This easy Shoyu Ramen recipe proves you can enjoy a restaurant-worthy bowl of Ramen in the comfort of your own home.

Bowl of shoyu ramen with mushrooms, scallions, narutomaki, egg, and carrots.

Ramen: Let Me Shoyu How Its Done.

Bad jokes aside, you’re gonna love this one.

Ramen comes in many different varieties—miso, shio, tonkatsu, and shoyu. This recipe has a little more going on than my popular homemade ramen bowls, but it’s still approachable and it doesn’t take that much more time or effort.

This shoyu broth is salty and spicy, and honestly, you’ll want to just drink it.

As for toppings, you can dress your bowl with whatever veggies and proteins you want!

This bowl of goodness is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s perfect for lazy rainy days. So bookmark it.

What Is Shoyu Ramen?

Shoyu, which translates to “soy sauce” in Japanese, is very common. If you have a Ramen joint near you, I can almost guarantee they have Shoyu Ramen on the menu.

Shoyu broth is made up of a meat or vegetable stock with a soy sauce base—hence the name.

My version here, which has been adapted from the lovely Nami over at Just One Cookbook, also incorporates dashi, and spicy chili bean sauce to give it some kick.

It’s awesome when you have a cold ;)

Side shot of bowl of shoyu ramen.

Ingredients for an Easy Shoyu Ramen Recipe.

You’ll want to closely follow the ingredients for the broth, but as far as toppings go, you get to take the wheel. I’ll list suggestions based on my preference.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the broth:

  • Sesame oil
  • Garlic
  • Fresh ginger
  • Shiitake mushrooms
  • Spicy chili bean paste (optional; use this if you want a kick!)
  • Chicken or vegetable stock
  • Dashi stock
  • Low sodium soy sauce
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Sea salt
  • Sugar

Soup pot full of spicy sauteed mushrooms with broth being added.

Ramen toppings:

  • Soft-boiled egg
  • Carrots
  • Scallions
  • Narutomaki (see below)
  • White pepper
  • Protein of your choice (here I used tofu)
  • Sesame seeds

What Is Narutomaki?

You’ve probably noticed those little white and pink spiraled cakes that garnish most Ramen bowls. (Or maybe you’ve seen the food emoji for it!)

Those are narutomaki, or naruto, which is a type of processed white fish product called kamaboko.

Narutomaki is a specific style of kamaboko. The spiral pattern is meant to resemble the Naruto whirlpools on Shikoku Island in Japan.

It has a very subtle flavor that’s reminiscent of imitation crab sticks. You can buy narutomaki at most Asian grocery stores.

Hearty bowl of shoyu ramen with soft-boiled egg, fish cakes, tofu, and mushrooms.

How to Make Shoyu Ramen.

  1. Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger. Stir it around and simmer for about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms to the saucepan and sauté them until they’ve softened.
  3. Drop the chili paste into the pot and stir it around to coat the mushrooms.
  4. Stir in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Pour both the chicken and dashi stock into the pot and give everything a good stir.
  5. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, you can cook your ramen noodles and prep your toppings.
  6. Once the soup has had a chance to simmer, give it a taste test and adjust the heat and soy sauce to your liking.
  7. When the noodles are ready, strain them and transfer them to a large bowl—preferably a Ramen bowl. Transfer some broth to the bowl over the noodles and garnish the bowl with your toppings of choice.

Equipment You’ll Need:

Need a Ramen Bowl Set? Click Here!

Recipe Tips + Tricks.

  1. If you want to knock the spice out of this, get yourself a non-spicy chili bean paste. If you want to kick it up, top your bowl with some Sriracha or some sambal oelek.
  2. To get a good soft-boiled egg, simply place your egg into a saucepan filled with just enough water to cover the egg. Bring the water to a boil and boil the egg for 4-5 minutes. While the egg boils, prepare a bowl of ice water to act as an ice bath for the egg once you take it out of the water. Let the egg cool, than peel it and cut it in half.
  3. If you don’t have shiitake mushrooms, cremini or baby bella mushrooms will work. You could also omit the mushrooms completely.
  4. If you want to add a protein, cook it in the saucepan before you start the broth and then transfer it into a bowl or onto a plate until it’s time to top the Ramen with it.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

Other Ramen Recipes You Can Make at Home:

Side shot of bowl of shoyu ramen.

Get the Recipe:

Easy Spicy Shoyu Ramen

Yield: 2 people
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
This easy Shoyu Ramen recipe proves you can enjoy a restaurant-worthy bowl of Ramen in the comfort of your own home.
5 from 56 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 TBSP sesame oil, more if necessary
  • 3 cloves of garlic, grated to a paste or finely minced
  • 1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
  • 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 TBSP spicy chili bean paste
  • 3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups dashi stock

Toppings:

  • Soft-boiled egg
  • Sliced scallions
  • Narutomaki (fish cakes)
  • Protein of choice
  • Julienned carrots
  • Sesame seeds
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • 2 packets of uncooked Ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded

Instructions 

  • Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and let them simmer for about 30 seconds, stirring often.
  • Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté until they've softened, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Spoon the chili paste into the pot, then stir it around to coat the mushrooms.
  • Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Give it a quick stir, then pour the chicken and dashi stock into the pot; stir again.
  • Allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes. While it simmers, cook your ramen noodles, your egg (see notes), and prepare your toppings.
  • After the soup has simmered for about 15 minutes, give it a taste test and adjust the heat and soy sauce to your liking.
  • Strain the noodles when they're ready, then transfer them to a large bowl. Spoon broth over the noodles in the bowl, and then garnish with your toppings.

Notes

  1. To cook a soft-boiled egg, place your egg into a saucepan filled with water—just enough to cover the egg. Bring the water to a boil and boil the egg for 4-5 minutes. While the egg boils, prepare a bowl of ice water to act as an ice bath for the egg once you take it out of the water. Let the egg cool, than peel it and cut it in half.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 592kcal, Carbohydrates: 82g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g
Author: Dana Sandonato
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese