Back in my college days, I loved Ramen and I still do! I’m not a ramen gatekeeper and so while I do love fancier versions, I also love the tried-and-true basic (cheap) ramen. I thought it would be fun to write about FOUR easy and wonderful variations that you can use to jazz up your normal ramen noodle bowls!

Not only are these ramen variations incredibly cheap but they are an easy way to clean out the pantry.

Even though I’ve been out of college for literal decades now, I still like to revisit my old friend Ramen every once in a while (at least once a week).

Of course, there is nothing wrong with the standard ramen, but if you are feeling bored, these are worth the (slight) extra work!

What kinds of ramen do I buy for my home?

In short, I’m not a purist when it comes to ramen. I’ll take any and all and usually have a few different varieties in my pantry. I really love the Shin variety of ramen and have recently been testing some other brands on TikTok.

But, no matter what, I probably have a few bags of old-school Maruchan chicken ramen in my pantry.

Tips for making an excellent home ramen

Generally, I find it helpful to “amend” the spice pack that comes with most ramens with a little extra fat which I think is lacking in store-bought ramen packs. This could be a a knob of butter, a drizzle of oil, or even a small spoonful of coconut oil.

Other than that, just make sure you keep your liquid level at the right ratio for what you are doing. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a soupier ramen so I’ll leave more liquid in and sometimes I’ll strain off almost all the liquid in the pot for a creamier noodle version.

When it comes to the spice packets in most ramen, I find them to be pretty salty (which is the idea) but you may not want to add ALL the flavor packet to your bowl. Start with half or 2/3 of it and then taste and adjust.

Let’s dive into the variations!

Ramen Vegetable Stir Fry

5 from 2 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 1 serving
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
An easy and simple way to clean out the fridge with a pack of ramen noodles.

Ingredients 

  • 1 package ramen noodles, plus spice packet
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup broccoli florets
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • Sesame seeds, garnish

Instructions

  • Cook ramen according to instructions in boiling water.
  • In a medium skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add broccoli florets and cook until bright green and still slightly crisp. Add scallion and spinach and toss to cook.
  • When ramen is done, use tongs to pull noodles from water into the skillet along with any water hanging on. Toss to combine along with soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Add half of the ramen spice packet to start.
  • If ramen seems too thick, add a little more cooking water to thin it.
  • Serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 2404mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3227IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian

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An easy and fast way to clean out the fridge with a bowl of ramen.


This Vegetable Ramen Stir Fry is fantastic way to clean out the pantry a bit as you can use pretty much any veggies that you have.

For this version I used 1/4 of a red onion, a few broccoli florets, and a handful of spinach. I started by sauteeing the onions and broccoli in 2 Tablespoons (about) of olive oil.

Once they started to get soft, I added my Ramen spice pack to the veggies. Once the veggies are cooked but still have a bit of a bite to them, drain your cooked Ramen and add it to your veggies. Stir everything together and add a little hoisin sauce and soy sauce to make a sauce.

If you wanted something creamier, you could try:

Ramen Carbonara

No ratings yet
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 1 serving
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
A twist on traditional ramen made the method of carbonara

Ingredients 

  • 2 strips bacon, chopped
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 packet ramen noodles, plus spice pack
  • Fresh Parsley, garnish

Instructions

  • Cook ramen according to instructions.
  • Add chopped bacon to a small or medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, rendering out the bacon fat, until bacon is crispy.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolk, parmesan cheese, black pepper, and half of the ramen spice packet.
  • When bacon is crispy and ramen is cooked, use tongs to move the noodles to the skillet with the bacon. Turn heat down to low and toss to combine.
  • Add ¼ of ramen cooking water to the egg mixture, whisking quickly, to temper the eggs. Then remove the bacon and noodles from the heat and stir in the egg mixture. Toss to combine.
  • Continue to toss to thicken the noodles and and sauce. Taste and adjust for your preference. You can add a little more of the spice packet if you want it saltier.
  • Serve while warm with fresh parsley.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 750kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 242mg | Sodium: 2613mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 346mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Italian

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Tag @crunchtimekitchen

A bowl of carbonara ramen.

Again, this one is pretty simple. I chopped up about 2 strips of bacon and rendered it in a pan. You shouldn’t need to add any oil as the bacon fat will render out. Meanwhile, I make a quick carbonara mixture with egg yolk, some parmesan cheese, black pepper, and half of the seasoning ramen packet (you can use more if you like).

When the ramen is done cooking, add it to the bacon in the skillet along with a little cooking water. Remove it from the heat and stir in the egg yolk mixture. If it’s too thick, add a little more water to thin it out.

The third way I like to make Ramen is similar stracciatella recipe!

Ramen Stracciatella

No ratings yet
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 1 serving
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
A twist on a classic Italian soup made with egg and ramen.

Ingredients 

  • 1 package ramen, plus spice packet
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup spinach
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Cook ramen according to instructions. When done, drain off some water, leaving about 2 cups of water for a soupy ramen. Add spice packet to the soup.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg with parmesan cheese.
  • Turn heat down to low on ramen and when it is at barely a simmer, whisk in egg in a slow stream.
  • Finally, stir in spinach and stir until it is wilted.
  • Transfer ramen soup to a bowl and serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 1952mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3137IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Italian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crunchtimekitchen

Ramen spinach italian soup in a bowl.

The key to this recipe is to use a bit more water than you normally would to cook Ramen. This should be pretty soupy. Get one egg and lightly whisk it with 1 Tablespoon of grated Parmesan. Also, I like to add a handful of spinach leaves.

When you Ramen is done, add your spice packet and make sure it is mixed in well, then add your egg mixture and finally the spinach. Stir it together and the egg should form little strands. It is a very good noodle soup.

For yet another twist on ramen, you can make my viral Peanut Butter Jar scrap variation even if you don’t have the tail end of a peanut butter jar!

Jar Scraps Peanut Butter Noodles

5 from 1 vote
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 1 Serving
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Next time you have a near-empty peanut butter jar, try out these delicious peanut butter noodles for lunch or dinner! The recipe has just a few ingredients and is ready in minutes!

Ingredients 

  • 1 near-empty Peanut Butter Jar, About 2 tablespoons PB
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • ½ inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon chili crisp, optional
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ packet ramen seasoning
  • 1 packet ramen noodles
  • Scallions, garnish
  • Sesame seeds, garnish

Instructions

  • Cook ramen noodles according to package by simmering in water. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
  • In a near-empty jar of peanut butter (or add 2 tablespoons peanut butter to a bowl or jar), add soy sauce, chili crisp, sesame oil, honey, grated ginger and garlic, and 1/3 cup of hot water from ramen. Put on lid and shake well. Use a spoon to scrape off any PB from the side of the jar.
  • Drain ramen noodles and then pour in Peanut butter sauce from jar into the hot pot with the ramen. Stir to coat and toss well. If sauce seems too thin, continue to stir off the heat for 1 minute and it will thicken up.
  • Transfer noodles to a bowl and top with scallions and sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Sodium: 2875mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Course, Main Dishes
Cuisine: American, Asian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crunchtimekitchen

Ramen Peanut Butter Noodles.

This was originally a recipe I came up with for my jar scraps series on Instagram, but you can adapt it to make a great ramen variation even if you don’t have the tail end of a peanut butter jar!

Check out the full Jar Scraps Peanut Butter Noodles Post here.

I used all chicken-flavored Ramen for this post but any flavor variation should work just fine.

Do you have any interesting ways to spice up Ramen? Share them in a comment!

Want some other fun recipes to try?