Easy Vegetarian Ramen Recipe - Umami Girl (2024)

If you've been looking for an easy vegetarian ramen recipe with rich, savory, satisfying broth, look no further. This is it. Includes make-ahead and vegan options.

Why we love this recipe

"Easy ramen” is a funny term for a from-scratch recipe, since there may literally be nothing easier than boiling water in an electric kettle and stirring it into a styrofoam cup to make instant ramen. The problem there, of course, is that the result sucks.

I’ll say right away that this recipe is not as easy as that. But as you can probably tell from the photo, the extra effort is well worth the result. Even compared to other easy vegetarian ramen recipes that you might find on the web, this one takes a little more waiting time and a couple of extra ingredients. But the resulting depth of flavor makes it all unquestionably worthwhile. And in the end, it’s still easy. Promise.

Our vegetarian ramen inspiration

In August, at the tail end of our trip to Alberta and British Columbia, we spent a few terrificdays in Vancouver. I have a whole Vancouver post coming up soon, but from a food-lover’s perspective it can be boiled down to just a few words, one of which is RAMEN. Pun totally intended, by the way.

Hooray for a big city that situates some of its best cheap food within easy walking distance of a giant seaside park. We ate somewonderful ramenwith rich, deeply savory (and totally pork-based) broth atSantoukaon Robson Street. Even as we were slurping thousands of miles away, I knew immediately that I wanted to come home and create a vegetarian version that retained as much of the heft and depth of that magic brew as possible.

This easy vegetarian ramen recipe is the result of more obsession than you might like to know, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

What goes in vegetarian ramen

To make the rich, savory broth that takes this vegetarian ramen recipe to the next level, you will need:

• Really good vegetable broth (see the recipe for my favorite)
• Dried shiitake mushrooms
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Butter
• White miso paste
• Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

To make the ramen, you will need:

• Fresh shiitake mushrooms
• Baby spinach
• Fresh or dried ramen noodles (see the recipe for my favorite)
• Baked tofu
• Scallions
• A ramen egg or 7-minute egg
• Gomasio (sesame salt)
• Toasted sesame oil with hot chili

How to make rich, savory vegetarian ramen broth

The key to this luscious vegetarian ramen is in the rich, savory broth. Shiitake mushrooms lay a savory foundation for this dish, which is built upon many layers of umami. It takes a little time and a few steps, but everything is easy to do. Here's how you'll make it.

• Pour some really good vegetable broth into a pot and add dried shiitakes. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat off and let it steep for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
• Chop up the reconstituted shiitakes (discarding the stems). In a blender, puree the chopped mushrooms with one cup of the broth, and add the whole thing back to the pot along with some soy sauce. The broth can sit at this stage for up to a few days in the fridge (or in the freezer for up to three months) if you'd like to do this part in advance.
• Sautée onions, garlic, and ginger in a little bit of oil and add that mixture to the stock.
• Right before serving, whisk in butter, miso paste, and mirin.

How to make ramen

Once the broth is prepared, you'll cook the other ingredients and then assemble the ramen in a bowl. Here's what you'll do:

• Sautée some sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• Boil or sautée some baby spinach
• Make some 7-minute eggs (or you can make ramen eggs in advance)
• Boil some fresh or dried ramen noodles
• Slice up some baked tofu and fresh scallions
• Assemble the ramen. Place some cooked noodles in each bowl and ladle in some broth. Then add shiitakes, spinach, tofu slices, and an egg. Garnish with scallions, sesame salt, and hot chili oil.

How do you make ramen without meat?

In addition to crafting a great broth, there are a few other steps you can take to make a fabulous meat-free ramen.

• Include a couple of "meaty" elements, like sautéed shiitake mushrooms and smoked tofu. Their umami flavors and pleasingly chewy textures provide a similar sense of satisfaction to meat.
• A soft-boiled egg adds a layer of richness, and you can make them into ramen eggs very easily with a little advance notice.
• Lean into the veggies. Tender baby spinach and bright-tasting green onions are a great start. Over the years, so many of you have shared your own beautiful additions, from bell peppers to corn kernels to zucchini and everything in between.
• Don't be afraid to jazz it up with your favorite condiments, from soy sauce to sesame seeds to sriracha to chili oil.

Vegan option

To easily turn this into a vegan ramen recipe, here's all you need to do:

• Omit the butter. You can substitute a vegan butter if you like for a little extra creaminess, but it's not strictly necessary.
• Omit the egg from the final dish.

That's it! This fully plant-based version is still 100% fab, promise.

How to choose ramen noodles

A word about the noodles: The recipe calls for fresh or dry ramen noodles because I know not everyone has access to incredible fresh noodles. That said, if you can get your hands on them, I hiiiiiiighly recommend the fresh noodles from Sun Noodle, a Hawaii company with a NJ production facility that supplies to many of the best ramen shops in NYC and NJ.

I get their noodles in the refrigerator section at Whole Foods. (They sell packs with instant broth, too, but I just buy the plain noodles.) I don’t know how widely distributed they are outside this area, but they’re worth asking for.

Whole Foods has been known to expand their distribution of local products to additional stores based on customer request. (My sister and I are lookin’ at you, Key Ingredient Market spreads to die for, now available in the greater Boston area.)

Obsession? Yup, I hear it and I don’t care. But I’ll stop now. Enjoy your ramen. See you soon.

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