Tired of the same old soup recipes? This Coconut Curry Ramen will change everything! It’s creamy, rich, comforting, and delicious, with a perfect blend of mouthwatering textures and flavors that will have you going back for another serving every time.
Ready in just 25 minutes, it's so much easier to make homemade ramen than you think! This quick and easy vegetarian ramen with coconut curry is perfect for busy weeknight dinners — especially on cold fall or winter days.
Why You'll Love this Coconut Curry Ramen
- Fast and easy. This recipe takes almost no time to make! The whole process takes only 25 minutes from start to finish and requires only basic cooking skills like chopping, dicing, and mincing, but can be modified to be even easier. Check out the ingredient notes below for suggestions!
- Simple ingredients. All of the ingredients in this coconut curry ramen recipe are fairly common and won’t require an extra trip to a specialty market — you can just grab them (or appropriate substitutions) at your usual grocery store! No secret ingredients here, just pantry staples and fresh produce for a delicious, nutritious cold-weather meal.
- Naturally vegetarian. Thanks to a hearty list of mostly plant-based ingredients, this Thai green curry ramen is vegetarian-friendly and can be made completely vegan with minimal ingredient substitutions. Keep reading for the list of ingredients and suggested swaps!
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Coconut Curry Ramen, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- vegetable oil - this can be substituted with butter, ghee, avocado oil, olive oil or coconut oil — whatever you prefer.
- extra firm tofu - extra firm tofu is great in soups like this one because it will retain its shape and texture longer than softer varieties, preventing your tofu from going mushy in the broth before you get a chance to eat it.
- shallot - if you don’t have shallots on hand, yellow onions (or whatever you’ve got in stock) are close enough.
- garlic - freshly minced garlic yields the best flavor, but pre-minced garlic from the grocery store will work fine, too.
- ginger - the same goes for the ginger — if you don’t have time (or fresh ginger) pre-minced will suffice.
- shiitake mushrooms - shiitakes will provide the most authentic taste, but creminis, oyster mushrooms, portobellos, porcinis, or a number of other varieties of mushroom can be used in their place.
- green curry paste - feel free to substitute with yellow curry paste or red curry paste. The ramen will taste slightly different but delicious.
- coconut milk - it’s important to use canned coconut milk, not the kind from a carton. The fat in canned coconut milk helps make the soup broth creamy and delicious!
- vegetable broth - you can also substitute with chicken broth.
- fish sauce - if you wish to make this recipe completely vegan, swap out the fish sauce for soy sauce mixed with rice wine vinegar, or just leave it out completely.
- lime juice - fresh squeezed lime juice has the most vibrant flavor, but if you’re short on limes you can use refrigerated lime juice concentrate.
- ramen noodles
- bok choy - napa cabbage or chard will work if you can’t find bok choy.
- shredded purple cabbage - this is optional but adds the perfect touch of crunch (and some extra nutrients!) to this soft, dreamy curry soup.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons and a large pot (I used my 4 qt. Dutch oven).
How to Make the Best Coconut Curry Ramen
- Cook tofu. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 2 minutes. Add cubed tofu and sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- Sauté aromatics. In the same pot, add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Make soup base. Stir in curry paste and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir constantly and bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add noodles. Next, add ramen noodles and cook according to the package instructions until al dente, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add bok choy and tofu. Add bok choy and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Return the cooked tofu to the pot.
- Serve. Divide noodles and soup base evenly into ramen bowls and top with shredded cabbage.
How to Serve
Coconut Curry Ramen is delicious served on its own, or paired with some of my favorite sides including:
- Spring Vegetable Stir Fry
- Chinese Garlic Cucumber Salad
- Steamed Scallion Buns
- Air Fryer Vegetable Stir Fry
- Kani Salad
Storage Instructions
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be aware that the noodles may start to get mushy after the first day — you can avoid this by straining the broth from the noodles and storing them separately before combining them again for reheating.
You can freeze leftover coconut curry ramen (without the noodles) in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. I do not recommend freezing with the noodles as they will get mushy and lose their texture. Reheat by thawing in the fridge for at least 24 hours or release the soup from the container with a warm water bath (if necessary) and then reheat straight from frozen!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Customize your toppings. This ramen with coconut curry is delicious as-is, but you can always experiment with different toppings to create your own perfectly-tailored version. If you don’t mind changing the vegetarian nature of the dish, you can add different types of proteins, like grilled pork, fish cakes, boiled eggs, or shredded chicken or beef. You can also top it with green onions, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, or your preferred combination of toppings!
- Reuse the leftovers in creative ways! If you end up with lots of leftover broth and noodles, you can recycle them into a completely new meal (or several!). Use the broth to season rice or other cooked grains, crisp up the noodles, tofu, and vegetables in a stir fry, or incorporate the cooked ingredients in a casserole or omelet.
More Noodle Soup Recipes
- Creamy Vegan Ramen
- Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
- Healthy Miso Ramen with Chicken
- Vegetarian Ramen
- Creamy Vegetarian Peanut Miso Ramen
- Slow Cooker Asian Beef Noodle Soup
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Recipe
Coconut Curry Ramen
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Coconut Curry Ramen is creamy, rich, comforting, and delicious, with a perfect blend of mouthwatering textures and flavors and ready in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup extra firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 small shallot or onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 6 ounces dry ramen noodles (2 packs)
- 1 cup bok choy, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 2 minutes.
- Add cubed tofu and sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- In the same pot, add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in curry paste and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir constantly and bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add ramen noodles and cook according to the package instructions until al dente, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add bok choy and cook until softened, about 1 minute.
- Return the cooked tofu to the pot.
- Divide noodles and soup base evenly into ramen bowls and top with shredded cabbage.
Notes
How to store: Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be aware that the noodles may start to get mushy after the first day — you can avoid this by straining the broth from the noodles and storing them separately before combining them again for reheating.
Freezing: You can freeze leftover coconut curry ramen (without the noodles) in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. I do not recommend freezing with the noodles as they will get mushy and lose their texture. Reheat by thawing in the fridge for at least 24 hours or release the soup from the container with a warm water bath (if necessary) and then reheat straight from frozen!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
dellaylor says
BANGING MEAL FOR DINNER