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!
For my noodles I cook them for five minutes in a microwave and then I add Thai chili sauce and whatever seasoning. Sometimes I’ll even add a bit of soy sauce or an egg. For me this is always the perfect meal to eat when I get home from school.
Ultimate ramen:
In saucepan:
2tbsp cooking oil
1 minced garlic clove
Sauté for about a minute.
Add some chopped veggies (I used a few tbsps of the Kroger chopped Cajun mix) and half to all of a 5 oz can of drained chikn breast chunks.
Let that sauté with a few stirs until it smells awesome. Couple minutes.
Then add one cup of chikn broth and one cup of water.
Bring to a boil.
Add one smashed brick of ramen noodles (throw out the nasty flavor pack)
Once the noodles are done, reduce to low heat, and crack a large egg into the broth.
Let that simmer until the white is cooked and the yolk is still runny, then stir it into the broth
Decant into a bowl, and pig out.
Also put shredded cheddar and louisiana brand hot sauce on top.
I am an outdoors guy and when I was a kid me and my nephew would fix ramen noodles on the stove and put it in a thermos and go for a half mile walk and sit under a cedar tree and eat like we were on some grand adventure. . To this day I still take ramen to the woods .. I will do this with my son when he gets older
ALL OF THE ABOVE IDEAS ARE SOUNDING GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I AM EVEN GONNA TRY SOME…. IN ADDITION, I SOMETIMES MAKE RAMENETTI, RAMEN NOODLE WITH SAUCE AND MEATBALLS,(SMALL OR LARGE), MAKE WHAT I NEED FROM A POUND OF GROUND, THEN FREEZE THE REST FOR ANOTHER TIME. I ALSO KINDA LIKE RAMEN AND CHEESE, (MY ALTERNATE TO MAC AND CHEESE), THE CHEESE MELTS REAL NICE IN THE HOT NOODLES, AND, IF YOU LIKE, ADD A LITTLE BUTTER/OR MILK, THEN, IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER, ADD SOME FROZEN VEGGIES FOR ANTOTHER MEAL ON ANOTHER DAY………….. COUNTLESS POSSIBILITIES WITH THE RAMEN NOODLE, AND STILL AFFORDABLE FOR JUST ABOUT ANYBODY.
Crush noodles and microwave in one cup of plain water for three minutes. Mix the spice powder with one cup of mayonnaise. Drain the noodles and mix well with the mayonnaise mixture. Add a can of chicken and fresh or frozen broccoli and microwave until desired heat and tenderness.
So.. I dont have anything in my fridge because of corona so I ended up making normal ramen with carrots and hot dogs.
I tried it, absolutely delicious. Gave me a reason to use all the potatoes and onions I had left over, fried them together in a pan and added them to the ramen recipe. It was the greatest.
I keep a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer and cans of mushroom stems and pieces in the pantry. I microwave a chicken thigh and add the resultant broth to the ramen pot along with low-sodium bullion and water. I always add an egg to the last 30 seconds of cooking time. This is just enough time for the egg to cook. I leave the egg hole for a creamy effect or scramble it for egg drop soup effect. Top with sliced scallions. For a hot and sour soup version, add white pepper and rice vinegar to taste at the end.
Looks delicious!
Buying veggies off a store salad bar is just about the most expensive way to buy vegs. If you need convenience and you’re already in a grocery store, buy a bag of frozen mixed vegs and just take out a little handful and freeze the rest. That’s budget-friendly.
Another reason to avoid ANY salad bar ANYWHERE is the fact that people touch the food with their hands, which probably aren’t clean. They’ll also sneeze, cough, etc., on the food. The glass over the salad bar can only do so much to keep the food from getting contaminated.
I would make Ramen Noodles by scrambling some Ground Beef by using the Beef flavored Ramen along with some green onions. Everybody’s suggestions on this page all sound delicious!!! The next time I make Ramen Noodles, I will make my own broth and add more water to cut down on the sodium content.
Andrew Zimmern’s Ramen https://people.com/celebrity/andrew-zimmerns-ramen-noodles-recipe-in-people-magazine/ and Quick Ramen Noodle Stir Fry from Damn Delicious https://damndelicious.net/2019/04/24/quick-ramen-noodle-stir-fry/
My family has always loved them as a stir fry–a version of lo mein. I always toss the broth packet. One version is a way to use up a bit of ground beef–I brown and drain it while the noodles are softening, and then add minced or grated garlic and ginger, sliced onions, grated carrot, and whatever raw or cooked veggies are hanging out in the fridge. I season with hoisin sauce, a bit of lite soy, and some Chinese chili garlic sauce, although any hot sauce will work. Add the noodles to the meat and veggies and toss until well combined. Another fave way is similar but strips of scrambled egg (I pour a beaten egg into a hot oiled skillet and cook it without stirring into curds, then slide out the whole thing and slice into strips) take the place of the meat and I skip the hoisin–I’ve been known to add 1 or 2 slices of bacon diced, to start this version and cook the sliced onion, aromatics, in the bacon fat. Make it Thai with a dab of curry paste–careful, because it can be pretty spicy–and add either egg or any sort of leftover protein along with lots of veggies. Any of my versions make 2 generous portions–or feed one hungry teen, which is how long ago these variations started..
I don’t always want all that salty broth so I came up with this WAY back in college (1997!!) Add 1 cup of water to a SKILLET (not sauce pot). Throw in the broth and broken up noodles and boil until the point that almost all the water is gone. Start adding in sliced onions, shredded carrots and shredded cabbage and “stir fry” all of that until you get to the noodle consistency you want. I could make 2 meals for under $1!
I don’t eat Ramen Noodles as much as I used to due to the sodium content, but when I do eat Ramen Noodles, I will scramble up some Ground Beef and add green onions in the end.
Miss Beth, I will use your suggestion if you don’t mind and add the Better than Bouillon base instead of using the flavor packet to decrease the sodium content and add more water.
Everybody’s suggestions sounds delicious, and I am getting some ideas the next time I eat Ramen Noodles 😋😋
I like to add a couple hand fulls of frozen stir fry veggies when I’m heating the water and a lot of garlic powder and pepper by the time the water is boiling the veggies are perfectly cooked. I’ve never tried a soft boiled egg but I have added a hard boiled egg. Also, sesame oil, man do I love sesame oil!
Throw in an avocado and some Kimchi!