This vegan creamy miso ramen is SO good that you’ll want to slurp up the whole bowl right away. If you are a big fan of creamy ramen, then you’ll want to make this. The broth is silky smooth, tasty, and slurpilicious!
I’m a creamy broth lover, especially when it’s light, flavorful, and packed with umami richness. Each slurp has my tastebuds craving for the next bite. There are not many ramen restaurants that offer vegan ramen around me so a homemade version is my best bet.
To make tasty ramen with all the creaminess, I needed to find a good base for the soup stock that didn’t contain bonito flakes.
After a few trials from the recipes online, I chose this flavor and have made it multiple times since then. (I come up with my own variations when I am out of Kombu)
So, check out the secret to making yourself a bowl of creamy ramen at home. This recipe is inspired by JustOneCookbook Vegetarian Ramen.
Key Ingredients to Vegan Creamy Miso Ramen
1. Kombu Dashi
Dashi is an important ingredient in Japanese soup and is often made with bonito (fish) flakes. So for vegans and vegetarians, here comes Kombu Dashi to the rescue. It’s made from Kombu (dried kelp) and dried mushrooms which creates a flavorful soup stock.
How to make Kombu Dashi at home
The methods below work really well for me and I’ve reused both ingredients in soup or as a side dish.
- Place 1oz of Kombu with a few caps of dried mushroom in 4 cups of cold water, letting it sit overnight in the fridge. Then, transfer it to a pot and bring the mixture to barely boiling. Turn off the heat, sieve into a jar.
- Alternatively, in a pot with 4½ cups of cold water, add in 1oz of Kombu and 10 caps of dried mushrooms. Then, bring the mixture to barely boiling. (This is a crucial step to prevent the stock from turning slimy.) When ready, sieve broth into a jar for future use.
2. Flavorful blend
The blend for this flavorful broth consists of ground toasted sesame, hot bean paste, and miso. Other complementary spices that give the broth the umami punch are garlic, green onions, and ginger.
3. Creamy texture
I find that creamier unsweetened plant-based milk works the best in this recipe such as oat milk, cashew milk, and soymilk. To get the smooth texture, you can sieve the broth once it’s cooked to remove the veggie bits. This step is optional but will definitely give you that silky smooth texture.
How to make Vegan Creamy Miso Ramen
Step 1: Let’s start by making the Kombu Dashi stock. This stock can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. Find your favorite method to make this stock above.
Step 2: Prepare the toppings – golden brown pan-fried coated tofu and sauté mushrooms (previously used for stock) with a drizzle of oil and season with soy sauce. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 3: Prepare the sesame seeds. I used a small Suribachi to grind the toasted sesame seeds into tiny bits.
Step 4: To make the broth, sauté chopped green onions (white part) with oil until fragrant, then continue to sauté ginger and garlic. Once they’re light brown, add the hot bean sauce and miso, then stir to combine. A quick tip is to not overcook the hot bean sauce as it will turn slightly bitter.
Step 5: Pour in the kombu stock and let the mixture simmer over low heat to gradually extract the spices’ flavors, about 5 minutes.
Step 6: After 5 minutes, add the plant-based milk, ground sesame, and let the mixture simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Season accordingly.
Step 7: Cook noodles as directed on the package’s instruction. I used packaged fresh ramen and simply blanched it in hot boiling water until noodles were al-dente.
Step 8: Sieve broth into a pot (optional step), place noodles in a bowl, garnish with crispy tofu and sautéed mushrooms. Ladle hot soup over, then garnish with sesame seeds and Japanese 7 Spice blend (Shichimi Togarashi). Slurp it away…
Cooking Tips and Variations
The list below is some of the ingredients I have tried before and provide as a suggestion. When substituting ingredients, be sure to taste test and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Broth – I love the Kombu Dashi which is made from dried kelp and mushrooms. It has an amazing flavor yet light with a salty touch. Alternatively, I like to make the broth using Trader Joe’s Miso Ginger broth and add a few cut of nori sheets when I am out of dried kelp.
Toppings – You can really get creative with the toppings, however, I highly recommend reusing the mushrooms and kelp used to make the broth. I simply sauté my mushrooms with a drizzle of oil, then season it with soy sauce.
For the kelp, slice it thinly and season it with rice vinegar and a tiny bit of mirin. Some of my other favorite toppings include corn, assorted pickles, red pepper shreds, and kimchi.
Spices – I prefer to use fresh ingredients whenever possible such as ginger, garlic, and green onions. If you can’t get them fresh, the next best alternative is to use the dried form of the ingredients.
Green onions can be subbed with dried onion granules. One note though, when using dried ingredients, is not to sauté them in oil but rather to add them as a seasoning in the broth.
Hot Bean Paste – this paste adds an extra layer of umami flavor to the soup with a slight touch of heat and is my favorite go-to paste. Doenjang or red miso mix with sambal oelek is the next best alternatives.
Gluten-free option – substitute sauces and noodles with gluten-free ingredients.
