30 Minute Vegan Ramen with homemade broth.. sounds too good to be true right?
I used to think so, at least the first few times I tested this recipe. But I finally cracked the code!
Turns out, vegan ramen CAN be made in 30 minutes. Including the broth AND the toppings.
If that’s not cause for celebration, I don’t know what is!
This vegan ramen recipe is modeled after my absolute favorite vegan ramen spot in LA! It’s called Ramen Hood and it is aaaaaaaamazing.
They serve their vegan ramen with these incredibly realistic looking vegan hard boiled eggs. They’re crazy fancy and look amazing but I don’t have the time, patience, or desire to recreate them.
The broth on the other hand, now THAT was my mission. Parking in Downtown LA is seriously limited. As much as I love Ramen Hood, I had to learn to make it myself  to avoid the hassle.
As a further challenge, I decided my recipe had to be ready in just 30 minutes. I know most people don’t have 3 0r 4 hours to let the broth simmer and I really love making recipes that are simple and easy to prepare. It took a few tries, but the verdict? WORTH IT!
My first few attempts at 30 Minute vegan ramen kinda bummed me out. Either it was too creamy (normally there’s never such a thing but creamy ramen is SUPER weird) or it took wayyyyy longer than 30 minutes.
Then I found a bottle of chili oil at the store and decided to try again. Man oh man, I’m so glad I did! This vegan ramen hits all the flavor notes in a fraction of the time the broth normally requires! It’s:
savory
just a bit spicy
has a rich, deep umami flavor
delicious, easy to prepare toppings
warm + comforting
READY IN 30 MINUTES!!!Â
If you try this vegan ramen recipe, rate it in the comments and let us know how yours turned out! While you’re at it, tag a photo with #carrotsandflowers on Instagram so we can admire your handiwork!
- Soup
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 4 cups mushroom broth
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp miso
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 4 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 2 tsp chili oil
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional for extra spice)
- 6 oz Japanese ramen noodles
- Tofu
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- Vegetables
- 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup corn (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- Garnish
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ½ tsp chili oil per bowl
- Carefully press as much water as you can from the tofu while keeping its shape. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. In a small bowl, toss the cubes with 1 tsp cornstarch then add 2 Tbsp tamari or soy and coat evenly. Bake the tofu on a sheet lined with parchment paper at 400F for 20 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- While the tofu is baking, bring a pot of water to boil and add the ramen noodles. Cook according to package instructions (about 4-5 minutes) Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, corn and 1 Tbsp tamari or soy. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms darken. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in the skillet on medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes then transfer the contents of the skillet to the blender. Add the mushroom broth, sunflower seeds, miso, nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp soy or tamari, 2 tsp sesame oil, chili oil, red pepper flakes, and minced ginger. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Heat the broth in a saucepan until hot, then divide into 3 bowls. Fill each bowl with noodles and top with tofu and vegetables. Garnish with chopped scallions and ½ tsp chili oil.
*Use GF tamari and GF noodles to make this recipe gluten-free
*Mushroom broth can be found at most health food stores. It's a bit pricier but super worth it! Using vegetable broth instead of mushroom broth will change the flavor and is not recommended. In a pinch, miso ginger broth is a better substitution.
For more deliciously simple recipes like this vegan ramen, check out our Vegan Tomato Spicy Tuna Sushi or our Portobello Veggie Fajitas with Easy Guacamole!
To save this recipe for later, simply pin the photo below!
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josephinevorenkamp says
This looks SO good! I can’t wait to make it, nothing like a warm bowl of ramen to enjoy during this rainy weather we’re having 🙂
Carrots and Flowers says
Sweet! Hope you love it, it’s definitely my new fav!
Jacqueline says
Hi Megan, this sounds wonderful, I look forward to trying it! One question, is the broth in power form? Thanks, Jacqueline 🙂
Carrots and Flowers says
Hey Jacqueline! I used liquid broth but if you can find it in powder form, I think that would work well too. 🙂
jacqueline says
sorry, I meant POWDER form!
tricia m (@qbertm) says
It’s a liquid. 32 ounces, so you might need more than one container. Pacific Foods makes a really good one and is available in most natural food stores.
Carrots and Flowers says
Hey Tricia!
Thanks for helping out with Jacqueline’s question! Just to clarify, one regular carton is 32 fl oz and I did use Pacific Foods brand. It worked so well! 🙂
Brigit says
I loved this and I could not find vegan mushroom broth at “Fresh Thyme Market” so I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth and thought it was fantastic. If mushroom broth would make it better I can’t wait to try. The Better Than Boullion Vegetable Broth did make it too salty though. Next time I would cut back on the # of spoons of the broth base to water.
