Quick Ramen Noodle Soup
This Quick Ramen Noodle Soup only takes 15 minutes to make, and gets its great depth of flavor and richness from two secret ingredients. This is the perfect weeknight meal that’s fast and easy to customize.

I was really tempted to call this something like “faker’s ramen noodle soup” because instead of the 3 days that an authentic ramen requires, this one takes about 15 minutes and has a ton of flavor.
Despite its short cooking time, we start with a ton of aromatics as the base and add plenty of umami so the broth takes on a deeply rich flavor, without a long simmering time!
So if you’re a fan of ramen soup but don’t feel like spending three days simmering chicken bones and pork bones, definitely give this one a try. It’s a good compromise between instant ramen using that questionable seasoning packet, and the real stuff.
It also reminds me of another one of my favorite meals: Ramen Noodle Stir Fry. You can never go wrong with Asian noodle dishes!
Tips for Best Results
Use good soy sauce and fish sauce – To add umami to the broth, we will use soy sauce and fish sauce. Make sure to use good quality brands, as there’s HUGE variability there. My favorite brands of soy sauce are San-J, Lee Kum Kee, and Kikkoman. Stay away from La Choy as well as grocery brands. For fish sauce, I recommend Red Boat or Tiparos.
Use fresh aromatics – To make the broth really flavorful and aromatic, we’ll start with fresh garlic, scallions, and ginger. Make sure to use the fresh stuff from the produce section, and not jarred ginger. It makes a big difference!
Save the noodles until the very end – Make sure that the broth is exactly to your liking in terms of seasoning before adding the noodles. For the best eating experience, you won’t want to risk overcooking the noodles, so they should be the very last thing you add.
Another bonus to this recipe is that all of the ingredients should be easy to find in any typical grocery store. I love visiting asian markets sometimes for unusual things, but there’s nothing there that’s very out of the ordinary.
In other words, anyone can make this! College students rejoice in leaving those instant ramen noodles behind 😂
Step by Step Overview:
Start by adding minced garlic, sliced scallions, grated fresh ginger, cooking fat, and sriracha to a big soup pot or large saucepan:
Cook for about a minute, over medium-high or medium heat, until the scallions have softened and the garlic smells aromatic, but isn’t scorching. These ingredients make for a really flavorful soup.
Then add chicken stock (or broth) and beef stock:
As I mention in the full video below, I like adding a mix of the two broths because it keeps the flavor of the soup from being one-note. The mix gives a really nice flavor.
Recommended Broths
I once did a taste test comparing several brands of chicken broth, and the differences were staggering. Since you’re not making the broth yourself from the whole bird, a lot of the deliciousness hinges on starting with a good broth. My favorite brands are Imagine and Swanson, but you may want to do your own taste test with the options available at your local grocery store.
I also recommend determining if you prefer broth or stock more. Although many people think of them as interchangeable, they are different. Broths are typically made more with meat whereas stocks are made more with bones, giving a different type of mouthfeel. Either will work here, it’s just personal preference.
Next, add soy sauce and fish sauce to the pot:
These are the secret ingredients that give the rich broth a depth of flavor and complexity.
Finally, drop in some ramen noodles, and eggs if you’re making them, and cook for three minutes, until the noodles are al dente:
How to Serve
Serve the ramen noodle soup with extra green onions, or any other toppings you wish to add. If you enjoy it, add a teaspoon of sesame oil or chili oil for more aroma.
To increase the protein, I sometimes add leftover Crockpot Chicken Breast, Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork. A soft-boiled egg is also a great addition.
More of my other favorite soups are this Quick Chicken Noodle Soup, Carrot Coconut Soup, and Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili. Enjoy, my friends! And here is a step-by-step video of the ramen soup if you’d like more guidance.
Recipe Variations
Mushrooms – Add sliced mushrooms at the beginning with the aromatics. Shiitake mushrooms are great, as are maitake or “hen of the woods” mushrooms.
Vegetables – Add thinly sliced baby bok choy or any quick-cooking vegetable you wish at the beginning with the aromatics.
Recipe Tips and FAQ
If possible, I recommend storing the noodles and the broth separately, as otherwise, the noodles will become overly soft. Keep both separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, but I recommend storing the noodles and the broth separately. Keep in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
The stovetop and microwave are best. For the stovetop, heat the desired amount of broth in a pot over medium high heat, until boiling. Then add the noodles and serve. For the microwave, heat the desired amount of broth in 30-second intervals until boiling, then add the noodles and serve.
