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These Vegan Instant Ramen Noodles have so much flavor and are ready in just 10 minutes! Plenty of plant-based protein and healthy veggies. Perfect for an inexpensive quick lunch or dinner.
Who doesn’t love a bowl of noodles?! These vegan instant ramen noodles are quick and inexpensive, but rich with bold umami flavor. It’s comfort food made easy.
My daughter loves taking these instant noodles for school lunch in a thermos. They’re also great for a work lunch at the office or college dorm room eats!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Ramen noodles ~ Yes, you can buy ramen noodles without those little seasoning packs! I like Ocean’s Halo or Lotus brands. If you can only find the kind that come with the seasoning packets, those will work, too, but only use the dry noodles.
If you need a gluten-free variety, Lotus Millet and Brown Rice Ramen is gluten-free. Or try zucchini noodles instead!
Tofu ~ Super firm needs very little pressing, so that’s my recommendation here to save time. If you have firm tofu, press for longer. Do not use silken tofu.
Vegetables ~ I love the frozen mixed vegetables that come with carrots, corn, peas, and green beans. The size of the veggies is perfect for these vegan instant ramen jars.
If you prefer, finely sliced or julienned fresh veggies will work instead of frozen. Mushrooms, thinly sliced carrots, and zucchini all work well and can be cooked al dente with just hot water.
Bouillon ~ Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base delivers such great flavor! It’s a paste so will dissolve into the boiling water quickly and completely. Do not use solid bouillon cubes.
To change up the flavor of the soup base, try using any of these other Better Than Bouillon vegan flavors: Season Vegetable, Roasted Garlic, Sautéed Onion or No Beef.
If you need these Instant Noodles to be gluten-free and/or oil-free, try using miso paste instead of the bouillon.
Seasonings ~ Coconut aminos will add that soy sauce flavor that most ramen recipes contain. You can substitute soy sauce or tamari if you prefer.
Parsley, ginger, turmeric, and celery seed round out the flavors.
Extras ~ Feel free to garnish with sliced green onions, a sprinkle of red chili flakes, or a dash or two of hot sauce or sriracha.
Variation ~ Use curry paste and powdered coconut milk for an instant noodle curry.
How to make the recipe
Press the water out of the tofu by wrapping it in paper towels and squeezing with your hands or weight it down on a plate. If you use super firm tofu, you won’t need to press it much at all.
Cube the tofu into bite-size chunks.
Add the bouillon to a jar (1). Add the coconut aminos, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and dried parsley (2).
Add the remaining spices (3).
Toss in the tofu cubes (4).
Add the frozen veggies (5) and dry ramen noodles (6).
Add boiling water and place the lid on the jar (7).
After about 5 minutes, remove the lid, stir very well, and serve immediately (8).
Meal prep and storage
These instant noodles are great for meal prep. They will keep for up to 24 hours in the fridge. If you want to prep and store them longer, do not add the tofu until ready to serve. They will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge without the tofu.
This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc., either in a larger jar or container or in several individual jar servings.
Pro tips and tricks
~ Use extra firm or super firm tofu for best texture. Firm tofu will need to be pressed for a longer amount of time. Soft or silken tofu doesn’t hold its shape well, so I don’t recommend that here.
~ Make sure you use ground celery seed and not celery salt. Celery salt may make the soup too salty.
~ For a richer soup base, use 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon.
~ If you don’t want as strong of a “chicken” flavor, use less of the Better Than Bullion and then add a little more coconut aminos to taste.
~ Prep the noodle jars ahead of time but wait to add the tofu until the night before you want to consume it. This will extend the shelf life to up to 3 days when stored sealed in the fridge.
~ If your jar is stored in the fridge overnight it will be cold and the glass will absorb a lot of the heat when the boiling water is added. The noodles will still cook, but if you enjoy your broth piping hot you may need to pop the jar in the microwave for 30 seconds or so after the water is added (be sure to remove the metal lid before transferring to the microwave!!).
~ To make this recipe oil-free, omit the sesame oil and use miso paste instead of the bouillon.
~ To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free ramen noodles, like Lotus Foods Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Noodles, and certified gluten-free miso paste, like Miso Master, instead of the Better Than Bouillon Soup Base.
FAQs
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It typically consists of a soy sauce or miso flavored broth with long noodles and garnishes such as meat and veggies.
Yes, many vegan ramen noodles available, such as Lotus and Ocean’s Halo. Be sure read labels to be sure.
With plenty of veggies, tofu, and organic ingredients, this recipe is a much healthier alternative when compared to traditional instant noodles. The tofu gives it 23 grams of protein and the veggies contribute to the fiber making it much more satiating than traditional instant noodles while still being lower in calories and carbs. The soup base is still relatively high in sodium, so if this is a concern you may want to explore lower sodium substitutions.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Vegan Instant Ramen Noodles
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces extra firm or super firm organic tofu cubed
- 1 ½-2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground celery seed
- ⅓ cup frozen mixed vegetables I used a blend of carrots, corn, peas, and green beans
- 1 ½ ounces dried ramen noodles about ¾ of a 2.1-ounce brick (I used Ocean's Halo brand)
Instructions
- Pat the tofu dry using a few folded paper towels. Sandwich the tofu between the folded paper towels and press out any excess moisture. Extra firm tofu will require more pressing than super firm tofu which will require very little. Cube the tofu by cutting it into about ½-inch cubes. Set aside.
- To the bottom of a 16-oz jar add the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base, coconut aminos, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic powder, dried parsley, ground ginger, ground turmeric, and ground celery seed.
- Add the tofu cubes and frozen mixed vegetables.
- Break a brick of ramen noodles into chunks. Fit as much ramen noodles as you can in the jar without overfilling it. I was able to put about 1 ½ ounces of ramen in a 16-ounce jar (about ¾ of a 2.1-ounce brick).
- Seal the jars and store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours until ready to serve.
- To heat, carefully fill the jar with boiling water and replace the lid. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through. Stir well and serve immediately.
Laura says
Made this for lunch today and it was wonderful! Folks were asking me for the recipe, so I passed it along. I can foresee endless variations of vegetables, based on what I have on-hand. Thank you Jenn! I carry my lunch *and* dinner 4 days a week (18hr shifts) and was looking for something new. I’m going to make 4 days worth at a time and store them in my fridge so I can just grab and run in the morning. More like this please! Thank you for generously sharing your recipes.
Jenn Sebestyen says
That’s great, Laura! They are perfect for meal prep and yes, so versatile! Thanks for leaving your feedback!