This birria ramen recipe is so satisfying with shredded slow cooked Mexican beef with noodles in a flavorful birria broth and lots of toppings, the ultimate comfort food.
My Favorite Birria Ramen
It's noodle time in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. I think you're going to love this version. We're making a sort of a recipe mashup of Japanese and Mexican flavors, with a Mexican spin on one of your favorite comfort foods.
We're talking Birria Ramen, or birriamen, and we can't get enough of it.
Birria Ramen is a dish of ramen noodles served with Mexican birria along with the birria broth and lots of toppings. Mexican birria is a traditional Mexican recipe of beef or lamb that is cooked low and slow in a flavorful chili broth.
It's a popular street food served in bowls or as tacos. It's also a favorite of home cooks because of the wonderful flavor and ease of preparation.
As much as I love a good round of birria tacos, a popular way to enjoy birria is to serve it with ramen noodles. When it comes to fusion recipes, it doesn't get any better than this.
This recipe is ideal for leftover birria, though I've included the birria recipe below so you can make it as desired. If you love ramen noodles, this version may become your new favorite.
Let's talk about how to make birria ramen, shall we?
Birria Ramen Ingredients
- FOR THE BIRRIA RECIPE
- Dried Chilies. Use ancho peppers and guajillo peppers. You can add in a bit more heat by adding a couple of chile de arbol peppers. Stemmed and seeded.
- Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
- Produce. Onion, tomatoes, garlic.
- Seasonings. Use Mexican oregano, cinnamon, cumin, ground ginger, sea salt and pepper. Bay leaves are a popular addition.
- Liquids. Beef stock and apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is good, too).
- Beef. Use boneless beef chuck, though you can use other cuts of beef or lamb.
- FOR THE BIRRIA RAMEN
- Ramen Noodles. You can use other noodles, like angel hair.
- Fixings. Use your favorites, but I love jalapenos, red onion, radishes and soft boiled eggs or ramen eggs.
- Garnish. Red pepper flakes and fresh chopped cilantro, squeeze of lime.
How to Make Birria Ramen - the Recipe Method
MAKE THE BIRRIA
The Dried Peppers. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the dried peppers. Dry toast them in the hot pan 1-2 minutes per side, until the skins darken.
Remove from heat and add the toasted peppers to a large bowl.
Cover with boiling water and steep 20 minutes, or until softened. About 1 cup of water or more.
Cook the Vegetables. While the peppers are rehydrating, heat the olive oil in the same pan to medium heat.
Add the onion and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute, stirring.
Make the Birria Marinade. Add the cooked onion, tomatoes and garlic to a food processor. Remove the softened chilies and add to the food processor, but reserve the soaking liquid.
Add the seasonings to the food processor along with the vinegar and 1 cup beef stock.
Process until smooth. It should be fairly thick.
You can thin it out with a bit of the reserved soaking liquid, if desired.
Strain if desired to remove any unprocessed bits of skin.
Marinate the Beef. Cut the beef into large chunks and add to a large bowl. Pour the birria sauce over them and rub it into the meat.
Cover and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum.
Overnight is better.
Cook the Beef. When you’re ready to cook, add the meat with all of the marinade, the chopped roasted tomatoes and remaining 2 cups beef broth to a large pot.
Cover and cook at medium heat for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender and easy to shred. It should be fairly saucy.
You can use a slow cooker or Instant Pot for this.
Shred the Birria. Remove the meat and shred it with forks to your preference. Reserve most of the birria sauce (consome).
MAKE THE BIRRIA RAMEN BOWLS
Prep the Noodles. Boil the ramen noodles according to the packaging. Drain, then divide between 6 bowls.
Toppings and Garnish. Top with shredded beef birria, then cover with the reserved birria consome (flavorful broth).
Add your toppings (onion, cilantro, jalapeno), garnish and serve.
Boom! Done! Your delicious bowl of birria ramen is ready to serve. Looks so good, doesn't it? I know I can't wait to dig in.
Where are the chopsticks?
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Leftover Birria. You can make an extra large batch of beef birria (birria de res) and use it for other meals. A favorite way to serve it is birria tacos, with the tortillas dipped into the broth or consome, then lightly fried and stuffed with shredded beef. Or birria quesadillas! Or birria nachos! So good!
- The Fixings. Feel free to use any and all of your favorite ramen toppings or fixings for this recipe. I love more Mexican ingredients, but you can add in all types of vegetables and more. Go for it!
- The Noodles. If you can't find ramen noodles, you can use other noodles that are easier to find, such as egg noodles, or Italian spaghetti or angel hair pasta.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my birria ramen recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you.
Keep it spicy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Birria Ramen Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE BIRRIA RECIPE
- 3 ancho peppers stems and seeds removed
- 3 guajillo peppers stems and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 large roasted tomato chopped
- 3 cups beef stock separated
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck
FOR THE BIRRIA RAMEN
- 12 ounces ramen noodles 6 portions - you can use other noodles
- 2 jalapenos chopped or sliced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 3 radishes sliced
- 3 soft boiled eggs halved
- Garnish spicy red chili flakes, fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
MAKE THE BIRRIA
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the dried peppers. Dry toast them in the hot pan 1-2 minutes per side, until the skins darken.
