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! 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.
How to make vegan ramen
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!
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.
The best ramen noodles
There are many 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.
Flavor tips!
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!
Nancy says
I made this recipe and it was delicious! It was very salty for my taste, so next time I will use all low-sodium ingredients. The tofu took longer to cook then I was expecting, but I loved that it didn’t stick to the pan and fall apart. I had enough leftover marinade for the mushrooms to make more! I was worried this recipe would take a long time but it really was really easy and straighforward. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Claire Cary says
Thanks, Nancy! So glad you enjoyed it.
Megan says
Favorite ramen, and fairly simple to make. Love thank you!!
Kristin says
My family loved this! My non-vegan husband loves Ramen and has it often from restaurants. I’ve been wanting to find a recipe he likes so I can make him a vegan version at home. He loved this and wants me to make it again! Also, he doesn’t like mushrooms but likes the ones in the recipe. Thank you!
Jill says
Loved this. I let everything marinate and simmer for maximum time. The broth is killer. Personally I would prefer the mushrooms just plain. I love shiitakes. I will just make the broth and use veggies and noodle anytime! Thanks so much for a great recipe!!
Jessica says
This dish took me forever to make because I made 3x the recipe but it was worth it. Absolutely to die for!!! Thank you!!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Jessica!
Lauren says
I’ve made this twice in the last three weeks. It is SO DELICIOUS! The baked marinated mushrooms are my favorite part – I could eat them like chips. This one has earned a permanent spot in my recipe book. Thanks for this great recipe!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, thank you, Lauren!
Mina says
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Lovedddddd this version of mushroom tofu ramen! I didn’t add kale or spinach and just used nori sheets at the end. I also baked the tofu along with the mushrooms (separate cookie sheets) and they also turned out delicious. 10/10 and hubby asked to immediately print this and save in the recipe box (apart from saving on Pinterest) so we never lose this recipe! He said it’s better than restaurant broth. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, thank you so much Mina!
Ruth says
is it possible to marinate the mushrooms overnight?
Claire Cary says
Yes, that should be fine!
Josh says
It is my favourite homemade ramen
Jenny says
The mushrooms are the star of the show! They were amazing. My husband wanted to eat them all straight off the pan. Having good quality broth is a must, and if you use bouillon I recommend starting off slightly concentrated and adding the necessary water to dilute it as you go until you get the flavor right. I used spinach instead of kale, and ground chicken instead of tofu for the meat eaters. I am saving this recipe 🙂 Thanks!
Bella says
This ramen is DELICIOUS! I cannot eat gluten or soy and made a few modifications and this was still SO good. I used a chickpea miso, did not include tofu and used a soy-free soy sauce. To try to compensate for some of the rich flavor missed from real soy sauce, I used maybe half of a teaspoon of vegan beef broth paste. I used charred corn and cilantro as toppings. My WHOLE family (non-vegans) ranted and raved about this recipe! They kept asking for more and we ran out. I will totally be making this again for many times to come in the future! So excited and grateful to have finally found an easy and delicious ramen recipe I LOVE!
Casidy says
I felt I should leave a review after making this recipe literally all the time. Everyone I have made it for love it and always ask me to pass it along. The mushrooms are liked by even non mushroom eaters.
Delicious ramen!
Claire Cary says
Amazing! I’m a non-mushroom eater myself but always love them this way!
Tracy says
Excellent! SO much flavor and so easy to make.
Elizabeth says
This is utterly delicious! Restaurant quality in my opinion. I bake the mushrooms until they are almost crispy to get that texture, I add the leftover mushroom marinade to the tofu as it’s finishing, and I’m pretty liberal with the liquids, but this recipe is perfection. My entire family LOVES it. Thank you Claire!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Elizabeth! So happy you enjoyed it!
Nina says
Oh my goodness! This was delicious!!
Love the chewiness of the mushrooms; the broth had so much flavor. Probably would add more broth next time around to make it more soupy. Thanks for this recipe!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Nina! So happy you enjoyed it.
Tracy says
This recipe is AMAZING! I agree with Tara that it takes a lot of prep but oh is it worth it! So so good 🙌🏾
Tara says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. It’s a bit of prep-but so worth it!
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 : )