From vegetable-filled broths to noodles made with pumpkin seed protein, here are the vegan instant ramen options you need to try.
Ramen — a savory Japanese soup — is typically made with noodles served in a meat or fish-based broth and topped with foods such as sliced pork or a soft-boiled egg, but there are plenty of vegan options out there, whether you’re dining out or eating at home. In fact, there’s even more vegan goodness to choose from when you factor in all of the plant-based instant ramen options, of which there are many.
Is Instant Ramen Vegan?
Instead of using fish or meat-based broths, these ramen varieties are often made with vegetable-based broths that have been flavored with coconut milk, red chili pepper, lemongrass and an array of other herbs and spices. Several brands, such as Lotus Foods, have even gotten creative with the noodles as well. The California-based company sells instant ramen made with heirloom black rice noodles, wakame seaweed noodles and other atypical (yet tasty!) options.
What’s more? Since vegan instant ramen tends to be packed with nutritious vegetables, it’s often much healthier than its meat-filled counterparts.
The 12 Best Vegan Instant Ramens to Keep in Your Pantry
Next time that noddle craving strikes, consider giving one of these vegan instant ramen varieties a try.
Immi
Immi was founded by Asian-American entrepreneurs Kevin Lee (KLee) and Kevin Chanthasiriphan (KChan) and formally launched in January 2021. It is billed as the world’s first low-carb, high-protein instant ramen brand and utilizes plant-based ingredients such as pumpkin seed protein and faba bean protein. Currently, the company has three ramen varieties — Tom Yum “Shrimp”, Black Garlic “Chicken” and Spicy “Beef”. Each serving has an impressive 31 g of protein.
Immi notes on its website: “At immi, we’re paying homage to our favorite foods, while reimagining them for our modern diets—with high-quality ingredients that taste just as good as we remember.”
Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods
Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods sells a plethora of plant-based vegan soups, including ramen made with organic noodles. The brand has a Miso Ramen as well as a Chicken Flavor Ramen, and also makes similar meals such as Spring Onion Noodle Soup and Pad Thai Noodle Soup.
According to its website, Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods strives to make “plant-based vegan soups, ramen, and meals to keep you nourished wherever you are. Enjoy our organic, gluten-free, oil-free, and lower-sodium options for the perfect snack or meal.”
Koyo Ramen
All of Koyo Ramen’s products are vegan, and the brand has earned a loyal following thanks, in part, to its inventive flavors. Ramen varieties include Wakame Seaweed Ramen, Buckwheat Shoyu Ramen, Shitake Mushroom Ramen and more. All of Koyo’s ramen noodles are baked, not fried.
Koyo Ramen’s products have no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors and, according to the brand’s website, they “dig clean umami,” — the fifth category of taste in food that goes beyond sweet, sour, salt and bitter.
Lotus Foods Rice Ramen and Rice Ramen Soup Cups
Lotus Foods has an extensive range of rice ramen that comes in a variety of bold flavors. The brand’s ramen is also often filled with vibrant colors thanks to the plant-based ingredients they use.
For example, the Purple Potato & Brown Rice Ramen (which is purple!) is made with organic purple sweet potato and brown rice noodles and boasts a savory, Indian-style vegetable broth. The brand also sells Rice Ramen Soup Cups that are great as an on-the-go snack. Just note that one of those products — the Spicy Kimchi Rice Ramen — is not vegan because it contains anchovies and shrimp.
Annie Chun’s Spicy Miso Ramen and Shoyu Ramen
While Annie Chun isn’t exactly known for a plethora of vegan products, the popular brand does have two plant-based ramen options — Spicy Miso Ramen and Shoyu Ramen. The Spicy Miso Ramen consists of noodles in a flavorful broth with corn, carrots and green onion, while the Shoyu Ramen is made with the same veggies and noodles in a savory vegetable broth.
Sahmyook Spicy Ramen
Sahmyook Spicy Ramen, which gets its kick from hot pepper paste powder, is made in South Korea and consists of a flavorful, veggie-based broth. The noodles are made from a combination of potato starch and rice flour. The soup has no preservatives and no MSG.
Mike’s Mighty Good Vegetarian Coconut Lemongrass Ramen
Mike’s Mighty Good has several vegetarian ramen options, but this is the only vegan one. It’s made with a coconut milk broth that gets a subtle kick from lemongrass and a dash of chili pepper. The noodles are organic and made fresh each day in California.
Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup
This mild ramen hails from South Korea and boasts a savory vegetable broth that gets its flavor from black pepper, ginger, green tea extract and other spices. It’s packed with vegan-friendly ingredients and is even registered with The Vegan Society.
Pot Noodle Japanese Miso Ramen
This ramen variety from Unilever’s British Pot Noodle brand debuted in July 2019 as part of the company’s Asian Street Style range. Not only is this soup vegan, but it’s low in fat, sugar, and contains no cholesterol as well. It’s also packed with healthy seaweed.
Trader Joe’s Miso Ramen
This Vegan Miso ramen is great for a quick and convenient meal or snack. According to the popular supermarket chain, the umami broth is made from miso, seaweed, and garlic. The soup also comes with a packet of blended sunflower and sesame oil, which you can toss in to keep the noodles silky-smooth while you slurp away.
Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie (Soy Sauce Flavor)
Though Nissin produces plenty of foods that aren’t vegan-friendly (including other varieties of Cup Noodles) the soy sauce flavor of the common college staple contains no meat, fish, or animal byproducts. Instead, it’s loaded with carrots, bok choy, and edamame. In February 2019, Nissin even let consumers send vegan “noods” to their valentines in the form of vegan Cup Noodle bouquets.
Nissin Top Ramen (Chili and Soy Sauce Flavors)
This Nissin product, which is very similar to the above, is vegan-friendly as well, so long as you stick to the chili and soy sauce flavors. The chili variety, as you may have guessed, is quite spicy thanks to some crushed red chili pepper in the broth.
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