This Vegan Ramen is made with a flavorful miso mushroom broth! A delicious ramen recipe with mushrooms, crispy tofu, bok choy, and ramen noodles. One of our favorite vegan recipes on the blog! Plus a simple tip to making this “creamy”! 
Vegan Ramen with Miso Shiitake Broth with tofu and veggies in a bowl
Sumptuous and oozing with flavor, a good bowl of Ramen is pure comfort food. Here’s a recipe for Vegan Ramen that is made with a flavorful, rich Miso Shiitake Broth. This is actually one of the oldest recipes on the blog that desperately needed a little updating. I simplified the recipe and updated the photos… I hope you like it!
What I love about this recipe, is you can meal-prep the flavorful broth on a Sunday, then store it in the fridge in a jar, for the busy workweek, heating it up as you need it, pouring it over noodles and veggies. Deeply satisfying and nurturing.

VEGAN RAMEN! | 45-second Video

While in Japan, we tried many different types of Ramen. I can honestly say, that every single bowl I had there was a mind-blowing experience. Every bowl was the best bowl of ramen, I’d ever had. It’s crazy how nuanced and different each one was, each with a personality of its own.  Anyways, I’ll never forget it.

How to make Vegan Ramen:

Make the Broth

This recipe starts with flavorful miso mushroom broth! It’s hard to believe the broth is totally plant-based, it has so much flavor!
vegan ramen broth
  1. Deeply caramelize the onions (you could even char them over a wood fire!)
  2. Add veggie stock, water and dried shiitake or fresh mushrooms.
  3. Add a sheet of  Kombu, dried kelp found in Asian markets adds complexity and depth.
  4. Add a splash of MIRIN
  5. Miso paste! Use this instead of soy sauce, for better flavor.
kombu (dried seaweed) for ramen broth

WHAT IS KOMBU?

It’s basically a type of sea kelp, that adds complexity, depth and that delicious umami flavor we all crave.  It’s different than nori (nori is seaweed, kombu is kelp). It is typically used in Japanese cooking to make Dashi Broth. Here we are borrowing that idea for this vegan ramen broth. Now you can leave the kombu out, if in a pinch, but to elevate this, add the Kombu!
Make sure to rinse the Kombu first before placing it in the stockpot with other ingredients.
Bring to a boil and turn heat down to medium, and simmer  30 minutes (uncovered), remove kombu and season, this will impart depth and complexity to the ramen broth.
tongs picking Kombu out of the broth
TIP: For a “creamy” style ramen broth, blend up the broth after it’s cooked – those tender shiitakes will give it a delicious creaminess! Or leave it unblended and brothy- up to you!
blending the vegan ramen broth to make it creamy

Prep veggies and tofu

While the flavorful broth is simmering, prep any other veggies. In winter, I’ll add roasted veggies, in summer, fresh crunchy veggies.
Today I’ve added baby bok choy, fresh shiitake mushrooms and crispy tofu.
bok chow and shiitakes sautéing in a pan
Make some simple Crispy Tofu.
cooking crispy tofu in a skillet

Cook the Ramen Noodles

fresh 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.

cooking the ramen noodles in a pot of water

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.

a package of enoki mushrooms

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.

assembling the ramen in a bowl

Then top with your veggies (bok choy and mushrooms) and garnishes. You could also try your hand at Smoked Mushrooms! Super easy and flavorful!!!

Vegan Ramen with Miso Shiitake Broth- an easy healthy ramen with mushrooms, tofu, Bok Choy and scallions. Plus a simple tip to making this "creamy". #veganramen #easyramen #bestramen #vegetarianramen #ramen

Then pour the steaming hot vegan ramen broth over top.

Pouring the broth over the noodles, veggies and tofu.

Season with sesame oil, and sriracha sauce if you like.

Vegan Ramen with Miso Shiitake Broth- an easy healthy ramen with mushrooms, tofu, Bok Choy and scallions. Plus a simple tip to making this "creamy". #veganramen #easyramen #bestramen #vegetarianramen #ramen

I love adding something crunchy and fresh for texture- these watermelon radishes are nice or try daikon radish or Japanese pickles.

Vegan Ramen with Miso Shiitake Broth in a bowl with tofu, veggies, scallions and chopsticks

Sprinkle with sesame seeds or Furikake, and a little drizzle of sesame oil… and Slurp Away!

Three components to ramen

  1. The broth
  2. The noodles
  3. The toppings

Four most popular types of ramen broth

  1. Miso ramen, which is miso-based – like this one!
  2. Shio Ramen with its clear, light-bodied salty chicken broth
  3. Shoyu Ramen, a soy sauce flavored chicken broth
  4. 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

Sylvia

More vegan recipes you may like:

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Vegan Ramen with Miso Shiitake Broth- an easy healthy ramen with mushrooms, tofu, Bok Choy and scallions. Plus a simple tip to making this "creamy". #veganramen #easyramen #bestramen #vegetarianramen #ramen

Vegan Ramen

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 43 reviews
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Description

Vegan Raman with Mushroom Broth – a simple delicious recipe for making the most flavorful bowl of vegan ramen soup!

Ingredients

Units Scale

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:

  1. 6– 8 ounces Ramen Noodles
  2. 8 ounces Cubed Crispy Tofu
  3. 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.
  4. Garnishes: scallions, Furikake or toasted sesame seeds, sriracha and sesame oil

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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: 

  1. 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.
  2. 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

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Comments

  1. This was sooo delicious, we loved this! I did blend up the remnants of the broth (sans kombu) as suggested, and it was so satisfying and creamy! I added blanched spinach and miso honey butter corn for my toppings, will experiment different ideas in the future. Thanks so much!



    Reply

    1. Well, I totally see how it would if you’re in the vegan camp. 🙂 For authentic Japanese style ramen, it is usually considered a complimentary adjective.

      Reply

  5. I have cooked this almost every week for the past few months, mixing up veggies as the weather has gotten cooler here. Current favourite is roasted Brussels sprouts and bom choy. My non-vegan husband and I both love this recipe and it is an absolute joy to prepare. Thank you so much Sylvia, this has kept us well fed and happy in isolation!



    Reply

  6. OMG, best recipe ever! The only thing I added to the broth was a little soy sauce to add a little more salt and depth. But other than that, I think I died and went to Ramen noodle heaven! Thanks for the recipe!



    Reply

  7. Novice question here, but how did you prepare the bok Choy and shiitake mushrooms in this picture? They don’t look entirely raw.

    Reply

  8. Thankyou so much for posting this recipe. I made it today minus the Kombu as it wasn’t available, and it turned out fantastically. So flavoursome and tasty. Looking forward to having it a couple of days in the week as doubled up and made a big batch of broth



    Reply

  9. This was super! It was my first time making this,, one of my all-time favs, at home. I did blend the broth. I used whole wheat rice noodles, spinach, scallions, and roasted shiitakes. Next time I will either leave out the nori or use a smaller square, as it imparts a taste that was too fishy for our taste. I couldn’t find Kombu, but I ordered it from Amazon and am making this again in a couple days to compare. I added a drizzle of roasted garlic rice vinegar to the finished product when I added the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Thank you so much!



    Reply

  11. Thank you, this was much, much better than expected! I used some Japanese mirin that’s better than the usual North American stuff. The first day I had it with some packaged fried tofu and Asian veg that I had in the fridge. Two days later I had it again and the flavor had mellowed out – sort of like a stew being better the next day. I also had it with kimchi, and that made it a totally different soup, but oh so very oishi (delicious).

    Can I freeze the soup? I keep one cup vacuum sealed packages of soup in my freezer for breakfast and lunch. It may be crazy, but it really cuts down on stupid food choices when I waited a bit too long for something to eat, and the microwave does all the work.



    Reply

  13. I just wanted to say thank you for the recipe. I made the broth, and it was delicious! I used Bragg’s liquid aminos instead of soy sauce because that’s all I had, and I used 3 strips of kombu (Eden brand) because I couldn’t find the wide sheets. Mine didn’t reduce much even though I heated it for longer than stated, but it was still very good. I’ve never made ramen before, so I’m excited to have a go-to recipe now! Thank you!



    Reply

  14. “This vegan version has roasted butternut, baby chard, a soft boiled egg and smoked shiitakes.” Eh-hem. There’s nothing vegan about a soft boiled egg.

    Reply

    1. Yes, the egg, is optional. The broth is vegan. Use the broth as a base for whatever you prefer. 😉

      Reply

    2. Obviously you’d leave out the egg if you were vegan. Thought most people would realise that and it didn’t need spelling out. Use your initiative.

      Reply

  15. Creative and clever way to smoke food INSIDE the house. I haven’t heard of this method before. Is it from your own experiments? Or? – Very cool. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    1. Deanna, we smoke a lot of food in our catering business ( and at my old restaurant) and so I wanted to be able to do it at home too, but more quickly and simply, and on a smaller scale. I hope you try it, it’s fun!!

      Reply

  16. Serves 4-6 if making the vegan broth recipe. The grocery store usually has wood chips…the finer the better.

    Reply

  17. How many people would you say this serves? I have most of these ingredients and want to make this dish in the next couple of days. Where did you get wood chips?

    Reply

  18. How many bowls, or people, would you say this serves? I have most of the ingredients but I need to go to my Asian Market for a few little extras.

    Reply

  20. I am so glad I found it.. I would love to add this to this to my asian themed party :)with all asian inspired dishes :)I really hope i get it all right esp the broth! it seems to be oozing with flavour!

    Reply

  24. You are a saliva conjurer – we have ramen houses by the handful here in Santa Clara/Cupertino/San Jose and they are each different and wonderful. I hope to
    someday soon try the ramen houses in Japan. Keep on cooking!

    Reply

  25. This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it this weekend, we are having the perfect weather for a steaming hot bowl of slurptastic soup! Mmmmmmmm.

    Reply

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