Easy Family-Friendly Ramen Recipe

Want an upgrade from instant ramen? These easy ramen bowls take less than 20 minutes and are easy to adapt to please anyone in your family.

Should I Use A Packet Of Ramen?

Packages of instant ramen noodles, the kind that comes with the seasoning packet, are so inexpensive that I like to keep them just for the noodles for nights when I need a super-quick dinner.

The seasoning packets contain loads of sodium and additives however, so I like to make my own seasoned broth instead. I will admit thought that my daughter loves the seasoning from the packet so I often include a bit of it. I’ll leave that up to you!

Some grocery stores carry nice ramen noodles without the packet of seasoning, but I’ve found them to be pricier than the kind many of us ate in college. If you have an Asian market nearby, you will likely have more options than a general grocery store.

Making Easy Homemade Ramen Broth

The easy seasoned broth is simply tamari sauce and toasted sesame oil mixed with chicken or vegetable stock. Together they make an incredibly savory but light broth that pairs well with so many ingredients. 

What is Tamari? Tamari is very similar to soy sauce, but I like it so much better. Both are made from fermented soybeans, but tamari has a more complex, rounded, and almost teriyaki-like flavor that is less salty as compared to soy sauce, which is much more salt-forward and bold. If you don’t have tamari, use low-sodium soy sauce.

Toasted sesame oil has so much rich, dark flavor. If you only have sesame oil, not toasted sesame oil, you can use it but it won’t have that flavor we’re after. I’d therefore consider toasting some sesame seeds and adding those as a garnish to your finished bowls to try to approximate that taste. And yes, I often do this anyhow even if I do have toasted sesame oil. I love sesame seeds so much!

Customize your ramen broth. Want to add a little spice to your broth? Add in some chili garlic sauce such as Sriracha. If your broth feels like it’s missing something, try adding a little acid from rice vinegar or squeeze in lime juice. For both of these, I recommend adding a small amount to start, and adjust to taste. The other thing I sometimes add is a bit of honey. It gives just a tiny touch of sweetness and makes the whole meal more special.

How To Make Ramen Bowls

To make this easy Ramen Bowl, you’ll add some chicken or vegetable broth to a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Then stir in some ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet). Bring it back to a boil then reduce it down to a simmer. This is when you stir in the tamari and sesame oil. Simmer until noodles are cooked through, about three minutes, stirring occasionally to separate the noodles.

If you’re adding in some cooked protein, you can stir it in at the end of the noodle-cooking time, and stir just until it’s heated through. Or you can add the protein to the bowls later. It will heat from the heat of the broth in the bowls, especially if you’ve sliced it thinly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in some spinach, which will wilt from the heat of the broth.

Divide the broth and noodles evenly between soup bowls, then top with your favorite julienned vegetables and toppings.

Ramen Bowl Toppings

Now comes the fun part! Once the noodles and flavored broth is in the bowls, everyone gets to decide what to top it with.

You can use a cooked protein like sliced chicken breast, thighs, ground beef, sliced beef, sliced pork, shrimp or salmon.

I love to also add some hard-boiled eggs. If you used vegetable broth and skip the other proteins mentioned, then you have a nice vegetarian dinner. You can halve the cooked eggs or chop them roughly (learn how to make hard boiled egg here). You can skip this if you aren’t a fan of eggs, but it’s a classic addition.

For the vegetables, I like to use a combination of julienned cucumber, green or red bell pepper, and carrots along with sliced mushrooms. You can absolutely switch up the veggies with your favorites, baby bok choy is nice here too, as is broccoli.

I usually top my ramen bowls with chopped green onion and sesame seeds and keep it pretty simple.

Other options for toppings include dried seaweed, bean sprouts, and pickled ginger. Cilantro, thai basil, jalapeño, and a lime wedge can also be nice. My boyfriend loves a dollop of sweet chili sauce added to his. Get creative!

Ramen Noodle Bowl Shortcuts

This ramen bowl recipe lends itself to lots of shortcuts, too!

Sometimes I’ll buy already prepped veggies at the grocery store. Things to look for are the bagged, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage (often used for coleslaw), and broccoli florets. Bean sprouts don’t require chopping so they’re a good choice too.

A quick protein is some rotisserie chicken or already cooked shrimp. Or meal prep with Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and use some of the meat for this meal. Tofu is a fully-cooked option that’s perfect here as well.

Buy the hard-boiled eggs from the deli to save time. You can do some scrambled eggs instead, which is also really quick.

With those convenient ingredients, and the spinach leaves, dinner is ready in essentially the time it takes the noodles to cook.

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