Vegan Ramen
Delve into Japanese cuisine with this amazing recipe for vegan ramen — it’s easy, full of flavor and fully customizable to your taste!
This vegan ramen is a comforting bowl of miso-seasoned vegetable broth poured over springy noodles, pan-fried tofu, mushrooms, broccoli and fresh toppings. It comes together in about half an hour, needs no hard-to-find ingredients, and is completely plant-based. If you have wanted a warming, restaurant-style ramen you can make at home without any meat or fish, this is the one to start with.
The Japanese have proven throughout history that they seem to be good at everything, and food is no exception. Japan is actually one of the top-rated countries in terms of healthy eating, and I think there’s a lot to be learned from them! What I like the best about Japanese cuisine is that it displays a great number of already vegan dishes — they are proficient in cooking all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and even seaweed. Ramen and Japanese cuisine have been rising in popularity abroad in recent years, and that makes me very happy.
I’ve once made this ramen recipe for one of my friends and she said it was much better than the ramen she’d had in Japanese restaurants here in Romania! That’s surprising to me, because I don’t think any of us would be able to do it exactly like the Japanese. But it goes to show you don’t need a fancy kitchen to get a bowl worth going back for.
What goes into this vegan ramen
The bowl is built from a handful of simple parts, and every one of them pulls its weight. Here is what to look for when you shop:
- Vegetable broth and miso paste — these are the backbone of the flavor. The broth carries the body and the miso brings that deep, savory umami note that makes ramen taste like ramen. Stir the miso in off a rolling boil so it stays smooth and keeps its character.
- Onion, garlic and ginger — your aromatic base. Sauteing them first, then blending them into the broth, is what gives this soup its rounded, layered flavor rather than a thin, watery one.
- Firm tofu — use firm or extra-firm so it holds its shape when pan-fried. Softer tofu will crumble. Pressing out excess water before frying helps it brown and crisp at the edges.
- Mushrooms and broccoli — personally, I like mushrooms by themselves a lot and I think they have the power to enrich many recipes! They soak up the soy and sesame and add a meaty bite. Broccoli keeps things fresh and adds color.
- Ramen noodles — cook them separately, right before serving, so they don’t turn soft sitting in the hot broth.
- Radish sprouts, cilantro, sesame seeds and lime — the finishing toppings. They add crunch, brightness and a little acidity that lifts the whole bowl.
Why blending the broth makes the difference
The step that sets this ramen apart is blending the sauteed aromatics into the broth before it simmers. Sauteing the onion, garlic and ginger first drives off their raw sharpness and develops sweeter, deeper flavors. Blending them then folds all of that back into the liquid, so instead of a clear broth with bits floating in it, you get a broth with real body and a velvety texture. The miso, stirred in gently, adds the salty-savory umami that ties everything together. It’s a small extra step, but it’s the reason the finished soup tastes fuller than the ingredient list suggests.
Tips for getting it right
- Fry the tofu on high heat. Two minutes per side on high gives you a golden, crisp surface. A splash of soy sauce and a little salt and pepper season it right in the pan.
- Cook the noodles last. Have everything else ready, then boil the noodles just before assembling. Overcooked, waterlogged noodles are the most common ramen mistake at home.
- Don’t boil the miso. High, prolonged heat dulls miso’s flavor. Keep the broth at a low simmer once it goes in.
- Keep the vegetables minimal. Most ramen recipes don’t use more than two or three different veggies, and that includes the seaweed most of the time, so don’t go making your grandma’s recipe of chicken soup, because this isn’t like that. A few well-chosen toppings beat a crowded bowl.
- Taste and adjust. Broths vary in saltiness, so taste before serving and add a little more soy sauce or miso if it needs it.
Make it your own
One of the best things about ramen is how forgiving it is. That isn’t to say vegan ramen is going to leave you hungry — on the contrary, you’ll have your stomach filled just from one bowl, I guarantee! For protein, instead of the pan-fried tofu you can swap in grilled or baked tofu; a sticky garlic tofu fits into ramen like a glove. You can trade the broccoli for bok choy, spinach or corn, and swap the radish sprouts for scallions or nori. If you want to explore more in this direction, my roundup of vegan noodle recipes is full of ideas, and you’ll find plenty of tofu-forward inspiration in this guide to proteins in the vegan diet. I would advise starting out with this simple ramen recipe and then building along as you learn more about Japanese cooking.
