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Ramen is one of those universally loved dishes that can feel like a warm hug from the inside out. While traditional ramen features a rich, meaty broth, this vegetarian ramen recipe offers a delightful alternative that is just as satisfying and flavorful and vegan-friendly.
Whether you’re a full-time vegetarian, a plant-based foodie, or just wanting a light, vegetable-loaded comfort soup, this quick recipe is sure to become a favorite in your kitchen. Let’s dive into how to make this light and nourishing soup.
Tips for the Perfect Vegetarian Ramen
I’m not gonna lie, I feel fancy when eating ramen at a restaurant. Yet the reality is it can be quite affordable and tasty to make at home. You can buy Instant Ramen for $0.33 at the grocery store or spend $36 on a bowl at a restaurant in Aspen (I know from experience!). Vegetarian or not, this ramen recipe I’m sharing today is the best of both worlds using instant ramen noodles and ton of veggies.
- Make it Ahead: The broth can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for longer storage. Just reheat and add noodles and veggies when you’re ready to eat.
- Broth Variations: Feel free to experiment with the broth. The shiitake mushrooms add extra depth, yet you can go even farther by tossing in kombu (dried seaweed), miso paste, fresh ginger root, garlic, or red chili paste while simmering to enhance the umami flavor.
- Noodle Choices: While instant ramen noodles work great, you can use traditional ramen noodles, soba noodles, udon, or millet ramen. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, use rice noodles or make zoodles, spiralized zucchini.
- Seasonal Vegetables: Use whatever vegetables you have on hand! Bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or snap peas can be great additions. You can even swap fresh mushrooms for dried shiitake mushrooms or use both!
- Increase the protein by adding in tofu (you can fry it in the skillet with the veggies), nuts or seeds (ex: toasted pepitas or sesame seeds). With ramen, there’s really no wrong way to go!
- Spice it up: If you like spicy, add in some red chili oil, kimchi, sliced serrano peppers or a dash of cayenne pepper.
Vegan vs Vegetarian
Vegan and vegetarian ramen both use a vegetable broth base, yet the toppings can differ. If you’re vegan, you’ll strictly use vegetables, nuts and seeds. If you’re vegetarian, you can add a soft-boiled egg for additional protein.
How To Make Vegetarian Ramen
Prepare the ramen Broth
Start by creating a rich and flavorful broth that will serve as the backbone of your ramen. In a large pot, combine the vegetable stock (or vegetable broth) and water. Heat over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Add the mushrooms, tamari (or soy sauce), and sesame oil. Bring it to a gentle simmer. If you like a bit of spice, add some chili paste during this step.
Cook the Noodles
Add the instant ramen noodles to the broth and cook according to package. Typically, 3-5 minutes. You can toss the flavoring packet that comes with your ramen noodles, or save it for the end and sprinkle a little on the broth if you think it needs a little extra.
Sauté the Vegetables
In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, cabbage and baby bok choy, cooking for about 3 minutes, just enough to gently toast it all. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Assemble the Ramen Bowls
Once your noodles are ready and vegetables are sautéed, it’s time to assemble your ramen bowls. Divide the noodles and veggies between bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles, ensuring each bowl gets a good amount. Top with crushed red pepper, green onions (scallions), thinly sliced radishes and chopped cilantro.
Serve and Enjoy
Serve vegetarian ramen while it’s hot and steamy. The beauty of ramen is that it’s completely customizable, so feel free to adjust the toppings and ingredients based on your preferences. Enjoy this warm, comforting bowl of goodness on a chilly day or any day you’re craving a nourishing meal.
Best Way to Store Ramen Leftovers
Ramen definitely tastes best eaten right away. If you need to store leftovers, keep toppings and sauteed vegetables separate until ready to reheat. You can store broth and noodles together in an airtight container and the toppings and veggies in a bag in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Ingredient Swaps
- Swap instant noodles for millet and brown rice ramen noodles to get a hearty They’re super delicious, and I can get a big bag at Costco.
- If you aren’t able to find baby bok choy, use swiss chard or spinach.
- Coconut aminos or white miso paste are great swaps for tamari.
- If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, leave them out or swap for another vegetable you really do enjoy.
Instant Vegetarian Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 2 packages instant ramen noodles
- ½ head baby bok choy halved
- ¼ cup red cabbage thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shredded carrot
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp tamari
For garnish
- red pepper flakes
- 1 radish
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a pot, bring the vegetable stock and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, tamari and sesame oil and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the ramen noodles and cook about 5 minutes, or until noodles are softened (refer to noodle package for more specific time).
- In a separate pan, saute the carrots, bok choy and cabbage for 3-5 minutes, until gently toasted. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Divide vegetables and noodles between bowls and ladle broth on top.
- Top with green onions, crushed red pepper, radishes and cilantro.
Notes
- Short on time? Skip sauteeing the veggies and toss right into the broth!
- Swap vegetable broth with miso broth or mushroom broth.
- Swap ramen noodles for spiralized zucchini for a grain-free version.
- Swap fresh shiitake mushrooms for dried shiitake mushrooms.
I like this one. Loads of veg.
I thought this was a refreshing ramen! It was delicious and quick. I purchased pre shredded cabbage. Loved all of the colorful veggies. I chopped up the bok choy although I thought the presentation of it halved would have been neat.
This is the bomb!!!!! I use baby Choy with all veggies!!! Definitely make again!!!! Perfectly for any seasons super so healthy, simple, delicious
Ramen is always a favorite in our house and this one is so adjustable with what you add in – can be different every time!
Very eye catching and tasty soup. I made a few substitutions in veggies using what I had in my veggie bin…daikon radish and hard boiled egg added. Delicious. Definitely will start “jazzing up” my ramen for spectacular presentation like this.
I just added this to my rotation. It looks yummy!
Such a yummy soup. Substituted broccoli for baby bok choy. We loved it. Will be making soup again.
This soup is a little bland for me. Or maybe it’s my stock that’s too bland for this soup.
So, I decided to add a pinch of salt. After that, I enjoyed every taste that came out of the ingredients. I love the overall texture. The crunchiness from cabbage and carrot, the moistness from the noodles and mushrooms, and the fragrance from the green onion.
I think that the vegies should be blanched off before adding them.
This soup is delicious! I added some zucchini and thinly sliced jalapeño that I had leftover from the previous soup recipes this week. Yummy!
Simple veggie forward option
We are going to wait to make this , but it looks yummy.
I left out the mushrooms on this because I do not like mushrooms. I could not find baby bok choy near me. I normally see it in the summer time around here so I largely chopped a regular bok choy. I would love to try with a miss soup in the future. I used homemade veggie broth that had some hot peppers in it so I got just a bit of spice. Do you all have a miss recipe? Would love to try that!!
Hey there Rosanna! To make a miso-based broth, dissolve 1 tbsp of miso paste for every 1 or 1 1/2 c water, depending on how strong you want the broth to taste. Miso is a fermented soybean paste with pro-biotic benefits and a salty, tangy flavor. You can get it in Asian markets and most health food stores.
I liked this Ramen soup! Very easy to make, extra healthy and filling. I added a few teaspoons of miso to the broth.
The more fresh veggies the better! Easy to make and comfort food!
As one who really never “got” ramen, this was very tasty! I think this is a new option in the soup lineup here!
Truly the best vegetarian ramen soup for the entire family. I was completely surprised how delicious this soup turned out without using meat. Truly comforting, satisfying, delicious, and easy to make with amazing ingredients. Outstanding!