These vegan ramen noodles are full of flavor and taste just like restaurant style! With baked marinated mushrooms, crispy pan fried tofu and the best garlic miso broth, this is a cozy recipe that is perfect all year round.
I grew up on three primary food groups: pasta, Eggo waffles and Maruchan ramen. The chicken flavor Maruchan ramen was one of my favorite foods in the world, I could’ve eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it were up to me.
This vegan ramen recipe is my (very) upgraded adult version of the childhood classic. It features marinated then baked shiitake mushrooms, crispy pan fried tofu, a very savory garlic sauce that is optionally spicy and cooked with curly ramen noodles. This recipe is vegan, so it’s already made without egg, but feel free to add a soft boiled egg on top if you prefer.
It’s cozy, warm and full of flavor. There are a few different steps in this recipe. We have the ramen broth which we’ll make from scratch, noodles, mushrooms and tofu. They can all cook simultaneously, so while it may seem like a lot of steps, I promise it is well worth it!
Grab a friend and some music and get ready for the best homemade vegan ramen ever!
How to make these noodles
The first step is to make the mushrooms. Whisk together all ingredients for the mushroom marinade.
Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms to a shallow bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss around until each piece is well coated.
While the mushrooms are marinating, we’ll start with the homemade broth. add the finely minced garlic and chopped scallions to a large pot with the oil. Saute for about 2 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown.
Whisk in the soy sauce, miso paste, maple syrup and sriracha if using. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir everything together.
Let simmer for about 20 minutes to allow all of the flavors to absorb together.
Meanwhile, add the mushrooms to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 minutes.
While the mushrooms and broth are simmering/baking, we can quickly make the tofu. During the final 10 minutes, remove the tofu from the package and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Add to a pan with the toasted sesame oil and saute for 3-5 minutes on each side or until crispy. Toss with soy sauce.
Add the ramen or Chinese noodles to the pot with the broth and cook for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. If you used low sodium veggie broth you may want to add a touch more salt.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven and assemble your bowls with the soup, tofu, mushrooms and top with chopped kale/spinach and finely minced cilantro and scallions.
Once everything is assembled, you want to serve it pretty much immediately. The noodles, tofu and mushrooms will start to absorb some of the broth.
This is good from a flavor standpoint for those ingredients, but unless you want all of the broth to vanish, I suggest serving quickly!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make the broth? There are lots of ways to make the broth for vegan ramen, but I find this method to be the most flavorful and easiest. Many recipes call for ingredients like kombu (seaweed) which adds a lot of flavor, but it’s not something most people have in their pantries at all times. If you do have it, absolutely add some! But it’s totally optional.
What noodles are best? There are a LOT of types of ramen noodles on the market, which I didn’t even realize until recently. Some are gluten free, some aren’t, so if you need this ramen to be gluten free, just look for a rice based noodle which is what I used.
Is ramen salty? I personally like ramen on the salty side, so I do not use low sodium veggie broth but I do use low sodium soy sauce because that’s what I often have on hand. If by the end of cooking you don’t think the recipe is salty enough, you can either add more soy sauce or just regular salt.
How do I make it more flavorful? The longer the mushrooms marinate and the longer the broth simmers, the more flavorful the recipe becomes. Obviously, we don’t have all day to cook, but if you have the time to let them marinate/simmer for about an hour, that is ideal! However, about 15-20 minutes is totally fine if that’s all you have time for.
Does it keep? Unfortunately, this recipe is best served fresh. However, if you are going to store it, I recommend storing the broth separately from everything else to prevent the noodles from getting soggy. Then just head everything up together when you’re ready to eat!
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Vegan Ramen Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Mushrooms:
- 10 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp paprika*
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Broth/Noodles:
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 5 scallions green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tbsp miso paste
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- Optional: 2-3 tsp sriracha
- 8 ounces ramen noodles I used gluten free
- 2 cups chopped kale
- Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish
Tofu:
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients for the mushroom marinade.
- Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms to a shallow bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss around until each piece is well coated.
- Set aside and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the mushrooms are marinating, add the finely minced garlic and chopped scallions to a large pot with the oil. Saute for about 2 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown.
- Whisk in the soy sauce, miso paste, maple syrup and sriracha if using. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir everything together.
- Let simmer for about 20 minutes to allow all of the flavors to absorb together.
- Meanwhile, add the mushrooms to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- During the final 10 minutes, remove the tofu from the package, drain off excess liquid and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Add to a pan with the toasted sesame oil and saute for 3-5 minutes on each side or until crispy. Toss with soy sauce.
- Add the ramen noodles to the pot with the broth and cook for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. If you used low sodium veggie broth you may want to add a touch more salt.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven and assemble your bowls with the soup, tofu, mushrooms and top with chopped kale/spinach and finely minced cilantro and scallions. Enjoy!
Rachel says
ABSOLUTELY LOVED this vegan ramen! Only substitution I made was bok choy instead of kale! It tasted just as amazing the day after as it did freshly made! Everything about these marinated and baked mushrooms is perfect! I can’t wait for another rainy day to whip it up again.
Claire Cary says
Yum! So happy you enjoyed it. The mushrooms are so good in stir fries too, I put them in everything!
Karin O. says
Delicious! I made it with air-fried tofu and it worked. Next time I’m going to try substituting/adding 1 c water in the veggie broth to thin it out. Kids ate it up and said I should make it again!
Claire Cary says
Yum! Love the addition of air fried tofu!
Laura says
So easy and beyond tasty!
Claire Cary says
The best kind of recipe! Thanks Laura!
Ashley says
This ramen was incredible. I loved the mushrooms and tofu so much, I saved some to add to a salad for lunch the next day.
I didn’t have ramen noodles, so I used rice vermicelli noodles, they worked but I think the thicker ramen noodles would have been better.
I could have used a little less maple syrup (if you’re watching your sugar) and still gotten all the flavor.
I will definitely be making it again!
Claire Cary says
Yay, thanks Ashley! So happy you enjoyed it : )