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
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!
Absolutely yummy! Have loved every Budget Bytes recipe we’ve ever tried, this one is no exception. My son said he believed he could eat it every day! Have already purchased more coconut milk for the pantry, had everything else on hand. Thanks for this winner, winner, Ramen dinner!
I made this last night to accompany the butter chicken naanpandas I bought at Aldi. I have been dying for curry anything lately, and when I found this recipe and had all of the ingredients, I had to make it! I added like an 1/8 of a cup of diced tomatoes to it because coconut milk and tomatoes are YUM in my book. It was freaking amazing!!!!!!! Just what I was looking for, something quick involving curry powder and coconut milk, I now know what I’m doing with the rest of the Ramen. Thank you!!!
What kind of curry powder do you use? I’ve never used it before.
From the blog post: 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.
Super easy, very tasty, and VERY filling. I made a double batch for me and my husband because I was worried that a single batch wouldn’t fill us both up. I couldn’t eat all of my half because I was stuffed. I enjoyed every bite and will definitely make this again but probably just the single recipe next time.
This recipe was delicious as written when I made this the first time. Second time around, I added about 3/4 cup of diced cooked chicken and used homemade chicken stock instead of water — made the flavor even better.
This recipe is delicious and perfect for a busy night! I added in some extra fresh veggies in addition to the frozen ones (grated carrot and chopped red bell pepper). It was creamy and delicious. It is lacking in protein though as is, so next time I think I’ll add chicken or tofu or some other sort of protein.
Ramen. 43 grams of fat. Enough said.
Everyone has different dietary needs and preferences. If a recipe doesn’t look good to you, you don’t have to make it.
Don’t be a dick.
Enough said.
Holy cow! I tried the mushroom ramen and it was just okay, but we LOVED this soup although I changed it up a bit (sorry, just didn’t want to use the sodium filled packets!). Doubled the ingredients for 2 people. I sauteed ginger and garlic with a little olive oil and used vegetable broth instead of water. So good and easy!
This is my first time on Budget Bytes & it won’t be my last!
I’m a new mom and my baby and I are both sick. And I am already the slowest cook in the world… chopping veggies just takes me ages. So this recipe was a lifesaver!! I feel so nourished, plus it was delicious, so easy, and of course inexpensive. I have never had a dinner come together so quickly.
My husband and I both went back for seconds and he said it couldn’t be more delicious.
I followed the recipe exactly but added a bunch of mixed greens in the last couple minutes. Looking forward to making this again and again, and playing around with some variations.
Thanks, Ali! Welcome & glad to have you here! — Marion :)
I already doctor up instant ramen because its so easy. Recommend poaching an egg in the next to last few mins. Also my go to to is fresh spinach leaves, altho chinese style cooking can even accommodate something as plain as iceberg lettuce.
Hey Jacqi how do you do the poached egg? Can you do it straight in the soup? New to poaching eggs but looove them.
This was so bland, I threw it out. Had no flavour at all. I know how to cook, so I was shocked. I expected a rich coconut flavour. Nothing.
If you have a curry powder without salt, add in your savory seasonings. Brown the powder and any onion/garlic/ginger in oil before adding water/stock In a pinch, a good soya sauce or fish sauce like Red Boat (not the cheap stuff) or even bouillon powder/concentrate will be an easy final tweak. Otherwise, try (Thai) curry pastes which has a lot of fresh aromatics like ginger and lemongrass. Lastly reduce amount of water used as it can dilute flavor. … I commented separately but I like to poach an egg and add in fresh spinach leaves for the fresher flavors. Think of it as a base, much like a basic hibachi fried rice or buttered toast, add flavors til satisfied.
If you know how to cook you would have tasted it along the way and adjusted accordingly. Just saying
You sure you didn’t have Covid when you tried this? Because I just made this and felt like it was very flavorful and that’s coming from someone who typically eats a ton of salty junk food so my sense of taste is probably dulled compared to someone who cooks a lot of meals at home.
How could this be bland? Seriously, you’re just adding flavor and vegetables. How much sodium intake do you have in one meal? This took normal ramen noodles to the next level, especially with a hint of cayenne.
If you don’t want this to be like soup, reduce the water to 3/4 cup, and the coconut milk to 1/4 cup. All of the liquid will cook off and you will just have a noodle dish. We do this all the time with our ramen.
I really enjoyed this for the simplicity and ease of using frozen veggie stir-fry. Very tasty. Next time I’m replacing 1/2 cup stir fry veggies with frozen red bell peppers because I love them with these flavors. Thank you for such a simple, inexpensive recipe.
Made a double batch (tripled ramen) and turned out great
We love this recipe. We add thin sliced chicken breast that’s marinated in ginger garlic and curry then pan fried on top. It adds a little more curry to the dish and adds a little more protein. Wonderful dish!!
This was so good that I immediately added more to my bowl, and I think I had almost two servings in one sitting. I discarded the seasoning packet and used vegetable Better Than Bouillon instead, to make it vegetarian. I also added red curry paste! It’s simple, but it really hit the spot and I can’t wait to try it again with different vegetable combos.