Homemade Peanut Butter Ramen! A rich, flavorful peanut butter ramen broth topped with deliciously crispy Korean gochujang tofu. Vegan, Gluten-free adaptable. Video in the recipe card.
This Peanut Butter Ramen recipe is a yummy, unique twist on one of our favorite comfort foods! Adding peanut butter to the homemade broth gives it a creaminess and a depth of flavor that is heightened with punchy Gochujang (Korean chili paste). Along with miso and fresh ginger, these flavors infuse the soup with warmth, spice, and comfort in every bite.
Crispy Korean tofu is crazy good, don’t skip it! Amazing golden brown crunch and richness complement the underlying flavors of the ramen. Customize with the veggies and toppings you like. Kimchi is delicious with this ramen bowl!
Why You’ll Love This
- Crispy Korean Gochujang tofu! Crunchy, rich, and bursting with flavor. You are going to love it!
- Warm, comforting, perfectly spicy. Peanut Butter combined with gochujang creates an addictingly delicious broth.
- Friendly for all diets. Vegan ramen recipe that is customizable, add gluten-free noodles if preferred. Feel free to add your choice of protein.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter: Use natural, unsweetened with no added oils. Creamy or crunchy, your choice.
- Tofu: Firm tofu works best in this recipe.
- Gochujang: Taste your gochujang for spiciness and adjust accordingly. You can sub garlic chili sauce if you have trouble finding gochujang.
- Cornstarch: Essential for getting the tofu crispy.
- Soy sauce: Or use gluten-free tamari.
- Maple syrup: Just a touch to balance the heat and salt.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a flavorful zest to the broth.
- White miso paste: White miso gives umami depth to the broth.
- Vegetable broth: Use homemade veggie broth for optimal flavor or store-bought works great too.
- Toasted Sesame oil: Gives depth and flavor to the broth.
- Rice vinegar: Adds a bright balance to the broth.
- Noodles: Use ramen noodles, or you can use rice noodles or soba noodles.
- Veggies and toppings: see lists below!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Peanut Butter Ramen (Instructions)
Step one: Make the Crispy Korean Tofu: Using your hands, break tofu apart into roughly one-inch pieces. (The ragged edges help crisp up the tofu and soak up more sauce.) Place a clean dish towel or paper towel on a plate and spread tofu out in one layer on the towel to absorb excess moisture.
In a small bowl mix together gochujang paste, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Set aside.
Remove the towel from the tofu and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
Heat up a skillet to medium high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons oil to coat the pan. Fry the tofu in one layer: put it in the pan and leave it for about 5 minutes (don’t try to move it!) over medium heat until it develops a crust and naturally releases. Flip the pieces over and cook another 4-5 minutes. Stir the pieces around to get the sides of the tofu.
Stir in the sauce, you can do this in a separate bowl or directly in the pan. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Step two: Make the Broth: Sauté the garlic and ginger in oil for a minute or so, just until they become fragrant. Stir in the gochujang paste, peanut butter, and white miso, mixing until combined.
Add the veg broth, sesame oil, and soy sauce to the peanut butter mixture, and whisk until smooth. Heat to a simmer. Add rice vinegar and maple syrup to the broth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more spice, vinegar or soy if needed.
Boil the ramen noodles in a separate pot of water according to package directions. Drain the noodles or use tongs to pick up noodles to place in individual bowls.
Step three: Assemble Ramen Bowls: Fill bowls with cooked noodles, and pour the flavorful peanut butter ramen broth over top. Add Crispy Korean Tofu and veggies. Garnish with green onions, crushed peanuts, or sesame seeds. For more spice sprinkle with gochugaru or red pepper chilli flakes or a drizzle of sriracha. Very yummy with kimchi!
Optional Ramen Additions
Choose your favorite variety of veggies for the ramen bowl. You can put the tender vegetables in the simmering broth to cook for a few minutes before serving. For veggies that need longer to cook prepare separately and add along with the noodles and tofu when serving. Steam, roast, sauté, stir-fry—all work great!
- Shredded carrots
- Steamed broccolini or broccoli
- Green onions
- Kimchi
- Steamed or stir-fried bok choy
- Fresh spinach
- Shredded cabbage
- Bell peppers
- Peas
- Roasted sweet potato
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Soft-boiled eggs (obviously not vegan)
- Daikon radish
- Pickled radish
- Fresh herbs
Optional ramen Toppings
Toppings are one of the most enjoyable parts of eating ramen! Garnish your bowl with any of these suggestions.
- Green onions
- Crushed roasted peanuts
- Sesame seeds
- Kimchi
- Peanut Chili Crunch
- Chili Crisp
- Pickled Shallots
- Gochugaru chili flakes
- Red chili flakes
- Sriracha
- Fresh squeeze of lime juice
Delicious toppings for Peanut Butter Ramen
FAQs
Yes! Not only does it give the broth a creamy consistency, but it adds rich nutty flavor. It’s incredibly nourishing and satisfying.
