Food / How-To / Main Dishes / Soups, Stews + Chili

Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls

Name: Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
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 Chicken or vegetable broth; 1 TBSP rice vinegar; 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); Sliced scallions; Sesame seeds; Shredded carrots; Soft-boiled egg

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These easy homemade Ramen bowls let you enjoy a big slurp-worthy bowl of Ramen in the comfort of your own home! With approachable ingredients, anyone can make this. Overhead shot of two Ramen bowls and bottle of Sriracha sauce.

Overhead shot of two Ramen bowls and bottle of Sriracha sauce.

The Ramen bowl is a true masterpiece.

This easy and approachable homemade Ramen bowl recipe is five years old and it remains the most popular recipe on this blog; going through the comment section makes me happy. The purpose of sharing this recipe was simple: I wanted soup lovers to be able to enjoy a big comforting bowl of Ramen—similar to those you find at Ramen bars—in the comfort of their own homes. Because not everyone lives near good Japanese food, and sometimes you just don’t want to leave the damn house. Both fantastic reasons to have easy access to delicious Ramen. Knowing I’ve been able to fill up all of these bellies with warmth and happiness is satisfying.

Different styles of Ramen.

If you’ve ever had the privilege of slurping up real-deal Ramen, then you’ve been exposed to the various types. The menus are always full of options and the differences in tastes and broth-textures are notable. Here are some of the most popular types:

Shoyu

This is the most common style of Ramen. Shoyu is the Japanese word for soy sauce, and that’s exactly what’s simmered into the base of this broth. The result is a light-bodied broth that is brown and clear, unlike the more milky and opaque tonkatsu broth. Intrigued? Check out my recipe for Spicy Shoyu Ramen.

Shio

Another light broth—in both body and flavor—is shio, which means salt. This simple broth is golden in color and is made up of chicken or fish bones.

Miso

If you’ve had miso soup, then you’re familiar with this cloudy and complex broth. Made with fermented soy bean paste, miso can be white or red in color. The broth is packed with umami and feels thicker on the palate than the lighter broths used for shio or shoyu broths. If this sounds good to you, check out my Miso Ramen.

Tonkatsu

Full-bodied, fatty, and satisfying, the tonkatsu broth is the richest of them all. It’s made up of simmered pork bones which break down during the cooking process and release collagen, which makes a broth so thick it’ll coat the back of your spoon! The broth is often fortified with pork or chicken fat. So if you’re ordering yourself some Tonkatsu Ramen from a menu, know that you’re in for an indulgent treat.

Overhead shot of soup bowls.

What noodles should I use for homemade Ramen bowls?

The point of this recipe is convenience, so it calls for easy instant Ramen noodles from those cheap-o packages we relied on in college. If you live near an East Asian market, you’ll likely find a variety of fresh Ramen. Those are great! Buckwheat soba noodles are an option, but they will bring a different flavor to the soup with their wheatiness.

Overhead shot of bowl of cooked Ramen noodles.

Overhead shot of broth being ladled into bowl of cooked noodles.

Ramen toppings.

One of the most noticeable things about a big bowl of Ramen is, of course, all of those tasty goodies piled on top. Here’s a list of toppings typically used in Ramen bowls:

Soft-boiled egg with a jammy yolk
Narutomaki (fish cakes; you’ve likely seen them. They’re the thinly-sliced rounds with pink spirals in the middle)
Enoki mushrooms
Nori (dried seaweed)
Bamboo shoots
Bean sprouts
Corn kernels
Scallions

Overhead shot of jammy egg being spooned up from Ramen bowl.

How to make these Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls.

As you can see, when it comes to at-home Ramen, you’ve got options. I kept this recipe approachable. It’s great as is, and if you feel like getting creative, use this recipe as a base!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Instant Ramen (discard the flavor packets)
Sesame oil
Olive oil (or avocado oil)
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Shredded carrots
Shiitake mushrooms (optional)
Chicken or vegetable broth
Rice vinegar
Low sodium soy sauce
Sriracha or hot chili garlic sauce, like Sambal Oelek
Scallions
Sesame seeds
Soft-boiled egg

Cutting board with shredded carrots, scallions, garlic cloves, ginger root, and pinch bowl of sesame seeds.

Here’s what you’ll do:

Heat sesame oil and olive oil in a medium-large saucepan over moderate heat.
Add the garlic and ginger, and simmer until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t brown the garlic, or else you’ll get a bitter flavor. Then add the carrots and mushrooms if you’re using them, and simmer until they soften, about a minute; stir occasionally.
Transfer the broth to the pot, then add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce to. Stir well to combine and bring the broth to a simmer; let it go for about five minutes. Taste, and adjust the heat and flavor 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. (You could also cook the Ramen noodles separately, then place them into a bowl and spoon the broth over the noodles. I’ve found this method works better since first creating this recipe—it’s much easier to portion out the noodles.)
Carefully transfer the soup and noodles to bowls, and allow to cool. In the meantime, make your soft-boiled egg. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the egg, and let it boil for five minutes. Prepare an ice bath in a bowl. Once five minutes are up, remove the egg and pace it into the ice bath for about a minute to cool off—enough for you to be able to peel and handle the egg. 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.

Hands holding up a bowl of homemade Ramen.

More soups you’ll want to slurp:

Hope you enjoy!

If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.

Easy Homemade Ramen Bowls | Killing Thyme

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