Have you ever sat yourself down at a Ramen bar and just been completely enamored with the colorful broth-y masterpiece set in front of you? With the white and pink-spiraled fish cakes, bright screen scallions, frail nori strips, and perfectly yolk-y eggs…
Have you ever been able to picture yourself building your own Ramen empire in your very own kitchen? You should, because you can.
The flavor profile of true Ramen broths can be beautifully complex with sweet, spicy, and savory notes dancing along your tastebuds with subtle hints of fish.
You can certainly go that route and create dashi from scratch, then turn it into a Shoyu Ramen or a Kake Soba With Hon Tsuyu Broth. (SO soso good.)
But if you’re just at home, feeling lazy, and hankering something that tastes like a Ramen bowl, looks like a Ramen bowl, and warms your belly like a Ramen bowl, there’s no need to fuss. You can get it done, and with minimal ingredients that you probably already have kickin’ around in your pantry.
Also! If you have a local Asian market, check them out. Because your pantry item options can easily expand out to things like shimeji mushrooms and naruto—you know, those pretty white and pink-spiraled fish cakes. I have some in my freezer right now.
Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls
All you *really* need is garlic, ginger, sesame oil, olive oil, vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth, if you’re not pesce/veg), a packet of Ramen noodles, Sriracha or sambal for some heat, and veggies for nutrition. I like to add shredded carrots, sliced scallions, and if I have them, shiitake mushrooms.
Oh, and obviously a soft-boiled egg, which is basically the best part; it’s the cherry on the Ramen sundae.
I typically keep my bowls veg-based. It’s the easy thing to do, and this bowl of goodness is all about feeding yourself while lazy. But adding a protein is always good, especially if you have leftovers in the fridge that you need to use up. Tofu, sustainable shrimp—or again, if you’re omnivorous—chicken or pork. You do you, babe.
If you love Ramen and are eager to make it at home often, you have to try this Spicy Shoyu Ramen and this Miso Ramen!
Some other awesome things to make with Ramen…
- Prawn and Broccoli Coconut Red Curry from My Kitchen Love
- Easy Chicken Ramen Stir-Fry from Salt and Lavender
- Broccoli Ramen Salad With Peanut Sauce from Cooking For Keeps
If you try this recipe or create your own variation, let me know in the comments! I love connecting with you.
Also, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme and be featured in our newsletter.
Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 TBSP rice vinegar (optional)
- 3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce (more to taste)
- 1 TBSP Sriracha sauce (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance)
- 2 3 oz portions of Ramen (discard the flavor packets)
Toppings
- Sliced scallions
- Sesame seeds
- Shredded carrots
- Soft-boiled egg
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil and olive oil in a medium-large saucepan over moderate (see notes). Add garlic and ginger, and simmer until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Do not brown the garlic, or else you'll get a bitter flavor.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms if you're using them, and simmer until they soften, about a minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the broth, Sriracha sauce, rice vinegar (if using), and soy sauce. Stir, and bring to a simmer; let it go for about five minutes. Taste, and adjust heat and taste to your liking by adding more Sriracha and soy sauce if needed.
- Carefully place the Ramen noodles into the pot of simmering broth and allow to cook for approx. 2-3 minutes, or until cooked and tender.
- Carefully transfer the soup and noodles to bowls, and allow to cool. At this time, make your soft-boiled egg.
Soft-Boiled Egg
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the egg(s), and let them boil for five minutes. In the meantime, prepare an ice bath in a bowl. Once five minutes are up, remove the egg(s) and dunk them into the ice bath for about a minute to cool them off enough to handle. Then, lightly crack and roll them on a flat surface, peel, slice in half, and place on top of your Ramen.
- Garnish with your toppings of choice.
- Fall into a state of bliss.
I’m 14,and this was super easy and delicious to do! Also I added some bell pepper and chili powder.
Im sorry. I haven’t made this yet but Im not a big fan of spice. Does the amount of sriracha sauce required in the recipe make it spicy?
Hi Chloe! The Sriracha in this recipe definitely gives it a kick. If you’re not into spicy foods, you can skip the Sriracha. It won’t have a negative impact :) I hope you enjoy it!
OMG!! This was sooooo good!!
I changed it up just a bit, added a bit of Hot Chili Oil, garnished with Jalapenos, Avocado, Cilantro, Green Onion.. was just amazing really!!
