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This easy ramen soup recipe comes together in 30 minutes and tastes like something you’d order out. A restaurant-worthy ramen bowl recipe, but right at home!
This ramen soup recipe is the kind of thing you’ll want in your back pocket on a weeknight when you’re craving something that tastes like it took all day, but didn’t. In less than 30 minutes, you’ve got a steaming bowl of homemade ramen soup with a broth so good you’ll want to drink it straight from the pot! (And I do.) Garlic, ginger, sesame—it all comes together fast, and it all hits exactly the way a ramen bowl recipe should.
If you’re on a ramen soup kick, try my miso ramen, shoyu ramen, or this craveable chicken curry ramen soup (you’ll fall in love, and that’s a promise).
Table of Contents
Ramen Soup Ingredients
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Broth: Chicken or vegetable works, but go for low-sodium. You can always adjust the salt bit by bit if necessary.
- Sesame oil: This brings a signature nutty, toasty flavor to the broth.
- Rice vinegar: The mild acidity and subtle sweetness brighten the broth.
- Low-sodium soy sauce: Kikkoman’s low-sodium soy sauce in particular tastes exactly the same, so there’s no loss of umami goodness.
- Chili-garlic sauce: Add heat if you want it with chili sauces like Sriracha or sambal oelek.
How to Make Ramen Soup
Step 1: Sautée the Veggies
Heat the sesame oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, mushrooms, and any other veggies you want to use. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Step 2: Bring In the Garlic and Ginger
Add the garlic and ginger to the pot and simmer for 30-45 seconds until it’s fragrant.
Step 3: Create the Broth
Pour the broth into the pot and add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Stir well to combine and let it all simmer on low for five minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the soy sauce or hot sauce if needed.
Step 4: Cook the Ramen Noodles
While the soup simmers, cook the Ramen noodles in a separate pot according to the package instructions. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and rinse them under cool water. Place them into soup bowls and set aside.
Step 5: Build Your Ramen Noodle Bowls
Spoon the broth over the noodles, then garnish the bowl with whatever fun toppings you have on hand. See below for ideas.
Dana’s Cooking Tips
- Simmer veggies first: I used to simmer the garlic and ginger before adding the veggies, but this resulted in slightly burnt garlic, which adds a bitter taste. You only want to simmer the garlic for a short time.
- Cook noodles separately: Cooking the noodles directly in the broth is convenient, and you can do it if you want, but they’ll absorb some of your broth and become mushy pretty quickly.
- Make it low-sodium: Typical ramen noodles are high in sodium, so choose low-sodium broth and soy sauce.
Substitutions & Variations
- High-Protein Upgrade: Rotisserie chicken, sautéed shrimp, salmon, beef, tofu, or ground pork work well. This is also a great opportunity to use leftover meat from a previous night’s dinner.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use GF ramen noodles made with millet and brown rice. You can find this particular brand on Amazon or at Costco.
- Low-Carb Version: Spiralized zucchini makes for great noodles in this soup.
- Make It Veggie-Heavy: Add chopped zucchini, seared baby bok choy, julienned cabbage, sautéed broccolini, or steamed broccoli.
What to Serve With Ramen Soup
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: If possible, store leftover noodles and broth separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days. If you store the noodles and broth together, the noodles will absorb most of the broth.
- Freezer: You can freeze broth in silicone soup trays for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge the night before you plan to use it.
- Reheat: Bring the broth to a low simmer in a saucepan, then stir in the noodles to warm them up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aside from the obvious Ramen noodles (yes, you can use the popular Instant Ramen packets you grew up with), Ramen soup consists of broth, vegetables, and protein, along with seasonings like garlic, ginger, sesame, and soy.
Shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented bean paste), shio (salt), and tonkotsu (pork) are the four broths you’ll most often see served with Ramen soup in restaurants.
Various vegetables, such as mushrooms, baby spinach, broccoli, bok choy, and onion, can be added to Ramen soup, along with your favorite protein.
Easy Homemade Ramen Soup Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, Stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated to a paste with a microplane
- 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce (more to taste)
- 1 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1 TBSP Sriracha sauce (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance)
- 6 oz ramen noodles, divided
Optional Toppings
- Sliced scallions
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Soft-boiled egg, *See notes
Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, warm the sesame oil in a medium saucepan until it's hot. Add the shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms, and any other chopped veggies you'd like. Simmer until the veggies are tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the saucepan; simmer for 30-45 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the broth into the pot. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Sriracha if you're using it. Stir the broth well and let it simmer on low for five minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the soy sauce or hot sauce as needed.
- While the soup is simmering, you can cook the Ramen noodles in a separate pot according to the package's instructions. When the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse them under cool water, then transfer them to soup bowls.
- With a ladle, spoon the broth over the noodles in the bowls. Garnish with your preferred toppings and serve.
- *See the notes below for instructions on cooking a soft-boiled egg.
Notes
- Bring some water to a boil in a small saucepan. Make sure there’s enough water to just cover the eggs.
- Add the eggs to the boiling water. Let them boil for 5-8 minutes. (5-6 minutes will give you a runny yolk, while the 7-8 minute mark will yield a softer, jammy center).
- While the eggs boil, prepare an ice bath in a bowl.
- When the eggs are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer them from the pot to the ice water. Give them about a minute to cool off enough.
- Lightly crack and roll them over a paper towel, peel, and slice in half.
- Place the halves on top of each ramen bowl.
Made this for dinner tonight. Quick, easy and very flavorful. My husband loved it, I did not have shiitake mushrooms I just added regular small button mushrooms, shredded carrots and half a red bell pepper. Added about a teaspoon to two teaspoons of garlic chili oil after serving and it complemented the soup very well. Thank you for such a well written blog and a wonderful, easy, and delicious recipe!!
Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for your feedback, Noura.
Easy and delicious!
That’s the goal and really, the perfect meal, right!?
Thanks for the feedback :)
Excellent recipe!! It tasted just like my favorite Korean store bought ramen! I used vermicelli instead of ramen noodles and it turned out really good. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this today, and it was delicious!! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I will make this definitely again.
Happy to hear it! :)
Simple and delicious. Couldn’t find shiitake mushrooms so used enoki instead. Very easy recipe. Even the toddler demolished it.
I wish my toddler would demolish this! He’s still noodles and broth only. One day! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it :)
This is delicious! I added some chicken to mine. Followed the recipe exactly other than that.
Awesome! I love to add chicken once in a while too.
This soup is delicious and a family favourite. Sometimes we add pieces of rotisserie chicken to boost up the protein. Either way, it’s a hit!
Love adding chicken! And rotisserie is so convenient. Glad you enjoyed it!
So easy to make and tastes delicious
Thanks, Michele!