This vegan coconut curry ramen is a family friendly recipe that’s ready to serve in just about 30 minutes! It’s chock full of flavor, protein and perfect for a chilly winter night.
My vegan ramen and curry noodles are among my most popular recipes, so I put both of them together to create this seriously crave worthy coconut curry ramen!
These ramen noodles feature crisp pan fried tofu, sauteed mushrooms, veggies and ramen noodles all cooked in a deliciously creamy Thai coconut curry sauce.
With hints of ginger, garlic and a little spice from red pepper flakes, this is the perfect recipe to make all winter long!
I used brown rice ramen noodles to keep this dish gluten free, but any type of ramen or noodle in general will work.
Because cook times of noodles can vary quite a bit, I recommend sticking with one that has a relatively short cook time of about 5 minutes to keep this recipe quick and easy! If you love this recipe, try my chickpea noodle soup next!
How to make vegan ramen
PREP TOFU. Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the liquid. Wrap in a towel and pat to remove some of the water. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
Add the sesame oil to a skillet and add the tofu. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Once golden, toss in the soy sauce and let sit to absorb the flavor.
SAUTE VEGGIES. Meanwhile, chop the scallions/green onions and add the bottom white part to a large pot with the minced garlic, grated ginger and sesame oil. Saute for 5 or so minutes or until golden brown.
Add in the mushrooms and bok choy. Saute an additional 5-7 minutes.
ADD ALL INGREDIENTS. Add in the coconut milk, curry paste, salt, curry powder and peanut butter if using. Stir together to fully incorporate.
Add in the veggie broth (start with 5 cups for now) and soy sauce. Bring to a low boil. Add in the noodles and let cook according to package instructions.
They usually only take a few minutes. If you want the ramen more brothy, add in the extra cup of veggie broth now.
ADD NOODLES & SERVE. Once the noodles are done, add in the lime juice, tofu and black pepper to taste.
Adjust the flavors to your liking, I usually add more salt and more red pepper flakes for spice. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Does it keep?
While this curry ramen is best served fresh, it will keep in the fridge for about 2 days. The noodles can get a bit mushy if they sit, and they absorb a lot of the broth so you don’t end up with much broth in the end.
To prevent this, you can store the noodles and the broth separately so they don’t turn to mush! When you’re ready to reheat, just add both to the stove and heat until warm and steamy.
What vegetables are best for ramen?
Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand to create your own personalized version of this recipe. I love broccoli, snap peas, carrots or even kale in this ramen.
You can also leave it plain and simple and just do the noodles and tofu. If you aren’t vegan, a soft boiled egg is a great addition to a bowl of ramen.
Make it spicy!
This curry ramen can be as spicy or mild as you like! As written, it is not very spicy, you can spice it up with more red pepper flakes or a bit of sriracha, or spice it down by omitting the red pepper flakes entirely.
To be safe, start small and add more as needed! Some brands of curry paste are much spicier than others, so if you use one that is different than what I used, so start low and add more to adjust.
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Vegan Coconut Curry Ramen
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
Ramen
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 2 small bunches baby bok choy chopped, see notes
- 8 ounces ramen noodles I used gluten free
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 3-4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 4 green onions
- 3 tsp minced garlic about 6 cloves
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2-1 tsp salt I usually use a bit more than 1 tsp, I like salty ramen!
- Juice from 1 lime
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp peanut butter optional, but delicious!
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes plus more for serving
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the liquid. Wrap in a towel and pat to remove some of the water. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Add the olive oil to a skillet and add the tofu. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Once golden, toss in the soy sauce and let sit to absorb the flavor.
- Meanwhile, chop the scallions/green onions and add the bottom white part to a large pot with the minced garlic, grated ginger and sesame oil. Saute for 5 or so minutes or until golden brown.
- Add in the mushrooms and bok choy. Saute an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the coconut milk, curry paste, salt, curry powder, red pepper flakes and peanut butter if using. Stir together to fully incorporate.
- Add in the veggie broth (start with 5 cups for now) and soy sauce. Bring to a low boil.
- Add in the noodles and let cook according to package instructions. They usually only take a few minutes. If you want the ramen more brothy, add in the extra cup of veggie broth now.
- Once the noodles are done, add in the lime juice, tofu and black pepper to taste.
- Adjust the flavors to your liking, I usually add more salt and more red pepper flakes for spice. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Kate B says
Loved this recipe. I definitely made it a little too spicy for me, but it turned out great all the same. I ended up using shredded chicken instead of tofu because I’m not a fan of tofu, and it still tasted delicious. I separated the curry broth and ramen noodles when I meal prepped it for my lunches this past week so the noodles didn’t end up soggy. It worked out perfectly! I’m celiac and dairy-free, so this recipe is a new favorite!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, so glad you enjoyed it!
MB says
Delicious!
Used sliced Baby Bella mushrooms and sugar snap peas because that was what was on hand, but the soup is base is great. Will definitely keep in the rotation and try with other veggie combos. My curry paste& powder was salty/ spicy enough for me… didn’t need to add either salt or pepper. And just a tip, after pressing, I find Air frying my tofu for 12 mins on 400 easier than trying to brown it evenly in the pan 🙂
Claire Cary says
So happy you loved it! I also find air frying a bit easier sometimes, but it definitely depends on the pan!
Meg says
Recipe was flawless. Followed the ingredients and instructions in order. Turned out great. Thank you,
Claire Cary says
Thank you Meg!
Kaela says
This was really yummy! I agree that adding more salt and pepper at the end adds a lot. I would also double the bok Choy next time just because I like more greens. The only thing that was tricky is that the recipe ingredients are not in any particular order, nor does it say how to prepare the veggies. Very yummy and delicious. Will be making again
Claire Cary says
Thanks Kaela! So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for your feedback about the recipe ingredients, I’ll keep that in mind! I did mention how to saute the veggies in the instructions, so I’m not sure what you mean that I didn’t say how to prepare them?