You know how I love my instant ramen upgrades and this coconut curry ramen might just be one of my most favorite yet! You only need five simple ingredients and about ten minutes to make this bowl of delicious noodles. Plus, there’s no chopping required, so this coconut curry ramen is a really great choice for anyone cooking in small spaces or with limited cooking equipment (dorm room, hotel room, RV, etc.). But what I love the most is just how vibrant the colors and flavors are in this bowl.
P.S. If you like the idea of this recipe but don’t like instant ramen, check out my 15-Minute Vegetable Curry!
What Kind of Vegetables to Use
I suggest keeping a bag of frozen mixed vegetables on hand for this ramen. Frozen vegetables are already chopped, which makes this recipe a breeze to put together. There are so many different vegetable mix combos available to choose from (see photos below for examples) and you can use just a cup at a time without worrying about the rest going bad. That being said, you can use any fresh vegetables you might have on hand, as well.
I’ve made this coconut curry ramen with a few different mixes of frozen vegetables already, and they’ve all been great. Scroll down to the step by step photos below the recipes to see the three types that I’ve tried so far.
What Flavor Ramen to Use
Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s flexible. You can use several different flavors of ramen. I used chicken, but shrimp would also be good. If you don’t want to use the seasoning packet that comes with the ramen, you can replace the water in the recipe below with any type of broth that you like (vegetable, chicken, mushroom, etc.).
What Kind of Curry Powder to Use
I used a yellow curry powder for this recipe, but it’s quite flexible and I think it would work well with just about any type of curry powder. The flavor of curry powder can vary quite a bit from brand to brand, so you may need to do some experimenting to find one that you like. You can use either a mild or spicy curry powder, whichever you prefer.
What Else Can I Add?
The recipe below is very simple but very delicious, but you can always add more ingredients if you have them on hand! I don’t like to see things go to waste and this recipe is perfect for add-ins! If you have shrimp or cooked chicken, you can toss that in there. You can top it with green onions or a drizzle of sriracha. This would also be a great way to use up an extra handful or two of any leftover greens that you may have (spinach, kale, etc.).
Coconut Curry Ramen
Servings 1 or 2Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables ($0.47)
- 1.5 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 3oz. package instant ramen ($0.25)
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk* ($0.52)
- 1 tsp curry powder ($0.10)
Instructions
- Add the frozen vegetables and water to a small saucepot. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat on to high, and bring the water up to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the ramen noodles (without seasoning). Continue to boil for 2-3 minutes, or until the noodles are soft.
- Shake the coconut can well to combine the solid fat and liquid before measuring. Add the coconut milk to the saucepot and stir to combine.
- Finally, add the seasoning packet from the instant ramen and the curry powder. Stir to combine. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Coconut Curry Ramen – Step by Step Photos
You can use just about any type of mixed frozen vegetables for this recipe. Here are three examples of vegetable mixes that I’ve used and enjoyed. The vegetables used in the ramen bowl pictured in this post were the “stir-fry starters” mix on the top right.
Add one cup of frozen vegetables to a saucepot with 1.5 cups water. Place a lid on top, turn the heat on to high, and bring the water up to a boil.
Once boiling, add the ramen noodles to the pot (without the seasoning). Continue to boil for 2-3 minutes, or just until the noodles soften.
Add ½ cup full-fat coconut milk to the pot and stir to combine. Make sure your coconut milk is very well mixed before measuring, so you get an even mix of the solid fat and liquid.
Finally, add the seasoning packet from the instant ramen and one teaspoon curry powder. Stir to combine.
And that’s it! Your deliciously creamy pot of coconut curry ramen is done and ready to devour!
Beth, could you please share
what brand of ramen you buy? And do you buy in bulk? I ask because $0.25 seems very low. Thanks, and thanks for the recipe.
I think this was Maruchan brand, and yes, I bought one of those 12 packs and just keep that on hand, even though I only eat ramen once or twice a year. :)
How much sodium would be saved if you didn’t use the ramen seasoning packet? Another question – if I go to an Asian Parker, can I buy plain dry ramen noodles instead if those packets with freeze dried vegetable chips?
