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Twenty-five minutes gets you a homemade Ramen bowl that tastes like it came from a restaurant, not a packet. Make it your own, swap in what you like, and you’ve got a slurp-worthy bowl every time.
This is the one you’ll want in your back pocket for nights when you’re craving something that tastes like it simmered all day, but it didn’t. Under 30 minutes gets you a broth good enough to drink straight from the bowl. (I do.) Garlic, ginger, sesame—the flavor in this Ramen noodle soup is bold and lands exactly where a Ramen bowl should.
If you’re deep in a Ramen phase, my miso ramen, shoyu ramen, and chicken curry ramen soup are worth a look, too.
A Few Good Reasons to Make This
- Faster than delivery. Broth to bowl in under 30 minutes, and it tastes like it took a lot longer.
- Real flavor, not instant-packet flavor. Garlic, ginger, and sesame oil turn the broth into something you’ll want to drink.
- Make it your own. Add protein and swap in whatever vegetables or heat level you’re hankering. The base holds up no matter what you throw at it.
Table of Contents
- A Few Good Reasons to Make This
- Tips From My Kitchen
- Ingredients at a Glance
- How to Make Ramen Soup
- What Are Good Toppings for Ramen?
- Make It Your Own
- How to Cook an Egg for Ramen
- Serve It With…
- Meal Prep & Storage Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Homemade Ramen Bowl Recipe (25 Minutes)
- More Ramen Soup Recipes to Make
Tips From My Kitchen
I make mistakes so that you don’t have to! Here are some things I’ve learned while testing this recipe…
- Sesame oil as a finisher. Sesame oil turns bitter over high heat, so save it. Sauté the vegetables in a neutral oil (avocado or olive), and add the sesame oil at the end, off the heat. That’s where it does its best work: pure, nutty, toasted.
- Simmer the garlic and ginger briefly. I used to let the garlic and ginger simmer longer before adding the vegetables (as seen in the recipe video), but sometimes the garlic would catch and turn bitter. Now I give it just a brief simmer after sautéing the veggies—enough to bloom, not burn.
- Cook noodles separately. Though cooking the noodles directly in the broth is convenient, the starch clouds everything and can turn your soup thick and gluey. Cook the noodles in their own pot of boiling water to keep the broth’s quality.
- Make it low-sodium: Ramen noodles tend to be high in sodium, so choose low-sodium broth and soy sauce (I like Kikkoman).
Ingredients at a Glance
A quick look at some of the essentials before we dive into the recipe:
- Broth: chicken or vegetable work. I recommend low-sodium and adjusting the salt as needed.
- Sesame oil: brings a 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 tastes exactly the same as the regular, so you don’t lose any umami.
- Chili-garlic sauce: adds heat, and you can add as little or as much as you want. Chili sauces like Sriracha or sambal oelek are best.
How to Make Ramen Soup
Step 1: Sautée the Veggies
Heat the avocado or olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, mushrooms, and any other veggies you want to use that need to be cooked. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until tender.
Step 2: Bring In the Garlic and Ginger
Add the garlic and ginger to the pot. Simmer for 30-45 seconds, until fragrant.
Step 3: Make the Broth
Pour the broth into the pot. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Stir well to combine, and 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.
What Are Good Toppings for Ramen?
- A jammy egg: putting a soft-boiled egg on top of your Ramen bowl turns a homemade soup into a restaurant-worthy dish.
- Scallions (green onions)
- Nori strips (crispy dried seaweed)
- Narutomaki: cured fish cakes with a pink spiral in the center
- Bean sprouts
- Kimchi
- Chili crisp
- Toasted sesame seeds
Make It Your Own
- High-protein upgrade: chicken, sautéed shrimp, salmon, beef, tofu, ground pork—any of it works, and leftovers are fair game here. I’ve used leftovers from spatchcocked chicken, baked miso salmon, and beef stir fry.
- Gluten-free: swap in a GF Ramen made with millet and brown rice, like this one, sold on Amazon and at Costco.
- Low-carb: spiralized zucchini makes for a great slurp-worthy substitute.