Natural and unsweetened creamy peanut butter, with no added oils. Do not use crunchy peanut butter. The peanut butter flavor will be bolder this way.
Yes, you can make this ramen less spicy by reducing the amount of gochujang. Taste and adjust as you go, starting with less and working your way up to your desired spice preference.
If you wish to substitute the tofu and you do not need the ramen to be vegan, you can use chicken instead!
You can use the ramen noodles, but you’ll want to discard the seasoning packet since you’ll be creating the broth from scratch.
Hope you enjoy this flavorful Peanut Butter Ramen recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments below!
More Favorite Ramen and noodle soups!
Peanut Butter Ramen
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Category: Soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Homemade Peanut Butter Ramen in a flavorful vegan broth topped with delicious crispy Korean tofu. Gluten-free adaptable.
Ingredients
Crispy Korean Tofu
- 8 ounces of firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and black pepper
- 1–2 tablespoons gochujang – taste your gochujang for spiciness and adjust accordingly (see notes on replacements)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Peanut Butter Ramen Broth
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1–3 tablespoons gochujang paste- more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup peanut butter, natural unsweetened with no added oils
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1– 2 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 8 ounces noodles of your choice- ramen noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles
- Optional veggies: Shredded carrots, steamed broccolini or broccoli, Kimchi, steamed or stir-fryed bok choy, fresh spinach, shredded cabbage, roasted sweet potato, sauteed mushrooms, soft-boiled eggs (obviously not vegan), daikon radish, pickled radish.
- Optional Garnishes: Scallions or cilantro, crushed roasted peanuts, (or try this Peanut Chili Crunch, toasted sesame seeds, sriacha
Instructions
- Make the Crispy Korean Tofu Using your hands, break tofu apart into roughly one-inch pieces. (The ragged edges help crisp up the tofu and soak up more sauce.) Place a clean dish towel or paper towel on a plate and spread tofu out in one layer on the towel to absorb excess moisture.
- In a small bowl mix together gochujang paste, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Set aside.
- Remove the towel from the tofu and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat up a skillet to medium high, add 1-2 tablespoons oil to coat the pan. Fry the tofu in one layer: put it in the pan and leave it for about 5 minutes (don’t try to move it!) over medium heat until it develops a crust and naturally releases. Flip the pieces over and cook another 4-5 minutes. Stir the pieces around to get the sides of the tofu. Stir in the sauce, you can do this in a separate bowl or directly in the pan. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Make the Broth Saute the garlic and ginger in oil for a minute or so, just until they become fragrant. Stir in the gochujang paste, peanut butter, and white miso, mixing until combined.
- Add the veggie broth, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and whisk until smooth. Heat to a simmer. Add rice vinegar and maple syrup to the broth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more spice or vinegar or soy if needed.
- Boil the ramen noodles in a separate pot of water, to keep them from getting mushy and falling apart.
Assemble Ramen Bowls:
Fill bowls with cooked noodles, Pour the flavorful Peanut Butter broth over top. Add Crispy Korean Tofu and veggies. Garnish with with green onions, crushed peanuts, or sesame seeds. For more spice sprinkle with gochugaru or red pepper chile flakes or a drizzle of sriracha. Very yummy with kimchi!
Notes
Try to find gochujang paste, it really makes the ramen special, but if it is not available you can use garlic chili sauce and adjust to your spice level preference!
Cooking vegetables separately when making ramen enhances flavor and allows better control of their doneness. Steam, roast, saute, stir fry, all work great.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 487
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 378.6 mg
- Fat: 16.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.4 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Is there a substitute for white miso paste? I couldn’t find it at my 2 local stores.
You can use soy sauce or fish sauce.
I’ve never commented on a recipe before, but had to pop in on this one. I honestly didn’t even make it to the ramen because the tofu with the sauce was *that* good. Ate all the tofu before I could make the ramen. This version of making tofu is my new obsession. I’ve now paired this tofu with several other sauces (think sesame “chicken”, butter “chicken”, teriyaki tofu, etc.) and it’s a winner every time. My local Aldi now wonders what I need with several packages of tofu each trip. I guess eventually I’ll make the ramen, but the tofu alone is a winner!
Hi Jordan! Haha…love that image of you buying all the tofu. So glad you are enjoying and inspired! Yum with those sauces!!
Tried this for the first time. It was super tasty. I will definitely be doing this again.
Great to hear Sue!
Yum!
Oh man. I just made this and I’m so disappointed. So disappointed I didn’t make a double batch!!
SO good! I did add a little of the tofu marinade to the soup – felt it just needed a little something. Made a great difference. Baked my tofu dredged in cornstarch and marinade in a 425 convection roast oven.
All excellent! Next time? Definitely making a double batch! Thank you!
Ha! So glad you enjoyed Rose. 🙂
Love the suggestion to bake the tofu. How long did you bake?
