A satisfying bowl of ramen is one of the best ways to end your day, but normally, preparing such a dish can often be time-consuming and messy. However, wait until you see how easy, quick, creamy, and delicious our latest recipe is: a 20-Minute Vegan Ramen Bowl made with Silken Tofu and Miso Paste and served with your favorite toppings.
Ramen truly is a dish where vegans can win! While traditional meat-based broths can take hours to simmer and develop depth of flavor, a plant-based ramen broth can be whipped up much faster. The key is to select the right combination of ingredients to create an indulgent, creamy, and umami-rich ramen.
If you are a frequent reader, you'll probably know our deep love for Asian cuisine, but especially noodle soups such as Thai Noodle Soup, Vietnamese Pho, Malaysia Laksa, or different types of Ramen such as this Easy Miso Ramen, or this Spicy Miso Soup. A warm bowl of brothy noodles is simply one of our favorite ways to finish a busy day. When we cook noodle soups, we tend to make them quite spicy, so we use it as an excuse to eat a bit later when kids are in bed and watch TV while we enjoy our food.
Now, this creamy, quick Ramen can be easily made family-friendly, and honestly, I've cooked it for my kids many, many times, and they love it! We like serving it with some air-fried or pan-fried tempeh, as the broth is already made with tofu. We also add edamame, corn, and marinated bamboo shoots to make it more restaurant-like.
Ingredients
Dried shiitake mushrooms. We use the shiitake mushrooms to make some stock. You can also use a mixture of dried mushrooms
Miso paste. For our 20-minute Vegan Ramen we use white miso.
Silken tofu. Soft tofu is our favorite to make the creamy base of the ramen, but sometimes, we make this recipe using firm tofu and it also works, just keep in mind that the broth may be a bit grainy. You can find silken tofu in most Asian supermarkets, and sometimes, in larger supermarkets.
Vegan butter. You can also use coconut oil, but we like the umami flavor that the vegan butter adds.
Soy sauce.
Spring onions. You can also use shallots or leek.
Ginger.
Vegetable broth.
Ramen noodles. We use instant ramen noodles for this recipe, but we also love soba noodles for this creamy noodle soup. As well, for a miso broth, wavy noodles work better than straight.
Toppings of your choice. Tempeh, crispy tofu, sesame seeds, chili oil, edamame, corn, marinated bamboo shoots, etc.
Cooking Method for our 20-Minute Vegan Ramen
First, soak the shiitake mushrooms in 150ml of boiling hot water. Leave them soaking while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If you have some dried kombu, you can also add it to the bowl cut into smaller pieces to add more taste to your soup.
With the silken tofu, vegan butter, and soy sauce, you will prepare a smooth and creamy paste that will later go into the ramen broth to add that creaminess. You can use a small blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender. If you are using firm tofu, it will take a bit longer to get this creamy texture, but by adding a little bit of extra water, you’ll get it. When this creamy paste is ready, reserve it for later.
Heat a bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add finely sliced spring onions, using only the white and light green parts. Once the spring onions start to brown, add grated ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes before incorporating the miso paste and shiitake broth (150ml of water in which the shiitakes have soaked).
Dried shiitakes can sometimes release small hard bits during soaking; it's best to strain the shiitake broth through a mesh before adding it to the pot. Reserve the shiitakes for later.
Lower the heat and whisk all the ingredients until the miso paste has completely dissolved.
Incorporate the creamy mixture into the pot, and then the vegetable broth. Whisk again, making sure all the ingredients are well combined, forming a smooth and silky broth. Add the shiitake mushrooms finely chopped, and simmer for 5 minutes at low heat. Your ramen broth is now ready to enjoy!
Preparation of Toppings
Edamame or Peas
To prepare edamame or green peas, you’ll only need to steam them shorty before adding them to the ramen or add them to the broth for the last 5 minutes.
Corn
For ramen, we like using canned corn, which doesn’t need any preparation. Also, frozen corn can be used. Simply add it to the broth while simmering, together with the edamame or peas.
Tempeh or Tofu
We like using tempeh for this ramen to add more protein, as the broth already has tofu. You can air-fry or pan-fry the tempeh or tofu with some soy sauce, maple syrup, and, if you like, some sriracha.