The amount of sodium would just depend on the brand. Unfortunately, I don’t have the nutrition info for just the packet alone. I’ve never been to Asian Parker, so I don’t know what is available there.
Hi, I used millet and brown rice dry ramen noodles with in the creamy mushroom version (no seasoning packet) and I couldn’t tell the difference so I would think any ramen like noodle would be fine. Hope this helps! It was so good i came looking for another twist! Yummm
How strong is the coconut? Low? Medium? High?
High :)
I love your ideas for turning instant ramen into a full meal. To this one, I added some coated, oven-fried tofu cubes and a poached egg in each bowl. This was a hit and it was a breeze to double to the recipe. I figured that I was saving time with the frozen veg, so I went for the gusto with the tofu (I learned to freeze my tofu first from you!). I used the Simply Organic curry powder in the glass jar. A delicious winter-time weeknight dinner.
This is my new go-to recipe for when I need to make something fast and easy for just myself. I modified this to be gluten free by using gluten free ramen (Aldi has it as a specialty item every once in a while). I used 1.5 tsp of Better Than Bouillon in place of the seasoning packet.
This was a smash hit at my house. I had some plain brown rice ramen cakes that I’d bought in bulk a while back, so I just added some Better than Bouillon and some extra spice to make up for the lack of seasoning packet. Also added some grilled chicken strips from the freezer to bulk it up some. I plan to keep these ingredients on-hand for quick dinners from now on!
What a dish!!! Love love love this for cold days where you need something quick. Followed the recipe as is and can’t wait to share with friends and family!
That should have Sid it had all the flavor WITHOUT all the sodium and fat.
I have tried several of your recipes and I have never been disappointed. I made the coconut curry ramen this evening and it was delicious!! I used organic low sodium chicken broth and didn’t have to use the salty ramen seasoning packet. I did use the full fat coconut milk but skimmed all the fatty cream off and used all of the watery part and added back only enough of the cream to make a full cup and then mixed it up good. ( I doubled the recipe by the way) I used the exact Kroger stir fry veggies that you pictured and also adds a couple chicken tenders on top of my ramen also with a few drops sriracha it is a keeper and I will be making again and again. I feel t was full of flavor with all the unhealthy sodium and fat. Thank you for the great recipes!!
Would adding an egg to this recipe work? If so, at what point should I add it?
Yes, egg is awesome with instant ramen! There are so many different ways you can do it. You can either cook a hard or soft boiled egg separately and add it at the end, some people just crack the egg right into the hot broth and give it a little stir until it sets into ribbons (like edd drop soup), or you could even just fry an egg and add that on top. :)
I will never make ramen another way again. I didn’t even follow the ingredients to a tee and it was amazing.
I only had reduced fat coconut milk on hand so it didn’t quite offer the richness that the pictures imply, but the flavors were still delicious. Will make sure to pick up the full fat next time I’m at the store and make this again!
So so so much sodium! How would you make this WITHOUT the seasoning packet please??
Use a broth that you like in place of the water, and don’t use the seasoning packet.
You can use your own broth instead of the packet bouillon and add any additional seasonings you’d like. :)
I make homemade chicken stock and intentionally leave it unsalted for use in Asian recipes. When not using leftover bones for stock, I use Mark Bittman’s quick stock recipe, which has you cover chicken legs with water and cook with carrots, onion, celery, parsley, thyme and bay leaf for only 1 hour. Afterwards one can take out the chicken and shred for later use. I also make his homemade ramen recipe, which adds low sodium soy sauce, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and green onion to the broth to mimic the taste of seasoning packet. I use 3 ingredient Chinese noodles (found in Asian aisle of grocery store) in place of ramen.
I usually add just half the seasoning packet and find it’s plenty
This looks very tasty (and easy!)! Thank you.
Do you think you can substitute Better than Boullion for the instant ramen seasoning?
Yes :)
The timing of the was perfect. I had an exhausting day at work and this recipe was as much as I could handle for dinner. It was super simple, creamy and hot (it’s freezing where I live). I added sriracha and it was delicious. Thanks for the great idea!