An easy favorite comfort food recipe – Ramen Noodle Bowls are a crazy tasty 15-minute dinner. Everyone can build their own bowl with their favorite mix-ins and toppings.
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You know those days when everyone is tired and hungry, and the fridge is empty? Those are the days you need a quick meal that is delicious, nourishing, and easy enough to throw together in 15 minutes flat.
You need some ramen.
What Kind of Noodles Do You Use For Ramen?
Your choices are pretty endless; there are so many great options! Udon noodles are a thick and chewy noodle that will add extra hardiness to your soup. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat and will add a bit of nuttiness to your ramen noodle bowl.
You could also easily buy your favorite brand of ramen soup, ditch the flavoring packet, and just use the noodles. I buy the Lotus Foods brand from Costco because the price is fantastic (cheaper in person). They also happen to be gluten-free so if that is your jam, check them out.
How to Make Easy Ramen Broth
There are loads of homemade broth recipes that can make your ramen noodle bowls rival those of an authentic noodle house. But, if you’re like me and live in a wee little town with a #basicAF grocery store, many of those items can’t be purchased locally.
For these noodle bowls, we’re rocking:
- broth of your choice* (veggie, beef, pork, shrimp, or chicken (related: How to Make Chicken Bone Broth))
- soy sauce (use coconut aminos or tamari for gluten-free peeps)
- toasted sesame oil (heaven in a bottle)
- Miso paste (white, yellow, or red. Basically, whatever you can find)
- Minced garlic (meal prep hack: freeze your own garlic!)
How to Make Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls
In a large pot, bring your broth to a boil. Add the soy sauce, garlic, miso, and sesame oil. Cook for two minutes to soften the garlic.
Add the noodles, and reduce to medium heat. Use a fork to start breaking them apart after 1 minute. Cook for 3 minutes for “al dente” noodles, or 4 minutes for a more thoroughly cooked noodle.
Transfer to bowls and add your favorite toppings! Slurp happy my friends.
Ramen Toppings & Variations
Gosh, there are so many things you can put in your noodle bowl! And that is why my kids love when this soup is on the menu because they can make it just how they want it.
Protein:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Shrimp
- Tofu (related: Air Fryer Tofu)
- Eggs (most people prefer soft-boiled “jammy” eggs, but my kids are too picky so I do full-on Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs)
- Gyoza/ air fryer pot stickers
Veggies:
- Green onions (related: How to Freeze Green Onions) or Pickled Shallots
- Cabbage
- Shredded carrots (related: How to Freeze Carrots)
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Green beans (related: Freezing Green Beans)
- Snap peas (related: How to Freeze Peas)
- Cilantro
Misc.
- Chili oil
- Chili flakes
- Sriracha
- Curry paste
- Sesame seeds
- Bonita Flakes
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Don’t overcook the noodles unless you want a mushy cloudy broth. I’ll even turn the heat off after 2 minutes of cooking to keep the noodles super firm. The hot broth means your soup will continue to “cook” for a bit even off the heat.
- If you have kids and everyone wants to eat at the same time, adding a splash of cold broth or ice cubes to their bowls will help cool soup for the littles.
- Do yourself a favor and cut up the noodles for your kiddos to prevent an excessive mess. We use our kitchen shears which are used about 10 times a day in our household. These shears are a parent’s dream.
Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving of Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls has 2 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Homemade Ramen Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 cups broth
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 noodle “cakes”
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring your broth to a boil. .8 cups broth
- Add the soy sauce, garlic, miso, and sesame oil. Cook for two minutes to soften the garlic2 tbsp miso paste, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the noodles, reduce to medium heat. Use a fork to start breaking them apart after 1 minute.4 noodle “cakes”
- Cook for 3 minutes for "al dente" noodles, or 4 minutes for a more thoroughly cooked noodle.
- Transfer to bowls and add your favorite toppings!2 green onions
Notes
- Don’t overcook the noodles unless you want a mushy cloudy broth. The hot broth means your soup will continue to “cook” for a bit even off the heat.
- If you have kids, adding a splash of cold broth or ice cubes to their bowls will help cool soup for the littles.
Sarah! You’re speaking my love language. I adore noodles of any kind and this homemade ramen looks AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to try it.
Noodles are the best! So versatile and full of delicious carbs. 🙂
Yum! This must be our new favorite – made it twice in one week. Easy to veganize – used “no chicken” broth and lots of veggies. Second time added already cooked Siricha tofu. Liked it better the second time using udon noodles rather than the ramen I had, but that could easily be because the ramen was made from black rice and looked like worms. Thanks for new regular add to the rotation!
Loving the adjective “to veganize” KC. 🙂
Goodness, sriracha tofu sounds like it might be the best thing ever! I’m going to have to try to track some down.
After an impromptu Sunday morning pantry clean out, I decided to make this ramen to use up some random packages of rice noodles. I used homemade turkey broth from thanksgiving, and it was excellent! If I wasn’t lazy and actually went to the grocery store to get more ingredients it would have been even better, but we roughed it with just noodles and soft boiled eggs. I used more soy sauce than the recipe—not sure if it’s because we’re salt-loving savages or because the bottle I have is “low sodium”. Also, I didn’t have miso so I put in a little bit of tahini because the internet said that would work. Not exactly the same, but passable in a pinch. The tip about cutting the noodles with kitchen shears worked like a charm for my toddlers, as did the ice cubes in the broth.
So good for a lazy cold day at the end of winter break when allllllll my energy is sapped.
I love how necessity can invent such fun combos. I always have tahini and will totally try that next time!
I bought the noodles! Do I stir fry the chicken and veg before I toss it in? Thanks! Ramen newbie
If you’re using raw chicken, then yes I would stir fry it first. What veg? Depending on what you’re using you may just want to add them when the broth is boiling. I will slice carrots really thin and throw them in when I start the broth.