Hey Steven! I’m so glad you loved it. Thrilled that I’ve been able to help people enjoy some lazy Ramen at home :)
Added collards, ham, and a cup of ham stock. Excellent results! Garnished with Everything Bagel Seasoning since it has sesame seeds and garlic. Family of four loved it and ate every drop. Hard boiled eggs will work in a pinch, too. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is delicious! I added 1 sliced jalapeno to the broth because I like ramen spicy! Also added a little frozen chopped spinach just to bump up the veggies. Will definitely make again!
LOVE this recipe! Now I don’t have to wait in Lon lines if I’m craving ramen. I had everything in my pantry and even added some frozen corn and frozen shaved beef from my hot pot leftovers. Amazing! Will be sharing this recipe with family and friends.
Hi!
This looks amazing and I went to the shops to get all my ingredients however I can’t seem to find ramen noodles they all seem to say BBQ flavour, shrimp flavour etc.
please help me out as I really want to cook this tonight.
Thanks :)
Hi Jessica! You can definitely still get any of those prepackaged “flavored” Ramen noodles. The flavored seasoning is in a separate little package tucked in with the noodles; you can just discard it :)
Hope you love it! Let me know how it goes or if I can help further.
Just get buckwheat noodles they’re the same thing
Buckwheat noodles will work, but they definitely have a different flavor and texture than Ramen. Buckwheat noodles are interchangeable with soba noodles, though!
Don’t use the flavoring package
It doesn’t matter what flavor noodles you get since you will just use the noodles instead of the flavoring packets inside. But of course, fresh is always better!
You don’t need the flavouring packet just the noddles
AMAZING!!! im only 14 and i made this
I LOVE YOU. Way to rock it in the kitchen, kiddo <3
I just made this and it was very tasty. I had a bag of frozen mushrooms that I added and some bok choy. I toasted the sesame seeds and added a splash of fresh lemon juice at serving (didn’t have the traditional limes).
Glad you enjoyed it, Angela!
I made this ramen bowl one time about a year ago and ever since then my wife has asked me about once a month to make “my” ramen because it’s so good. Today we had some thinly sliced radishes and zoodles and it was fantastic. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
Josh! Thanks so much for stopping in with feedback. Comments like this make my day. My goal with this recipe was to give people an easy way to enjoy Ramen at home and knowing it’s doing that makes me incredibly happy. Have a great week :)
Making tonight for the second time per teenager request after the last time. Thank you! It’s fun and easy. I suggest steamed or pan-fried dumplings on the side for families of starving males like mine :).
Fantastic base recipe, and easily adaptable for varying veggies on hand!
So glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks for this quick and delicious recipe! We made it last night and everyone loved it. We added some chicken breast tenders (baked in the oven and cut into small pieces) and some baby bok choy (white sections chopped into bite-sized pieces and added to the simmering soup to soften, and leafy greens added to the pot at the table). We also roasted the mushrooms at very high heat in the oven, because we like that little bit of crispy texture they pick up this way! We will definitely be making this in the future. Thanks again!
This may be a really silly question but the Ginger that was used.. was it crushed?or grinder? What was the consistency of it and where did you find it? :)
Hi Vanity!
The ginger is grated fresh from ginger root, which every grocery store should have in their produce section. It’s usually near the garlic. You could also use the ginger that comes in a tube if that’s more convenient. But don’t use ground ginger (the dry spice), that would change things up quite a bit, and probably not in a good way :P
I hope this helps! Don’t ever feel bad asking questions. Cooking is learning as you go <3
So glad I read the comments, I almost used grounded ginger :)
I’m horrible at following recipes, always scared of things I don’t normally eat BUT this was AMAZING!! Sooo flavorful, easy to do and add anything to it! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Marie! This makes me so happy. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop in with feedback :)
Hope many more bowls keep you cozy for the rest of the winter!
This is the perfect ramen recipe! We make this probably once a week since we discovered this. We really like noodles so we add an extra package of ramen and typically add a few more veggies depending on what is in the house. Thanks for posting!!
Julia! I’m so glad you’re into this recipe. It’s funny—I brought it to the blog on a whim years ago. There didn’t seem to be much demand for such a thing, but I was always craving Ramen so came up with an easy at-home knock off to enjoy on chilly rainy days. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to go out to pick it up OR for those who don’t have a legit Ramen place nearby. All I wanted was to give a few others out there that sort of ease. And now, it’s my most popular recipe on the blog. Which makes my heart happy.
Thanks for taking the time to drop by with feedback :)
How [raw or cooked) would I add tofu & when, can I use dry shiitake mushrooms?
