You can make my delicious Miso Ramen with authentic broth at home in less than 30 minutes! Add optional ramen eggs and chashu (Japanese braised pork belly) or customize it with your favorite toppings. It‘s a piping-hot bowl of soulful goodness that‘s sure to satisfy your ramen cravings.
When you’re in Japan, you will quickly learn that there are 3 basic ramen flavors: shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso (fermented soybean paste).
If you’re wondering about the tonkotsu ramen, that’s actually a type of broth base and the tonkotsu means a pork bone broth. If you’re interested in learning more about ramen, read our Japanese Ramen Guide for Beginners.
Today we’ll make the popular and my favorite, Miso Ramen (味噌ラーメン).
Learn How to Make Miso Ramen at Home
Ramen consists of 3 components: soup, noodles, and toppings. In this post, I’ll go over each topic in detail.
Part 1: Ramen Soup スープ
Although the Japanese enjoy eating ramen at ramen shops, it is common for Japanese moms to make ramen at home. Making good ramen soup from scratch requires a lot of time and effort, so most households use packaged ramen which includes 2-3 servings of fresh noodles and a concentrated soup base.
In this recipe, instead of spending many hours making the ramen soup base, I’ll show you how to make a delicious ramen soup that takes just 15 minutes. Best of all, it tastes much better than the soup base that comes with the package.
In case you’re wondering, the soup for miso ramen is not the “miso soup” made from dashi and miso paste.
Below, I explain the ingredients for Miso Ramen soup. I do not recommend skipping or substituting the following ingredients because each ingredient plays an important role. As a result, you get a rich and intensely savory bowl of miso ramen that will greatly satisfy your cravings.
5 Key Ingredients for Quick Miso Ramen Soup
- Miso
- Doubanjiang (spicy or non-spicy bean paste)
- Sesame seeds and sesame oil
- Homemade or store-bought chicken broth
- White pepper powder
1. Miso
Miso is a Japanese fermented soybean paste, and it’s one of the essential condiments in Japanese cooking. If you are new to miso, I highly recommend taking a look at my Miso pantry page.
Based on the type of miso and the brand that makes it, the flavor of miso varies. In most cases, there is no type or brand that is better or worse, except for your preference. I personally love Hikari Miso® and you will see me using this brand exclusively on my blog.
For miso ramen, use any miso type except for hatcho miso or saikyo miso. My favorite miso is kodawattemasu (see below).
2. Doubanjiang: Spicy or Non-Spicy Bean Paste (Sauce)
The key condiment in this recipe is doubanjiang (豆板醤) or spicy bean paste, a combination of fermented broad beans as the main ingredient, soybeans, and often hot chilies. The salty, savory, umami-rich paste adds an incredible depth and character to the broth that you should not substitute. You can add more if you like your soup to be spicy, but one teaspoon would be enough to give it a good kick.
Non-Spicy Doubanjiang: Did you know that there is NON-SPICY doubanjiang? Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Guandong in China have non-spicy doubanjiang. It has the same savory depth in the paste, but without the heat.
To distinguish the two versions, the Sichuan doubanjiang is called la-doubanjiang (辣豆瓣醬, “la” (辣) meaning ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’).
When the kids were small, I use only non-spicy doubanjiang to make my Mapo Tofu and Miso Ramen. Taiwanese brands like Kangshan (岡山) (above) and Ming Teh (明德) offer the doubanjiang made from fermented broad beans and soybeans, and they usually have both spicy and nonspicy versions.
You can get these Taiwanese brands at a local Chinese grocery store. Amazon does not sell the non-spicy doubanjiang at this time (please let me know if you find one).
- Ming Teh Doubanjiang (non-spicy)
- Kangshan Doubanjiang (non-spicy) – Walmart
- Kangshang Doubanjiang (non-spicy) – Weee!
Doubanjiang Substitute: If you really can’t find doubanjiang, you can use gochujang (Korean chili paste; spicy) or doenjang (Korean soybean paste; non-spicy). However, the ingredients are slightly different and have different flavor profiles.
3. Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil
Sesame flavor in this recipe is prominent as both sesame seeds and oil make the broth nuttier and richer, adding a nice aroma and flavor to the ramen soup.
Japanese households always have a set of suribachi (mortar) and surikogi (pestle) to grind sesame seeds, but if you don’t have one, you can crush the sesame seeds with a food processor (or a coffee bean grinder).
The type of sesame oil you need is dark roasted sesame oil. It has a deep flavor of sesame and only 1 tablespoon would give plenty of fragrance to the soup.
4. Homemade or Store Bought Chicken Broth
For a richer and more flavorful broth, homemade chicken stock is best. But it’s okay to use store-bought broth to make ramen soup if you don’t have the time.
I like chicken stock from Trader Joe’s. Use less sodium stock and adjust the salt according to your liking. Remember, some chicken stock can be saltier, so you always have to taste your soup before adding salt.
5. White Pepper Powder
I believe white pepper powder is a magical spice in Chinese-style soups and fried rice. Just a few sprinkles of white pepper will elevate the flavor and add a nice kick without the spiciness. You can find white pepper powder in Asian grocery stores or specialty spice shops.
FAQs for Ramen Soup
Do we need to add sugar?
Sugar is not added to sweeten the dish, but it is there to counter the saltiness of miso and doubanjiang (fermented bean paste). Try adding 1 teaspoon at a time and taste the soup before adding more.
Do we need to use sake?
Unless you can’t use it due to religious reasons, I strongly recommend using sake in Japanese cooking. Sake is an essential ingredient such as soy sauce and mirin in Japanese cooking. In this recipe, sake removes the unwanted smell from the meat and adds a subtle sweetness and umami to the soup. The best substitute would be dry sherry and Chinese rice wine.
Part 2: Ramen Noodles 麺
Ramen noodles are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui (かん水, saltwater). Kansui is a type of alkaline mineral water, containing sodium carbonate and usually potassium carbonate, and sometimes a small amount of phosphoric acid. Although the color of the ramen noodles is yellowish, they are not egg noodles.
1. Fresh Noodles
Ideally, fresh ramen noodles are the best. My favorite ramen noodles are from Sun Noodles, and I usually make my own soup instead of the soup base that comes with the package.
Fresh noodles are available in the refrigerated section of Japanese grocery stores and some Asian grocery stores. Some stores may keep the fresh ramen noodles in the freezer, so don’t forget to check both sections.
Fresh gluten-free ramen noodles can be purchased from Kobayashi Seimen. They are made from rice and taste very similar to fresh ramen noodles.
2. Dried Noodles
For those who don’t have access to fresh ramen noodles, you can use dried noodles. I’ve tried HIME Japanese ramen noodles (you can purchase them on Amazon) and they are pretty good.
3 Tips for Cooking Ramen Noodles
There are three important tips I want to share with you when cooking ramen noodles.
- Boil the ramen noodles in a big pot of water.
- Do not salt the water like pasta.
- Ramen noodles cook really fast. So make sure to prepare everything ahead of time. Once the noodles are cooked, you have to serve the ramen fast—in less than 30 seconds!
Part 3: Ramen Toppings トッピング
Choices are yours. Here are 7 toppings I added to this Miso Ramen recipe. Even though you would spend less than 30 minutes preparing the ramen on the day of eating, I do spend one day, usually the previous day, preparing my ramen toppings.
Main Toppings
- Chashu – braised pork belly
- Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago) – eggs marinated in soy sauce base sauce
- Menma (Seasoned Bamboo Shoots)
- Shiraga Negi – julienned white negi/leeks
- Narutomaki (Japanese fish cakes)
- Sweet corn
- Chopped green onion
- Nori seaweed
Other Topping Ideas:
- Wakame seaweed
- Blanched Bean Sprout (or spicy version)
- Blanched greens (bok choy, spinach, etc.)
- Thinly sliced butter (to make it “miso butter ramen”)
- Or anything you like, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, vegetables such as bean sprouts, garlic chives, etc
Now that you have the template on how to make the best miso ramen at home, it’s time to impress yourself or someone you love with your bowl of ramen goodness. It’s really simple, and dare I say more gratifying than the bowl from your ramen joint!