- Remove from heat and add the toasted peppers to a large bowl. Cover with hot water and steep 20 minutes, or until softened.
- While the peppers are rehydrating, heat the olive oil in the same pan to medium heat.
- Add the onion and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the cooked onion, tomatoes and garlic to a food processor.
- Remove the softened chilies and add to the food processor, but reserve the soaking liquid.
- Add the seasonings to the food processor along with the vinegar and 1 cup beef stock. Process until smooth. It should be fairly thick. Strain if desired to remove any unprocessed bits of skin.
- Cut the beef into large chunks and add to a large bowl.
- Pour the birria sauce over them and rub it into the meat. Cover and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. Overnight is better.
- When you’re ready to cook, add the meat with all of the marinade, the chopped roasted tomatoes and remaining 2 cups beef broth to a large pot. Add in some of the reserved soaking water if you'd like a soupier birria. Cover and cook at medium heat for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender and easy to shred. It should be fairly saucy.
- Shred the meat with forks to your preference. Reserve the birria broth (consome).
MAKE THE BIRRIA RAMEN
- Boil the ramen noodles according to the packaging. Drain, then divide between 6 bowls.
- Top with shredded beef birria, then cover with the reserved birria consome (broth).
- Add your toppings, garnish and serve.
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/12/22 to include new information. It was originally published on 1/26/22.
Micaela says
I have all my ingredients ready to go and I can't wait to try this tomorrow!
Just one question, I want my ramen to have a lot of broth (soupy I guess you can say) but I noticed that the ramen in your pictures aren't as soupy as I'd like mine to be, are there any adjustments to the recipe you recommend? Or will there be enough leftover consome to use for the soup? I'm going to use a crockpot by the way.
Thank you for the tip!
Mike Hultquist says
Micaela, you'll have a lot of consome left and you can just ladle in as much as you'd like. Enjoy!
Rob Caldwell says
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing this great recipe. I didn’t know what this was until driving by a Mexican restaurant the other day that had Birria Ramen on the specials board outside. I googled it to find out what it was and found your recipe. It was made exactly to the recipe except that I substituted chipotle peppers for the ancho peppers because my local market didn’t have them, and had a full egg instead of half. We both absolutely loved it and will make it again without changing a thing. Having a little piece of the egg with a forkful really brought out the flavors. Since there are only two of us there was a lot of leftover Birria which will be great for more ramen, or other things like tacos, burritos, etc. The flavor and balance was perfect. Posted a pick on instagram tagging @chilipeppermadness
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing, Rob! Glad to be helpful!
Gus Sheker says
Hi again Mr Hulquist,
I have a seasonal taco trailer here in northern Minnesota. your recipes have been a great inspiration to me over the years. my question; the chilies in the birria make a bitter taste. I've been countering with honey and fat (butter) got any better ideas?
regards,
Gus Sheker. Singing chihuahua Taco Trailer
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Gus. Yes, the bitterness is pretty common with some dried pods. A few things - skip using the soaking water if you're using it. There is more bitterness in there. Use fresh water or other liquid instead. Strain the sauce to remove any bitter bits. Toasting the pods does help. Also, you might consider using powders instead of the dried pods, see if that makes a difference. I hope to visit your taco truck some day soon!
Renee says
Maybe she’s toasting the peppers too long, that can make the birria bitter. Just a thought.
Mike Hultquist says
A possibility, yes.
Lisette Dahlin says
Leaving in the seeds makes it bitter too. Take the seeds out prior to toasting.
Mike Hultquist says
Lisette, yes, the stems and seeds should be removed.
Anne McKinney says
I can NOT WAIT to make this! I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy!
Diane says
directions for instant pot please
Mike Hultquist says
Diane, follow the directions for the regular recipe, but in Step #11 for making the birria, pressure cook for 60-70 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. Then you can shred the meat and proceed to make your birria ramen. Enjoy.
Alexandria says
Love the idea again!!!Still working on the availability of the peppers,but a great idea I am vegan and low carb,so I used jack fruit and low carb noodles Oh wow.Just an idea,for me any ,if I was to get the latin names of the peppers,I thought I could hopefully grow them as house plants.What do you think?(from seed I mean!) Take care,and be safe Alexandria
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sure thing, Alexandria. I hope you enjoy it! You can definitely grow from seed, through best to work with fresh seeds, not from dried pods. Have fun!
Mike says
The recipe looks great and will be trying it soon. In lieu of the dried peppers, do you think the recipe would turn out well if I used Guajillo and Ancho chili powder? Maybe some Chili De Arbol powder as well? If so, what would be the portions?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Mike. Yes, powders are good here. I would use 2-3 tablespoons total (about 1 teaspoon or so per pepper), then adjust to personal tastes. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy.