Easy Vegan Ramen Soup

Today I’m going to show you my recipe for an easy vegan ramen soup.  It is warm, savoury, and packed with flavour, making it the perfect vegan meal idea for a cold fall day.  It’s super easy to make, plus you can get creative with the veggies.  This time I topped it with spinach, red bell pepper, and fried tofu.

Miso broth is a common broth used in vegan recipes, but I unfortunately ran out of miso paste.  Instead, I made the base of the broth using soy sauce, sesame oil, caramelized onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  It turned out great! 

Caramelizing the onions, mushrooms, and garlic

Fried tofu

I also added in a small amount of this hot sauce (chili oil or your favourite hot sauce would work as well):

The ramen noodles I use are from a brand called Lotus Foods.  They are vegan, gluten free, and have a decent amount of protein.  I buy them from Costco but have seen them in other grocery stores as well.

Okay, now let’s get started…

Easy Vegan Ramen Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time:  35 minutes
Serving size:  2-3 servings

The Ingredients

Broth
3 ramen squares
½ medium onion, thinly sliced
Pinch of salt
½ tsp cane sugar (optional)
4 mushrooms (I used white, but cremini or shiitake would work as well), sliced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 cups water or vegetable broth
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp dried ginger (or small chunk of fresh ginger, grated)
Hot sauce or chili oil, to taste

Fried Tofu
½ pack extra firm or firm tofu, thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, sliced

Optional Toppings
Cooked Spinach
A few slices of fresh red bell pepper

The Process

1. Slice the tofu and gently press the moisture out with a clean towel.  Let it sit until ready to cook.

2. Cook the onions in an oiled pot on medium heat.  Add the salt and cane sugar (or sweetener of choice).  Cook for 10 to 15 minutes to caramelize, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.

3. Add mushrooms and garlic.  Continue to cook for roughly five minutes.

4. Cook the tofu in an oiled pan on medium heat.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway, until each side is a golden brown.  Add the sliced garlic and sesame oil halfway to avoid burning.

5. While the tofu is cooking, add water, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and hot sauce (or chili oil) to the pot.  Turn up the heat to medium high to bring to a boil.

6. Once the water is boiling, add the ramen noodles, following the instructions on the package.

7. Pour the noodles and broth into large bowls, top with cooked spinach, red bell pepper slices, and fried tofu.

Enjoy!  Let me know what you think in the comments below.