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Quick Ramen Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cooking fat of choice *
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 4 scallions sliced (white and green parts)
- 1/2 tsp chili sauce or sriracha
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp fish sauce**
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 4 eggs optional
- 12 ounce package ramen noodles
Instructions
- Place the cooking fat, garlic, ginger, scallions, and chili sauce in a dutch oven or large pot and cook over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and the scallions start to soften.
- Add the chicken stock, beef broth, fish sauce, and soy sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Taste and adjust as necessary (I add about a cup of water to reduce saltiness).
- Add your eggs, if cooking, and the noodles to the boiling soup, and cook for about 3 minutes (the noodles I use require about 3 minutes, but follow the package instructions).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
77 Comments on “Quick Ramen Noodle Soup”
This ramen recipe is so great! My teen makes it for me. : )
Had a craving for ramen & tried this simple recipe. Came out SO good!!! Will definitely make again soon. Love that it’s super tasty & so easy to make. Thank you for sharing!
I immediately thought of We Bare Bears when I saw Sriracha Sauce lol. hahah
I have been meaning to try this for a while. Made as a quick lunch and I was real amazed at the flavor! Will definitely make it again.
I didn’t have all of the ingredients that you had suggested (missed fish sauce, sriracha, and ginger), but I ended up adding seared pork, mushrooms, sliced carrots, pre-hardboiled eggs and a bit of extra soy sauce. It probably wasn’t as flavorful as it could’ve been because I missed those few things, but dang did those noodles absorb all of that juice! 😀 so good! I wanted a simple and easy recipe and this hit all the marks!
AnneMarie,
Substitute Braggs Liquid Aminos for the soy sauce. It tastes better and has less sodium than even the low sodium varieties.
Hi – I love Ramen soup and it’s one of the few foods that tastes as it should ( going thru chemo and nothing tastes as it should – causing unhealthy weight loss and lack of strength). But the store bought soup is loaded with sodium and not good for me. I assume using low sodium sauces/stock will help lower the sodium but what if the taste then? Any suggestions? Do you happen to know of a lower sodium good tasting ramen recipe?? I’m so hoping you do!! This would be wonderful to enjoy a bowl of soup that tastes as it should!! Want to make today if possible!
Hi Annemarie, are you able to have low sodium soy sauce or does that have too much salt still? Hope the chemo is successful for you.
Amazing, such a rich broth in so little time, very convenient and delicious!
So glad to hear that!
Hi this is almost how I make mine, but with veggies and pieces of meat added too. Usually some snow peas and thin pork sliced. Oh and a splash or two of black vinegar. My parents tell me why do you always put weird stuff in your noodles haha
HAHA! I like how you make it your own.
Hi guys
I did this with chicken breast marinated in soy and sesame oil and a garlic clove quick fry put aside
Fried in sesame oil snow peas shellots garlic peas corn
Poached eggs and placed chicken in broth at last minute
Used stock cubes
Cooked ramen noodles with broth
Served noodles mix topped with egg and spring onions drizzle of sesame oil
Served with buttered bread stick
I’m an Aussie and I really enjoyed
Thanks mate
Tracey
Hi Tracey, that all sounds really wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight and LOVED IT! It was quick, easy and my kids liked it too! Winning!! (BTW, I did not have the fish sauce and did not substitute and it was still amazing.)
I added thinly sliced pork, bean sprouts and used rice noodles. YUM!
Hi Melissa, really happy to hear that! And happy your kids enjoyed as well.
Whelp, now you’ve done it. I’m drooling allll over my keyboard thanks to this amazing sounding/looking recipe! I love ramen and I especially love how quick and easy this recipe looks! Right up my alley. Amazing job 😉
Delicious and easy! Thank you for sharing. I didn’t add the egg this time as i was after the noodle and broth experience today. I finally got to use the fish sauce that i bought on a whim.
Hi—how important is it to use grapeseed oil for this recipe? Is there a substitute?
Thanks!
Hi Rose, any neutral oil is just fine. Enjoy!
From Cook’s Illustrated article about a vegan substitute for fish sauce:
“When flavor-boosting nucleotides are paired with glutamates, the perception of umami is significantly increased. Sure enough, a salty broth made with dried shiitake mushrooms (rich in nucleotides) and soy sauce (glutamates) provided just the right meaty punch as a 1:1 substitute for fish sauce. Here’s how to make it: In a saucepan, simmer 3 cups of water, ¼ ounce of dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, 3 tablespoons of salt, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce over medium heat until reduced by half. Strain, cool, and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.”
This is fantastic, thanks for sharing, Steph!
Hi there, I would love to make this but can’t use fish sauce. Would you please be kind enough to tell me if something else could be substituted? Thank you so much!