Browse over 35 Ramen Hacks to upgrade your instant ramen noodles. From viral ramen hacks like the creamy shin ramen, ramen dumplings, and buldak carbonara, to dozens of easy ramen hacks - I'll be sharing my favorite tried and tested noodle hacks!
If you’ve ever stared at a humble packet of instant noodles and thought, “this could be better,” you’re already part of the global obsession with ramen hacks. What started as a budget-friendly staple has evolved into a full-blown culinary playground, fueled by dorm rooms, late-night cravings, and, more recently, social media creativity.
Let’s dig into the story behind ramen hacks, why they exploded in popularity, and the best ways to transform your noodles into something extra delicious!
Jump to:
- What Is a Ramen Hack?
- Where Did Ramen Hacks Come From?
- My Favorite Ramen Hacks
- 35+ Ramen Hacks
- Condiments
- Garnishes
- Vegetable/Vegetarian Ramen Hacks
- Meat and Fish Ramen Hacks
- Ramen Hack Recipes
- What To Serve with Ramen Hack Recipes
- More Noodle Recipes
- FAQs
- Easy Ramen Hacks: 35+ Ramen Hacks to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles
What Is a Ramen Hack?
You may have seen the term "ramen hack" all over social media and asked yourself, is this really a "hack"? Well, don't overthink the wording of it because what it really means is that it's a simple and sometimes creative way to transform instant noodles (commonly shin ramen) into a souped up or creamy meal by upgrading the broth and toppings.
Where Did Ramen Hacks Come From?
- Budget Cooking Culture: instant ramen has been a staple since its invention by Momofuku Ando in 1958. Cheap, fast, filling, and tasty, it became synonymous with student life and tighter budgets. Naturally, people started experimenting to make it more satisfying!
- Asian Fusion: Noodle dishes all over East Asia can be simplified and souped up. And this led to the simple instant noodles to follow the same route.
- TikTok and Viral Food Trends: Platforms like TikTok supercharged ramen hacks. Viral recipes (like creamy egg ramen or spicy cheese ramen) spread globally in days, turning simple ideas into mainstream trends.
My Favorite Ramen Hacks
For anyone new here, hi! I'm Emily - a recipe developer, cookbook author, and noodle lover. I've tested and developed hundreds of noodle recipes and these are some of my go-to ramen hacks. Scroll down the blog to discover 35+ instant ramen hacks.
- Creamy Ramen Hack: cook one packet of shin ramyun according to packet instructions. Add the flavor sachets to a bowl with 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 egg, 1 tablespoon kewpie mayonnaise, 1 ladle noodle water. Mix thoroughly, then add in the drained noodles, mix thoroughly and top with finely sliced scallions and chili oil.
- Peanut Butter Ramen Hack: cook one packet of instant noodles according to packet instructions. To a bowl, add 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon mayo, 1 scallion (finely sliced), 1 ladle of noodle water. Mix to combine, then add in the drained cooked noodles and stir to combine. Top with a fried egg, chili oil, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
- Pea Pesto Ramen: A bit of a healthier option...we create a pea pesto and that's our sauce for the instant ramen.
- Tteokbokki Ramen Hack: cook one packet of instant noodles in 500ml chicken stock with 1 tablespoon gochujang, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon gochugaru flakes, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 garlic clove (minced), and 100g rice cakes. Once cooked and the sauce has thickened, top with mozzarella and chopped scallions. Leave to melt, then serve up!
- Ramen Dumplings Hack: one of my favorite ways to eat ramen! You cook the ramen to packet instructions and then wrap it in rice paper to form dumplings.
Additional garnishes for all of these recipes include: pak choi, edamame beans, fried chicken, fried ground meat, sweet corn, an egg (obviously), fried crumbled tofu, fried beansprouts…
35+ Ramen Hacks
From condiments like mayonnaise to simple cooking techniques like a one pan bake ramen hack, there are dozens of ramen hacks you can choose from. These are some of my go-tos!
