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    Home » All Recipes

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Today we're playing with packaged ramen! Yes - that's the convenience food with an awful reputation. We're going to focus on the positives and talk about how to make (vegan) ramen better!

    I don't know whether it was growing up in the 90's or because I didn't start cooking "real" food for myself til I was 19, but instant ramen will always hold a special place in my heart. It's also affordable, satisfying, and super convenient. And unlike most of the convenience foods from my childhood, there's a notable selection of widely available vegan options. Yay!

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Another good thing about packaged ramen is that it's a decent way to load up on nutritious ingredients like vegetables, plant-based proteins, and healthy fats. When you want to share a bowl (like William and I tend to), or you happen to be super hungry, you can add your favourite vegetables, tofu, lentils and miso + soy sauce to extend the soup and seriously upgrade your meal.

    Besides its practical uses, packaged ramen can also be kinda fun. The ease of preparation frees up a little extra time and energy for you to put towards customizing your ideal ramen bowl. Below we're gonna show you our favourite ramen add-ins and 4 fun ways we like to make packaged ramen better!

    Ingredients for Better Packaged Ramen

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Vegetables: (L-R) Top to bottom: Garlic, ginger, spinach, broccoli, carrot, mushrooms, sweet potato, zucchini, green onion. Protein: (L-R) Fried extra-firm tofu, deep-fried tofu puffs, toasted sesame seeds, and red lentils.

    Plant-based protein

    Pan-fried extra-firm tofu, deep-fried tofu puffs (quartered), red lentils, toasted sesame seeds, (and shelled edamame - not pictured.)

    Vegetables

    Minced or thin-sliced garlic, minced or thin-sliced ginger, julienned baby spinach, thin-sliced sweet potato, thin-sliced zucchini, small broccoli florets, carrot "noodles" (made with a vegetable peeler), sliced mushrooms, chopped green onion,  (shredded cabbage, julienned kale, bean sprouts, thin-sliced Creamer potatoes, and frozen peas - not pictured.)

    Broth extenders & other add-ins

    Miso, soy sauce, sriracha, (sesame oil, lime juice, nori, and shichimi togarashi - not pictured.)

    4 Better Ramen Bowls

    Here are 4 "recipes" for some of our favourite ramen combos. We've got our loaded bowl (our go-to when we're sharing), the bare essentials, and both of our personal favourite combinations.

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Loaded Ramen

    Sweet potato +  zucchini medallions, sliced mushrooms, carrot "noodles", julienned spinach, garlic, ginger, green onion, fried extra-firm tofu, toasted sesame seeds, white miso, and soy sauce. (Great for two)

    1. Bring water, seasoning pack (plus any other ramen add-ins included in package), and sweet potato to a boil over high heat. If you're adding lots of vegetables or making this for two, up the water by 1-2 cups and add a healthy dash of soy sauce and sriracha.
    2. Once broth is boiling, add ramen noodles, broccoli, carrot, zucchini, and mushrooms. Boil until noodles and vegetables are cooked.
    3. Add miso: Remove ¼ cup of hot ramen broth, mix it with miso (to break up clumpy bits) and then stir the broth + miso back into the soup.
    4. Top with julienned spinach, garlic, ginger, green onion, and sesame seeds.
    5. Serve.

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    The Essentials

    Green onion, spinach, nori, and toasted sesame seeds.

    1. Cook ramen according to package instructions.
    2. Serve topped with strips of nori, chopped green onion, julienned spinach, and toasted sesame seeds.

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Mushroom  + Greens + Tofu Puffs Bowl

    Sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets, green onion, nori, and quartered deep-fried tofu puffs. (William's favourite)

    1. Bring water and seasoning pack (plus any other ramen add-ins included in package) to a boil over high heat.
    2. Once broth is boiling, add ramen noodles, broccoli, and mushrooms. Boil until noodles and vegetables are cooked.
    3. Top with julienned spinach, green onion, nori, and quartered tofu puffs.
    4. Serve.

    How to Make (Vegan) Ramen Better - ilovevegan.com

    Sweet Potato Protein Bowl

    Sweet potato, spinach, green onion, fried extra-firm tofu, red lentils, and toasted sesame seeds. (Brittany's favourite)

    1. Bring water, seasoning pack (plus any other ramen add-ins included in package), sweet potato, and red lentils to a boil over high heat.
    2. Once broth is boiling, add ramen noodles. Boil until noodles and vegetables are cooked.
    3. Top with julienned spinach, ginger, green onion, pan-fried extra-firm tofu, and sesame seeds.
    4. Serve.

