VEGAN RAMEN! | 45-second Video
How to make Vegan Ramen:
Make the Broth
- Deeply caramelize the onions (you could even char them over a wood fire!)
- Add veggie stock, water and dried shiitake or fresh mushrooms.
- Add a sheet of Kombu, dried kelp found in Asian markets adds complexity and depth.
- Add a splash of MIRIN
- Miso paste! Use this instead of soy sauce, for better flavor.
WHAT IS KOMBU?
Prep veggies and tofu
Cook the Ramen Noodles
There are two main types of ramen noodles used for ramen, yellow egg noodles, and white flour noodles. In the past, yellow egg noodles were the most common – these are the type found in most dried ramen packages.
Recently, flour noodles have been gaining in popularity. The two types differ in size and texture. Egg noodles are fairly thin, firm to the palate, and slightly curly. Flour noodles are soft and wide.
Many Japanese say that the ramen noodles found in the United States lack the depth of flavor because of the absence of kansui, a highly alkaline mineral water found in Asia. Some chefs use baking soda in their noodles to approximate the flavor.
These ramen noodles shown above are freshly made, vegan, all-flour noodles, available in the refrigerated section at the Asian market. To cook, follow the directions on the package. You could also use gluten-free rice noodles.
Prep The RAMEN TOPPINGs ( optional)
- seaweed (nori),
- other veggies: bamboo shoots, corn, carrots, daikon, cabbage, enoke mushrooms
- scallions,
- pickled vegetables
- soft jammy boiled egg- obviously not vegan. 😉
And I love these little enoki mushrooms for garnish – just use fresh and raw! They are so tiny they will cook enough in the ramen broth.
Enoki mushrooms (also referred to as the velvet shank) are delicate yet flavorful mushrooms that grow on tree trunks, roots and branches mostly found in Japan.
Assemenble the vegan Ramen
Begin filling your veggie ramen bowls with noodles first, then the toppings.
I love adding a piece of toasted nori to the bowl- it gives it a delicious flavor.
Then top with your veggies (bok choy and mushrooms) and garnishes. You could also try your hand at Smoked Mushrooms! Super easy and flavorful!!!
Then pour the steaming hot vegan ramen broth over top.
Season with sesame oil, and sriracha sauce if you like.
I love adding something crunchy and fresh for texture- these watermelon radishes are nice or try daikon radish or Japanese pickles.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds or Furikake, and a little drizzle of sesame oil… and Slurp Away!
Three components to ramen
- The broth
- The noodles
- The toppings
Four most popular types of ramen broth
- Miso ramen, which is miso-based – like this one!
- Shio Ramen with its clear, light-bodied salty chicken broth
- Shoyu Ramen, a soy sauce flavored chicken broth
- Tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork-based broth, which is fatty and milky white in color.
Let us know how you like this recipe for Vegan Ramen in the comments below!
xoxo
More vegan recipes you may like:
- Peanut Butter Ramen
- 40 Mouthwatering Vegan Dinner Recipes!
- Vegan Bulgogi Bowl
- Szechuan Tofu and Veggies
- 20 Buddha Bowls (Vegan & Plant Based!)
- Veggie Lo Mein Noodles!
- Kimchi Noodles
- 15 MINUTE THAI COCONUT NOODLE SOUP (KHAO SOI)
Vegan Ramen
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Vegan, soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
Vegan Raman with Mushroom Broth – a simple delicious recipe for making the most flavorful bowl of vegan ramen soup!
Ingredients
Flavorful Vegan Ramen Broth:
- 1 large onion-diced
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- 1–2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups veggie stock
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup dried Shiitake Mushrooms, broken into small pieces (see notes )
- 1 sheet Kombu seaweed (available at Asian markets) –optional, but good!
- 1/8 cup mirin ( Japanese cooking wine)
- 1–2 tablespoons white miso paste
- pepper to taste
- for spicy, add sriracha to taste, or hot chili oil
RAMEN:
- 6– 8 ounces Ramen Noodles
- 8 ounces Cubed Crispy Tofu
- Optional veggies: Steamed or sauteed bok choy, fresh spinach, shredded carrots or cabbage, roasted winter squash, roasted cauliflower, roasted carrots, roasted sweet potato, sauteed mushrooms, smoked mushrooms, baby corn, Bamboo shoots, Enoki mushrooms, Kimchi, Soft boiled eggs (obviously not vegan) daikon radish, pickled radish, fresh herbs.
- Garnishes: scallions, Furikake or toasted sesame seeds, sriracha and sesame oil
Instructions
- If adding roasted veggies, do this first. Toss bite-sized pieces, with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in a 400F oven until fork tender.
