Confession time: sometimes I actually like instant ramen. You know, those cheap little packets of salty noodles that only cost 30¢? I don’t eat them often, maybe once per year, but when I get the craving I love grabbing a packet of instant noodles and going to town with all sorts of add-ins and toppings. Over the years I’ve found 6 easy ways to upgrade my instant ramen, to the point where it feels like fancy ramen and can qualify as a legit meal. Plus, I get to use up the leftovers in my kitchen at the same time! So I’m going to share what I add to instant ramen to make it better because it’s a total win-win.
Can you believe that’s instant ramen in that bowl in that photo?? And those upgrades were pretty inexpensive.
Now it’s obvious that the best way to make instant ramen better is to just get real ramen noodles from a restaurant or from an Asian grocery store, but that’s not what we’re talking about today.
We’re talking about what you can add to those inexpensive little ramen packets to make them better. Ingredients that you can find in your fridge or just about any grocery or convenience store. So, when cheap ramen packets are what you’ve got, here’s how you can spice up your instant ramen and turn it into a bowl of fancy ramen!
What to Add to Ramen
Instant ramen is a blank slate for all sorts of flavors and ingredients, so you can really have fun when customizing your bowl! Here is a summary of some of the ingredients that I like to add to a bowl of instant ramen to really spice it up:
- Broth: experiment with using your own broth and different flavors of broth (vegetable, coconut, curry, shrimp base, etc.)
- Aromatics: Adding a few fresh aromatics, like garlic, ginger, or scallions, can really add a lot of depth to the flavor of your broth.
- Sauces: scour your fridge for sauces that you can stir into the bowl, like sriracha, chili crisp, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, or even peanut butter.
- Vegetables: Instant ramen is a great way to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge. They add color, flavor, and texture to every bite!
- Protein: Make your bowl a little heartier by adding in some rotisserie chicken, cooked shrimp, a soft-boiled egg, or some tofu.
- Toppers: I like to add a little flair at the end, whether it be something for texture like sesame seeds or furikake, or something fresh like cilantro. It’s just another layer of delicious that takes the ramen over the top!
how to Make Ramen Better – Step by Step
1. Use Your Own Broth
Skip the flavoring packet and use your own broth, whatever kind you prefer. I like to use either vegetable or chicken-flavored Better Than Bouillon (I do half broth, half water to keep the salt down), but you could also use a homemade bone broth, dashi, or even just some miso mixed with water. Not only does this give you more control over the salt and other ingredients, but it offers you a lot of flavor options!
2. Add Aromatics
Upgrading instant ramen is all about the add-ins, and that begins with adding fresh aromatics to your broth to really give the flavor some oomph. I like to add fresh garlic, ginger, and green onion. I usually have all three of these on hand (I keep my ginger in the freezer), so it’s a no-brainer. Plus, fresh ginger gives the soup a pleasant medicinal quality that is great when you’re under the weather.
TIP: Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Sauté both in a little oil for a minute or so before adding your broth to the pot. The green onion can either be sprinkled over top at the end, sautéed with the ginger and garlic, or both!
3. Sauce it Up
If you’re like me, you have no less than 20 half-used bottles of sauces in your fridge. Well, Instant ramen is a great way to use up some of those sauces. You can stir sambal, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, gochujang, soy sauce, or any number of other sauces into your broth for more flavor. Or add them to the finished bowl as a sort of table seasoning.
TIP: Adding sauces usually comes with added salt, so keep this in mind when choosing your broth. That is one reason I like to do half broth and half water—it gives me more wiggle room to add sauces later.
4. Add Vegetables
I looooove my bowl of ramen packed full of vegetables. This is where spicing up instant ramen gets really fun and useful. Browse your fridge for any vegetable that might need to be used up, like carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, and more. You can also toss in frozen vegetables, like broccoli florets, peas, or corn.
TIP: If you don’t have any vegetables in your fridge, stop by the salad bar at your local grocery and grab a small handful or two of your favorite vegetables. That way you don’t have to buy a whole package of each one. You can also score proteins like tofu (see photo above) or rotisserie chicken to toss in there.
5. Add a Protein
My favorite protein to add to my ramen is an egg because it’s just so easy and I always have them (soft boiled egg or hard boiled egg). But there are so many more options! Tofu cubes, sliced tempeh, rotisserie chicken, ground pork (browned), shelled edamame, pulled pork, shrimp, you name it!
TIP: You can crack a raw egg straight into your simmering broth and let it cook for about 6 minutes. Make sure the broth is not vigorously boiling or the egg will break apart into a million pieces and just make the broth cloudy. For the egg in the photo above, I cooked it separately, using my easy 6-minute Soft Boiled Egg method, and then added it to the finished bowl.
6. Top it Off
Time to go wild! Top off your ramen with lots of fun goodies to give your bowl flavor, color, and texture. Here are some things to add to ramen:
- Sriracha
- Kimchi
- Sesame seeds
- Crumbled bacon
- Nori (dried seaweed)
- Fresh herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, chives)
- Sesame oil
- Crushed chiles
- Furikake
- Fresh lime
And that’s it! That’s all it takes to turn a sad little packet of instant noodles into a truly epic bowl of fancy ramen that I’m sure I’d probably pay at least $8 for in a restaurant.
