Vegetarian Ramen 豆乳味噌ラーメン

This Vegetarian Ramen recipe is going to rock your world! Learn the secret of creating a super rich & creamy broth without any meat bones. 

Hello, ramen aficionados! Are you ready for a bowl of incredibly rich, umami-filled vegetarian ramen that is going to rock your world? I know, I smell some skepticism in the air. For non-vegetarians, you may be questioning if it’s possible to create a pot of vegetarian ramen broth that rivals the ones that have gone through long simmering of meat bones, cartilage and fat at all. My answer is YES. You can make a soul-satisfying vegetarian ramen at home that tastes just as rich a bowl of Tonkotsu broth. My ramen critic, Mr. JOC, didn’t even realize it was vegetarian when he tasted the soup.

So stay tuned, this recipe teaches you how to use secret ingredients to make a pot of vegetarian ramen so rich and satisfying that you’d never guess it was devoid of meat.  This is a real-deal ramen that is worthy to make. Now if you’re vegetarian or vegan (minus the egg topping), you are in for a treat today.

Watch How To Make Vegetarian Ramen ベジタリアンラーメンの作り方

Spicy and rich vegetarian ramen recipe made with soy milk and vegetarian dashi. This ramen broth is super rich and milky, and it just might trick you thinking it’s Tonkotsu broth!

Vegetarian Ramen with Soy Milk

To create a vegetarian ramen broth that is smooth, rich and creamy, the secret lies on the plant-based soy milk. The use of soy milk also adds color, depth and hint of delicate sweetness that round up the flavor of the soup.

If you are not aware, soy milk has been used in flavoring broths and soups in many East Asian cooking for a long time. In Japan, there is a ramen called Soy Milk Ramen (豆乳ラーメン).  It’s the combination of soy milk and ramen. If you happen to visit Kyoto, you can check out Mamezen for it amazing vegetarian menu using soy milk.

When I was challenged to use a Silk‘s plant-based beverage to create delicious meat-and dairy-free version of my favorite fall recipes,  I immediately knew that I wanted to use soy milk to make my all-time cold weather favorite dish, ramen.

Hopefully by the end of this post, I could convince you (even if you’re not vegetarian) to try this rich and creamy delicious Soy Milk Ramen. The best part of this ramen recipe? It takes less than 20 minutes to make.

Vegetarian Ramen Broth

The soy milk ramen in Japan is not necessarily vegetarian or vegan friendly.  Just like regular Tonkotsu, Shoyu, or Miso ramen, the broth can be made with pork bone (Tonkotsu 豚骨) or chicken carcass (Torigara 鶏ガラ).  To make the soup even more complex, most of the ramen soup usually contain seafood based stock using bonito flakes (Katsuobushi 鰹節) and kelp (kombu 昆布).

So how do we get rich and tasty vegetarian ramen broth without pork or chicken bone in it?

Dashi – Umami Packed Broth

To make this dish vegetarian and vegan-friendly, we’ll be making dashi with dried shiitake mushroom and kombu.  Both are packed with umami substance and they are inevitable in this recipe, so please DO NOT SUBSTITUTE if you want to make a bowl of authentic ramen broth.

If you’re not vegetarian/vegan, you can substitute Awase Dashi (regular dashi) instead of Kombu & Shiitake Dashi.

The 2 Key Ingredients for Flavorful Ramen Soup

The other key ingredients that we need to make this quick ramen soup are miso and fermented broad bean paste. These two condiments enhance the flavors of the soup and add layers of complexity.  If you want a vegetarian broth that is robust enough to the taste, there is NO SUBSTITUTION for these two ingredients.

1. Miso

The big tub on the left is (my favorite brand of) miso (味噌), Japanese fermented soybean paste.  There are different kinds of miso available in the market, but if you are not sure which one to pick, get Awase miso (combination of red + white miso) or Koji miso.  They work great for almost all recipes that call for miso.  More about miso on this page.

2. Fermented Broad Bean Paste

The other two jars in the picture above are fermented broad bean paste (豆瓣酱). The one in the middle is spicy, Chili Bean Sauce/Paste (La Dobanjiang 辛豆瓣酱), and the one of the right is non-spicy, Fermented Broad Bean Paste (Dobanjiang, 豆瓣酱).

When you go to Asian grocery stores, it might be difficult to pick out a jar from the many kinds and brands of Chinese condiments.  The Chinese names for this sauce is always the same, 豆瓣酱 for non-spicy, and 辣豆瓣酱 for spicy.  However, English names might have “Sauce” on one jar and “Paste” on the other, or “Bean Paste” on one jar and “Broad Bean Paste” on the other.

