Our Ramen Noodle Stir Fry is simple and quick to make, absolutely delicious and will satisfy any take out food cravings that you may have.
We love noodles at home and you can always find a big stack of them in our pantry. We enjoy making many different recipes with them from Vietnamese pho to Thai Drunken Noodles or Pad Thai. But this recipe uses instant Ramen Noodles so it comes together really quick. Save this recipe, as it's especially handy on those busy weekdays or to prepare an easy weekend meal in less than 20 minutes.
Instant ramen noodles are normally served with a spiced warm broth but for this recipe, we're going to be serving them stir-fried with a delicious, umami-rich homemade sauce. This recipe is vegan so it doesn't contain any oyster, fish or prawn products.
To give our stir-fried some more nutrients, we love adding fresh veggies when making the stir fry. We used for our ramen noodle stir fry broccoli and carrot but you can add any other veggies that you want to use. Spring onion, mushrooms, bell peppers or cabbage are amazing choices as well!
Plant-based Protein for Stir Fries
When it comes to cooking a stir fry, you want to make sure you are adding enough protein to the dish. As a vegetarian family, we are always using different plant-based alternatives to add this macronutrient in our recipes.
Tofu is the perfect plant-based protein to use in Stir-fries. It's easy to cook, you can find it in any supermarket nowadays and you can flavour it with the same sauce you are making for the stir fry. Tofu is plain, so make sure to pan fry it before with some of the stir fry sauce or leave it marinating for a couple of hours.
Tempeh is the healthiest option but I still know a lot of people (myself included) that doesn't enjoy eating it. It has a deep aftertaste but many people love it and it's a wonderful protein source.
Seitan. For a meatier option, you can use seitan. Seitan is made out of gluten and it doesn't need much flavouring.
Soy Beans or Edamame. This last plant-based protein that we would use in a stir-fry is as well an amazing choice. Frozen or fresh, edamame will add more colour and textures to your stir fry.
Ramen Noodle Stir Fry Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients
Instant Ramen Noodles. At our local Chinese supermarket, we can find a pack of 5 portions that come with no seasoning packets, just the dried noodles. The brand we buy is called Vejia, but I cannot find this product online. If you can find something similar, that's perfect, if not, just buy a cheap instant ramen packet and discard the seasoning packet. For a gluten-free stir fry, look for gluten-free instant noodles.
Onion or Shallot. Choose a small onion as they tend to be sweeter or use a shallot to start the stir fry.
Garlic and ginger paste. We make a paste crushing or pressing garlic and ginger.
Carrot and Broccoli. These are the veggies that will go in our stir fry. As said before, you can add here any veggies you want to use.
Tofu. For this recipe, we chose to use tofu to add some plant-based protein to the dish.
Toasted sesame seeds and chili flakes. These ingredients are added right before serving the dish.
Homemade Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
Soy sauce. Light or dark soy sauce can be used for this recipe, depending on your taste. If you want to make the sauce gluten-free, use tamari.
Sesame oil. We use toasted sesame oil and before serving, we add some chili sesame oil to give the dish that last spicy touch.
Sriracha or Sambal Oelek. To make this recipe spicy and richer in flavour, we use sriracha. You can use Sambal as well, both sauces work perfectly.
Maple Syrup. We find that adding a bit of sweetness will improve the taste of the sauce. You can use maple syrup as listed on our recipe, honey (not vegan), brown sugar or any other sweetener that you normally use.
Rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is slightly sweet and packed with umami flavour.
Vegetable stock or water. We choose to use vegetable stock but feel free to use just plain water or salted water.
How to make Ramen Noodle Stir Fry in four simple steps
- Pan-fry the tofu. Heat some oil in a pan and pan-fry the tofu making sure all the sides are cooked. When the tofu starts to turn golden, add some of the stir fry sauce and leave it cooking for 2 more minutes.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the noodles for 1-2 minutes, drain the water and rinse with cold water. You want to have the noodles still al dente, as they will finish cooking with the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the stir fry. Heat some oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion. After a few minutes add the garlic and ginger paste, cook for one more minute and then add the broccoli and carrot. After cooking for a few minutes, cover the pan with a lid for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the cooked noodles and the stir-fry sauce. To make the stir-fry sauce, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, maple syrup, rice vinegar and vegetable stock or water. Add the sauce and combine all the ingredients. Before serving, add some sesame seeds and chili flakes.
If you liked this recipe, check out our other noodle recipes
Vegan Thai Coconut Noodle Soup
Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 packs instant ramen noodles
- 1 block firm tofu
- 1 small onion or shallot
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1 carrot
- ¼ broccoli
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or Sambal Oelek
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 100 ml vegetable stock or water
Instructions
- Prepare the stir fry sauce combining the soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, maple syrup, rice vinegar and vegetable stock or water.
