Name: Spicy Ramen Noodles Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Ingredients: 3 ramen packets (discard seasoning); 2 tablespoons sesame oil (divided); 1 pound lean ground pork or ground chicken; 1 small onion (chopped); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 4 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger; 2 carrots (cut into matchsticks); 1 red bell pepper (chopped into 1/2” pieces); 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage; 1 cup cocktail peanuts (may sub other peanuts); 1 cup chicken broth; 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 2 tablespoons Japanese rice wine (may sub dry sherry); 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce ((Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman)); 1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce ((like Mae Ploy)); 1-2 tablespoons sriracha hot chili sauce; 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; chopped green onions

Spicy Ramen Noodles on your table in less than 25 minutes!

This Spicy Ramen recipe is quick, easy, wonderfully versatile, and the flavor is out of this world! Readers rave: “This is a 5-star dish. Loved everything about it,” “Totally tasted like a dish you’d get at a restaurant” and “omg…they were amazing!!”

Follow along for step-by-step photos, expert tips, and tricks to make the best ramen at home every time.

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top view of a bowl of spicy ramen recipe with chicken with chopsticks picking up the noodles

You’ll love this Spicy Ramen Recipe

Did you grow up loving ramen? I’ll admit it was one of my guilty, savory, salty pleasures through college—but with this Spicy Ramen recipe, you can indulge without any guilt. Here’s why you’ll love this budget-friendly, elevated meal:

QUICK & EASY MEAL. Ready in minutes with minimal prep — perfect for busy weeknights or last‑minute dinners.
FLAVOR‑PACKED SAUCE. A garlicky, gingery savory sauce makes this way better than instant seasoning packets.
CUSTOMIZABLE HEAT. Adjust the spice level from mild to fiery to suit your taste.
VEGGIES & PROTEIN YOU LOVE. Add your favorite meat or veggies to make it a complete, satisfying meal.
SO SLURP‑WORTHY. Chewy noodles coated in rich, savory sauce and topped with toasted peanuts for craveable texture and flavor.

What is Ramen?

Ramen is a Japanese soup actually made with Chinese noodles! It is hugely popular in America, both at restaurants/noodle houses, and with the dry square ramen noodles with the mystery seasoning packets that have become a way of life for college students.

For these Spicy Ramen Noodles, we are not going to make ramen soup; instead, we are going to stir-fry the noodles. Of course, you can turn this ramen recipe into ramen soup by adding more chicken broth. It won’t taste like traditional miso ramen, but will still be plenty tasty!

up close of instant ramen recipe with ground pork, bell peppers and green onions

Ramen Noodles

For this Spicy Ramen recipe, you can use either dried or fresh ramen — both made from wheat, salt, and water. Dried noodles are fried and shelf-stable, while fresh noodles are treated with an alkaline agent for a springy, chewy texture.

Dried Ramen: Easily found at grocery or Asian markets, dried ramen keeps indefinitely, making it perfect for anytime cooking. You’ll need three 3‑oz. packets, but discard the included seasoning packets — they’re full of preservatives, sodium, and MSG, which aren’t needed for our mega-flavorful Spicy Ramen.

How spicy are these Spicy Ramen Noodles?

•Spicu: More than one tablespoon of sriracha. I suggest letting diners adjust their individual bowls.
•Medium (Recommended): One tablespoon of sriracha gives medium heat, enjoyable for most who like a little spice.
•Milder: 2 teaspoons and add to taste.
•Kid-friendly: Start with 1 teaspoon and adjust as desired.

Gluten Free Ramen

If you are looking for a gluten-free option, you can use Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodles found at Whole Foods. They are healthier, vegan, and taste great. If you are looking to make these ramen noodles 100% gluten-free, you will need to use gluten-free ingredients in the sauce as well.

two hands holding a big bowl of spicy ramen with pork

Spicy Ramen Recipe Ingredients

The sauce for these Spicy Raman Noodles is made with pantry-friendly Asian staples. If you don’t have any of them stocked, I HIGHLY suggest adding them to your pantry because I use them all the time in my Asian recipes – so they will not go to waste!

