This Vegan Ramen recipe is made with a flavorful miso mushroom broth, crispy tofu, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and ramen noodles.
Why You’ll Love This
While traveling in Japan with Brian, we tried many different types of Ramen. I can honestly say that every single bowl I had 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. Anyway, it was one of the best culinary experiences, and I’ll never forget it.
Sumptuous and oozing with flavor, a good bowl of ramen is pure comfort food. This vegan ramen recipe is made with a flavorful, rich miso shiitake broth with the secret ingredient… kombu! This brings it up a notch.
What I love about this Japanese noodle soup 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 Ingredients
- Dry ramen noodles: You may need to buy a ramen packet and discard the seasoning. You can also use rice noodles, soba noodles, or udon noodles.
- Onion and garlic cloves: Create a savory, aromatic base for the broth.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: Break or chop them into small pieces!
- Kombu seaweed: This is optional, but adds so much depth and umami flavor to the broth. It is available at most grocery stores, or visit your local Asian market.
- Vegetable stock: Making homemade vegetable broth adds even more flavor!
- Mirin and white miso paste: Mirin is a Japanese rice cooking wine. Together, these add depth, aromatic flavor, and umami.
- Crispy tofu: Here’s how to make crispy tofu.
Ramen VegetableS & Garnishes
Choose a variety of these ramen bowl add-ins based on your preferences! Steam, sauté, or roast the veggies, or add them raw.
- Greens: Baby bok choy, spinach, mizuna or other greens.
- Raw shredded veggies: carrots or cabbage
- Roasted veggies: winter squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots
- Mushrooms (Enoki mushrooms, also referred to as the velvet shank, are great for this! They are delicate yet flavorful mushrooms that grow on tree trunks, roots, and branches, mostly found in Japan.)
- Garnishes: Baby corn, Bamboo shoots, Daikon radish, pickled radish Fresh herbs, scallions, green onions, or bean sprouts, Kimchi
- Soft-boiled eggs (obviously not vegan)
- Seasonings Furikake, toasted sesame seedsSriracha, hot chili oil, or chili crisp, toasted sesame oil
WHAT IS KOMBU, and why use it?
Kombu is 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. You can leave the kombu out in a pinch, but to elevate this recipe, add the Kombu! TIP: Make sure to rinse the Kombu first before placing it in the stockpot with other ingredients.
How to make Vegan Ramen
1. Roast the vegetables (optional). If adding any roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 400F and arrange the veggies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until fork tender.
2. Prepare the broth. Sauté onion in a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Or, deeply caramelize the onions for the best flavor! (You could even char them over a wood fire!) Add the smashed garlic cloves and continue cooking until deeply golden. Add veggie stock, water, dried shiitakes, a sheet of rinsed kombu, and mirin. Bring to a simmer.
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!
3. Simmer. Simmer 25-30 minutes uncovered on medium heat. Remove the kombu, then add the miso and pepper to taste. Adjust salt to your liking, adding more salt, soy sauce, or miso as needed. Keep warm.
Tip: While warming the broth, if it reduces too much it can become overly salty. Just add a little water to taste!
4. Cook the ramen noodles. Cook the ramen noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain, then toss with a little sesame oil to keep separated.
5. Prep any other add-ins. Prep anything else needed for your ramen bowl, including crispy tofu and veggies. Steam or sauté bok choy or fresh spinach or sauté mushrooms in a little oil with salt and pepper (or smoke them!). Use a combination of fresh and cooked veggies for the best texture.
Tip: 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.
6. Assemble. Fill bowls with cooked noodles, crispy tofu, and any veggies you’d like to add.
Step 7. Pour the flavorful shiitake broth over top. I love adding a piece of toasted nori to the bowl- it gives it a delicious flavor. Then add something crunchy and fresh for texture- these watermelon radishes are nice, or try daikon radish or Japanese pickles.
Step 8. Garnish with a little drizzle of sesame oil and sriracha. Top with scallions and sesame seeds or furikake. Serve immediately… and slurp away!
