Vegan Curry Ramen Noodles (VIDEO!!)
20 minutes is all it takes to get this flavor-forward curry ramen noodle dinner on the table! Loaded with fresh veggies and rich curry flavors, you’ll feel good about serving this meal to your family!
You Will Love This
- It’s SO easy. Fresh veggies, noodles, broth, coconut milk, and spices – that’s it! Throw it together and you’ve got a simple yet satisfying 20-minute dinner that your family is going to love! If you love easy vegan dinners be sure to check out my Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup, Vegan White Chickpea Chili, and Creamy Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup!
- It’s healthy comfort food at its finest. Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of warm broth and noodles? I think not! And the best part is that this dish is made with wholesome ingredients so you can indulge in its cozy deliciousness but know that it will still fill you up and fuel you through your day!
- It’s freakin’ gorgeous! That creamy yellow broth, those long curly noodles, tender sliced veggies, and fresh chopped cilantro. Is your mouth watering yet?! Yeah, mine too.
- It’s the perfect date night dinner. This is one of those meals that is really fun to make with someone else! Open a bottle of wine, chop the veggies together and really slow down and enjoy each other’s company while you cook. You might be surprised how much you enjoy cooking when you try it with your partner (and the wine helps too)!
- If you loved this curry ramen, be sure to check out my creamy vegan white bean and kale soup, vegan chickpea chili, and easy vegetable stew recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sesame Oil – You can substitute with olive oil if you don’t have any sesame oil on hand but it adds such a delicious depth of flavor. Toasted sesame oil is also a great choice!
- Carrots, Snap Peas, Mushrooms – Feel free to use whatever veggies are in season to create your own personalized version of this hearty meal. Just keep the amount of veggies the same and your ramen will turn out great every single time!
- Red Curry Paste & Curry Powder – I love to use a combination of curry paste and curry powder to really layer in the flavors.
- Garlic & Ginger – Fresh garlic and ginger are going to give you the best flavor for this dish, but garlic powder and ground ginger will work as well.
- Vegetable Broth – If you aren’t worried about this curry ramen being vegan you can use chicken broth. Vegetable stock will also work.
- Coconut Milk – Full fat, canned coconut milk will give you the best flavor and texture. You can substitute with other plant-based milks, but they won’t add as much flavor or that signature creamy texture.
- Ramen Noodles – At my grocery store, the ramen noodles I used for this soup are labeled “Chinese noodles“. You can honestly use whatever quick cooking noodles you prefer for this soup.
- Lime Juice – A splash of lime juice at the end is really going to make all the flavors of the curry ramen pop. Don’t skip it!
Instructions
Heat oil in a large enameled cast iron pot over medium heat and cook carrots, peas and mushrooms for a few minutes.
Then add curry paste, curry powder, garlic and ginger.
Stir together and cook for another minute.
Stir in coconut milk.
Add vegetable broth.
Bring to a simmer, then add ramen noodles and continue simmering for 10 more minutes.
Finish it off with a squeeze of lime juice and garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeno.
Tips
- This ramen reheats beautifully, but if you’re planning to eat it later make sure you separate the noodles from the broth before refrigerating. If the noodles and broth are stored together, the noodles will soak up all the broth and turn to mush. NO GOOD.
- Some Thai curry pastes can be spicy, so be sure to taste yours and adjust the amount in this recipe accordingly. I usually use Thai Kitchen red curry paste and find that it is very mild so I add the full three tablespoons in this recipe.
- Use a big sturdy enameled cast iron pan for best results. This type of pan is going to ensure that the heat circulates evenly as your noodles and veggies simmer together!
Noodles Substitutes
- You can use other noodles if you aren’t able to find ramen – but do remember that it will affect your cook time. These ramen noodles were called “Chinese noodles” and the directions said to cook them in boiling water for 3 minutes.
- In this recipe, we are simmering the noodles (instead of boiling) so the cooking time is a bit longer (about 10 minutes or so).
- If you’ll be using other noodles, be sure to pay close attention to their cook time. If your noodles take 10 minutes to cook when boiled, they’ll likely take 15-20 minutes to simmer in this recipe so just keep that in mind.