Hi Kristin, I’m going to guess I baked it for about 20 minutes or so (again, note I used the convection setting) on parchment, flipping all the chunks a couple of times. It really depends on how crispy you like your tofu. I also initially sprayed it with cooking oil, as I find tofu needs some oil. I love tofu and often do it this way with a variety of marinades. Good luck!
This was amazing! The texture and flavor of the tofu was excellent. I added 1/2 lb sautéed shiitakes and 3 sautéed baby bok choy. Served along with some kimchi, this was the perfect amount for 4 hearty servings.
Great to hear Karen! Really appreciate your reviews.
Possibly the best ramen I ever ate! And I’m not even a big fan of gojuchang, but it is perfect in this recipe.
Amazing Amanda, thanks for the review!
Yum that broth!!! The tofu is amazing and a great use of the gochuchang in my fridge. I added broccolini and carrots. The soup was absolutely perfect, thank you!
Wonderful, thanks Angeli!
This was absolutely fabulous! Our whole family including my teenage son loved it. My husband and I added mushrooms and bok choy and my son added soft boiled eggs. I made extra broth and froze the leftovers. The tofu was a huge hit and we’ll make that and serve over rice. Can’t recommend this enough. Go make it tonight!
Thanks Kristin, so happy you all enjoyed!
THIS!
My husband just complimented me on outgoing the squash ramen at our local haunt.
I substituted tahini for peanut butter – it was like velvet!
Tonight’s was topped with roasted kabocha squash, steamed kale, shifted mushrooms, roasted cubbed eggplant and your delicious tofu! And a little quick pickled seaweed for acid.
That sounds amazing! The tahini and squash and pickle seaweed!! Love it.
This made for a most excellent dinner, loved it! That tofu is incredible! I’ve always been a big fan of gouchujang, and this recipe really made it shine. Thank you, will be making this often!
Happy you enjoyed Bailey!
Easy and so satisfying
Wonderful!
Make this tonight! So, so good and not very difficult. I added mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and spinach to my broth. The tofu is so good you could just eat it from a bowl (maybe for the Super Bowl? Just riffing here…) so delicious! Seriously, go make it. Now. You will not regret it.
So happy you enjoyed Meghan! Thanks for the review. 🙂
Absolutely delicious. My husband requested I add it to the list of regulars after one bite! Then when I took leftovers in for lunch the next day I was swarmed by my coworkers over the smell, and after letting them try a bit they all went home with the recipe. I’ll make this dish forever – it’s so easy and tasty!
Wonderful Emily, so great to hear!
Love this – quite fiddly to make, I pre-measured all ingredients and had a few pots going at the same time on the stove, but all in all, it was worth the effort. I was leary of using tofu, but it was actually quite good and filling too. I’ll make this again.
Glad you gave it a go Barb!
Best Ramen I have ever had and I will be making this a lot. Thank you!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this Christina!!
Whole thing – perfection.
Yay!
Holy. S*%#.
I’ve seen this dish floating around on your page for a few weeks and it is fantastic. I added half a boiled egg, roasted broccoli, spinach and grated carrots.
This dish is great because you mainly just need pantry staples for the base and you can add anything else you have on hand as a topping.
Thank you!
Great to hear!!
This is amazing. been looking for a peanut, veggie, tofu, noodle, miso, gochujang recipe to bring all these flavours together. Also have to shout out that the recipes on this site are generally just always great.
Really appreciate this Chris, thanks so much for letting us know!
Hi Tonia, I think your recipes are so wonderfully special, thank you. A couple of times, though, a recipe states ‘Makes: 6 C.’ and then the nutritional values are for ‘1 bowl’. How does that equate, please?
Thank you, thank you. ☺️
Danielle
Nice to hear this Danielle! Ok so I changed it to be more specific. The recipe serves 4 at 1 1/2 cups per serving. The nutritional values are for one serving.:)
So good! I can’t believe I was able to make such crispy tofu with amazing flavor. Thank you!
Yay! Awesome!
This was so good. We especially loved the tofu. My daughter said it was the best make-at-home tofu she’s ever had. Restaurant quality! Definitely a keeper.
So glad you enjoyed! The tofu is one of my favorites!
AMAZING! Instant favourite. Cannot say enough good things about this scrumptious soup. Thank you Tonia!
So happy you enjoyed Beverly! Thanks for your kind words.:)
I will definitely make this again. I followed the instructions and just went light on the spice. The crunchy tofu is great and the peanut broth is so delicious. I used bean threads for the noodles and it was great. For veggies I steamed some broccoli and shredded cabbage and topped with chopped scallions. Easy recipe and amazing flavor.
I love the bean sprouts for noodles! So glad you enjoyed.
This is THE BEST ONE EVER. We all loved it. It reminded me of slurping soup on a roadside outside Taipei. Absolutely delicious.
Awesome Rae! Thrilled you enjoyed:)
Very awesome – especially loved the crispy tofu.
Glad you enjoyed Judy!