Easy Mushroom Ramen
Easy Mushroom Ramen- just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes is all you need to make this cozy homemade ramen. (vegan, gluten-free + soy-free)
Happy Halloween! Do you guys have any fun plans for the evening?
We’ll probably just hang at home like any other Tuesday night. Our new neighborhood has approximately zero children so I doubt we’ll get any trick-or-treaters. I think that’s the only part about Halloween that I actually like, seeing all the cute kiddos dressed up. Last year we had a nerd witch…it doesn’t even matter what that is, it was freaking adorable.
Anyway, if you’re like us and plan to spend a night in then I’ve got the perfect quick and easy recipe for you to cozy up with!
Ramen will forever be one of my favorite comfort foods. It all started with the 99-cent package of noodles and powder that you add water to. How can something so simple taste so good?
As easy as the package version is to prepare, it doesn’t take that much effort to make your own with REAL vegetables and whole grain (or gluten-free) ramen noodles.
The trick to getting a majorly flavorful broth is…wait for it…dried mushrooms. As you let them rehydrate in hot water, they infuse the liquid with the most glorious salty, umami flavor. If you’ve made my vegetable bolognese or mushroom bourguignon then you know what I’m talking about. It’s liquid gold.
In addition to the dried mushroom broth, we have sliced shiitake mushrooms and bok choy for a little superfood boost in your ramen. Finished off with chopped green onion and sesame seeds, the whole thing is a savory party in your mouth.
To make the ramen gluten-free, I used Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Noodles but any kind you like will work fine. Just keep in mind that if you used gluten-free ramen the noodles don’t hold up well in the broth for leftovers. Trust me, I tried it and they were a mushy mess.
The solution to that is to keep the cooked ramen separate and add it to the warm broth when you’re ready to eat. So you have to use an extra storage container but it’s worth it to avoid mushy ramen!
Easy Mushroom Ramen
Yield: 4 bowls
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms (I prefer porcini) (optional, see note)*
- 1 shallot (or 1/2 small onion), finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 heads bok choy, chopped (3 cups)
- 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons miso (use chickpea miso for a soy-free option)
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or coconut aminos for soy-free)
- 5 ounces ramen noodles (preferably whole grain)
- finely chopped green onions + sesame seeds for serving
Directions:
In a measuring cup, combine 1 cup hot water with 1 ounce dried mushrooms. Stir together then set aside to steep while you prepare the remaining ingredients. *Skip this step if not using dried mushrooms and add 1 cup broth and 1 tablespoons miso to the recipe below.
In a large pot, warm 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the bok choy to the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
Strain out the rehydrated dried mushrooms while reserving the remaining liquid. Pick out any hard pieces of rehydrated mushrooms then chop whatever is left and add it to the pot. Add the miso to the mushroom liquid and whisk until evenly combined. Pour into the pot with the broth along with the tamari the bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
Bring a separate small pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the ramen noodles and cook as directed. Strain and set aside.
Ladle broth into separate bowls for serving then add ramen noodles. Serve warm with green onion and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
For best results, store cooked ramen noodles separate from broth and combine when ready to serve. This helps keep the noodles from falling apart and becoming mushy. Ew.
*If you can’t find dried porcini mushrooms or prefer not to use them, sub 1 cup broth and add another tablespoon of miso. This will give the ramen more of a miso flavor (rather than a mushroom flavor) but it will still be tasty!
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Yummmm! I love how much flavor dried mushrooms add to a dish. Our old neighborhood had very few trick-or-treaters, but apparently our new one has a bunch. I’m not a Halloween fan, but I do love passing out candy to the littles. Hopefully we get a lot tonight!
I will be home tonight watching the World Series hoping that my Dodgers win! And passing out candy. I’d love nothing more than to cozy up with this soup too — I’m in love with all the mushroom goodness! Dried procini mushrooms are always in my cabinet — they are so flavorful!
Love LOVE the addition of mushroom broth… liquid gold indeed! I’m SO with you, Sarah. Ramen is total comfort food and so easy to pull together with a few simple ingredients. I’ll take it! We’ll be staying in tonight as well.. I think we have 4.5 kids in our neighborhood, so we just turn off all the lights and have a night in like any other. I’m contemplating dinner plans, but after seeing your post, I’ve got more to think about! Gorgeous and delicious work Sarah!
This ramen looks so cozy and yummy! I love that it’s easy to whip up to – that’s always a plus!
I think my neighborhood is the opposite of yours… we get so many kids & I always run out of candy by like 8 pm. Harley barks her head off all night and I dress her up in her costume, so it’s a scene!
That sounds like a blast, lol!
This recipe looks delicious! Wow, you got a picture perfect head of bok choy for your photo! A question; I’m guessing you did NOT use the flavor packet that came with the ramen noodles? Anyway, in terms of Halloween, we get at least 50-75 kids here. I’m not sure where they’re all coming from, because there’s just a handful that live on our block. Our 2 dogs will undoubtedly be barking for at least 2 hours!
No I didn’t use the packet! The noodles I bought don’t come with a packet. I have them linked in the recipe but you should be able to find them at Whole Foods.
That’s a lot of kids! Your neighborhood must give out all of the good candy. Either that or they just come to see Stella and Gracie. ;)
First of all, gorgeous food photography! I’m in love with your style.
Second, this recipe looks and sounds legit bonkers good. I love making ramen in the winter. I’m pinning this for later!
We get SO MANY kids in our neighborhood it’s insane! Last year I had no idea (since it was our first halloween here) and we ran out of candy in an hour. Madness I tell you.
Anyway! I LOVE homemade ramen and this sounds just perfect!
Looks fab, will certainly give it a try!
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I just went to a friend’s up in Incline and watched Rocky Horror Picture show for Halloween…we got approximately 3 trick-or-treaters…they’re my favorite part about the holiday, too!
This ramen looks fantastic! Sterotypically, I lived off of ramen during college…I used to squeeze a little lime juice in it, which I was convinced made it gourmet ;) Loving the mushroom broth, the bok choy…those bowls do look like the ultimate comfort food!
Yum- This was very soothing. Great for a chilly day!
Very good mushroomy soup that’s not at all difficult to make. Thanks for a good recipe!
Thanks for the review, Vivian!
Have you ever tried to make this with a different dried mushroom? Porcini mushrooms are hard to find and expensive by me. Thanks!
I have tried it with dried shiitake mushrooms and didn’t think it was as good. But you can just leave out the dried mushrooms if you can’t find porcini (an sub extra broth- you’ll see directions in the notes). I make it without the dried mushrooms all of the time and it’s still delicious! It’s more like a miso ramen. :)
I just made this tonight and need to say how delicious it is. It was so flavourful. Will definitely make it again.
I subbed chicken broth because I prefer the flavour and kale because it’s what I had and it was great. I also added some more water to feed extra and it was still great. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad to hear that! We make this ramen every week. It’s our favorite! :)
We’re having winter like weather here in CA so this soup was perfect for tonight!! Holy cow it was so delicious! I used homemade bone broth and added in some swiss chard from our garden. I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you liked it! We make it almost every week, we love it so much. So nice that you can use home grown veggies in it too! :)