What to serve with vegan ramen
A bowl of this ramen is a full meal on its own, but it plays nicely alongside other Asian-inspired plates when you’re feeding a crowd. Serve it as the star of a cozy soup night with more warming bowls from my collection of Asian soup recipes, or set it next to a lighter starter. If you love mushroom-heavy, brothy comfort food, you’ll want to try this oyster mushroom soup too. And for anyone craving that classic soothing bowl, my vegan “chicken” soup is a natural companion.
Storing and making it ahead
Ramen is best assembled fresh, but the components store well separately. Keep the broth in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days and reheat it gently on the stovetop — avoid a hard boil so the miso keeps its flavor. Store the cooked noodles apart from the broth, because they keep soaking up liquid and turn mushy if left sitting in it. The pan-fried tofu and cooked mushrooms also keep for a few days and can be quickly reheated. When you’re ready to eat, boil fresh noodles or warm the stored ones, then assemble the bowl with hot broth and fresh toppings so everything tastes just-made.
If you give this vegan ramen a go, I’d love to know how your broth turned out and which toppings you piled on — leave a comment below and a star rating so others can find it too. If you have questions, thoughts or comments, don’t hesitate to write to me, I always love hearing from you. Bon appetit!
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Vegan Ramen
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 3 Tbs soy sauce or tamari
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup firm tofu cubed
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup ramen noodles 2 cups
- 1 cup radish sprouts
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime wedges, for serving
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the vegan ramen noodles according to the instructions on the package.
- Set aside.
- In the meantime, finely chop the onion, the garlic, and the ginger. Sauté in a large pan. Set aside.
- Heat a pot on medium. Add the veggie broth, the sautéed onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the miso paste.
- Then carefully transfer it into a high-speed blender and process until fairly smooth. Transfer it back to the pot and simmer on low.
- Meanwhile, heat some sesame oil in the pan and fry the tofu slices for about 2 minutes on each side on high heat.
- Add 1-2 tsp of soy sauce, as well as some salt and pepper.
- Remove the tofu, add a little more sesame oil and fry the sliced mushrooms.
- To assemble:
- Add the cooked noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, tofu, and sprouts in a bowl.
- Stir in the hot broth and sprinkle with some chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.
- Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this recipe is fully vegan. The broth is built on vegetable stock, soy sauce or tamari, and miso paste, and the protein comes from firm tofu, with mushrooms, broccoli and fresh toppings. There is no meat, fish, egg or dairy anywhere in it. Just double-check your ramen noodles and miso, since some brands include egg or fish-based dashi.
The depth comes from sauteing the onion, garlic and ginger first, blending them into the vegetable broth, and stirring in miso paste. Sauteing develops sweeter, deeper flavors, blending gives the broth real body, and the miso adds a savory umami note. Together they make the broth taste much fuller than the short ingredient list would suggest.
Use firm or extra-firm tofu so it holds its shape when pan-fried. Softer tofu tends to crumble in the pan. Pressing out the excess water before frying helps it brown and crisp at the edges, and a splash of soy sauce seasons it as it cooks.
Yes, but store the parts separately for the best result. Keep the broth, cooked noodles, tofu and mushrooms in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the broth gently without boiling so the miso keeps its flavor, then assemble each bowl fresh so the noodles don’t turn mushy.
Ramen is at its best with just two or three vegetables rather than a crowded bowl. This recipe uses mushrooms and broccoli, but bok choy, spinach, corn, scallions or nori all work well. Pick a couple that you like and add fresh toppings like radish sprouts and cilantro at the end.
Noodles keep absorbing liquid, so if they sit in the hot broth they quickly turn soft and mushy. Cooking them separately and adding them right before serving keeps them springy. It also lets you store leftover broth and noodles apart so a make-ahead bowl still tastes fresh.
I was always skeptical about trying vegan ramen, I was sure it had no flavor because of the broth. Turns out I was wrong, this recipe blew my mind!!! 🙂 I love it, thanks for convincing me to try it!
Thank you!