This Vegan Creamy Miso Ramen is
- Easy to make
- Customizable
- Flavorful
- Packed with umami savoriness
- Comforting
- and SLURPY yum!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Vegan Creamy Miso Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 servings of ramen noodles of choice
- 6 stalks green onions, chopped white and green part separated
- 1½ tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon hot bean sauce/paste
- 4½ cups Kombu Dashi
- 1 cup of unsweetened plant-based milk used oat milk
- a drizzle of toasted sesame oil
- oil for cooking
Kombu (Dried Kelp) Dashi
- 1 oz Kombu dried kelp
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4-5 cups of water
Toppings
- 7 oz [200g] firm tofu pressed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- mushrooms from Kombu Dashi sliced
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- salt to taste
Garnishes
- Japanese 7 spice blend Shichimi Togarashi
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Green parts of green onions
Instructions
Kombu Dashi
- Fill a pot with 4-5 cups of water, then place both ingredients in and turn on the heat.
- Right before it comes to a hard boil, turn off the heat. This is a crucial step to prevent the stock from turning slimy.
- Transfer the stock to a bowl for later use or save it in a jar and refrigerate for future use.
Toppings
- To prepare the toppings, cut tofu into cubes and rub them with a tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Then, pan fry coated tofu in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil until golden brown on all sides over low heat. Transfer tofu to a plate, season with salt and set aside.
- Continue to sauté the mushrooms using the same pan (add a little more oil if needed) and season with soy sauce. Dish out and set aside.
Ramen Broth
- Using a small mortar and pestle, pound or grind toasted sesame seeds into tiny bits.
- In a heated pot or large non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon oil, brown the white part of green onions for about 30 seconds or so.
- Then, continue to sauté ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Add the hot bean sauce and miso paste and quickly stir to combine. Slowly pour in the kombu stock and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Then add the oatmilk, ¾ grounded sesame, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. Taste test and season accordingly. Sieve broth to get the smooth texture – this is an optional step.
How to serve
- Cook noodles as directed on package's instruction and dish out into a bowl.
- Ladle hot broth over, garnish with chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and Japanese 7 spice blend. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For Kombu Dashi alternatives, please see the ‘Cooking Tips and Variations’ sections.
- Save the cooked Kombu for a side dish or add to your stir-fries.
- I used a small manual grinder to grind the toasted sesame seeds into ground bits.
- To substitute the hot bean paste, mix Doenjang or red miso with sambal oelek. Adjust the taste accordingly.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
This is fantastic!!! I wish I had doubled the broth so there would be leftovers. Added a soft boiled egg, bok choy, and corn
Hi, I love the recipe. I have been making it for years now for me and my husband. Quick question, I am not used to cooking with kombu seaweed in my daily cuisine. After using it for the broth, since it’s many leaves, I would like to reuse them somehow instead of throwing them out. Do you have any ideas/suggestions on how to?
Thanks a lot!
this is by far the best vegan ramen recipe i’ve made. packed with the wonderful, complex flavor. thanks for sharing this!
Great recipe! Turned out so delicious and was easy to do, Have given the recipe to a few friends already.
Thank you for sharing the recipe. Triest this and it was delicious.
So good! I had to make a few substitutions, so not totally perfect but still yummy. I did not have kombu so I made a broth from dried shiitakes and added MSG. I also substituted tahini for the ground sesame seeds and topped with whole roasted sesame seeds. I also topped with boiled carrot, corn, and green beans to get some extra veggies. The only changed I’d make is to marinate the tofu next time.
What brand of ramen do you use here?
Hi Jordan, I used sun noodles.
Thank you for sharing this recipe this is amazing ramen
Amazing vegan Ramen !
I used Lee Kum Kee Blqck Bean garlic sauce and aged Red Japanese Miso. It was full of Umami and Slurpilicious as promised.
Thank you !
AD
Can you also use dried udon noodles for this? Ramen Noodles are hard to find here
Hey Xilef, yes, you can. 🙂
Can I also use red miso instead?
Hello, thanks you for this recipe.
Can i use doenjang to replace miso paste?.
In my country i can’t find miso paste u.u
Hi Erick, sure, let me know how it goes.
I’ve made this three or four times now – it is incredible! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Was wondering what ramen do you recommend using or buying
Hey Julie, I used sun noodles fresh ramen. I also find that dried ramen works great in this recipe. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. I used Lee Kim Kee Chilli Bean Sauce as another commentor mentioned as that’s all I could find at H Mart. I accidentally bought soft tofu instead of firm but I just patted it as dry as I could and coated in cornstarch, it was perfect. I couldn’t believe i made something so tasty. Thank you so much.
Hello WoonHeng,
great recipe, sounds really good (I love all your recipes)!
Can I use Gojuchang for the hot bean paste?
Thanks a lot for your answer.
Keep it up!
Best, Jens
Hey Jens, unfortunately, you can’t use gochujang, but you can use doenjang. If you don’t have it, it’s better to just keep the miso or add red miso to the white miso. Hope this helps. Thanks so much. Best, WoonHeng
This. Is. Fantastic.
Hello WoonHeng,
I did it with doenjang and toban djan (Lee Kim Kee Chilli Bean Sauce) and is was really good! Thank you so much for this recipe!
