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Let me preface this post by saying this recipe is NOT meant to be made in a microwave. Gone are the days of instant ramen noodles; put down that Styrofoam cup, Linda! This creamy vegan ramen is a beautifully crafted noodle bowl filled to the brim with veggies and incredible flavors. As always, I’ve taken this trendy dish and put my FoodByMaria vegan stamp on it – think rich, creamy broth, perfectly cooked noodles, and customizable toppings that’ll make you forget all about those instant packages.
Why You’ll Love Creamy Vegan Ramen
- Rich and Creamy: The velvety ramen broth is seriously the star here, creating a luxurious base that’ll have you craving more.
- Versatile: Customize with whatever veggies you have in your fridge and add your own toppings to make it uniquely yours.
- Packed with Flavor: The umami-rich broth combines with perfectly seasoned toppings for a restaurant-worthy bowl.
- Protein-Rich: This creamy vegan ramen features seitan strips that pack more protein than tofu, making this a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Homemade Broth – The heart and soul of this creamy vegan ramen. While store-bought works, my homemade version creates a rich umami base that elevates every component. Make extra to freeze – you’ll thank yourself later! The combination of miso, vegetable stock, and coconut aminos creates depth that rivals traditional ramen broths.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Seitan Strips – This protein powerhouse contains 2.5 times more protein than tofu. Developed by Buddhist monks, seitan is rich in iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. It absorbs flavors beautifully while maintaining a satisfying, meaty texture.
How to Make Creamy Vegan Ramen
1. Add your Seitan into a small bowl with coconut aminos, hot sauce, and oil. Stir and let marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Into a medium-sized saucepan add your coconut oil and heat on medium for 30 seconds before adding the ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Reduce heat to low and add your miso paste, vegetable stock paste, and peanut butter. Stir, removing clumps, and combining all ingredients.
3. Now add your coconut aminos, chili sauce, and lime. Cook on low heat for 3 minutes or until extremely fragrant. Add water and bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro before turning off the heat and setting aside.
4. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium for 30 seconds before adding the marinated seitan. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. You want it crispy but still soft. Once cooked, set aside.
5. Steam your vegetables and dumplings of choice, season lightly, and set aside.
6. Cook your noodles, strain, and set aside.
7. To assemble your creamy ramen, add your noodles to a bowl, followed by your desired amount of broth. Top with veggies, dumplings, and Seitan. Serve topped with fresh green onion, cilantro, and chili oil.
Tips and Tricks
- Broth: Let your broth simmer long enough to develop deep flavors. Don’t rush this step – it’s where the magic happens.
- Noodles: Cook your ramen noodles until they are just al dente. They’ll continue cooking slightly in the hot broth.
- Seitan: Marinate the seitan thoroughly and achieve a nice sear for maximum flavor.
- Assembly Order: Layer noodles first, then hot broth, followed by toppings. This ensures everything stays at the right temperature.
- Make Extra: Double the broth recipe and freeze portions for quick future meals.
Substitutions
Here are some simple substitutions that can be easily made to make the creamy vegan ramen your own:
- Noodles: Traditional ramen noodles can be swapped for rice noodles, udon, or even gluten-free options. Each type creates a different but equally delicious experience.
- Protein: While seitan is very protein-rich, you can also try marinated tofu, tempeh, or even king oyster mushrooms for variety. Each brings its own texture and protein profile.
- Broth Base: If you don’t have miso, combine tahini with soy sauce for a similar umami effect. Coconut milk can replace other creamy elements for extra richness.
- Vegetables: Mix and match with bok choy, corn, broccoli, spinach, or kimchi. Fresh, frozen, or fermented vegetables all work beautifully.
- Toppings: For added texture and flavor, experiment with different oils (chili, garlic, sesame), fresh herbs, or crushed nuts.