Toasted sesame seed oil: Adds a sublime toasted nuttiness. If you don’t keep it on hand, you may substitute olive oil.
Chicken Broth: Creates a savory base and balances flavors. Substitute water (add a pinch of salt) or vegetarian broth for a milder option.
Oyster Sauce: Thick, sweet‑savory sauce with earthy undertones, commonly used in stir-fries like Beef and Broccoli. Use quality brands like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman.
Oyster Sauce Substitute: For shellfish allergies, use “vegetarian oyster sauce,” or mix 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp hoisin sauce.
Hoisin Sauce: Rich, sweet, tangy Asian BBQ flavor. Use quality brands like Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee. I use it in great dishes like my Hoisin Chicken Stir Fry, and Mongolian Beef.
Asian Sweet Chili Sauce: Sweet, spicy, and flavorful from red chilies, onion, garlic, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Works in my Mongolian Chicken and Cashew Chicken.
Rice wine: Use Shaoxing cooking wine, or I use “Kikkoman Aji-Mirin: Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning,” which is commonly found in the Asian section of most grocery stores, or on Amazon. I suggest you Google images before you head off to the grocery store so you know exactly what you are looking for.
Sriracha: Adds heat to Spicy Ramen. Substitute your favorite chili sauce, adjusting the spice level as needed.

What meat goes well with this Spicy Ramen Bowl?

For a quick, no-chop option, use ground pork or ground chicken — both work fabulously in this Spicy Ramen. For chicken, add ½ tsp beef bouillon powder for an extra boost of savory, “beefy” flavor.

How to Cook Ramen Noodles

Unlike some recipes that cook noodles in the stir-fry, these Spicy Ramen Noodles should be boiled to ensure even cooking. Cook for 2 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent clumping. Don’t overcook — the noodles will finish cooking in the sauce with the cabbage for perfect al dente texture.

How to Make Spicy Ramen

Let’s take a closer look at how to make this recipe with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Step 1: Toast the peanuts. While the ramen is cooking, dry-roast the peanuts in a skillet until some spots are toasted.

showing how to make spicy ramen by cooking peanuts

Step 2: Make Sauce. Next, whisk the sauce together made with chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, hoisin, Asian sweet chili sauce, and sriracha to taste.
Step 3: Stir Fry. Start by cooking your ground chicken, pork, or any protein you like, along with onions. When the meat is almost cooked through, add garlic, ginger, and your favorite veggies.

showing how to make ramen by cooking ramen in a workr

showing how to make ramen by sauteeing carrots, onions, bell peppers

Step 4: Add Sauce and Noodles. Next, stir in your stir-fry sauce and evenly coat the noodles.
Step 5: Final Touches. Stir in the cabbage and peanuts, then turn to coat. Cook just until the noodles are al dente. The cabbage will continue to wilt from the residual heat, so don’t worry about it all being done at the same time as the noodles.

showing how to make ramen by adding ramen to chicken and vegetables in a skillet

showing how to make ramen by adding cabbage to spicy chicken

Spicy Ramen Recipe Tips

Skip the seasoning packet: Use only the noodles — we’ll season with fresh garlic, onion, and ginger for real flavor.
Shortcut aromatics: If you’re short on fresh ingredients, mix 1 tsp each of onion powder, ground ginger, and garlic directly into the sauce.
Prevent sticking: Toss cooked noodles with a drizzle of sesame oil (or neutral oil) if not using immediately.
Don’t overcook: Ramen should be slightly underdone in the boil — it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Customize heat: Start with 1 tbsp sriracha and adjust to taste — you can always add more, but you can’t take it away!

top view of spicy ramen recipe in a large wok with pork

Best things to add to Ramen

For this Spicy Ramen recipe, I use carrots cut into matchsticks, one red bell pepper, and thinly sliced cabbage BUT you can swap them out and use your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand. Here are some more veggie ideas:

broccoli
mushrooms
celery
bok choy
snap peas
zucchini
asparagus
bean sprouts
spinach
kale
water chestnuts

What should I serve with the spicy Ramen recipe?