My Favorite Instant Ramen Recipe:
The bowl of instant ramen shown in the photos here is the ultimate representation of how to make ramen better, but on a regular run-of-the-mill day, I kind of go halfway between plain and the ultimate version. Here is my favorite upgraded ramen recipe:
Upgraded Instant Ramen
Servings 1 to 2Ingredients
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 handful sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 package instant ramen (seasoning discarded)
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- 1 large egg
- 1 green onion, sliced
- sriracha to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, garlic, and ginger to a small sauce pot and sauté over medium for about one minute.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about a minute more.
- Add the broth and water, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the uncooked ramen noodles. Boil for about 3 minutes, or just until they are tender. Do not overcook the noodles.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted. Turn the heat down to low, crack the egg into the broth, and let sit for about six minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked and the yolk is still runny.
- Transfer the soup to one or two bowls, then top with sriracha and sliced green onion.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
And then depending on whatever else I have in my kitchen, I might add some other fun stuff in, like in the photos. :) Want to meal prep it? Check out our Meal Prep Noodle Soup Jars!
Try These Other Instant Ramen Recipes:
What About You?
Share your favorite ways to spice up instant ramen in the comments below! I love reading all the unique and creative ingredient combinations people come up with for their ramen!
I add a teaspoon of white miso to the boiling water, and some dried seaweed. Egg is whisked in when the noodles are halfway finished.
Before digging in, I top the bowl with sliced thin raw cabbage and whatever else vegetable I have in the fridge. Kimchi on the side.
Leftover pork chop, cold from the fridge, sliced up paper thin is also a delicious ramen topping. The hot broth finishes cooking the slightly-pink-in-the-middle pork chop.
Whenever I have a leftover pork chop for lunch, I take it to work with an instant Shin Ramen Cup. After the noodles are cooked in the hot water, I top the cup with thin slices of pork chop. Fresh squeezed lime and Tapatio (for instant noodle cups only for me).
Totally tried out the soft-boiled egg idea in a bowl of beef ramen noodles today. DELICIOUS. You rock, Beth. What would I eat without you??
I would have never thought to use the salad bar to get quick pizza (or ramen) toppings!
I love all the other “add in’s” but am concerned about the sodium in the flavor packet. Do you have any suggestions for dry spices to use to flavor the soup with (sort of a sodium free flavor pack)???
Thank you.
Chinese 5 Spice would be awesome. I would definitely try to get a low sodium broth to use in place of the packet, though, because spices alone won’t have enough depth. Better Than Bouillon makes a low sodium concentrate and you can use it to make any amount of broth you need. :)
I am so happy for all the comments here! I thought I was the only one who liked ramen noodles. You can add almost any veg or meat to bolster the flavor and nutrition. Thank you for the information!
Our favorite way of eating ramen is to drain off the water and make dragon noodles, haha
Nice! ;)
PEANUT BUTTER :-)
Add peanut butter to change the soup base! Cheap source of more protein & fat. My favorite add-ons are veggies, egg, peanut butter and Sriracha.
I like to pour most of the juice out and add pepper jack cheese and a little fresh pico de gallo or salsa 😊
My favorite add in’s are:
First – I saute Garlic, Ginger, Onion in chili-sesame oil
Second – I add carrots, sage, togarashi, and pepper and cook that a little bit
Third – I add the water, the seasoning and a little soy with the noodles
Then I top everything with green onion and sesame.
If I have any left over shredded chicken or pork then I saute it in Soy and Mirin until it’s crispy and put that on the top.
We make this ramen for dinner regularly; Poach turkey meatballs in chicken broth (gr turkey, bread crumbs, egg, fresh ginger, garlic). Then add in assorted veggies, usually snow peas and carrots. Add ramen at the end. My whole family loves it.
I add frozen mixed veggies and frozen diced onions directly from their respective freezer bags, and an egg. Delicious and quick.
Ramen noodles are one of my default meals when I’m hungry but don’t feel like cooking. This appeared in People magazine a few years ago.
Andrew Zimmern’s Ramen Noodles
Makes 1 to 2 servings
1 3-ounce package ramen noodles
2 cups chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon)
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 cup matchstick carrots (or 1/4 cup each matchstick carrots and red bell pepper)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped green onions
1. Cook noodles in 2 cups of boiling water for 2 minutes; drain well. Rinse in cold water; drain and set aside.
2. Return saucepan to stove-top. Bring broth to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in soy sauce and next 4 ingredients. Add carrots; cook 1 minute.
3. Slowly whisk egg into broth. Add noodles to broth; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and onions. Serve immediately.
I’ve really grown to enjoy your blog and will try these suggestions at lunch today over some Ramen noodles. I ordered the three pack of spicy sweet sauces (Honey, Maple, Sriracha) you mentioned as gifts and my friends LOVE them! Thank you.
Upgraded ramen is my go to meal when I am busy. A simple upgrade is to add kimchi. Another option is to add chopped peanuts, chunks of pineapple, and chopped greens.
OOoh, that peanut/pineapple/greens combo is interesting!