It depends on how you like your tofu. Technically tofu doesn’t need to be cooked, but you want it to soak up flavors and have a bit of texture otherwise it will taste very bland. I’d add tofu in at the beginning and let it simmer with the garlic and ginger to pick up some flavor. You could also cook it separately and make crispy tofu (here’s my go-to method: https://www.killingthyme.net/vegetarianism/how-to-cook-crispy-tofu/) and add it to the soup upon serving.
I’ve never used dried shiitake, only fresh. I think with dry, you have to soak them for about 20 minutes to bring them back to life (check the instructions on the packaging), and then you can add them as you would fresh mushrooms.
Hope this helps!
It helps greatly! Thank you so much for your helpful response.
I added Korean BBQ (Bulgogi) chicken and it was incredible
That sounds amazing, Aaron. So glad you enjoyed it!
I’d love to know where you got these bowls! My family has fallen in love with ramen bowls and I need more than the usual cereal bowls!
Hey Tanya! I snagged these bad boys from Amazon. They have a decent selection on there! Ramen just tastes so much better out of a proper (massive) Ramen bowl :) Hope you find something you like!
I LOVE this recipe and have made it multiple times! I’m thinking of mixing up a paste with some of the ingredients and keeping it in the fridge for easier prep.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Diane! I love that you’re so into it. Let me know how the paste goes if you come up with one, that’s a great idea!
This was a big hit for dinner tonight! I added chicken and broccoli. It’s a keeper for my recipe pins!
Hi Wendy!
I’m so glad this was a hit for you. Thanks so much for stopping by with feedback. I really appreciate it! Happy Ramen-slurping :)
Can you use other noodles found in the Asian section if the grocery store?
Hey Julie, absolutely. I often use soba noodles, and recently used vermicelli. Just check the cooking instructions on the package and go as directed.
My hubby loves ramen, we definitely need to try it at home! This looks so delicious, yum!
Thanks, Kim! I hope you both love it. Keep me posted!
Such a perfect dish for staying warm on these cold days! Especially with those scallions! :)
It’s funny, if I go to make this and realize I don’t have scallions, I don’t make it. I can’t. They truly complete the dish for me.
I’ve been intimidated to make my own ramen at home but now I’m thinking I might have to try it!!! It looks SO GOOD!
I love that you’re thinking of trying it! Keep me posted :)
Yum! This sounds perfect for the cold weather we have been having. Such wonderful flavors!
Right? I’ve had it with winter! (Says the Canadian-born gal living in the South… what right do I have.) This is definitely soothing for this time of year. But I do whip this up in the summer, too ;)
Can you believe I have never been to a ramen bar!? Insane, I know! But now I confess I’d rather just make it at home, this looks so delicious!! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, as well – as usual!
Hey — I hadn’t been to a Ramen bar until I moved to Raleigh! Where I grew up, there weren’t any. But if you stumble upon one, I highly recommend you give it a go. SO GOOD. But yes, trust me, as someone who loves to curl up with comfort food, I love enjoying a big bowl of this stuff at home too. That’s what inspired this.
Thanks so much for the lovely compliment! Let me know if you try this out :)
Did the recipe change? My husband requests this fairly often and cooking it felt very different this time. I feel like I was missing mushrooms and rice vinegar. Also didn’t there used to be more soy sauce?
Hi Whitney! I did just alter the recipe to be a bit more “pantry staple” friendly and have less sodium. The previous version would have had you adding shiitake mushrooms with the carrots, prior to adding the broth. You can still add a TBSP of rice vinegar! I found that a lot of family/friends would ask if it was necessary, since they didn’t often have it on hand. It’s an option. And as for the soy sauce, it used to call for 1/4 cup. I use just less than that now, but if that’s your preference, by all means! Hope this helps.
Hey Whitney! Just an FYI — I added in the old ingredients/steps to the recipe here as optional so you can more easily stick with the old recipe <3
I have come back to this recipe numerous times. The flavors come together to make such a great broth! Thank you for sharing. This recipe has taken the place of regular chicken noodle soup in our house.
Hey Jennifer!
I’m so glad to hear this. This is totally the go-to soup in our household these days, too. It’s even great when you’re feeling under the weather! I might have to make this for lunch tomorrow. Now I’m craving it. Haha :)
Both version look, chicken and egg, look delicious… I couldn’t make up my mind which I’d like to eat more. :)
Thanks, Adina! In that case, Have the egg AND the chicken :)
I thought it was mazeman at first but then I noticed the soup. It looks super savory and tasty.
Thanks, Annie! Savory is a great way to describe it.
I can definitely see how it could resemble mazeman, too. The broth is covered by all of that goodness.