15 Healthy Instant Ramen Recipes You’ll Crave

Ramen noodles are a tried and true comfort food, enjoyed by generations of college students, and other people living on a budget. But when you think about ramen, you probably think about the cups or packets you see in the grocery store. As enjoyable as they are, these noodles aren’t exactly known for being healthy.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to have a healthy, nutritious bowl of ramen. The first step, of course, is to use good quality noodles. That’s why you should start with a package of Mike’s Mighty Good. Our noodles are steamed, not fried, and we use all-natural ingredients, with less salt than the competition.

On top of that, it helps to have a delicious recipe. Ramen noodles on their own – even ones as tasty as ours – are basically noodles and broth. To truly make a meal, you’ll need to add some other ingredients. We’ve put together a list of 15 mouth-watering recipes that will fill you up and still leave you craving another bowl.

1. Garlic Chili Oil Ramen

Garlic is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, as well as being delicious. Throw in a little bit of chili oil, and you’ve got a sinus-clearing recipe that’s perfect for the chillier months. Chinese black vinegar adds some nuance to the flavor, along with a pleasing bite. Throw in some sesame seeds for texture, and you’ve got yourself a tasty bowl.

2. Loaded Veggie Ramen

The neat thing about a loaded veggie ramen is that it can be anything you want it to be. Our recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, baby spinach, corn, green onions, garlic, and a medley of spices. For protein, we added a soft boiled egg, but you could also go hard boiled, or use some tofu to make it vegan.

But who says you have to use our recipe? Round up whatever veggies you’ve got in your kitchen, fry them up, and add them to a bowl of ramen noodles. No matter what you add, you’ll end up with a healthy bowl, with all of your favorite veggies.

3. Creamy Sesame Miso Ramen

The creamy sesame miso ramen starts out with a packet of Mike’s Mighty Good miso ramen. This is a savory recipe, with shiitake and white mushrooms, along with baby spinach and a bit of green onion. The sauce is made from a mix of tahini, soy sauce, and cilantro, which all add their own unique notes to the recipe.

 Like the loaded veggie ramen, we also added a soft boiled egg to this one. If you’re a vegan, you can simply swap in some fried tofu as a source of protein.

4. Creamy Spicy Miso Ramen

The creamy spicy miso ramen is also made with a miso ramen packet. But instead of being rich and savory, it’s meant to be spicy. We use gochujang sauce, a spicy Korean chili paste that’s becoming more and more popular worldwide. We also use red pepper flakes, which add their own special element of kick.

Sliced cremini mushrooms provide some flavor and savor, and a soft boiled egg provides protein. But we also mixed some soy milk into the broth. This helps to moderate the burn, as well as making the broth a bit richer. Just make sure to use unsweetened soy milk, not sweetened. Sweetened soy milk will be way too sweet, and will absolutely ruin your experience.

5. Spicy Cheesy Ramen

The name of this recipe says it all. Spicy cheesy ramen combines a powerful kick with cheesy goodness that is sure to satisfy your appetite. We begin by adding milk to the broth, and bringing it up to heat. Then, you add hot sauce and sriracha to spice things up. Add some garlic, top it with sliced American cheese, and sprinkle red pepper over the top.

The neat thing about spicy cheesy ramen is its simplicity. You can easily add more or less hot sauce and sriracha, to adjust the level of spiciness to match your tastes. You can also swap in soy milk and vegan cheese for the dairy, and make it a vegan recipe.

6. Rabokki Ramen

Rabokki ramen is a Japanese-Korean fusion recipe. It starts out with a packet of Mike’s Mighty Good vegetarian kimchi ramen. To this, you add soy sauce and scallions for their savor, along with some spicy gochujang sauce. The recipe also includes a poached egg, which you can pop if you want to spread eggy goodness through the dish.

