I have exciting news x 2 today!
- Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup. The most slurpy, drool-worthy, scrumptious vegan ramen noodle soup there ever was, with fresh veg, sautéd mushrooms, and crispy tofu slices. Uh, yes please and thank you very much.
- I hired an amazing new assistant! I received over 140 applications for my virtual assistant job post, yes 140!! I was totally blown away with all of the amazing applications I received and so flattered that so many people were interested in working with me. It took me a LOT of reading and some lovely interview chats to narrow it down to Jess. Long time vegetarian, new-ish vegan, lavender-haired stay at home mom of 2 who dreams of becoming a gourmet vegan ice cream bicycle vendor. So clearly, I fell in assistant love immediately. The lovely Jess will be working behind the scenes, helping me manage some of the many details it takes to keep It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken running smoothly, so that I will be able to spend more time dedicated to developing vegan yumminess. Welcome, Jess!
Now back to the soup. Are you a curly ramen noodle fan or a straight ramen noodle fan? I'm all for the curly noodles. I actually don't even know why as they make it nearly impossible to eat your soup without it splashing absolutely everywhere. No, like everywhere. The last time I ate this I got soup in my eye! But somehow the splashing is worth it because this soup is my new favourite easy weeknight meal.
I used these vegan ramen noodles, but that broth powder stuff and the tiny little package of dehydrated vegetables that it came with, just ain't going to cut it for me. This vegan ramen noodle soup is all about up-ing your ramen game.
The thin fried tofu slices had trouble even making it into the bowl because they are oh so yummy, I ate almost all of them immediately. Sautéd shiitake mushrooms, grated carrot, wilted spinach, and long, curly, splashy, ramen noodles in brothy deliciousness. Yep, it's every bit as good as it sounds.
To make Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup: Cut the tofu into nice thin pieces. No need to press the tofu first as it will dry out in the pan. Put the tofu slices in a dish or plastic bag and pour over the soy sauce. Turn the tofu pieces to coat evenly in the soy sauce, but no need to let marinate.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the tofu slices. Slowly fry the tofu until very golden and crispy, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the crispy tofu slices from the pan and set aside.
Try to resist eating all of the tofu slices immediately. I know, it's difficult, but you will want some pieces for your soup.
Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms. Slowly sauté the mushrooms, stirring as needed until reduced in size and golden brown. When finished cooking, pour over any remaining soy sauce from the tofu and stir to coat. Remove from the heat.
Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté, stirring for about a minute until the garlic just starts to brown. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the noodles and cook until they are al dente.
I used these vegan ramen noodles for my soup and discarded the flavour packs that came with them because that's what my grocery store carried, but you could alternatively use dried ramen noodles such as these, or another similar noodle, depending on what your store carries.
Just before serving, stir the spinach into the soup so it wilts.
To serve: Divide the soup among bowls, top with tofu, mushrooms, grated carrots, and any additional toppings you desire.
Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the fried tofu and mushrooms:
- ½ block extra-firm tofu (about 175g), drained and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 100g shiitake mushrooms (about 2 cups sliced with stems removed), (or other mushrooms)
For the vegan ramen noodle soup:
- 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 112 g packages dried ramen noodles, seasoning packs discarded, (or similar noodle)
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
For garnish (optional):
- sesame seeds
- soy sauce, to taste
- Sriracha
Instructions
- For the tofu and mushrooms: Put the tofu slices in a dish or plastic bag and pour over the soy sauce. Turn the tofu pieces to coat evenly in the soy sauce, but no need to let marinate. Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the tofu slices. Slowly fry the tofu until very golden and crispy, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the crispy tofu slices from the pan and set aside.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms. Slowly sauté the mushrooms, stirring as needed until reduced in size and golden brown. When finished cooking, pour over any remaining soy sauce from the tofu and stir to coat. Remove from the heat.