Carrots and Flowers says
So happy you enjoyed it! The mushroom broth will definitely add to to the flavor if you can find it. The vegetable broth base can definitely make it too salty especially with the amount of miso in the recipe. If you can find dried mushrooms, you can pulverize them in a food processor and use a few tablespoons with 4 cups of water. That should make a simple mushroom broth that tastes good!
Rachel Leung says
I stumbled across your blog on Facebook and oh my, your recipes look bomb.com! I’ve pinned so many of them already and can’t wait to try them all! I could use a warm bowl of this ramen right about now.
Leah says
I’ve been wanting some homemade miso! What I can I substitute for sunflower seeds? Can I use pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds or will this intensely affect the flavor? Thank you!
Megan says
Hi Leah,
I definitely do not recommend using sesame seeds as they have a strong flavor. Roasted pumpkin seeds could work but they are not as soft as sunflower seeds so you may have to strain the broth.
curlycaroline says
What brand noodle do you use?
J F Banks says
Didn’t see any water in the recipe. It’s not a mushroom broth, it’s a paste.
Carrots and Flowers says
I use a liquid mushroom broth in this recipe. 🙂 4 cups.
ingimages says
This tasted AMAZING! I made my own miso ginger broth and added carrots and bok choy. I also accidentally cooked the shallots and garlic with the mushroom and corn, instead of adding them to the blender, but I actually though it worked out well. Thanks Megan for the delicious recipe — I’m going to try out your other stuff soon 🙂
Rachael Conway says
This is the best! I’ve made it twice now – so easy and love the incorporation of sunflower seeds for some extra protein 🙂 thanks!
Jennifer says
Hello! How do you think I would need to modify the recipe if I omitted the chili oil and the sesame oil? Would I need to add sesame and chili flavor in some other way? (Needing to make this recipe oil-free!)
Kathleen Kinnear says
In your video, you use 3/4 c roast sunflower seeds. In the printed recipe here, you call for 1/4 c. Which do you recommend?
huy says
i really enjoyed this recipe- it’s rich and complex like a really good pork ramen. the next time i make this, i may cut the amount of sunflowers seeds in half as i felt it was too rick and creamy…otherwise, loved it! thank you!
Hannah says
This is my favorite recipe
Megan says
I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing Hannah!
Mélanie says
Is it white miso in your recipe ?
Avni says
Hi I have a question about the recipe. How important is the nutritional yeast to the flavor and what type of flavor does it add? Would it be ok if I left it out or is it vital? And what kind of miso did you use, white or yellow? Thanks in advance! Can’t wait to make this, sounds amaaazing!!
Katherine says
I am not known for cooking but I was encouraged by how easy it looked and I do not regret anything! This was easy to make once I found all the ingredients, quick and extremely tasty. No more waiting in line for this dish at a popular noodle place! It hit all the umami flavors. The only thing is I should have listened to the 4 minutes in the blender. Do not skimp on this. I did a do-over to get the texture right. I also have a question about what miso to use since I am not familiar with them. My dish came out a little bit more yellow than beige. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this!
LA visitor says
Delicious. Visited LA in February. Loved the vegan ramen at ramenhood. Tried your recipe tonight. As close to being there as it gets. Prefer without tofu.
Linder says
This recipe satisfies my Ramen Hood cravings completely! It’s so delicious and easy that my partner and I have made it several times now. I’ve started using a 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and find that it’s the perfect balance of creaminess. We also add sautéed kale and roasted corn.
Ana says
I would love to make this but I don’t have sunflower seeds. Could I omit them or substitute with soaked cashews?
Mikayla says
I just made it and it was delish! I had a hard time getting it smooth but I think that was a blender issue. We added bok choy and ramen eggs (not the vegan kind). What kind of miso do you use (white, yellow, red?)
Angie says
Just wanted to comment and say we’ve made this recipe over 10 times and it’s absolutely delicious every single time!!! Love your work, thanks so much for the awesome food 🙂
Best xx
Jemima says
I just made this and it turned out brilliantly! I am fortunate enough to live right next to GCM and therefore Ramen Hood and this 100% stands up theirs. Thank you for providing and doing the hard work of experimenting!!
Paige says
I’ve tried to make ramen at home a few times and it’s always been disappointing but OH MY GOODNESS my search is finally over! I made this last night and couldn’t get over how absolutely delicious it is. I’ve already shared the recipe with several friends and will absolutely be adding this into the rotation. I was shocked by the depth of flavor it got in such a short time. I used the dried mushroom hack you noted to make a quick mushroom broth and it was an absolute game changer. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Angelina says
I made this and it’s yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe! =^.^=