- Most grocery stores have a wide selection of Chinese noodles. So it shouldn’t be hard to find noodles that are similar in size and shape to these, and that cook in just a few minutes when boiled.
Variations
Feel free to add your favorites to this coconut curry ramen! Some of our family’s favorites include:
- Tofu
- baby spinach
- beef
- pork (try my pork ramen too!)
- sliced green onions
- baby bok choy
- soft boiled eggs
- fish sauce
- soy sauce
- sesame seeds
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: This ramen is a delicious make ahead dish. As is the case with most soups, the flavors just get better with time! Just be sure to store the noodles separately from the broth so they don’t get soggy.
- Storage: Store noodles and broth separately in airtight containers for up to a week in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in small saucepan on the stove over medium to medium-high heat until warmed through. Be sure to season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
What does curry ramen taste like?
This easy curry ramen recipe is loaded with fresh veggies, plenty of ginger and garlic, just the right amount of curry flavor, and tender curly noodles all nestled in a warm, rich, creamy coconut broth. It tastes fresh, hearty, and delicious!
Can you put curry in ramen?
Yes! And you should! Adding curry paste, curry powder, and coconut milk to ramen is a simple way to change the flavors of the dish and take it in a whole different direction. If you enjoy curry and ramen, I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy this curry ramen!
Is curry ramen spicy?
The best part about this curry ramen recipe is that you can make it as spicy or as mild as you’d like! Some curry pastes can be a bit spicier than others, so be sure to taste yours before adding to to the dish. If you want to add some extra heat, feel free to add a couple pinches of red pepper flakes or even cayenne pepper.
Inspiration for this dish
I wanted to take a brief moment to share my appreciation for the cultures that I drew inspiration from for this recipe. While I’m sure you can see that this is not a traditional curry dish or a traditional ramen dish, I still want to highlight where the inspiration for this dish came from!
- Chinese Food History has this informative article which notes that while its history is rooted in China, over the years ramen made its way to Japan and eventually became known as the nation’s signature dish.
- There are actually 4 main types of ramen that are slightly different – with one thing in common – the noodles!
- Curry has a complex history as well and it’s probably not what you’re expecting! This podcast does a great job of diving into the origin of the word itself and the complex origin.
- The term “curry” evolved from the words “khari” or “caril” which Indians used to refer to the spices in their dishes as well as the final dish. When the Portuguese and British came to India and began eating these foods, eventually the term evolved into what we now know as “curry”.
- When the Brits traveled back to their country, they wanted to continue eating the delicious foods they had enjoyed in India, and so curry came to Britain where it has now become a British staple.
- For this recipe, I combined the flavors of curry and ramen to create a delicious, hearty vegan dinner that’s filled with veggies and tons of flavor!
Try these easy vegetarian recipes next!
Did you love this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
20 Minute Vegan Curry Ramen
Can you believe 20 minutes is all it takes to get this healthy, vegan dinner on the table?! Loaded with fresh veggies and rich curry flavors, you’ll feel good about serving this meal to your family!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian/Indian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 1–3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
- 8 oz. ramen noodles
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
For serving:
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced jalapenos
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add carrots, peas and mushrooms along with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add curry paste, curry powder, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Stir in broth and coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Turn heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.
- Add ramen noodles and cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente.
- Stir in the juice of 1 lime and serve!
- Garnish with cilantro, jalapeno and lime wedges.
Notes
- This ramen reheats beautifully, but if you’re planning to eat it later make sure you separate the noodles from the broth before refrigerating. If the noodles and broth are stored together, the noodles will soak up all the broth and turn to mush. NO GOOD.
- Some curry pastes can be spicy, so be sure to taste yours and adjust the amount in this recipe accordingly. I usually use Thai Kitchen red curry paste and find that it is very mild so I add the full three tablespoons in this recipe.
- Use a big sturdy enameled cast iron pan for best results. This type of pan is going to ensure that the heat circulates evenly as your noodles and veggies simmer together!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 289
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 820.5 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.3 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
At over 800 mg of sodium per serving, the sodium content is off the chart! I’m guessing there’s hidden salt in the ramen noodles. It looks quite delicious, but I must control my blood pressure. So, i’d have to find noodles with negligible to no salt content. Thank you for the recipe.
