This is a nutty and savory vegan ramen recipe that’s packed with chopped onions and ginger. The simple tahini and vegan dashi based broth gives the dish a silky element and delicate taste.
Mmmm ramen.
One of the things I love about ramen is the variety of toppings, noodles, and soups it offers. There are so many different types to choose from, it’s virtually impossible to get bored of this iconic Japanese dish!
I grew up eating tonkotsu ramen (pork based broth) because of my mother who is from Kyushu – the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. I never got tired of slurping egg noodles coated in a milky white pork broth, topped with charsiu pork, chopped scallions, and a ramen egg.
If you are from Kyushu, such as my whole Japanese family, chances are you only eat tonkotsu ramen and consider other ramen flavors such as shoyu (soy sauce), less complex and not particularly exciting.
I, on the other hand, enjoy the whole flavor spectrum that ramen has to offer, probably because I grew up in a small town in Quebec, and had to make up for lost time by trying everything on the menu. But since I no longer eat meat I’ve had to say goodbye to my dearly beloved tonkotsu.
Luckily, I’ve tasted some pretty spectacular vegan ramens during the past couple of years so I thought it would be fun to try to come up with my own recipe.
While many vegan ramen versions use miso paste as a base, I’ve decided to try something different for today’s noodle soup. I’m skipping miso paste altogether and using a mix of tahini, vegan dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil, to create the broth. The result is a briny,savory, nutty, and mildly sweet broth that’s easy to sip on and never gets overwhelming.
Let me show you how to make it!
Ingredients for Vegan Ramen
- Oil: Use a neutral oil such as grapeseed or vegetable so as not to alter the flavor of the broth. The oil is used to fry the onion and ginger.
- Onion: Choose a yellow or white onion for this recipe. Size wise, pick a small one or use half of an that will come to about 1/2 cup once it’s finely chopped. Make sure to chop your onion really fine. The finer the better!
- Ginger: The ginger adds a little heat to the broth so feel free to add more than a tablespoon if you love spicy food!
- Vegan dashi: A mix of kombu, wakame seaweed, and water.
- Soy sauce: I’m using 3 tablespoons to add plenty of umami and earthiness to the broth but feel free to use less if you are watching your sodium intake.
- Mirin: Mirin adds sweetness to the broth so you can add more if you have a sweet tooth. As for me, I found 2 1/2 tablespoons to be just the right amount.
- Kosher salt: Salt has a way of balancing the sum of all the flavors, even the saltiness of soy sauce. But if you are watching your sodium intake, go ahead and omit it entirely.
- Tahini: The secret of the broth lies in its creaminess and nuttiness, thanks to the tahini. Quick tip: Using natural peanut butter instead of tahini also works beautifully!
- Sesame oil: Look for toasted sesame oil if you can as it adds an extra layer of complexity.
- Ramen noodles: Not just any ramen noodles if you want this bowl to be fully vegan! Make sure you are using vegan ramen noodles.
Ramen Toppings
Technically, you can use whatever you want as a topping. Hey, it’s your own bowl of noodles after all so don’t be afraid to experiment with your favorite ingredients! However, if you would like to stick to a more traditional bowl of ramen, here are some of the most popular vegan choices:
- Tofu, drained and cut into cubes
- Abura age (deef fried tofu pouches)
- Pickled bamboo shoots, called menma (メンマ)
- Nori sheets (flavored ones preferably)
- Wakame seaweed
- Mung beans sprouts
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Spinach
- Shredded cabbage
- Corn
- Ichimi togarashi (chili pepper flakes)
How to Make Vegan Ramen
- Start by making the vegan dashi by putting the kombu, wakame, and water in a pot. Bring the water to a boil and once it’s boiling, turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Remove the kombu and strain the dashi through a sieve. Set aside.
- Use a medium size pot, put it on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Add the neutral oil, chopped onions, and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes. You want the onions to be soft but not caramelized.
- Next, stir in the tahini, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and salt, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Grab your ramen noodles and follow the instructions on the package to prepare them. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and divide them among two bowls.
- Check on your broth and stir in the sesame oil before turning off the heat. Divide the broth evenly and top with your favorite toppings. Itadakimasu!
Storing the Vegan Broth
You can store the broth in the fridge in an airtight storage container and it will keep for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the broth, also in an airtight storage container, to keep for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with Vegan Ramen
Picks some simple vegan side dishes, nothing too heavy since ramen is already quite filling! Some of my favorite Asian sides to pair with ramen are:
- Mushroom cabbage dumplings with easy dumpling sauce
- Seaweed salad (kaisou salada)
- Asian slaw
- Korean cucumber salad
- Green salad with carrot ginger dressing
- Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
Did you like this Vegan Ramen Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Vegan Ramen
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is a nutty and savory vegan ramen recipe that’s packed with chopped onions and ginger. The simple tahini and vegan dashi based broth gives the dish a silky element and delicate taste.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 cups vegan dashi (recipe below)
- 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoon mirin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, or chili oil, for spicy
- 12 oz fresh vegan ramen noodles or 6 oz dried vegan ramen noodles
Vegan dashi:
- 1 4×4-inch piece kombu
- 2 teaspoons wakame seaweed
- 4 cups water
Toppings of your choice:
- Tofu cubes
- Nori sheet
- Seasoned bamboo shoots (menma)
- Wakame seaweed
- Mung bean sprouts
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Baby spinach
- Shredded cabbage
- Ichimi togarashi
Instructions
Vegan Dashi:
- Put all the ingredients for the vegan dashi in a pot and turn the heat to medium. When the water is bubbling a little, turn the heat off and leave for 30 minutes.
- Strain the dashi through a sieve, use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight jar or container. It will keep for up to 1 week.
Ramen:
- In a pot over medium heat, add oil, onions, and ginger, and stir often for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender but not browning.
- Stir in dashi, tahini, soy sauce, mirin, and kosher salt and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the ramen according to the instructions on the package. Drain and divide the noodles evenly among two bowls.
- Add the sesame oil to the broth and turn the heat off. Pour the broth over the noodles and add your favorite toppings. Serve immediately.
Notes
For leftover broth:
Store in the fridge in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
To freeze the broth:
Store the broth in an airtight storage container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Make this recipe gluten-free by:
- Using liquid amino or tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Using gluten-free ramen noodles such as millet and brown rice noodles, glass noodles, 100% buckwheat noodles, rice noodles, or shirataki noodles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ramen bowl
- Calories: 601
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 2100.2mg
- Fat: 25.5g
- Saturated Fat: 7.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 79.3g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Protein: 15.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Did you like this Vegan Ramen Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