Best served with
- Easy Vegan Carrot Salad
- Vegan Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- Easy Asian-Style Tuna Lettuce Wraps
- Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes
How to Store Leftovers
Store broth and noodles separately in airtight containers. The broth can be kept for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat the broth separately and add fresh noodles for best results.
Common Questions
Yes! Make the broth in advance and freeze in portions. Cook fresh noodles and prepare toppings when ready to serve.
Fresh ingredients and homemade broth create deeper flavors and better nutrition. Plus, you can control the sodium and avoid preservatives.
Add a splash of more coconut milk or a tablespoon of tahini to the broth for extra richness.
Combining miso, vegetable stock, garlic, ginger, and coconut aminos creates layers of umami flavor that develop as they simmer together.
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Ingredients
Ramen Broth:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 inch cube of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp. vegetable stock paste
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp. chili sauce
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 4 cups of water
- ¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, fresh
For the Seitan or Tempeh
- 1 cup Seitan or Tempeh
- 1 tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- season to taste
Toppings:
- Steamed dumplings
- Steamed boy choi – can also add vegetables like corn, cooked spinach, mushroom and brocolli.
- 2 packets cooked ramen noodles
Instructions
Start Cooking- Add your Seitan or Tempeh into a small bowl with coconut aminos, hot sauce and oil. Stir and let marinate for 20 minutes.
- Into a medium sized sauce pan add your coconut oil and heat on medium for 30 seconds before adding the ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Reduce heat to low and add your miso paste, vegetable stock paste and peanut butter. Stir, removing clumps and combining all ingredients. Now add your coconut aminos, chili sauce and lime. Cook on low heat for 3 minutes or until extremely fragrant. Add water and bring mixture to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro before turning off heat and setting aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium for 30 seconds before adding the marinated seitan or tempeh. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. You want it crispy but still soft. Once cooked set aside.
- Steam your vegetables and dumplings of choice, season lightly and set aside.
- Cook your noodles, strain and set aside.
- To assemble your creamy ramen, add your noodles to a bowl, followed by your desired amount of broth. Top with veggies, dumplings and Seitan. Serve topped with fresh green onion, cilantro and chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Sweet Earth Foods
54 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Would you recommend adding Tare?
Hey David! I am sorry but what is Tare?!
Hi, what can I use to supplement the coconut aminos?
Soy Sauce or Tamari!
I didnt gave some if the ingredients including seitan so I replaced it with this vegan meat I found😅. Let me just say…I LOVED the recipe and vegan meat including plant – based sausages or plant – based meat chunks can work! This recipe is SO much better thab buying it from a resteraunt!!
I am so glad you loved it, my friend!
I think you’ve confused seitan with tempeh.
Otherwise, great recipe.
I thought the same thing. Might be less confusing if the recipe mentions the pictures use tempeh.
Did the edit I just made help?
nope! These are just new images and I suggest experimenting with the protein in the blog post! Glad you loved it!
This is utterly devine, I am so smug about it I actually scoff at restaurant Ramen! So rich and flavorful, the only thing is, I can not stop guzzling the broth- i do not recommend making extra to freeze because you won’t, you will neck it all immediately however many portions you make. Thank you so much!
Hahah! I love it! Thanks so much for the love!
Literally perfect. I did tofu instead of seitan and it was rly good.
this sounds like a great sub, need to do it this way too!
Such a delicious ramen recipe! What brand of ramen noodles did you use in this recipe btw? I’ve been on the look out for really good noodles!
I literally used Ichiban for this, lol!
Super delicious recipe! We were looking for a vegan ramen soup recipe and we are going to stick with this one for sure. Perfect flavors, we’ll balanced. This will become a classic at our place. Thank you for the great recipe!
YES!!! thanks so much hun!
Recommending to everyone I know!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
This recipe has been in the rotation for a few months. It’s truly dreamy and creamy ! All the right textures and flavors. I followed the recipe on the Food by Maria app. Which I luuuub helpful, easy to use and a life saver ! Thank you for everything you do !
You’re an angle, thanks so much for the support, Caroline!