More Ramen Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegetarian Ramen (with an amazingly rich & creamy broth)
- Spicy Shoyu Ramen
- Tsukemen (Dipping Ramen)
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Miso Ramen
Video
Ingredients
For the Soup Broth
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp ginger (grated)
- 1 shallot
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ lb ground pork (use meat alternatives or chopped mushrooms for vegan/vegetarian)
- 1 tsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) (use the spicy or non-spicy type or gluten-free doubanjiang)
- 3 Tbsp miso (most types will work except Saikyo and Hatcho varieties; each type will create a slightly different broth flavor)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth (use vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian)
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
- ¼ tsp white pepper powder
For the Ramen Noodles
- 2 servings fresh ramen noodles (10–12 oz (283–340 g) fresh noodles or 6.3 oz (180 g) dry ramen noodles; for gluten-free, use GF ramen noodles)
For the Toppings (optional)
- Homemade Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly) (make my Chashu at least a day in advance or buy it premade at a Japanese market; skip for vegan/vegetarian)
- Spicy Bean Sprout Salad (or blanched bean sprouts)
- Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago) (make my Ramen Eggs at least a day in advance; skip for vegan; slice in half lengthwise to serve)
- frozen or canned corn (drained)
- nori (dried laver seaweed) (cut a sheet into quarters)
- green onion/scallion (chopped)
- Shiraga Negi (julienned long green onions)
For the Condiments (optional)
- la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (make my Homemade La-yu)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
- white pepper powder
Instructions
Before You Start…
- Prepare the ramen toppings ahead of time—a day in advance for the Homemade Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly) and Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago)—so they‘re ready to serve with your piping-hot bowl of ramen.
- For toppings, I add chashu, ramen egg, blanched bean sprouts (or Spicy Bean Sprout Salad), frozen or canned corn, Shiraga Negi (julienned long green onions), chopped green onion/scallion, and a sheet of nori (dried laver seaweed). You can find their recipes in the hyperlinks. For the optional condiments, prepare a bottle of la-yu (Japanese chili oil), pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), and some white pepper powder on the table.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Mince or press 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press) and add to a small plate. Then, grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and add ½ tsp ginger (grated) to the plate.
- Mince 1 shallot and add to the plate and set these three prepared ingredients aside.
- Grind 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, leaving some seeds unground for texture. Set aside.
To Make the Soup Broth
- Preheat a medium pot over medium-low heat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Then, add the garlic, ginger, and shallot.
- With a wooden spatula, stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add ¼ lb ground pork and increase the heat to medium. Cook the meat until it‘s no longer pink.
- Add 1 tsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) and 3 Tbsp miso. Quickly blend well with the meat before they get burnt.
- Add the ground sesame seeds and 1 Tbsp sugar and mix well.
- Add 1 Tbsp sake and 4 cups chicken stock/broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Taste your soup and add up to 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if necessary) and ¼ tsp white pepper powder. Tip: Each brand of chicken stock varies in saltiness, so you must taste your soup to decide how much salt to add.
- Your soup broth is now done. Cover with the lid and keep the soup broth simmering while you cook the noodles.
To Prepare the Ramen Noodles
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil (ramen noodles already include salt in the dough). When the water is boiling, ladle some of the hot water into the individual ramen bowls to warm them up. Meanwhile, gently shake 2 servings fresh ramen noodles with your hand to separate and loosen them up.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. I usually cook the noodles al dente (about 15 seconds less than the suggested cooking time). Before your noodles are done cooking, empty the hot water from the warmed ramen bowls.
- When the noodles are done, quickly pick them up with a mesh sieve and shake out the excess water. Make sure to drain the water well, as you don’t want it to dilute your soup. Serve the noodles into the warmed bowls.
To Serve
- Add the piping-hot ramen soup broth to each bowl.
- Place the toppings of your choice on the ramen noodles and serve immediately. Add the optional condiments to your Miso Ramen and enjoy.