Menma (Marinated Bamboo Shoots)
To make homemade Menma is very simple, you’ll only need some bamboo shoots, mirin, and soy sauce. We normally make a big batch to use during the week. We combine 1 can of bamboo shoots, 200 ml water, 50 ml soy sauce, and 50 ml mirin. We bring these ingredients to a simmer and leave simmering for about 10 minutes. Then, leave to completely cool before transferring to a glass container. You can keep them in the fridge for a week. They can be added to ramen, but also stir-fries and curries.
Cooking your Noodles
Make sure you follow the package instructions. To get perfectly cooked noodles, place them in ice water for a couple of minutes when cooked to stop them from cooking any longer. Place the noodles into the bowl, but don't add the broth until right before serving the meal.
If your noodles are sticking, you can add some sesame oil or any other vegetable oil.
Assemble the Ramen Bowl
20-Minute Vegan Ramen
Ingredients
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 5 oz silken tofu soft, or firm tofu works also, but if you have silken you’ll want to use that one instead
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 spring onions
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 2 tablespoon miso paste we use white miso
- 1 liter vegetable broth
- 14 oz Ramen noodles
Toppings (optional)
- Edamame or peas
- Corn
- Menma (Marinated Bamboo Shoots)
- Air-fried Tempeh
Instructions
- Using a small blender or food processor, combine the silken tofu, vegan butter, and soy sauce, and blend until you have a smooth creamy paste.
- Heat some vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add finely sliced spring onions, using only the white and light green parts.
- Once the spring onions start to brown, add grated ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes and then incorporate the miso paste and shiitake stock made with dried shiitakes. Dried shiitakes can sometimes release small hard bits during soaking; it's best to strain the shiitake broth through a mesh before adding it to the pot. Reserve the shiitakes for later.
- Lower the heat and whisk all the ingredients until the miso paste has completely dissolved.
- Incorporate the creamy silken tofu mixture into the pot, and then the vegetable broth. Whisk again, making sure all the ingredients are well combined, forming a smooth and silky broth.
- Add the shiitake mushrooms finely chopped, and simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, you can also add edamame, peas, and corn.
- Turn the heat off and enjoy with your favorite noodles and toppings.
- To assemble the ramen bowl, first place your noodles in a big bowl. Then, pour the ramen broth while warm, and last, add your toppings.
Ramen Noodles
- Cook your Ramen Noodles in boiling water following the package instruction.
Menma (Marinated Bamboo Shoots)
- To make homemade Menma is very simple, you’ll only need some bamboo shoots, mirin, and soy sauce. We normally make a big batch to use during the week. We combine 1 can of bamboo shoots, 200 ml water, 50 ml soy sauce, and 50 ml mirin. We bring these ingredients to a simmer and leave simmering for about 10 minutes. Then, leave to completely cool before transferring to a glass container. You can keep them in the fridge for a week. They can be added to ramen, but also stir-fries and curries.
Notes
- Add some chili sesame oil to make this ramen spicy.
Nutrition
FAQ
You can find silken tofu in most Asian supermarkets and, sometimes, in larger supermarkets. We've found silken tofu before in Lidl when they had the Asian week.
Your Ramen broth may separate if you cook it at a very high temperature. Also, if you leave it to cool, you will see that the broth gets a different texture, but once you whisk it, it will return to its normal consistency.
Sure, we love Soba noodles for this ramen also, and any type of noodles you have at home will definitely pair beautifully with this soup.
Serving Suggestions
Ramen is a filling and hearty dish that is traditionally served with a small appetizer or side like edamame, gyozas, or Agedashi tofu.
This Japanese noodle soup pays a lot of attention to the toppings, so choose your toppings carefully and invest a little time to make them just perfect. Something crispy, such as air-fried tofu or crispy onions; something sweet, like marinated bamboo shoots; something green, like pak choi, spinach, or edamame; and some other add-ons that could be sweet corn, sesame seeds, or chili oil.
Leave some chili oil or sriracha on the table so you can make your 20-Minute Vegan Ramen spicier if you want.
If you have leftover ramen, keep the broth and the noodles in different containers in the fridge and you can enjoy it the next day.
I hope you enjoy this quick and yummy ramen!
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