Storing vegan ramen
When storing leftovers, keep the noodles and the broth separate so that the noodles don’t absorb too much liquid. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not recommend storing leftover ramen in the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side of Chili Crisp Cauliflower, Miso Eggplant, or Asian Cucumber Salad!
FAQs
The broth, the noodles, and the toppings!
Miso ramen, which is miso-based, like this one! Shio ramen, which is a clear, light-bodied salty chicken broth, shoyu ramen, a soy sauce flavored chicken broth, and tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork-based broth, which is fatty and milk white in color.
Yes, the noodles are typically vegan. You can always sub with gluten-free rice noodles, soba noodles, or udon noodles, too!
Let us know how you like this easy Vegan Ramen recipe in the comments below!
xoxo
More Noodle Bowls to Try!
Watch how to make VEGAN RAMEN
The Best Vegan Ramen Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Soup, noodle soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
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 –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 dry Ramen Noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil for coating noodles.
- 8–12 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 sauce 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 package directions. Drain. Toss with a little sesame oil to keep separated.
- Prep other veggies and other toppings like our crispy tofu. 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: Large bowl
- 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
Unbelievably good! The version with the soy sauce in the broth is to die for! I am not a fan of plain fried tofu, so I marinated it first in a mix of soy sauce, olive oil and a bit of water (to dilute soy sauce a bit), it worked very well here.
This ramen is my new go to recipe to impress my guests!
(PS – Sylvia, thank you! I have made 4 of your recipes already, every single one is unbelievably delicious and so different from one another! It is a treasure to find a food blogger whose recipes one can make with a full confidence)
thanks, Elena- appreciate this!
This was delicious. I’ve made the soup a few times now and every time it’s been a hit. Friends all agree this soup is fantastic!
Great to hear!
I echo the “awesome” comments of those before me. I order vegan ramen for a local noodle place, and this broth puts theirs to shame. Two questions:
* I’m going to double, or may even triple, this recipe next time I make it. Any suggestions on what to double or not? (onions, garlic, etc.) I’ll likely go easier on the onion.
* What are your thoughts on adding leeks to this at the beginning?
Thanks again for this incredible recipe!
Thanks, Michael! I love the idea of leeks. I would just double everything, personally!
This broth is amazing! I substituted Better than Bouillon No Chicken for the veggie stock and red miso for the white because that’s what I had. My non-vegan boyfriend loved it. Said it was the best ramen soup that he has had in a long time.
Great to hear Amy!
The broth is absolutely amazing. We used leftovers to create several combinations throughout the week. Can’t wait to have this again. Thanks for sharing!
So happy you both enjoyed this Joni!
I love your recipes and look forward to cooking something new from your website every week! I just made this ramen today and it’s the best, literally BEST food I’ve ever cooked! My husband and 8 year old son LOVED it. I made extra to take to my brother who is healing from a health challenge. Thank you!
Oh thanks, Kara! And so glad your family liked the vegan ramen!
It was a such a hit! Every bowl was licked CLEAN!
After blending the shiitake and adding the miso, I had a taste and was blown over by how delicious the soup was! The stock did thicken considerably for me and was quite salty after simmering for so long, so I did add more water and mirin to the soup.
This will definitely be our go-to winter (currently winter in Aus) noodle soup recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!
thanks Jassie- glad you liked it!
would chicken broth work well here instead of veggie?
Yes, totally. 🙂
This ramen was amazing! I had to make a few subs based on what I had, and it still came out amazing!
I subbed:
– soba for ramen
– Trader Joe’s miso ginger broth for miso paste
– tempeh for tofu (marinated w/ maple syrup, soy, sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper)
My partner is newly plant-based, so I’ve been looking for new recipes to try. He said that this one was better than any restaurant ramen he’s had. We topped our bowls with furikake, tempeh, and soft boiled eggs! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed Madison!
Should I reconstitute the dried mushrooms first before adding them to the stock? Or should I reconstitute them after I have sautéed the onions and poured the stock in the mushrooms?