We serve this recipe on its own because it is a complete meal-in-one. If you want to make an Asian feast, you can serve with Wontons, Asian Salad, Potstickers, Gyoza, Wonton Soup, and/or Chinese Chicken Egg Rolls.

Can you prep spicy Ramen recipe ahead of Time?

Yes! You can prep all or some of the ingredients in advance, or prepare the entire recipe because it makes fantastic leftovers! The flavors deepen overnight. Just be sure to undercook the noodles slightly so they stay al dente and don’t get soggy when reheated.

TO PREP AHEAD:

•Sauce: Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Whisk the sauce again before using.
•Noodles: Cook ramen for 2 minutes in boiling water, drain and rinse with cold water; toss with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent the noodles from clumping together. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
•Veggies: chop all your vegetables and store them in separate airtight containers or bags in the refrigerator.
•Aromatics: chop your onions, garlic, and ginger and store in separate airtight containers or bags in the refrigerator.

How to Store

How long is spicy ramen good for?

Store leftover Spicy Ramen Noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Once properly stored, ramen should last for up to five days.

•How to reheat in the microwave: Transfer small portions to a microwave-safe dish, heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue heating in 20-second intervals as needed. You may need to toss the noodles with a drizzle of oil or broth to loosen them.
•How to reheat on the stove: Warm in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often. You may need to toss with a drizzle of oil, or with both, to loosen the noodles.

Looking for more Asian Noodle Recipes?

Chicken Pad Thai
Spicy Korean Noodles
Sesame Noodles
Vietnamese Noodles
Thai Pumpkin Noodles
Honey Sriracha Chicken Noodles
Laksa Noodle Soup
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

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Spicy Ramen Noodles Recipe

This Spicy Ramen recipe is quick, easy, wonderfully versatile and the flavor is out of this world! And don’t let the word “spicy” scare you away – you can completely customize the heat simply by using more or less sriracha. You can also use any protein or vegetables you have on hand for a delectable clean-out-the-fridge or last-minute dinner – because this ramen recipe is all about the SAUCE! To make these Spicy Ramen Noodles come together even quicker, you can whisk your sauce up in advance and have all your veggies chopped so its virtually 10 minutes to dinner!

Servings: servings

Total Time: 22

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

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Ingredients

3 ramen packets discard seasoning
2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
1 pound lean ground pork or ground chicken
1 small onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 carrots cut into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper chopped into 1/2” pieces
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup cocktail peanuts may sub other peanuts

SAUCE

1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Japanese rice wine may sub dry sherry
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman)
1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy)
1-2 tablespoons sriracha hot chili sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Garnish

chopped green onions

Instructions

Cook ramen in boiling water for 2 minutes (no longer)! Reserve one cup pasta water. Rinse with cool water and toss with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Set aside.
Heat a large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add peanuts and dry roast peanuts until golden and toasted in a few places, tossing occasionally, approximately 3 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Mix Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
To the now empty skillet, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium high heat. Add ground pork/chicken, onions, salt and pepper and cook until browned. When meat is almost cooked through, add carrots, bell peppers, garlic and ginger and cook 2 additional minutes.
Stir in sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 seconds then add noodles and toss until evenly coated. Add cabbage and peanuts and toss to combine. Heat just until noodles are al dente and cabbage has softened, about one minute. Add additional reserved water if needed to reach desired consistency.
Taste and season with additional sriracha, salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with green onions.

Notes

If you have questions about any of the sauce ingredients, see the post for details. All of the ingredients can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store.
You can swap the vegetables out with your favorites.
You can make vegetarian ramen and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You will want to add extra vegetables to replace the meat otherwise your ramen will be too saucy.
1 tablespoon sriracha is medium spicy. I would start with one tablespoon if you like heat and add more to taste at the end of cooking unless you know you LOVE heat then start with more. Use 1-2 teaspoons sriracha if you want to make the ramen very kid friendly then add additional sriracha to your own serving.