Condiments
1. Kewpie Mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise): adding this fatty condiment to the base of your bowl creates a creamy broth. I've got a homemade kewpie mayo recipe or you can just buy one from the store.
2. Chili oil or here are some chili oil substitutes if you don't have it! I love to drizzle chili oil over my instant ramen for an extra kick of spice.
3. Peanut Butter: a great example of its use is in my peanut butter noodles recipe. It adds a lovely nuttiness and mellows the flavour of the spicy ramen broth flavour.
4. Thai curry paste: this adds a lovely spice if you're wanting to leave out the spicy sachet in your packet of noodles.
5. Miso paste: for extra saltiness and umami, you can add this to the broth.
6. Sriracha: for extra spice, add this to the base of your broth. Alternatively use sriracha mayonnaise for extra creaminess.
7. Soy sauce: Adds an additional flavour to the base of the broth. I use light soy sauce.
8. Cheese: yes, cheese is a food in itself, but I'm using it as a condiment here. Grate either mozzarella, cheddar, or american cheese and place it as a garnish on your instant ramen noodles. It mellows out the spice and goes SO well with spicy ramen.
9. Gochujang: you'll use this in our tteokbokki ramen hack further down the blog. It's a korean red pepper paste and it's got this lovely spicy smoky flavour!
10. Sweet chili sauce: adds a lovely sweet spicy addition to the broth.
Garnishes
11. Sesame seeds: I always have a pot of white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in my pantry. You could alternatively sprinkle over some crushed peanuts.
12. Scallions: finely sliced spring onions / scallions / green onions add a freshness and pop of green colour.
13. Cilantro: for those of you who taste soap, you can avoid this. But I love the addition of finely chopped cilantro / coriander sprinkled over the noodles. It adds freshness to the dish.
14. Chives: finely sliced chives once again, add freshness and colour.
15. Jammy egg: I love topping my ramen noodles with a marinated egg, fried egg, jammy egg cooked for 6 minutes, or poached egg.
Looking for more toppings? Check out over 19 ramen toppings that I adore!
Vegetable/Vegetarian Ramen Hacks
16. Pak choi: or baby bok choi work as great green toppings. I love steaming or boiling my pak choi for a couple of minutes. You can alternatively fry them in garlic and soy sauce in a pan.
17. Beansprouts: I love the crunchy texture of beansprouts! If you don't have them, here are some beansprout substitutes for you!
18. Tofu: tofu is one of the most versatile and customisable ramen hacks. For extra firm tofu, you can tear it into chunks and fry it, grate it and fry it, or slice into slabs and fry it until golden broth. For silken tofu, you can slice it into cubes and transfer it onto of your noodles or you could blend it into a cream and serve it on top of the noodles like I've done in this viral mapo tofu udon recipe!
19. Edamame beans: high in protein and low in calorie, I always have a bag of these in my freezer. They're a great way to pimp up your ramen.
20. Broccoli: Another green healthy addition to instant ramen is either tenderstem broccoli or regular broccoli.
Meat and Fish Ramen Hacks
21. Beef: you can either get some ground beef and fry it off to make crispy ground beef and add that on top of your shin ramen. Alternatively, you could fry off a steak, slice it, and place it on top of your ramen. Or if you're fancying slow-cooker beef, you could follow my recipe in my beef and ramen noodles blog!
22. Pork: once again, fried ground pork that goes slightly crispy is such a win!
23. Chicken: fried ground chicken is delicious but can sometimes be hard to find in supermarkets. If so, feel free to make my honey ginger chicken or my chicken katsu noodles if that's what you fancy!
24. Meatballs: the great thing with meatballs is that you can either fry them in a separate pan like my teriyaki meatballs and place them on top of your instant ramen, or you can make the meatballs and the ramen all in one pan like my Thai-style meatball noodle soup.
25. Prawns: for those of you looking for a seafood option, my shrimp noodle soup is a great hack addition to instant ramen!