- Boil the noodles for 1-2 minutes, drain the water and rinse with cold water. You want to have the noodles still al dente as they will finish cooking with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the tofu into triangles or cubes, depending on your taste. Heat some oil in a pan and pan-fry the tofu making sure all the sides are cooked. When the tofu starts to golden, add two tablespoons of the sauce and leave it cooking for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Using the same pan, heat some oil and add finely chopped onion. After a few minutes add the garlic and ginger finely cut, crushed or pressed. Cook for one more minute and then add the broccoli cut into florets and carrot cut into medium-size strips. After cooking for a few minutes, cover the pan with a lid for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the cooked noodles and the stir-fry sauce. Combine well all the ingredients so all the noodles are coated with the sauce. Before serving, add some sesame seeds and chilli flakes.
Nutrition
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English
Tim says
Great easy to make recipe. I tuned the proportions to my preferences and used all ingredients except maple syrup.
Laura says
Thank you Tim!
Sandra Shaffer says
This ramen noodle is so easy to make and so flavorful! Made this for my son and he devoured just about the whole dish. We didn’t have broccoli so used snap peas. Delish!
Laura says
That's a great alternative too! Thank you Sandra 🙂
Marta says
Ever since my husband was stationed in the Far East, he's been in love with ramen and tofu. We'll be trying this recipe out in the next few days. It looks amazing!
Laura says
Thank you Marta, I hope you like it!
Jenny says
This was a really delicious stir fry! We really enjoyed it and will make it again for sure. It was easy and so satisfying. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Laura says
Thank you Jenny, happy you enjoyed it!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This is my Go To meal on a busy weeknight and is so easy to put together. Love the simplicity of the dish and yet the great flavors. I use tofu most of the time for the protein.
Laura says
Thank you Sandhya, we love using tofu for many recipes too!
Erin says
Ah, I haven't had ramen noodles in years! Not since I started avoiding processed junk. I never thought of making my own seasoning for them. I absolutely need to try this!
Laura says
You should try Erin, really lovely recipe!
Heidy McCallum says
This Ramen Noodle Stir Fry turned out perfect. I hadn't had Ramon noodles in years and was really pleased with the outcome. Saving to make this recipe again. Happy New year.
Laura says
Thank you Heidy, happy new year!
Alex says
I love how few ingredients this has for such a recipe! My husband would absolutely love it. He always gets the little packets and I am not so happy about that with the never-ending ingredients list.
Laura says
Totally, way better to do the sauce at home!
Tammy says
Ok now this is my idea of comfort food! Looks so delicious 😀 I love a good stir fry and the tofu triangles just look so good!
Laura says
Thank you Tammy!
Becky says
Great, flexible recipe! I used cabbage, mushrooms, and scallions (instead of broccoli, carrots, and onions), just because that’s what I had on hand. It was wonderful, the whole family gobbled it up!
Laura says
Thank you Becky, happy you liked the recipe. Great combination of ingredients
Veronika Sykorova says
Ramen stir fry is my favorite meal to make when I don't have too much time. So simple and so delicious! Love your recipe!
Laura says
Thank you Veronika!
Jacqueline Debono says
This ramen stir fry went down a treat. I added some mushrooms because I love them with noodles! To be repeated (often!)
Laura says
Mushrooms are really lovely added to this dish too! 🙂 great idea!
Jaclyn C says
Absolutely love this recipe! So tasty and simple. A new favorite!
Laura says
Thank you Jaclyn!
Peg says
Whoa, this ramen stir fry was so good! My husband was in heaven and thanked me over and over for dinner. Talk about amazing flavors....make this and get your take-out fix! I used GFree ramen noodles, so our meal was insanely delicious and healthy! Thank you so much Laura, this one’s a keeper.
Laura says
Thank you Peg! Lovely to read your review and really glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Carley Bloomer says
Easy and tasty. It scratches the takeout itch. I plan on tweaking some things more to my preferences, but I will definitely make this again.
Laura says
Thank you Carley!
Arya|Theveganfoodfrat.com says
Love this recipe!
Laura says
Thank you!
Roni says
Made this exactly as written and it turned out so good I made it twice the same week! It’s a keeper!
Laura says
Thank you Roni! Glad you liked it, we make it really often at home too!
Cameron says
This is SUCH a great recipe!! Once you make it one time just to learn it, it’s so easy and quick (and cheap!) to make. It’s definitely a staple in my house we now have on a regular basis. Great job and thanks for sharing!!
Laura says
Thank you Cameron, we make it quite often too!
CS says
I made this last week with whole wheat noodles instead of ramen, and sliced red peppers and frozen peas instead of broccoli. It was delicious.
Laura says
That sounds delicious! Thank you 🙂
Tori says
So easy and yummy. Definitely a little spicy but that can always be altered to taste. Would definitely make again.
Laura says
Thanks Tori, sure you can adjust the spice level 🙂
Kat says
Made it - loved it - will do again!
Laura says
Thank you Kat!
Suzi says
OH YUM!!! Thank you for this super simple recipe today! Made a perfect lunch for the two of us and I doubled the sauce and added more stuff so got one more meal out of it for us!!
Laura says
Thank you Suzi! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