The ramen is then served over a pair of Korean rice cakes. These are easy to obtain, and delicious in and of themselves. The intent here is to mimic a popular Korean street food called tteokbokki. This is a combination of rice cakes, soup broth, gochujang paste, and fish cakes. You’ve got everything here except the fish, so dig in and enjoy!

7. Coconut Curry Ramen

Coconut curry ramen falls right in the Goldilocks zone where sweet and spicy collide. We start with the garlic chicken ramen pillow pack, then add some coconut milk to the broth. Curry paste provides some serious heat, as well as the unique notes that curry brings to the table. Then, we add ground chicken to the mix. The chicken does a great job of absorbing the spicy flavor, and also pairs well with the coconut milk.

8. Vegan Tofu Ramen

Vegan tofu ramen is simple and straightforward. You take some tofu, lightly pepper it, and fry it in a pan. While that’s going on, you add your cilantro, carrots, and red pepper to the mix. Sesame oil adds a savory note, and a small helping of corn adds both crunch and sweetness.

9. Comforting Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowl

When it comes to general comfort food, chicken noodle soup is right up there with ramen. So why not combine the two? This recipe combines a Mike’s Mighty Good chicken ramen packet, and adds some sliced chicken breast to the mix. Additional flavor comes green onion, Chinese cabbage, and a soft boiled egg.

10. Breakfast Ramen Bowl

When you think about ramen noodles, you probably think about eating them in the evening. But there’s no rule saying you can’t enjoy a bowl in the morning. This recipe includes a blend of egg, bacon, green onion, and cherry tomatoes, for a delicious breakfast spread. Meanwhile, the pork ramen flavoring is reminiscent of a delicious breakfast sausage.

11. Cheesy Egg Drop Ramen

If you already enjoy Chinese egg drop soup, you’ll love a bowl of cheesy egg drop ramen. The base is a Mike’s Mighty Good vegetarian kimchi ramen packet. Then you add cheese and green onions, and drip in scrambled egg while the water is piping hot. A sesame seed garnish adds a bit of extra flavor and texture.

The neat thing about this recipe is that it’s quick and easy to prepare. You can put together a bowl in as little as 15 minutes, which we very much appreciated.

12. Vegan Spicy Cheesy Ramen

We’ve already talked about our regular spicy cheesy ramen recipe. But what if you wanted to make a vegan version? You’d want to start out with a vegan ramen cup, for one thing. For another thing, you’d need to use a plant-based milk alternative instead of regular milk, as well as a vegan cheese. You’d also substitute vegan sriracha for the regular sriracha.

We’ve done exactly this, and it’s delicious! As we mentioned earlier in this piece, though, it’s very important to use an unsweetened dairy alternative. A lot of almond and soy milks are sweetened, which tastes atrocious when it’s mixed into a broth.

13. No-Cook Vegan Chili Black Bean Noodles

The no-cook vegan chili black bean noodles recipe isn’t actually 100% no-cook. As with any ramen recipe, you’re still going to have to boil water and prepare your noodles. But everything else requires no cooking whatsoever.

The main flavoring comes from a dollop of black bean sauce, combined with a dash of chili flakes and chili oil. We’ve also incorporated garlic and vinegar for added bite, and some savory soy sauce. A sprinkling of green onions rounds thing off.

14. Peanut Chili Ramen

This recipe is somewhat reminiscent of Pad Thai, the classic spicy peanut and noodle dish that’s so popular in southeast Asia. We started with a packet of Mike’s Mighty Good chicken garlic ramen. We added a generous helping of peanut butter, along with chili oil, garlic, soy sauce, and other flavorings. The result is a rich, delicious ramen bowl that’s both spicy and savory.

15. Korean Fire Noodles

Korean fire noodles are a spicy creation that’s not quite as spicy as you might expect. Along with noodles, you use gochujang sauce and chili oil to provide plenty of heat. Then, you add seaweed, which helps to absorb some of the heat, and also provides fiber and texture. We’d also recommend starting with Mike’s kimchi ramen pack if you want the optimum level of heat.