To Store
- You can keep the soup broth in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cook the noodles right before serving.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2011. New video and photos are added in September 2014. The video and images have been updated in May 2019. The post has been republished in February 2022.
Great video! And I laughed to death when the egg yolk poured out!hahaha!!
Hehee thanks so much for watching the video! 😀
I am excited to try this recipe out! I make a version of ramen that takes almost all day due to the broth, so this will be a quicker version I think my family will enjoy! 🙂
Are the recipes to make the toppings that are pictured within this website? I am also interested in testing them out. Thank you!
Yes the recipe links are inside the post as well as in the recipe. 🙂 Considering how quick this soup is made, it’s really delicious. Hope you like this recipe!
Nami,
Thank you for the quick respone! I looked over the recipe and I found the links. Thank you so much for your assistant! 🙂
No problem! I hope you enjoy the recipes! 🙂
I’ve tried lots of miso soup recipe out there but this one is really great and fast (love fast and yummy haha) to do. And indeed the hot miso paste gave a kick in taste !
Hi William! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! I think this miso base ramen soup is pretty amazing considering how fast we can make! I like this soup much more than the concentrated soup that comes with fresh ramen packages. 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words!
I made this recipe last night for Valentines Day with my girlfriend. We were COMPLETELY FLOORED BY IT. It was the first time I’d ever made ramen, so, this guide was extremely helpful. It was utterly delicious and I can’t wait to make it again. I wasn’t able to track down the Chashu for a topping, and I didn’t get the ramen egg this time either, but next time. Next time… Thanks so much for the recipe! Perfect!
Hi Les! Wow I’m so happy to hear such a great review and glad to know my recipe was easy to follow. Next time try making chashu and eggs on previous day. 😉 Thank you for writing!
I tried the miso soup with a few changes: I used a mix of vegetarian kombu dashi and shiitake dashi instead of chicken stock, omitted the minced meat and sesame seeds (did not have those on hand), used non-spicy doubanjiang and added red pepper flakes to make up for the spice, and replaced the sake & sugar combination with mirin & 1 added teaspoon of sugar. I followed all the rest and found that it was too salty and had to balance it out with 2 more tablespoons of mirin. I guess the absence of the minced meat and sesame could have caused the soup to be on the salty side? In any case, it turned out fantastic (albeit “heavy” on the flavors) and I can’t wait to try out the recipe again when I have all the ingredients lined up.
Love your blog, and thank you for bringing the Japanese restaurant into our homes!
Hi Mossy! I think, based on your substitution, the broth flavor seems quite heavy. The chicken stock is more flavorful than Japanese dashi base broth, and adding meat (and sesame seeds) adds extra complexity to the sauce. With all the savory flavor along with the seasonings, the broth should be pretty balanced. However, if you use light dashi base, I’d probably adjust the whole seasonings so it can have a good balance. Ramen broth is usually salty compared to udon or other types of noodles in Japan, but I assume yours were maybe beyond average saltiness. Like you mentioned, lacking of the meat and chicken stock, I feel like seasonings overpowered the whole broth. I hope you try this recipe as it is one day. Only part you need to watch out (for saltiness) is that each brand of miso has different salt level. I hope this makes sense. 🙂
I’m happy to hear you enjoy my recipes and thank you so much for trying this recipe!! 🙂
Tried this last night. The recipe is easy to follow and made for a great end result! Mine didn’t look nearly as aesthetically pleasing as yours but it tasted pretty great. Thanks for posting both the recipe and the topping recipes! Very helpful.
Hi Carl! I’m happy to hear you liked the recipe! Well mine didn’t have enough soup for the photo…the noodles absorbed the broth while taking the pictures, so my photos are not perfect. 😉 Thank you very much for your kind feedback and compliment. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this for my family tonight. With freshly made ramen noodles ( from instructables), it was delicious! My 4 yr old had 3rds!! Topped the ramen with TJ’s crispy pork belly, eggs, corn and sprouts. Yum! Thanks so much for this recipe
Hi Angeline! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe! Great idea to use TJ’s pork belly! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
I recently went to Japan with friends, and fell in love with ramen there. In my hometown in Minnesota, I’ve yet to find ramen that comes anywhere CLOSE to the level of incredible deliciousness that we experienced there.