- Veggie-heavy: seared baby bok choy, Asian pickled cucumbers, sautéed broccolini, chopped zucchini, julienned cabbage, or steamed broccoli all earn their spot in the bowl.
How to Cook an Egg for Ramen
The jammy egg sitting on top of a Ramen bowl is the best part, and good news—it’s easy to make.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil—just enough to cover the eggs once they’re in.
- Lower the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.
- While they cook, set up an ice bath.
- Transfer the eggs straight from the pot to the ice bath with a slotted spoon and let them sit for a minute.
- Crack and roll each egg over a paper towel, then peel and slice in half.
- Nestle the halves on top of each bowl with the rest of the toppings and serve.
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
- Fridge: Store cooked noodles, toppings, and broth separately in airtight containers for best texture. Cooked noodles and broth will keep for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze broth in silicone soup trays for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge the night before you plan to use it.
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.
Homemade Ramen Bowl Recipe (25 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 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 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon 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 avocado or olive oil in a 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 simmers, cook the Ramen noodles in a separate pot according to the package instructions. When the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse them under cool water, then transfer them to soup bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over each portion.
- 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 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 8 minutes.
- 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 with the rest of the toppings before serving.
We made this tonight. I seasoned up some beef strips with oriental seasoning and used beef brothinstead of chicken broth. Added carrots, onion and orange bell pepper. So very good!
This is my favorite recipe for rainy Sundays. My family absolutely loves it!
I love this, Carla! Cozy rainy days was the reason I created this recipe, so this makes my heart smile :)
I can’t remember the last time, if ever, that I’ve left a review for a blog recipe, but this one warranted it. This was SO delicious and so easy and even my kids ate it! I love that it’s a simple base that can be tweaked as needed. This was just a TOUCH salty for us so we just reduced the soy sauce by a tablespoon and added some water. We left out the mushrooms but added frozen peas, shredded chicken, cilantro (which really brightened the dish up!), and tossed in some scallions and a soft boiled egg as recommended. Saved to make again!
Love this melissa, thanks for taking the time to leave a review and rating! It helps use bloggers rank well in Google, so I really appreciate it. Love your tweaks! This is actually dinner for us tonight with some tweaks, haha. I wish I could try it with cilantro, but I’m one of those folk who finds it tastes like soap :| Wish I knew what you normal folk were tasting with that stuff! Haha
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. I didn’t use any sesame oil or seeds since I’m allergic.
So glad you were able to adapt it and enjoy it, Denneisia! Thanks for taking the time to pop in with a review <3
Simple and delicious! I added some Bok Choy in there too! Bean sprouts may even be a fun touch next time. Thank you!
Made for dinner tonight and was hugely impressed how easy and tasty it turned out! It’ll be made often for me!
This was the first proper dish I made for my family 4 years ago and we still make it frequently because it’s just so good!! Pork belly is the best for this.
I’m so happy to hear this, Alicja! I actually made this tonight for the first time in a lonnnnggg time and it was so great to enjoy again. You can do something different with it every time! Pork belly sounds incredible. I appreciate you taking the time to pop in with a rating and feedback!
Olive oil is not one of the ingredients! Can you add it please?
Hi Brigette! Sorry for the confusion. I recently changed it to just sesame oil, and you can use olive oil in place of it if you wish. But I forgot to update the recipe instructions, so thanks for pointing it out! Fixed! :)
I don’t even care if it’s mid summer, I will eat this all year long. Best ramen recipe. It’s the perfect easy tasty base recipe that lets me add things as I want depending on my mood and ingredients.
Haha, I love this. We’re the same here. We had a similar soup this week—NO REGRETS :)
I’d like to prepare this so it can be taken to work throughout the week. There’s access to an electric kettle and microwave. Can you suggest how one could prep this ahead?
For example I’m thinking I could make the broth and portion it out. Make the eggs ahead and let the reheated broth warm it through.
What recommendations do you have?
Hi! So, yes. That’s exactly how I’d do things. Prepare the broth at home, as well as the eggs, and pop the eggs into the broth once its reheated. Let them sit in there while you cook the noodles separately. Then once you transfer the noodles to the bowl, the eggs will be warmed and good to go :)
Let me know how it goes!