Ramen Hack Recipes
26. Creamy Ramen Hack
Cook one packet of shin ramyun according to packet instructions. Add the flavor sachets to a bowl with 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon kewpie mayonnaise, 1 ladle noodle water. Mix thoroughly, then add in the drained noodles, mix thoroughly and top with finely sliced scallions and chili oil.
27. Peanut Butter Ramen Hack
Cook one packet of instant noodles according to packet instructions. To a bowl, add 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon mayo, 1 scallion (finely sliced), 1 ladle of noodle water. Mix to combine, then add in the drained cooked noodles and stir to combine. Top with a fried egg, chili oil, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
28. Tteokbokki Ramen Hack
Cook one packet of instant noodles in 500ml chicken stock with 1 tablespoon gochujang, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon gochugaru flakes, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 garlic clove (minced), and 100g rice cakes. Once cooked and the sauce has thickened, top with mozzarella and chopped scallions. Leave to melt, then serve up!
29. Pea Pesto Ramen
There's something fun about switching up an instant ramen recipe and well...making it green and slightly more healthy than your regular instant noodles.
These Spicy Ramen Dumplings are honestly TOO GOOD! An obsession is an understatement. The cheese and spring onion mayonnaise balance out the spice, making this dish incredibly moorish and addictive!
Combining Buldak Samyang Spicy Ramen with your more traditional carbonara sauce gives you a delicious result! It's become one of my favourite super easy meals to make, I hope you love it!
32. Chili Oil Ramen Hack
Prepare the instant noodles according to packet instructions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 tablespoon finely sliced scallions, ½ tablespoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Place 40ml sunflower oil in a small pan and heat until hot. Pour the hot oil over the bowl mixture and combine thoroughly. Drain the noodles and then toss them in the sauced bowl until well combined.
33. Egg Drop Ramen Hack
Cook the instant noodles according to packet instructions using the right amount of broth (around 300-500ml). Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl, then when the noodles are nearly cooked, gently pour the eggs into the noodle/broth pan. Don't stir the noodles, let the eggs settle for 30 seconds, then gently stir. The eggs should be silky and ribbon-like.
34. Creamy Tomato Ramen Hack
Get a large skillet and add in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Follow with 2 garlic cloves (minced), 100ml tomato passata, 100ml cream, the ramen flavour sachets, noodles, and water (according to packet instructions). Stir to combine and once the noodles are cooked, serve up your creamy tomato ramen and top with grated parmesan.
35. One Pan Dump and Bake Ramen Hack
Preheat your oven to 350F / 180c. To a large baking dish, add 400ml chicken stock, 400ml coconut milk, 2 garlic cloves (minced), and your ramen packet flavour sachets. Give everything a mix, then add in the 2 instant ramen nests. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, stir and loosen the noodles, add a splash more chicken stock if the noodles are sticking to the base of the dish, then bake for another 15 minutes. Serve up with some additional toppings and enjoy!
If you're totally obsessed with ramen, then check out these 15 ramen noodle recipes!
What To Serve with Ramen Hack Recipes
More Noodle Recipes
FAQs
Kewpie mayo egg creamy ramen hack, tteokbokki ramen hack, cheesy ramen hack and buldak ramen hack.
A simple and sometimes creative way to transform instant noodles (commonly shin ramen) into a souped up or creamy meal by upgrading the broth and toppings.
Add an egg yolk and mayonnaise to a bowl and whisk. Add in a ladle of noodle water and combine. Then add in the cooked noodles with the instant ramen sachets and stir to combine.
Shin Ramyun and Buldak ramen are most common.
The healthiest brands are the ones that air fry the noodles, not deep fry. Also check the packet ingredients for additives.
I love adding low fat protein like 5% fat ground beef, chicken, or tofu. You can also pack on the vegetables from edamame beans, pak choi, or broccoli.
Easy Ramen Hacks: 35+ Ramen Hacks to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 instant ramen I use shin ramyun
Instructions
- Browse the blog to find over 35 ramen hacks! From viral ramen hacks like the creamy ramen hack using kewpie mayo and egg yolk, to more classic ramen hacks like peanut butter instant ramen.
- Enjoy!
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