I stumbled on your site today, and love it. The photography and how-to links for everything are amazing. I made chashu, and this ramen dish. The broth came out perfectly, as did the chashu. Thank you so much, your documentation efforts made this very accessible. My wife loved it.
Hi Cory! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my site. Thank you for trying chashu and miso ramen recipes and I’m glad to hear they are helpful. I think the soup is quite amazing considering how little effort we put. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback! Happy New Year!
I came across your website recently and have used many of your recipes, which have been great!! The flavors, instructions, and photography are top notch. I noticed that your shoyu ramen broth recipe calls for straining the broth before use, but this miso ramen broth does not. I have tried it both ways and definitely prefer the strained version, especially because of the fibrous miso paste. Either way, I enjoy the recipe tremendously. Thanks again for all of your work!
Hi Tomo! So happy to hear you enjoy my recipes and thank you so much for your kind feedback. I strain shoyu broth because ginger pieces can be bothering when you eat the noodles/drink soup. While miso version has ground meat and ginger pieces stay together with the meat so it’s less bothering. 🙂 You can definitely strain it too. A lot of miso ramen uses ground meat as topping (I actually love this part), but it’s definitely optional as well. 🙂 Thank you so much for writing!
i found your recipes just a few days ago and i am so eager to try them. love your step by step instructions. thank you
Hi Emily! I’m glad to hear you found my blog. Welcome! 🙂
Love your blog! Just made this and the family slurped up every last bit! My Ramen loving (aka Ramen Snob) husband was shocked out how good this was! He didn’t think anything homemade could come close to our favorite Ramen shop.
All the recipes that I have tried on your site have been awesome! Thank you for all of your hardwork in keeping your blog up and for sharing all of your lovely recipes 🙂
Hi Angela! Aww I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my blog! Thank you for reading! And yay! So glad to hear you tried this ramen recipe and your family, especially husband enjoyed it! 😀 Isn’t it amazing, considering how fast you can make this broth? I’m glad my recipes work for your family. Thank you for trying my recipes! xoxo
I love this recipe and your website!
Thanks a million for all your help making delicious Japanese food. My eternal gratitude for turning my life into the final restaurant scene in Tampopo (well almost). Domo arigato.
Hi Beverly! Thank you so much for reading my blog! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you!
Hello Nami-san,
I actually do not eat pork. Would ground beef or ground turkey be an appropriate alternative for this recipe?
Also, I just want to tell you how much I love your blog. My fiance (Mr. Boring Food) generally has a hard time trying new types of food, but I’ve actually convinced him to branch out a bit thanks to the delicious recipes you post here. He even liked the macha steamed buns!
Thanks again!
Hi Ashley! Actually “beef” ramen doesn’t exist in Japan. I’d go with chicken or turkey. 🙂 It should be light and healthier alternative for sure. 🙂
I’m glad you enjoy reading my blog and thanks for following! I’m also happy to hear your fiance tried something new too. Happy cooking!
Found your website through a search on green tea chiffon cake. Your website is awesome!! So much food I’ve had when eating out but wish I knew how to make them. Now I can! 🙂 Website design is well organized and your recipe instructions were very clear! Love the video that you share. It’s well editted!! Love it!
So I got side tracked and made this miso ramen tonight for dinner. AWESOME! My husband loved it! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us your recipes!!!
Hi Carmen! Thank you so much for your kind comment and I’m glad to hear you enjoy my recipes and videos. 🙂 So happy to hear you liked this recipe. Thank you for trying it out!
Hi Nami,
Thank you always for all the beautiful videos of all your recipes. The ramen recipe looks yummy. I’m going to try it. When I printed the recipe, I noticed one ingredient missing, Miso. Just wanted to let you know, but great work. Thank you.
Hi Noriko! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this recipe. I see the print preview and miso is there between chili bean sauce and sugar. Do you see it?