Chewy ramen noodles stir fried in a light garlicky savory sauce. This quick and easy stir-fried ramen is easily made with simple pantry ingredients in 5 minutes! Great as a fast meal or side dish when time is of the essence!
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These stir fried ramen noodles are made of instant ramen noodles, soy sauce, honey, garlic, mirin, ginger powder, sesame oil, butter with a hint of sriracha for spice.
They're easily made with minimal simple ingredients with minimal effort and time in one pot! Yay for less dishes to wash.
This is a great ramen recipe for busy weeknight meals when you need something fast for dinner or lunch. You can make it a complete meal by adding cooked greens and protein.
I love making these kind of noodles when I'm not in a soupy mood and I don't want the soup splashing around as I eat it on my couch while I watch a good Korean drama, haha! That's actually why I created this recipe. It's the perfect TV companion.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Instant Ramen Noodles: any instant noodles will work as we won't be using the ramen soup base. Use a brand that you enjoy! I like using Jin ramen or Nongshim as the noodles are thick and chewy.
- Green onions
- Reserved hot noodle water: this helps make the sauce stick to the noodles and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils.
Noodle Sauce
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Honey: or maple syrup or white granulated sugar.
- Fresh Garlic
- Mirin: a popular sweet rice cooking wine used in Japanese cuisine. It’s sweeter than cooking sake and has a very low alcoholic taste. You can find this at most Asian or Japanese grocers.
- Ginger powder: I prefer using this over grated ginger as it's less potent and it evenly distributes with the sauce
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor. If you're allergic, omit it.
- Melted butter: for extra flavor!
- Sriracha sauce: optional for a spicy kick!
Expert Tips
- Use an instant ramen brand that you enjoy. I find the ones with thicker chewy noodles work the best for this kind of recipe.
- Don't overcook the ramen noodles. This ensures al dente noodles in the finished dish as we'll be stir frying them later.
- Prepare the sauce in advance so the ingredients evenly distribute.
- Reserve some of that noodle water! It helps the sauce bind to the noodles and makes the sauce thicker due to the starch.
- Do not over stir-fry the noodles. Once a minute has past, immediately transfer to a serving bowl.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a small pot filled with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Boil noodles for 1.5 minutes until they are loosened. Reserve 1 tablespoon of hot noodle water for later. Strain the noodles.
- Reduce to low-heat and add vegetable oil and chopped green onions. Stir-fry for 10 seconds so the green onions infuse the oil.
- Toss in cooked noodles with reserved noodle water and noodle sauce.
- Mix until noodles are coated in the sauce for 1 minute. Remove and transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 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 with a splash of hot water to loosen the noodles. Note: ramen noodles will lose their chewy texture over time.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing these type of noodles as they will go soggy after reheating.
Topping Ideas
This stir-fried ramen can be topped up with:
- soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, poached eggs or fried eggs
- cooked greens like bok choy, yu choy sum, baby gai-lan, or boiled peas or carrots
- cooked chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or extra-firm tofu
- shredded cheese
- chili oil
Pairing Suggestions
This stir-fried ramen serves well with:
- cooked dumplings
- bulgogi
- tteokbokki
- Korean cucumber salad
- beansprout salad
- Korean spinach
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. But a note of warning: the noodles will go soggy with time. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 5-min. Stir Fried Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 serving instant ramen noodles about 4.23 oz/120 g
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Noodle Sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ tsp butter melted
- ½ teaspoon mirin
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a small pot filled with 2 cups/500 ml of water, bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Boil noodles for 1.5 minutes until they are loosened. Reserve 1 tablespoon of hot noodle water for later. Strain the noodles.
- Reduce to low-heat and add vegetable oil and chopped green onions. Stir-fry for 10 seconds so the green onions infuse the oil.
- Toss in cooked noodles with reserved noodle water and noodle sauce.
- Mix until noodles are coated in the sauce for 1 minute. Remove and transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Fred
It was really easy to make, delicious and filling. I messed up and it was cold when I was eating it but then I realised it can me a meal-prep idea! I recommend this recipe for everyone who is learning how to cook.
PS: I added teriyaki-fried tofu and sesame as toppings
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you enjoyed it with some teriyaki tofu and sesame seeds!
Evelyn Sanchez
This was Amazing. I've never had anything like it. It was like heaven in noodles. Thank you so much Christie.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you found it to be heavenly!
Heidi Miller
Bring on the flavor! You've created the perfect balance of both sweet and savory with this dish!!
Sharon
I made this today and your recipe is OUTSTANDING!!!!! Easy sub for mirin was rice wine vinegar, I used regular butter and arugula for greens since that's what I had. This recipe is killer! Thank you.
christieathome
Thank you so much Sharon! This is the kindest review I’ve ever received! I am so happy you enjoyed it and thank you so much for sharing your substitute!
Preethi
Perfect and easiest indulgence made at the convenience of home.! I modified a bit to my likings and I’m going to be making this many many times. Inspire more Christie!
Ivanka
This ramen stir fry method/sauce was AMAZING! I made a few tiny substitutions based on what I had - e.g. used rice vinegar instead of Mirin, olive oil instead of avocado oil & added some chili flakes. The vegan butter gave them the most perfect buttery flavour/texture. Such a delicious recipe - thank you Christie!
christieathome
Aww thank you so Ivanka! I am so happy you enjoyed it. Great substitutions as well!! Also happy to hear you enjoyed the butter trick. Have a great day Ivanka!!
Rebecca Dillon
Ramen is that perfect indulgence. This sounds especially amazing. I can't wait to give this recipe a try! Thanks so much, Christie!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This ramen noodle recipe looks so darn delicious! I definitely need to make this one for my family and I need to get my hands on some of the Lotus Foods Ramen. Thanks for sharing Christie!