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26 Comments

chiranshi says

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Made these for spicy-ramen tonight…omg…they were amazing!!
Thanks for this excellent way to make spicy-ramen super delish!

- Jen says
  
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  That’s awesome you made the ramen already Chiranshi! I’m so happy you loved it, thank you!
  
Ray says

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Hi. This looks amazing. Quick question. Ginger is mentioned in the instructions but not listed in the ingredients. How much do you recommend?

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks so much for catching that Ray! It should be 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger. I just corrected the recipe, thank you, enjoy!
  
Susan says

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Hi Jen,

I made this Friday night exactly as written – and it was good! So good that I made a double batch Saturday. Had it that night then finished it up last night. Really an excellent, perfect combination of flavors. Thanks so much!

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks so much for your awesome comment Susan! I LOVE hearing it’s a new repeat favorite!
  
Theresa P. says

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I LOVE asian saucy noodles dishes. especially the ones that contain oyster sauce! (not all oyster sauce are equal in flavor) I’ve had some that had a nasty fishy taste. that ruined the dish! had to throw it out! so now I stick to the brand that I know is good. I now use only Hopsing brand. same with the toasted sesame oil. I trust only Imperial Dragon brand. I love your site. It makes me want to try everything you post! keep doing what you do. It is greatly appreciated! best wishes.

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks Theresa! I haven’t tried Hopsing, I’m adding that to my list! Thanks for your kind words – I hope you can try this Spicy Ramen soon and love it as much as us!
  
Barb says

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Do you think this would work with cabbage instead of noodles?

- Jen says
  
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  It would have a different flavor/texture but you can definitely use cabbage!
  
Patricia Bontrager says

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I made this last night with ground chicken and it was AMAZING! Totally tasted like a dish you’d get at a restaurant. And bonus – it’s awesome leftover cold! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

- Jen says
  
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  You’re so welcome Patricia! I’m so pleased you loved it!
  
Meg says

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I made this recipe exactly as written and it was delicious! I am making it again this week and my mouth is already watering just thinking about it. Thank you for sharing this!

- Jen says
  
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  Thank you for your awesome comment Meg! I’m so pleased you loved it so much!
  
Mary says

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I’m allergic to shellfish. Is there a substitute to oyster sauce that you would recommend ?
Thanks

- Jen says
  
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  Hi Mary, you can purchase oyster “flavored” sauce that doesn’t actually contain any shellfish.
  
Riley says

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I clicked the link for the kung pao chicken noodle stir fry recipe (a favorite in our house for years now – thank you!!) and it brought me here – am I missing something?

- Jen says
  
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  Hi Riley! Is this the one you’re looking for? https://axis-horizon.live/kung-pao-chicken/%3C/a%3E I hope it is! So glad you love this recipe!
  
Abby says

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What’s a suggestion to make this more soupy? I like the recipe a lot.. would it be just to add more broth?

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks Abby, I’m happy it’s a winner! Yes, all you have to do is add more broth.
  
chris says

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Had giant package of Costco Lotus noodles to use – this was an excellent inspiration to use what I had on hand and what I needed to stay gf – excellent. Thank you!

- Jen says
  
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  That’s awesome Chris, the perfect use! Thank you!
  
Jody says

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Woah! This was no college ramen. Very tasty. Go Aztecs!

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks so much Jody, I’m so pleased it was a hit!
  
Suzanne B says

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This is a 5 star dish. Loved everything about it. I’ll be checking out your other recipes (as in Honey Sriracha chicken noodles) looks just as good. Keep up the good work girl! Can’t wait to make this again.

- Jen says
  
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  Welcome to my site Suzanne! I love Asian cuisine, so you’ve come to the right place, I hope you find many new favorites!