If there’s any confusion, check the ingredients on the label.  The first two ingredients should be “fermented broad bean paste” and “soybean”.   If you want to make NON-SPICY ramen, make sure to pick the jar that doesn’t contain chili (and usually you can tell from the color of the paste).  Pay extra attention that it is NOT Black Bean Sauce even though the names might seem similar.

Where To Find Ramen Noodles

In my local Japanese grocery stores, they sell packages of fresh ramen noodles (with soup packages included, but I don’t use them).  Sun Noodles make great noodles if you can find them locally.

If you don’t have an access to fresh ramen noodles, you can purchase this dried “Chuka Men” (Chinese style noodles) by HIME at Japanese or Asian grocery stores (Amazon used to carry this item but not at this time).

For gluten-free noodles, click here.

Ramen Toppings

If you want to stick with the traditional ramen toppings, I recommend scallions (green onions), corn, ramen egg (not for vegan), seaweed (nori), wood-ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts (I used my Spicy Bean Sprout Salad today).

However, feel free to enjoy your ramen with ingredients you already have in the fridge or whatever your preferences are. You can use any ingredients that compliment the ramen broth and ramen noodle texture. Homemade vegetarian kimchi, bok choy, spinach, deep fried tofu or edamame are just some of the examples that go well with your ramen.  There is plenty of flexibility to work with.

If You’re Not Vegetarian/Vegan
If you are not vegetarian or vegan, you can add 1/8 lb (57 g) minced pork per recipe (serves 1) between Step 6 and Step 7.  You can also check out my Chashu recipe.

I hope you enjoy making this delicious bowl of Vegetarian Ramen!  If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook.  Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!

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4.55 from 33 votes

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Vegetarian Ramen - Spicy Soy Milk Ramen

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Servings: 1

Ingredients

For Vegetarian Dashi

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 kombu (dried kelp) (one kombu 1" x 2" = 2.5 cm x 5 cm)
• 1 dried shiitake mushroom

For Soup

• 1 Tbsp white and black sesame seeds (roasted/toasted)
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ inch ginger
• green onion/scallion (white part)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp Doubanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce/broad bean paste)
• 2 tsp miso
• 1 Tbsp sake
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• ½ cup dashi (Use vegetarian/vegan kombu + shiitake dashi)
• ¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt)
• Dash white pepper powder

For Ramen

• 1 ramen noodles (See notes)

For Ramen Toppings

• ½ Ramen egg (Recipe) (omit for Vegan)
• Spicy Bean Sprout Salad (Recipe)
• Homemade vegetarian kimchi
• Corn
• green onion/scallion (green part)

Instructions

1. Gather all the ingredients.

   
2. For 2 servings, simply double the amount of ingredients.
3. Soak the kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms in ¾ cup water for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the liquid into a small saucepan, including kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Slowly bring the liquid to boil over low heat. This will help enhance the dashi flavors.
   
   
4. Right before the liquid turns into a full boil, remove the kombu and shiitake mushroom from the broth. If you don’t remove the kombu from the broth before full boil, the dashi will be become slimy.  Turn off the heat and set aside.
   
   
5. Grind sesame seeds until they are crushed (I use Japanese “suribachi”).
   
   
6. Press 2 cloves of garlic and mince ½ inch ginger.
   
   
7. Separate green and white parts of scallion, and then cut into thin rounds.
   
   
8. Add 2 tsp. sesame oil into the small saucepan. Add garlic, ginger, and white part of scallion and cook over medium low heat until fragrant.
   
   
9. Add 2 tsp. Spicy Bean Paste and 2 tsp. miso in the saucepan. Stir constantly so that they don’t burn.
   
   
10. Add 1 Tbsp. sake. This will help you release the bits of the sauce attached to the bottom of the saucepan with a wooden spatula.
    
    
11. Add the sesame seeds and soy sauce.
    
    
12. Slowly add 1 cup soymilk. Stir the soup constantly and make sure to dissolve Spicy Bean Paste and miso before you finish adding the soymilk. Add ½ cup kombu & shiitake dashi next.
    
    
13. Add dash of white peppers and salt to taste.
    
    
14. Once the soup and all the toppings are prepared, cook the fresh or dried ramen noodles in boiling water. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Make sure to loosen the noodles before adding to the water. Stir the noodles so that they don’t stick to each other.
    
    
15. Once the noodles are done cooking, drain the noodles very well and transfer to a ramen bowl. Pour the hot ramen soup into the bowl.
    
    
16. Place the toppings of your choice on ramen and enjoy!
    
    

Recipe Notes

Ramen noodles: For GF ramen noodles, click here.

If you want to make more than one serving, simply multiply the quantities of ingredients by the number of servings you wish to make.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Full Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

This cool dragon Ramen Bowl is from Akazuki Japanese Shop.