Most of the sodium comes from the noodles and the broth. Try finding low sodium versions of both and you should be able to reduce the sodium content, Pam!
So delicious thank you for your vegan recipes! All that I have tried we really enjoyed them.
My husband and I really liked this recipe, and it didn’t take long to make it. I added some tofu and used only half of the broth but kept the rest the same. Surely, a meal I’ll make again.
This soup was phenomenal! Wow!
I was hoping to make a big batch and freeze it. Can you tell me if the broth and vegetables freeze well?
The broth and veggies will freeze great! I’m afraid the ramen noodles would soak up too much broth and become mushy if frozen/thawed though. So you might want to either store those separate or make a new batch for when you thaw the veggies and broth. Hope that helps, Julie!
Easy, recipe. I used corn instead of peas and love it. Have shared with family members.
This is amazing! I absolutely loved it. It’s definitely going on my rotation of regular meals. I forgot the lime at the end, but it was still good without it. I definitely want to try it with lime next time!
Super flavourful soul warming soup! I didn’t have snap peas but substituted with some frozen soy beans and it was great. Thank you!
Oh my gosh this soup…. Like the previous poster, I was not over excited about this soup. My husband wanted it. I don’t want him to know how wrong I was. It is SO GOOD. Here are the changes a made: I added probably an extra tablespoon of curry paste and extra teaspoon of curry powder. Added rotisserie chicken pieces when I added the liquid. At the end I added some sambal oelek for a kick (I’m not a huge fan of jalapeños in a dish like this). My single only concern is I’m sitting here staring at this pot of soup right now trying to figure out how I’m supposed to get these noodles out for storing. This part.. not so much fun.
Absolutely would make this again. I already shared the recipe with 3 people while I was eating. So good!
Your secret is safe with me 😉 I’ll never tell him that you weren’t jazzed about making this soup at first! It truly is one of our family’s favorites and I love the adjustments that you made – sounds delicious! I typically use chopsticks to remove the noodles from the soup. It can be a bit cumbersome, but it really is worth it to store them separately unless you’re going to eat them right away. Thanks some much for leaving a review, Julia. I really appreciate it 🙂
I have to admit that I didn’t think this would be great…. but I was wrong and it was fantastic! I only had green curry paste so used that with a little sambel olek to mimic the red chilli paste and added some yu choi for greens, but other than that, stuck true to the recipe. Thank you so much, this is definitely going to become one of our regulars.
I only have green curry paste too. Can I substitute tablespoon for tablespoon? Or would it be better to cut back a little bit on the green curry paste and add some sambal oelek?
I think either would work well! It will depend on the spice level of your curry paste and how spicy you like things! This recipe is super forgiving though, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Can’t wait to hear what you think, Sally!
I love this dish! I have made this many times now for both vegan and non vegan guests. Always very popular. I have substituted the vegetables for whatever I had at hand, including broccoli. I have also added tofu. Delicious!!!
Looks great. Just a note for making this a vegetarian/vegan dish. Curry pastes often include shrimp paste, so double check the ingredients if you’re serving to someone who is veggie or allergic to shellfish.
Found this recipe on Pinterest, and will be having a look through your other vegan recipes soon. Just wanted to comment first and say that I really appreciate that you acknowledged the cultural origins of the various elements that inspired this dish – that was a great touch and one which more fusion recipe writers should probably adopt!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Liz!
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Kylie
This is a fantastic, flavorful and versatile recipe. Not forgetting that it’s quick and never disappoints and never goes wrong! It is a weeknight staple in our home in winter.
Thanks!
This was very good. We aren’t vegan and decided to cook some cut up chicken pieces and add to this. We also used chicken broth since that is what we had on hand. Next time I will use rice noodles in this dish; maybe I won’t have to separate those noodles out before storing leftovers! We loved the flavors in this dish, also added a little fish sauce at the table.
So glad that you enjoyed this curry ramen, Lynn! Chicken would be a delicious addition as well as the rice noodles and fish sauce. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