Put down that cup of instant noodles. Seriously. Why settle for mediocre when you have the real deal... from scratch? Fine, there is an extra 15-20 minutes (gasp) that will go to preparing the real deal, but in my books that is the definition of quick and easy. The extra (small) time investment is soo worth the result. Freshly made, quick and easy vegetarian ramen is packed with fresh vegetables, noodles, and authentic flavours, and it's ready in just 15 minutes. Get in my belly, now!

I always have a few packs of dry ramen noodles in my pantry for emergency lazy meals like this one. You know, sometimes you are just too tired to cook. I have been there and, in fact, I am there on a regular basis.... The answer is quick and easy vegetarian ramen.
And let's set things straight. Lazy meals do not mean unhealthy meals. For some reason, ramen noodles seem to have racked up a bad reputation. I guess it's largely due to the instant cup noodles kind. I mean, of course dinner out of a styrofoam cup is not going to be healthy. Leave the cup noodles to the college kids. Real ramen (not the 25 cent kind) is healthy and full of fresh ingredients, not dried carrots and peas that come to life when you add water... yikes. Put that stuff away and use real ingredients!
Ingredients in Vegetarian Ramen
The best thing about ramen is that it is pretty much fully customizable. The important thing is the soup base. That, you don't want to change. But the protein and vegetables can be switched up for whatever you have on hand.
- Broth and seasonings - vegetable stock, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin or rice wine vinegar
- Noodles - dried ramen noodles
- Vegetables - fresh shiitake mushrooms and baby spinach
- Protein - eggs. You can add whatever protein you want. Tofu goes really well in this ramen. If you are not vegetarian, then shredded rotisserie chicken, beef, prawns are also great options.
- Toppings - green onions or scallions, shredded carrots, sesame seeds (optional)
- hot sauce, to taste (optional)
How to Make Quick and Easy Vegetarian Ramen
- Prepare the soup base. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin and cook for another minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Prepare the perfect soft-boiled eggs. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for exactly 7 minutes for a slightly runny yoke or 8 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove eggs from the pot and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After a few minutes, peel the shells off carefully and slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. Set aside.
- Cook the spinach. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for about a minute, until just wilted. Remove from pot and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- Add noodles. Add ramen noodles to the soup base and cook for 2-3 minutes or according to package instructions. Then, add hot sauce, to taste (optional).
- Serve. Divide the soup into 2 large bowls. Top with an egg, spinach, carrots and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and serve immediately.
More Ramen and Noodle Recipes
- Creamy Vegetarian Peanut Miso Ramen
- Healthy Miso Ramen with Chicken
- One Pot Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Asian Beef Noodle Soup
- Shanghai Style Fried Noodles
- 10-Minute Chicken Pad Thai
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Quick and Easy Vegetarian Ramen
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 soups
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Put down that cup of instant noodles and make fresh, quick and easy vegetarian ramen in 15 minutes with fresh vegetables, noodles and authentic flavours.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- ½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 (3 oz) packs dried ramen noodles
- hot sauce, to taste (optional)
- ½ cup green onions/scallions, sliced
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- sesame seeds (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin and cook for another minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for exactly 7 minutes for a slightly runny yoke or 8 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove eggs from the pot and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After a few minutes, peel the shells off carefully and slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. Set aside.
- Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for about a minute, until just wilted. Remove from pot and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- Add ramen noodles to stock mixture and cook 2-3 minutes or according to package instructions. Add some hot sauce, to taste (optional).
- Divide the soup into 2 large bowls.
- Top with an egg, spinach, carrots and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
Make this ramen vegan by omitting the soft-boiled egg.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: ramen, vegetarian ramen, easy ramen, noodles, noodle soup, how to make ramen, quick and easy vegetarian ramen
Jamie says
Tasty recipe. This is the first time I have made ramen so was glad the recipe was made easy to follow. I had to adapt it slightly as I had no ramen ( used rice noodles) and I added pak Choi and red pepper flakes. I will definitely be marking this again.
★★★★
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Yum! Thank you for sharing! So happy you liked the recipe.
Kim J. says
I made this tonight and really liked it. Easy to adapt to what you have on hand. Used shelled edamame and spinach I had in the freezer. Also rice noodles, didn’t have ramen. Added a little spice at the end with Harissa I had in the fridge. I needed a solid recipe I can wing it with, and this does it. Thank you! Great recipe.
★★★★★
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Kim! You are totally right, it's so easy to adapt. Love what you added!
Honey Bee says
Super fast and delish! To the recipe above, I added some sauteed cabbage, bean sprouts, fresh jalapeno rings, and because mushrooms were in short supply where I live, I amped-up the difference with some Trader Joe's Umami powder. I used rice noodles and tamari to keep it gluten-free. Really delicious! We'll be making this again!
★★★★★
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much for the review and great suggestions on other ingredients to add!
Thomas Garcia says
Absolutely fantastic! Made this tonight and was blown away. I added some chopped jalapenos to spice it up for the wife and I. Thanks so much!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
That totally made my day, thank you! So glad you liked the recipe!
Zahra says
My husband and I eat this almost once a week, its amazing!!!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Zahra! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Kimberlwy says
This was my first time making ramen, and it turned out to be fantastic!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you, that makes me so happy! So glad you liked the recipe!