If you are craving a piping hot bowl of noodle soup, you came to the right place! This 15-minute vegan ramen recipe is easy to prepare at home, loaded with flavor (hey miso, ginger, and shallots!), and so comforting!
Introducing our favorite ramen recipe! Enjoy a rich and flavorful bowl of ramen without having to go out! The broth tastes so rich, you would believe it took hours to make!
🍜 What is Ramen
Ramen is a type of Japanese noodle soup that consists of wheat noodles served in a flavorful broth and finished with a variety of different toppings. While authentic ramen is usually prepared with a meat broth, this vegan version comes with the most delicious vegetable broth!
🥣 How to Make Vegan Ramen
Before starting, be aware that 15 minutes doesn't take into account frying the tofu, but you can simply omit it, get tofu puffs at the store, or use a different meat-substitute. Now let's get started!
Ramen Broth
The broth is the key of this recipe. It is incredibly rich, salty, a little bit sweet and has a hint of spiciness.
Sauté garlic, shallots, and ginger for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Next, add mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes.
For the mushrooms, I went with a combination of cremini and shiitakes. You can use fresh or rehydrated shiitakes, or substitute with your favorite mushrooms.
Next, cover with water and add the aromatics:
- Vegetable Stock Cube: We went with half of a cube for 4 cups of water. Adjust according to the package instructions of your vegetable stock.
- White Miso: Miso brings umami, saltiness and a lot of flavor to the broth. It is a key ingredient to prepare a good ramen.
- Soy Sauce: For a deeper color and flavor.
- Sugar: To balance with the saltiness, and because I personally like a slightly sweet broth.
- Gochujang: To add a subtle spiciness. If you don't have Gochujang on hand, you can use Toban Djan.
Add all of the ingredients and simmer for 10-12 minutes. At this point, you can also add the tofu to allow it to absorb the rich broth.
Make sure to taste the broth before serving, it should be perfectly salty, with just a hint of sweetness. Do not hesitate to add more salt if needed.
Add-ins
Now let's talk about what makes ramen more exciting!
- Noodles: Preferably long wheat noodles. If gluten-free, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti, or rice noodles.
- Fried Tofu: Fried tofu holds up better and absorb more flavors than regular white tofu.
- Sautéed or Steamed Greens: Pak choi, mustard greens, okra, the choice is yours!
- Sesame Seeds: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top for nuttiness. You can also stir in ¼ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
- Green onions: For freshness, plus it looks more appetizing!
- Toasted Nori: You can eat it immediately if you want it crunchy, or let it soften and infuse the broth.
💬 FAQ
- How long does ramen keep? The broth will keep for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Feel free to make a double batch to enjoy throughout the week!
- Which type of miso should I use? Here, we went with sweet white miso for a milder flavor. You can use regular miso but you might have to use less since it is usually saltier.
- How to serve ramen? Add the cooked noodles to a large serving bowl, top with the greens, tofu or protein of choice, and finally pour in the hot broth.
- Can I cook the noodles directly in the broth? If using instant noodles, or noodles that require a quick cooking time (5 minutes), yes you can cook them directly in the broth.
If you are looking for a quick and flavor-packed noodle soup, you are going to love this 15-minute vegan ramen! It's plant-based, super comforting, and can easily be made gluten-free!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
📖 Recipe
15-Minute Vegan Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 inch ginger finely minced
- 4-5 cremini mushrooms (or your favorite mushrooms) sliced
- 3 shiitakes fresh or rehydrated, sliced
- 4 cups water
- ½ cube vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoon white miso I used sweet white miso
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon Gochujang or Toban Dijan paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
The Rest
- 5 ounces dry long noodles
- 5 ounces fried tofu or seitan, baked tempeh, etc
- 1 piece pak choy or other greens
- optional: chopped green onions
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, shallot, and ginger, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the sliced Cremini mushrooms and shiitakes. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the water, vegetable broth cube, white miso, soy sauce, sugar, and Gochujang. At this point, you can also add the fried tofu cubes if using.
- Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the greens and cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
- Taste the broth and adjust saltiness if needed. The broth should be slightly sweet and salty so do not hesitate to add more salt. Depending on the type of miso and vegetable broth cube used, you might have to add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt. On the other hand, if you find the broth too salty you can dilute with more water.
- To serve: Divide the drained noodles between two serving bowls and top with sautéed greens. Pour in the piping hot broth over the noodles with some mushrooms. Garnish with chopped green onions and a small sheet of roasted seaweed (nori). Serve hot.
- The broth will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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