Chewy ramen noodles stir fried with kimchi and aromatics covered in melted cheddar cheese. This quick and easy Kimchi Cheese Ramen Stir-Fry is delicious and ready in 15 minutes! It's great as a fast meal when you're craving kimchi!
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Kimchi Cheese Ramen Stir-Fry features bouncy instant ramen noodles stir-fried with kimchi, garlic, sesame oil with melting cheese on top.
This Korean dish is absolutely divine as the flavors pair perfectly with each other. Add a soft boiled jammy egg on top and it's tasty meal! It serves well as a main or side dish.
I love making this swift and simple noodle dish whenever I'm craving kimchi and ramen. The two are such a match made in heaven!
This is a Korean-inspired noodle dish as Koreans love to incorporate kimchi into many of their dishes. Often, Koreans eat their soupy instant ramen with kimchi and they will often say it's a "must"!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Well-fermented Kimchi: to check if it's well-fermented the napa cabbage will be red and less white and more tender than sturdy. I recommend buying "mat" or "pre-cut" kimchi at the Korean grocery store to make preparation easier.
- Instant ramen noodles: use the thicker kind if possible for best texture. Or substitute with fresh ramen, frozen ramen or yaki soba but prepare them according to package directions.
- Kimchi juice: from the kimchi jar or packaging.
- Garlic
- Reserved noodle water: this helps to thicken the sauce and loosens the noodles.
- Chicken bouillon powder: this is chicken stock powder and adds more depth to the dish - do not skip!
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Sesame oil
- Green onion
- Cheddar Cheese: shredded cheese works best. Or substitute with any cheese that you enjoy, like Swiss or mozzarella cheese.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Source well-fermented kimchi for this dish. This creates a more flavorful noodle dish as the kimchi is more tangier and flavorful.
- Do not skip the chicken bouillon powder! It really elevates the dish.
- Don't overcook the ramen. Just boil it for 2 minutes and no more than that. I would even boil it for 1.5 minutes because we will be stir frying it later.
- When sautéing the kimchi, allow the kimchi juices to release. This is necessary to create our light seasoning for the noodles.
- Lower the heat when mixing in the cheese. This prevents the noodles from overcooking.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Kimchi Cheese Ramen Stir-Fry:
- In a large pot filled with water, bring it a boil. Add your instant noodles and boil for 2 minutes max. Do not overcook them. Reserve 5 tablespoon of the noodle water for later. Strain noodles immediately and add 1 teaspoon of oil to loosen the noodles. Set aside.
- Then heat remaining vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan on medium heat. Fry kimchi until juices from the kimchi release. Next toss in minced garlic and stir fry the kimchi and garlic together.
- Add cooked ramen noodles, kimchi juice, chicken powder, white granulated sugar, sesame oil, and noodle water. Toss everything together.
- Next toss in green onions with noodles.
- Top noodles with shredded cheddar cheese and let it melt. Reduce the heat to low-medium to avoid overcooking the noodles. Serve hot and enjoy!
- Optional: Bring a pot of water to boil on medium-high heat. Soft boil eggs for 8 minutes. After boiling, transfer boiled eggs to an ice bath. Crack, peel and slice them into half to serve with noodles.
Storage
- This dish is best consumed same day as instant ramen becomes soggy over time.
- Leftovers will last up to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing this kimchi cheese ramen stir-fry because the ramen will become soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
This kimchi cheese ramen stir-fry serves well with other Korean side dishes or banchans like:
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Some optional add-ins can include: cooked chicken, pork, beef, spam or ham, extra-firm tofu, cooked mushrooms, napa cabbage or leafy greens, or carrots.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Kimchi Cheese Ramen Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 3 servings instant ramen noodles only use the ramen noodles (don't use the seasoning or dried veggie flakes if provided)
- ¾ cup kimchi finely chopped
- 6 tablespoon kimchi juice from the kimchi packaging
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese or add as much as desired
Optional Add-Ins:
- 3 soft boiled eggs
Instructions
- In a large pot filled with water, bring it a boil. Add your instant noodles and boil for 2 minutes max. Do not overcook them. Reserve 5 tablespoon of the noodle water for later. Strain noodles immediately and add 1 teaspoon of oil to loosen the noodles. Set aside.
- Then heat remaining vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan on medium heat. Fry kimchi until juices from the kimchi release. Next toss in minced garlic and stir fry the kimchi and garlic together.
- Add cooked ramen noodles, kimchi juice, chicken powder, white granulated sugar, sesame oil, and noodle water. Toss everything together.
- Next toss in green onions with noodles.
- Top noodles with shredded cheddar cheese and let it melt. Reduce the heat to low-medium to avoid overcooking the noodles. Serve hot and enjoy!
- Optional: Bring a pot of water to boil on medium-high heat. Soft boil eggs for 8 minutes. After boiling, transfer boiled eggs to an ice bath. Crack, peel and slice them into half to serve with noodles.
Greg
Delicious. Thanks for sharing. I'm vegetarian so substituted one packet of the ramen seasoning in place of the chicken powder. Followed the recipe exactly for everything else. Super easy and good!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Greg! So happy it worked out well.
Noura
Stellar recipe of ingredients I wouldn't have thought to pair together and it really hit the spot. I had to modify based on what I had on hand, so I swapped the kimchi for spinach, added a chopped jalapeno for heat, and used veggie broth to keep it vegetarian
christieathome
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this! Thanks for making my recipe Noura!
Leo
Super delicious
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Leo!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
It's hard to beat flavor packed noodles with an ooey gooey cheese topping. Talk about some serious yum!
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
Such a fun collection of flavors and ingredients in this stir fry! I love the addition of cheese!