Are you a big fan of ramen noodles, but think they are unhealthy? You should try our vegan ramen with vegetables. It's made with a spicy, savory broth that's loaded with flavor, and a combination of freshly cooked and raw vegetables. Plus, it is free from MSG and artificial flavors and is perfect for a weeknight meal, as it cooks quickly.
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Ingredients
Vegan ramen with vegetables is a very flexible recipe. You can easily substitute different fresh vegetables from the list below for ones that need to be eaten up from your fridge.
- Oil: sesame, olive, or coconut
- Aromatics: onion, garlic, and ginger
- Dried Spices: sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt
- Canned Goods: tomato paste
- Liquids: vegetable broth, liquid aminos (soy sauce), mirin
- Longer Cooking Vegetables: shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, broccoli florets
- Shorter Cooking Vegetables: bok choy leaves, spinach, snow peas
- Raw Vegetables: carrot ribbons, bean sprouts, green onion
- Protein: tofu cubes or slices (vegan), soft boiled egg (vegetarian), thinly sliced beef or pork, shredded chicken, or shrimp (optional)
- Nuts: cashews or roasted peanuts (optional)
- Garnish: white and black sesame seeds
- Ramen noodles: for a gluten free option, check out King Soba's black rice noodles (affiliate)
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients. Chop the onion, bok choy leaves, and red bell pepper. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger, and make the carrot ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Crush the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot, then saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, while constantly stirring.
- Add the crushed sesame seeds and the red pepper flakes, cook until the spices bloom, roughly 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
3. Deglaze the skillet with ½ cup of vegetable broth by scraping the brown bits off the bottom with a wooden turner.
4. Pour in the liquid aminos (soy sauce) and the mirin and stir. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes while stirring.
5. Add the red bell pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. Deglaze the skillet again to get all the brown bits off the bottom, which helps increase the flavor of the broth.
6. Pour in the rest of the vegetable broth then stir and cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the bok choy leaves and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
7. While the broth is simmering, cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions, then drain and rinse under cool water. (Note: For gluten free ramen noodles, use buckwheat, black or brown rice ramen noodles.) Use clean kitchen shears to cut the ramen into shorter pieces to make it easier to eat. Set aside.
8. Serve ramen noodles with the homemade broth, cooked vegetables, and raw vegetables, and garnish with black sesame seeds.
Questions
What vegetables go well with ramen?
Use quick cooking vegetables if you plan on adding them to the broth at the end of the cooking time. Vegetables like bok choy leaves, spinach, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced green onion are all good choices.
Harder vegetables that take longer to cook are best added to the soup before the broth is poured in so they can cook for a few minutes. Broccoli florets, bell pepper, and mushrooms are popular choices, as they add color and texture.
Pickled vegetables like ginger, carrot, red onion, and cauliflower can also be used as a topping for ramen. Raw vegetables like spiralized zucchini, carrot ribbons, green onion, and bean sprouts can be added as a topping to make your ramen noodle bowl fresh and exciting.
How many calories does vegan ramen with vegetables have?
For a serving size of 1/1 4 cup of broth and vegetables, it contains 143 calories, 21.2g carbs, 5.5g fat, and 4.8g protein. One serving also gives you lots of vitamin C and A. For more nutritional information, please scroll to the end of the recipe card.
What can I serve with this ramen recipe?
Vegan ramen with vegetables will pair nicely with vegan pot stickers made with Shiitake mushrooms or kimchi, and seaweed salad. Vegetarians could also serve a side of fried rice. If you are planning on making this your main course and not serving it with anything else, add a protein like tofu or cashews, increase the Shiitake mushrooms, or add broccoli florets to make this recipe more filling.
Variations
- Want to increase the heat? Add more red pepper flakes or drizzle sriracha sauce on top.
- Want to add nuts? Try roasted peanuts or cashews.
- Want to add protein? Try tofu, soft boiled egg, shredded chicken, shrimp, or thinly sliced beef or pork.
- Want to add some zing? Try pickled ginger, carrots, red onion, or cauliflower to add as a topping.
Pro Tips
- Make sure to use all three aromatics: onion, garlic and ginger.
- Deglaze the skillet twice to get the maximum flavor.
- Cut the cooked ramen noodles with kitchen shears to make them easier to eat.
- Use a combination of cooked and raw vegetables for good flavor and texture.
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Recipe
Vegan Ramen with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups red bell pepper, sliced
- 4 cups bok choy leaves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste if needed
- 1 cup carrot ribbons, made with vegetable peeler
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, optional
- 4 cakes of gluten-free ramen noodles, buckwheat, black, or brown rice
Instructions
- Heat up the oil for 2 minutes in a 10 inch skillet, then saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute while constantly stirring.
- Add the sesame seeds and the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then deglaze the skillet by pouring in ½ cup of vegetable broth and scraping the brown bits off the bottom with a wooden turner.
- Add the soy sauce and mirin, stir, then add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add the red peppers and cook for 2 minutes, then deglaze the skillet again with ½ cup of vegetable broth.
- Pour in the rest of the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the broth simmers, cook the ramen noodles according to the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Using kitchen shears, cut the ramen into shorter lengths.
- Add the bok choy leaves to the broth and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the broth from the heat then add the salt and stir it in. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- To assemble, place with the ramen noodles in a bowl and ladle on the broth. Then add the mushrooms, red pepper, and bok choy leaves. Finish the noodle bowl with raw carrot ribbons, bean sprouts, thinly sliced green onion, and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
Notes
- Use all three aromatics: onion, garlic, ginger.
- To get the maximum flavor, deglaze the skillet twice.
- Use kitchen shears to cut the cooked ramen noodles.
- Use cooked and raw vegetables for interesting texture and bold color.
Alex
The broth is flavorful and the spices add a wonderful taste. The noodles are chewy, and the bok choy leaves add a nice flavor. The carrots and bean sprouts add color and crunch
Emma
We're happy to hear this, Alex! Thanks for your kind words.
Beth
The broth is flavorful, but quite spicy. I have never tried bean sprouts before, but they are quite nice. The rest of the components are crunchy and yummy. I like the bok choy and carrot strips. Colorful, crunchy, and tasty!
Emma
Thanks for your comment, Beth! We're glad that you enjoyed this ramen recipe.