrating dried mushrooms produces mushroom broth. You’re welcome to use it in combination with vegetable broth.
- Make it gluten-free. To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and instant gluten-free ramen noodles.
How Do You Store Leftover Ramen?
You can store leftover ramen in an air-tight pot or container in the refrigerator. However, you’ll want to store the toppings separately. This will prevent them from becoming soggy. For dried toppings, such as seaweed snacks, be sure to store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
- Crispy baked tofu — The perfect protein-rich topping for ramen
- Vegan vegetable broth — Make it with homemade broth for the best flavor
- Cooked bok choy — Add bok choy for some leafy greens
Vegan Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup dehydrated shiitake mushrooms about 1 ounce
- 4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 or 3 instant ramen bricks without seasoning packets
- Oil
Toppings
- Sliced carrots
- Chopped scallions
- Cooked tofu
- Sesame seeds
- Seaweed snacks
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot or deep pan, warm 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté minced garlic and ginger for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add the soy sauce, miso paste, toasted sesame oil, dehydrated mushrooms, vegetable broth, and water. Be sure to whisk the miso to break it up. Simmer for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften.
- Add the bricks of ramen noodles. Cook until soft and separated, about 3 minutes. The exact time will depend on the product.
- Divide the ramen into bowls. Garnish with your favorite ramen toppings such as cooked tofu, sliced carrots, chopped scallions, seaweed snacks, cilantro, sesame seeds, and hot sauce.
Notes
- If the ramen is too chunky for your liking, simply add more broth or water.
- For a sweeter flavor profile, add a splash of mirin. This is a type of rice wine that can help brighten up your dish.
- The process of rehydrating dried mushrooms produces mushroom broth. You’re welcome to use it in combination with vegetable broth.
- To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and instant gluten-free ramen noodles.
- This recipe creates 2 to 4 bowls of ramen, depending on the size of each serving and how much broth and noodles you use.
- You can store leftover ramen in an air-tight pot or container in the refrigerator. However, you’ll want to store the toppings separately. This will prevent them from becoming soggy.
- For dried toppings, such as seaweed snacks, store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.
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About the Author
Kirsten Nunez is a journalist who focuses on healthy food and cooking. Her vegan and plant-based recipes have appeared on VegNews, eHow, Shape, and more. When she’s not creating and photographing vegan recipes for Clean Green Simple, you can find her experimenting in the kitchen and sharing plant-based meals with friends and family. More articles by Kirsten.