    Ramen2 - ilovevegan

    Tips for Better Ramen

    The key to fortifying packaged ramen with any of your favourite vegetables is thinly slicing each ingredients. Be sure to add slow cooking ingredients (like potatoes and lentils) as soon as you begin heating the water.

    For a satisfying meal, add plenty of fibrous veggies, some plant-based protein (like tofu, lentils, edamame) and a dose of healthy fats like sesame oil or toasted sesame seeds.

    Leftover ramen broth can be used as stock in other soup recipes, stir-fries, and sauces. I recently used leftover ramen broth to make peanut sauce and it was amazing! If you are going to save leftovers, make sure to separate the broth and the noodles into containers to stop all the broth from being absorbed too much.

    And there you have it! 4 "recipes" and plenty of ideas for fortifying ramen to suit your preferences. Wanna make your own ramen? Try our Easy Vegan Shōyu Ramen recipe!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bianca

      September 02, 2020 at 7:56 pm

      Serving sizes?? Measurements??? Who in the world taught you how to write recipes?! Cuz you’re not very good at it! For the love of god that’s basic stuff! Find a new hobby.

      Reply
      • Brit

        May 18, 2022 at 12:11 am

        I think they recipes were great . You use the amount you want 🙂

        Reply
      • Ken S

        December 14, 2022 at 8:09 pm

        Really???

        Reply
    2. Cheryl

      February 19, 2018 at 6:37 pm

      Finally soups that are actually nutricious, flavouful, and vegan/vegetarian.
      They look wonderful.

      Reply
      • Brittany

        February 21, 2018 at 1:12 pm

        Aww, thank you SO much! I appreciate all of your comments, they always brighten my day!!

        Reply
    3. Ren Garcia

      May 23, 2017 at 11:03 am

      Hi! I may be very late, but after considering going vegan for a while and seeing an utterly awful life that cows/lambs/hens/etc are forced to live, today was my breaking point. I'm going vegan!
      I really enjoy eating ramen noodles, and only being a pre-teen, I don't have access to the most gourmet meals...which is what many of the dishes above appeared to be! Are the packets that come with the noodles vegan? Are oriental flavored noodles vegan, and if so, do they taste well? One more question, bare with me. I believe that going vegan is worth it, and more people should do it, but how do I get the best out of vegan meals?

      Thanks, Ren. : D

      Reply
    4. Christy

      September 13, 2016 at 8:18 pm

      How do you make the fried tofu and tofu puffs?

      Reply
      • Brittany

        September 14, 2016 at 10:41 am

        Hi Christy! These are the tofu puffs. For the fried tofu you can just heat a generous amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry sliced tofu on each side until golden-brown and cripsy!

        Reply
    5. Urban Blond

      September 12, 2016 at 4:59 am

      The pictures are amazing! I was never a huge fan of Ramen (back to the days when I used to eat meat and seafood) but this post really makes me want to try and make it vegan! Thank you for sharing x

      Reply
      • Brittany

        September 12, 2016 at 1:48 pm

        Thanks so much Sandra!

        Reply
    6. Jen

      September 07, 2016 at 3:14 pm

      Which Ramen base/Package do you buy? I loved ramen growing up and before going vegan, but now I don't know which ones are vegan. I am also in Alberta, so I think I might be able to buy the same ones! Thanks in advance!

      Reply
      • Brittany

        September 08, 2016 at 12:15 pm

        Hi Jen! I like this Soon Veggie from Nongshim. Nongshim also has a new vegan kimchi one I haven't seen yet. Both of those are specifically marked as vegan. Otherwise we just try to do our best to decipher which ones are vegan. The allergen info is hugely helpful when it comes to ruling out milk, eggs, and seafood/shellfish. The allergen info won't say anything about beef/pork/chicken so it's best to avoid (most) of the artificial chicken, pork, and beef flavours unless you're sure it's vegan. Flavours like "Oriental" or "Sesame" are good ones to check. Nissin also makes 2 vegan flavours, "Oriental" and "Chili". There's also a brand called "Koyo", that I see online and in health food stores, and I think most if not all of their flavours are vegan (but they're smaller and more expensive.) I hope that helps a little bit!

        Reply

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