All the best and keep ist up! 😉
Jens
woohoo! thanks so much Jens. I’m really happy to hear that you loved this recipe and thank you for the encouragement. I will. Best, WoonHeng
This ramen is genius, thank you for sharing Wooheng! I like the flexibility with the stock as well as everything else. It’s nice to have a base that is so simple as also so flavorful at the same time. I’ve been trying to find a solid ramen recipe and this is my new go to.
Hi thank you for this great recipe! Where I come from we don’t have Kombu or the alternative you suggested, what can I put in the with the dried mushrooms? Maybe Nori?
Thank you
Hello Dana, thanks so much for reaching out. Yes, you can do nori seaweed and let them ‘melt’ in the soup. That’s one of my quick fix as well. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks, WoonHeng
Hi! After eyeing the recipe for weeks. I finally tried this recipe last night, and it turned out really wonderful!! My husband and I absolutely loved it. It is going straight into our ‘comfort food’ list!! Thank you so much for sharing the love!! As new Vegans, your pandora of recipes is such a treasure!! Can’t wait to try other recipes which look delicious as hell!!
P.S.: The dry mushrooms that I had used for Kombu Dashi, were too tough even after the Dashi soak, so I chopped them up into tiny pieces, saute’ed with some soy sauce, then chucked them into the oven and made them into semi-crispy bits which added to the flavour really well!!
Thanks again. Keep spreading the love!!
XX
Prajakta 🙂
Thanks a lot Prajakta for sharing your experience. For the mushrooms, if you are using the thicker version of dried shiitake, you can let them soak in the kombu dashi longer after you turn off the heat. Or you can soak them together with the kombu overnight in cold water as mentioned above. Thanks for giving my other recipes a try. Have a good day.
Hello,
This looks wonderful. I was wondering what brand of hot bean paste did you use?
Thanks,
Amanda
Many thanks Amanda, I used Szechuan hot bean paste, it’s from Tian Fu I think.
Hello WoonHeng! I just finished bowl 1 of 2 haha! This is an instant favorite not only because it’s amazing but also because it’s so easy! Thank you so much and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
John W
Philadelphia, PA
Thanks so much John. So happy you loved this recipe. I went for seconds most of the times too. :0) Hope you get to try more recipes soon. Have a great and safe holiday! Best, WoonHeng
So comforting and delicious. I will definitely make this often! I wasn’t sure how to choose the dried kelp at the market. If there are hints on why some brands/types are preferred over others please share!
I ❤️Love ❤️ your recipes and appreciate that you keep it simple, delicious and healthy!
Thanks so much! I am really happy to hear that you enjoyed it. I don’t but do normally look for products from Japan or Korea. I hope you get to try other recipes too. Have a wonderful day.
Looks Yummy! Would you think I can sub toasted sesame seeds with tahini? Thanks
Hey there, that’s a great question, you might be able to. I haven’t tried it yet, do let me know how it goes. 🙂
I made this tonight and IT IS SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! So much flavor, so so yummy.
Thank YOU soo much! I’m really happy to hear you liked it – yay! Hope you give my other recipes a try too. Have a beautiful day! Best, WoonHeng
So delicious!! I used some fungus noodles and also added a little black garlic to the broth and it was heavenly 😍
Hello Jess, thanks so so much for your lovely feedback. I need to try some fungus noodles soon. Thanks again and have a beautiful day. Best, WH
I can’t wait to try this recipe,, I was wondering what would be a good replacement for hot bean sauce? Plus is it too spicy for little children you think? Thanks for your response.
Hello Vicky, thanks so much, you can use Korean Doenbanjiang or spicy miso. It’s not that spicy but feel free to omit it if your kids prefer a milder version. 🙂 Happy cooking and let me know if you have any questions at all. Best, WoonHeng
What an AMAZING recipe!!! It’s easy to follow, all of the ingredients are easily accessible and it’s delicious and healthy!! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes. 🙂
Thanks so much Michaela for your wonderful feedback. I can’t wait for you to try other recipes too. Happy cooking and stay safe. Best, WoonHeng
Amazing recipe! I am so glad I purchased some kombu last time I was at the store to make this recipe in all its glory. It was so tasty and easy. I added fresh basil and spinach as I have so much in my garden right now. I also didn’t fry the tofu at all because I’m lazy! Thanks again to the amazing Ms Woon Heng!
Yay Tracy, thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. I am so happy to hear your fresh basil and spinach are thriving, wow! Ah, your bowl looks so good already with the tofu, nom! Thanks so much Tracy. Best, WoonHeng
I tried this recipe yesterday and It was so so good.The broth taste so good and full of umami. Thanks for amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for trying it out. I am so glad to hear that you liked it. 🙂
Beautiful recipe. Where can I find grater and equipment you used to grind sesame seeds. Ideas for any shortcuts…maybe for broth. Can I use any other type of mushroom?
Hi Shruti, thanks a lot. I bought that small grater and mortar from Daiso. Yes, you can use other type of mushrooms. If you are near a Trader Joe’s you can try adding their ginger miso broth. THanks,
WoonHeng