- Make the BROTH: Over medium-high heat, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon oil until tender about 3 minutes. Turn heat to medium, add the smashed garlic cloves and continue cooking the onions until they are deeply golden brown. Add the veggie stock, water, dried shiitakes, a sheet of kombu (rinsed) and mirin. Bring to a Simmer.
- Simmer for 25-30 minutes uncovered on med heat, then remove the Kombu. Add the miso, and pepper to taste. Adjust salt to your liking (feel free to add salt, soy or more miso). Keep warm. FYI: If this reduces too much it may become salty…. simply add a little water to taste.
- While the broth is simmering, cook the ramen noodles in a pot of boiling water, according to directions. Drain. Toss with sesame oil to keep separated.
- Prep other veggies and other toppings. Feel free to steam bok choy or fresh spinach, or saute them until just tender. If using mushrooms, saute in a little oil until tender (or smoke! see post) seasoning with salt and pepper. Use a combo of fresh and cooked veggies for the best texture. 🙂 Make the crispy tofu!
Assemble Ramen Bowls:
- Fill bowls with cooked noodles, crispy tofu and any other veggies you want. Pour the flavorful Shiitake broth over top. Garnish with a little drizzle of sesame oil and sriracha. Top with scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Make sure to break or chop the dried shitakes into small pieces.
OPTIONAL: To make a Creamy broth: Blend the finished broth in a blender. The shiitake mushrooms will give the broth a rich creaminess. Or you could blend half the broth for semi-creamy. 🙂
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 335
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 1295.8 mg
- Fat: 13.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.5 g
- Fiber: 4.3 g
- Protein: 13.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I can’t wait to try these recipes, thank you
Let us know what you think Tracy!
This was fabulous as has been every recipe I have tried that you have created. I cooked the noodles separately and added them to each individual bowl so that leftovers would no soak up all of the broth. I also added some mild miso to the broth for added umami. Thanks for another delicious recipe.
Glad you are enjoying Betty! Smart with storing separately.
I made this for the family tonight and everyone loved it, even the pickiest teenager ever. I will definitely be making this again and again.
Awesome to hear Michele!
Hi Sylvia,
Thank you for this and every delicious recipe you have the blog, truly inspiring!
One question, may I substitute the mushrooms in the broth with bonito flakes?
Sure feel free to swap out the mushrooms. Thanks for your kind words Luisana!
Soooo delish! Will make again.
Glad to hear it!
This was delicious. The only thing I did do is that I added some oyster sauce. It was so wonderfully flavored.
Great to hear Lala!
This was super delicious! Would not recommend blending it while hot, my blenders top came off and it went everywhere. A few burns and a mess clean up. Apart from that the broth is amazing!
Oh dear- sorry about that. Yes, if blending warm liquid, cover the lid with a towel, hold it down tightly and start on low speed.
Amazing! Hit the spot with this recipe. So glad it’s easy to make and delicious.
I have recently found your website and am loving all of your recipes as I try to eat more plant based. Thank you for wonderful and exciting recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this and very happy you are here Kat!
Completely delicious!!! Lots of “Mmmm” going on at our table while this was being devoured. Pickled daikon, fresh cilantro, hot chili oil were perfect accents. Will definitely make again!
Great to hear Paige!
Hi Sylvia,
I love your recipes! They are all so good!!! Thank you for sharing.
I made this two days ago but the broth was kind of thick when I blended it in my commercial grade blender. My question to you is, is it supposed to be thick? It was almost too creamy instead of like a broth. Is it because I added too much shiitake mushrooms?
Please comment. Thanks again.
Hi, yes, it can get a little thick when blended. I usually don’t blend or only blend a few of the mushrooms. 🙂
Absolutely amazing!!!! So flavorful!!! I made the crispy tofu, with carrots, baby bok Choy, and white mushrooms to top. I used nori instead of kombu since that’s what I had. My taste buds and stomach are so happy! Thank you thank you!!
Yay Angeli! Glad you enjoyed this!
We loved this soup so much! I was hoping to add fresh shiitakes next time. Would I still be using the dried ones, too? Thank you!
Yay Eva! I like both but up to you!
This looks delicious. How many oz of dried shiitake mushrooms would equal 1/2 cup?-thanks!
About ½ an ounce!
Many thanks!
This was indeed delicious!
Thanks TJ, glad you enjoyed!
Can this be frozen to reheat in smaller batches?
Hi Alesha! I think the broth would be fine frozen, but I might leave the noodles separate, they could get soggy.
Great, thanks! I realized I should’ve been more specific after I asked…meaning just freeze the broth. 🙃
Really tasty ramen!
Glad you enjoyed!