No just add them directly- dry.
I am giving this 5 stars because I loved it for the most part, and because I made substitutions that could have impacted the criticism I am about to make. I found this to be super salty! But I think the broth I used was why I found it to be so. I used a bullion for the veg broth that had sodium in it (I did not add salt anywhere else, including the tofu where I omitted the salt from the included recipe). I plan to try making this again with home made broth without any added salt. I roasted sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts in place of bok choy and carrots because that is what I had on hand. I roasted them plain (no miso glaze or added spices). I used brown rice flour ramen noodles. Overall, the broth was amazing (aside from the saltiness, which again I acknowledge was totally my fault). I didn’t have any mirin on hand so I used some red cooking wine, but otherwise followed the broth recipe. Thank you so much for the recipe. I have never had ramen before and I have always wanted to try it. I added some thinly sliced green onions, green peppers, and cucumber as fresh toppings because after tasting the broth I knew that anything pickled would be too much and I needed to lighten it up. Thanks again! 🙂
Hi Julia, sorry about that. There is a note in step three that if the broth reduces too much, it may become salty- you can simply add more water to reduce the saltiness.
Thanks for the recipe it is very yummy I didn’t use the onion but it is still taste very nice I know how to make good ramen now
5is was excellent. Will have to add to my rotation. I might put a little extra soy sauce in it for some extra oomph.
Absolutely amazing soup! Just love the bullion! Only I realized I am not a fan of tofu, at least not the plain one for the moment, will try smoked or spiced next time.
This recipe was absolutely amazing! I’m not vegan, but I had friends over who are and cooked them this ramen. Used an immersion blender to make the broth creamy. This was one of the most delicious dishes I have ever cooked, definitely making it again.
Easy and delicious. Next time I think I’ll mince the onions vs chopt
The was a huge it with the whole family, even my youngest son who swears he doesn’t like mushrooms. We included Chanterelles because they are in season here in the PNW and have to eat them as much as we can while they’re available. I don’t think my kids will ever want to eat an instant ramen packet again.
Awesome Hillary!!!
This is so delicious; I have shared this recipe with all my food-loving friends! Such tasty broth. We love to top it with chili garlic sauce. The only change I make is to use brown rice miso since that’s what I have. Thank you for this recipe!
I love this recipe! I am a new vegan and ramen-obsessed so this was one of the first vegan recipes I tried. Ive now made it 3 times. even my non-vegan husband loves it!
Great to hear Sara!
Hi Joan, sorry about the confusion and I see how that could happen. I tried to make it a little more clear. It all really depends on what veggies and toppings you want to add to the broth. So many variables. The recipe is more about creating the vegan ramen broth itself, letting readers decide what to put in the broth.
Really delicious. I loved making and eating this. I did end up blending the dried mushrooms for a creamier broth and I found it quite thick. Either I didn’t blend for long enough or I cooked it for too long and the water evaporated a bit. I might add a tad more water next time, but apart from that it was amazingly good. Thanks so much!!!
Have enjoyed this recipe many times. Simple and delicious!
Thanks Donna!
Really simple dish that I enjoyed. Surprisingly it was light, which allowed me to dish down to more bowls! Very tasty even though I didn’t have Kombu, I just added Seaweed and a few other salty ingredients to develop the flavor of the soup more.
Perfect Daniel!
Just delicious!
Thanks so much Leonie!
Lol so today I learned that people will even troll the comment sections of recipes online… how pathetic. Yes obviously eggs aren’t vegan and no there’s nothing “revolting” sounding about this recipe and it’s description.
Anyway, as a vegan of many years just now getting into homemade ramen, I loved this recipe!!! I’d been eyeing it for a while and it turned out perfect. Simple and flavorful. I used black rice ramen from King Soba (gluten free) and a spiced mixture of sautéed shiitake mushrooms, squash, and tofu. Top off with your favorite hot sauce and you couldn’t ask for more, although I wish I’d had bean sprouts on hand to add in. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
thanks Abbey. 😉