When I was a kid, ramen was all about the microwave.
After beating the packet of Maruchan ramen against the counter 15 or so times, maybe stomping on it once or twice, you’d open the wrapper and pour all the bits of broken ramen casualties into your large bowl, add tap water, and pop it in the microwave; where it could rotate on a death platform for 3-4 minutes.
*Ding*
You’d then release it from microwave clutches, being careful not to spill lava temperature water on your hands as you transported it to the counter. And then you’d dust off the ol’ spice packet, doing that little hand shake with it between thumb and index finger, before dumping the clumpy contents into your bowl.
If I close my eyes, I can still taste the overload of salt and chemical spice. Ah memories.
Now though, looking at all the ingredients on the back of the packet makes me quickly realize that while ramen tasted great, the ingredients are not great for you. I mean, no wonder I was happily slurping down bowls of ramen after school every day; it was filled with MSG and laced with beef fat.
Seriously, HOW COULD YOU MARUCHAN????? I trusted you bastards.
And especially after becoming vegan, the magic of ramen may come to a screeching halt, since ingredients like milk powder and chicken extract will make our heads spin exorcist style.
No worries, you can still enjoy ramen but vegan
But despite Maruchan being big meanies, it IS still possible to enjoy ramen, without the cruelty or mile long ingredients list. Oh, and you can forget about using that microwave death machine.
And no, I’m not talking about the rare vegan ramen cups that you can get at natural food stores; they’re good for a hotel room but the taste is typically rather bland.
My favorite has to be the DIY method, using plain ramen noodles and making your own broth. It gets gold stars for a couple of reasons: one being that it’s EASY, taking zero brainpower to pull together at the end of a long day. And two, you can customize it any way you like it, bringing your vegan ramen from powder packet to power bowl. I love topping my ramen with delicious vegetables, like carrot ribbons, micro greens, and especially diced avocado.
It also takes only 15 minutes to put together for a family of 5, so that’s another reason I love this stuff.
How to make vegan ramen, the easy way
Making vegan ramen is easy, and there’s a million ways you can do it. But my personal favorite is the sit and soak method, which takes the smallest amount of effort possible.
Recently we visited a friends house and she demonstrated this method wonderfully, which made me think why the hell had I never thought of doing this at home? Normally I boil my ramen in broth, which takes a considerably longer amount of time. It never occurred to me that I could literally just let noodles sit in broth and call it a day. It was a total DUH moment.
No fancy equipment. No unnecessary chopping. No glancing at a recipe 20 times to see the next step.
Because all you have to do is three things: boil broth, prepare any toppings you want, and let noodles sit and soak for 5-10 minutes. THAT’S IT YO.
It couldn’t get easier than that.
Allergy-Info & Substitutions
- These ramen noodle bowls are 100% vegan, meaning they are meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. They are also naturally nut-free and oil-free.
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free ramen noodles OR rice noodles.
- Make it soy-free by omitting the tamari sauce OR using coconut aminos.
- I kept my toppings simple, but feel free to go crazy! Other worthy toppings include steamed/baked broccoli, cauliflower, shitake mushrooms, tofu or tempeh, and even cubed potatoes.
- I love using Not-Chicken bouillon cubes, but you can use whatever broth you like. For a delicious homemade broth, you can check out this recipe for a DIY vegetable bouillon by clicking here.
- Want another simple Asian-inspired vegan recipe? Check out my healthy Mongolian “Beef” by clicking here.
Healthy Ramen Noodles
Don't have time for a fancy dinner? No problem! Try these FAST healthy ramen noodles, which takes just under 15 minutes to make! Using delicious + fresh toppings like carrots, avocado, cilantro, and green onions, you'll have a killer dinner that everyone will enjoy!
Ingredients
For the noodles:
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 4 ramen noodle “cakes”
Toppings:
- 4 tablespoons tamari sauce, divided
- Sriracha sauce, to taste
- fresh carrots, ribboned or shredded
- fresh avocado, diced
- fresh green onions, sliced thin
- micro greens optional, look for these in the fresh herbs section at the grocery store!
Instructions
- To add (or subtract) servings, check out the notes below. In a medium pot, bring broth to a boil on the stove. Meanwhile, place ramen “cake” in each serving bowl. When broth has come to a boil, divide broth between each bowl (this is about 1 ½ C per bowl). Cover each bowl with a plate and let steam for 5-10 minutes.
- While noodles are steaming, prepare toppings: ribbon your carrots using a potato peeler, dice your avocado, and slice your green onions. Place each topping in a separate bowl for serving (don’t forget your micro greens!).
- Once noodles are soft and most of the liquid has soaked up, you can do the fun part! Add 1 tablespoon of tamari to each bowl (if desired). Layer each bowl with a hefty amount of toppings and sprinkle on your micro greens, followed by Sriracha sauce. Serve with chopsticks. Enjoy!
Notes
- Each serving needs 1 ½ C of hot broth per ramen “cake”. So if you need to add on (or subtract) servings, just increase (or decrease) broth by 1 ½ C per person.
- Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free ramen noodles OR rice noodles.
- Make this recipe soy free by omitting the tamari sauce OR using coconut aminos.
- I kept my toppings simple, but feel free to go crazy! Other worthy toppings include steamed/baked broccoli, cauliflower, shitake mushrooms, tofu or tempeh, and even cubed potatoes.
- Nutritional facts do not include toppings (other than tamari), since this is a build-your-own recipe.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1430mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 751IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
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Thank you for taking the time to invest in your health and happiness!
Tamara
Wow, super simple! They look and sound yummy. I’ll have to try them soon!
Randi Tisdall
Thanks Tamara, I hope you do!!