- To make the vegan ramen noodle soup: Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté, stirring for about a minute until the garlic just starts to brown. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the noodles and cook until they are al dente. Just before serving, stir the spinach into the soup so it wilts. To serve: Divide the soup among bowls, top with tofu, mushrooms, grated carrots, and any additional toppings you desire.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Joanne Licht says
We love your recipes and I have been thinking abut preparing ramen but couldn't find a good recipe.Your vegan ramen noodle soup recipe looks delicious. Is there something that can be substituted for mushrooms though? My children are not real fans of them.Thanks and hope you can offer a good alternative.
Steve Arbo says
Made this last night for dinner and am having it again now for lunch. Amazing flavor. So good. Yum!!!!
Steve Miller says
Does this really have 4451 mg of sodium? Is so where does it come from? I love this recipe and have made it twice, but I am concerned about the sodium being so high.
Sam Turnbull says
The sodium comes mainly from the soy sauce and vegetable broth, so it will vary based on the vegetable broth you use. Hope that helps!
CJ says
I love this idea, but what might you suggest in place of the tofu? I am allergic to soy. I can use aminos in place of the soy sauce and achieve a similar flavor, but what would you recommend to sub the tofu with to still have a crispy texture to go with the soup?
Sam Turnbull says
You could try subbing my seitan tenders or another veggie of choice such as cauliflower. Enjoy!
Ramen Cemen - The 1st Ribs Ramen In Indonesia says
Hello I am soo thrilled I found your blog page, I really found you
by error, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Anyhow I am hhere now and would just like to
say thank you for a incredible post and a all round enjoyable blog
(I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to rewd through it all
at the moment but I have bookmarkerd itt and also added your RSS feeds,
so when I have time I will be back to read a
great deal more, Please do keep up the great jo.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Ramen 🙂
Joe says
Yum! Thanks for the inspiration! Just wanted to let you know that we featured your recipe on our cheap vegan ramen recipes blog post here: https://cheapveganshop.com/in-the-kitchen/cheap-vegan-ramen-recipes/
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome, thanks!
Manav Saraf says
Hi Sam what do you think about using Pasta instead of Ramen?
Sam Turnbull says
That should work fine, but cook the pasta separately then add to the soup. Enjoy!
Jordan says
I have a cold with a sore throat and this recipe looked so enticing as I was scrolling through your recipes. I made it last night (with smoked tofu instead of plain) and it was so deliciously slurpy and comforting. I used your toppings suggestions, along with green onions. The Sriracha provided just the right counter-burn for my sore throat and I felt much better after consuming and large and satisfying bowl of this. Thank you, Sam, for your tasty recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Jordan! Feel better 🙂
Che says
Super simple and yummy! Also I haven't cooked tofu like that before, it was the easiest thing and it tastes deeelicious. Planning to cook tofu like that again in the near future 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! Delighted you enjoyed the recipe so much 🙂
Moe says
Hi Sam,
We have made this soup two times already and going a third time tomorrow! We love it. So simple and tasty!
Thank you for sharing all your talent with us!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I'm so happy you love the recipe so much, Moe 🙂
Kristina says
Just made this for dinner! I was worried that it wouldn’t turn out because I’ve never made homemade ramen before but it tastes so good! I followed the recipe to a T and then added scallions on top along with the other toppings listed. Will make again! Thank you for posting.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you love it so much, Kristina 🙂
Soo-Eun says
wow, this was an incredibly creative and healthy transformation of korean ramen noodles. I had stopped having ramen for decades as I becamse more health conscious, but I might get back to having noodles, but this amazingly healthy and tasty version. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Soo-Eun 🙂
Amy S. says
I've made this twice now and absolutely love it! So easy and so delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So thrilled you loved it, Amy 🙂
Mary says
Hi Sam,
This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it. How do you store the leftover tofu and how long will it keep.
Thanks,
Mary
Sam Turnbull says
I just store it in an air-tight container in the fridge and it will last about 2-3 days.
Mary says
Thanks Sam
bonnie says
My son tells me that some dried ramen noodles are vegan and some are not. If this is true, any idea as to which brand to use? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that's true, there are many brands and some brands have both options. Just check the ingredients to see which ones are vegan. Usually, the ingredient list on noodles are only a few ingredients so it's easy to tell.
Srivani says
Such a simple and delicious soup! We loved the tofu and mushrooms! So kid-friendly too... who doesn’t love to slurp up long Raman noodles? Thanks for continuing to inspire, Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy you and your kiddos enjoyed it 😀
Lou says
This is one of the most simple and best ramen recipes ever! I used udon noodles but however the broth is delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Lou 🙂
Stacey says
Apart from the soy sauce, what sauce should I add to make the tofu more spicy?
Sam Turnbull says
Soy sauce doesn't have spice, but you can add a hot sauce such as Sriracha to the tofu. Just add it after cooking so it doesn't burn onto the tofu. 🙂
Deb says
Hi Sam!
Do you freeze and then thaw tofu? Do you press it to get rid of the liquid? What's the easiest way to do this?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Deb, anytime I do any special treatment to my to tofu I include the instructions in the recipe. There is no need to do anything to the tofu in this recipe that isn't mentioned. Enjoy!
Candi says
Easy, slurpy and delicious!! The crispy tofu was a bonus! I could see adding a little liquid smoke to the soy sauce/crispy tofu. Might make it bacony.. Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Ohhhhh! Liquid smoke is a great idea 🙂 You're most welcome, Candi, so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Stephanie says
I made this recipe and saw the comment with the idea of adding liquid smoke to the fried tofu. O.M.G.!!! It tasted just like bacon, my husband and I ate nearly all of the tofu before we could put it in the soup! Thanks for this wonderful vegan
recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay that's so awesome! Thrilled you loved it so much 😀
Rachel says
Yummy recipe, but I don't see why you didn't just suggest "curly noodles" instead of packaged ramen with non-veg ingredients. Even if people don't eat the animal product that doesn't mean they didn't have to pay for it, the meat industry still gets their money. Curly noodles (or whatever type of ramen noodle) aren't that hard to find in large grocer's international sections or Asian grocery stores.
Sam Turnbull says
Yep, I agree, which is why I bought packaged vegan ramen noodles- if you click the link of the ramen noodles suggested in the ingredient list you will see this, and I also said "or similar noodle" so if that isn't available to someone they can buy whatever kind of vegan noodle they can get their hands on.
Toni says
Made this and my entire family LURVED it!! Didn't change a thing. Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! Thrilled you loved it so much, Toni 🙂
Emma says
Only qualm I have is that Ramen is Japanese, not Chinese, as it is categorized here,
Making it tonight 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
oh yes! Good catch. I have fixed it. I hope you enjoy it, Emma 🙂
Emily SD says
Another triumph!
Instant ramen noodles have been my go-to comfort food since I was a teenager - I still eat them even though I have to spend the entire time trying to ignore the load of chemicals and e-numbers etc etc Putting my hands over my eyes and going "LA LA LA" when adding them to my food.
At first, when I was throwing away the flavour sachets from my beloved instant ramen I was thinking "OK, no pressure Sam but this is hard to do so it had better be worth it."
And goodness - it is!!
I didn't think that I could make something this delicious so quickly and in my own kitchen! This is going to become a staple I can tell. I didn't have shiitake but just used chestnut mushrooms and they worked just fine. And you weren't kidding abou the tofu slices. At least three never made it into the soup!
Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
That's so wonderful, Emily!! So happy you loved it so much and found a new easy staple. Thank you for the glowing review 🙂
Katherine says
Hi Sam,
Love your site and LOVE your recipes!!
I ordered your cookbook and am in heaven!! Not quite vegan as yet but getting closer!
Can wait to try this!
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!!!! SO happy to hear that, thank you, Katherine. I hope you love the book 😀
Amy says
Oommgggg - you weren’t kidding around. Trying not to eat the tofu is almost impossible!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahaha!! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Amy 🙂
Lynn says
Just wondering if you've ever tried an air fryer to cook your tofu? It does and amazing job crispy outside and soft inside without the oil
Elizabeth says
I was thinking the same! Thanks for the question.
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't but I am sure it would work well. I don't use an air fryer so I'm afraid I can't recommend a temp or time. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out 🙂