This spicy ramen noodles recipe is easy to make and so much better than store bought ramen, plus you can make it as spicy as you want! Ready in minutes!
This spicy ramen noodles recipe makes it easy to enjoy homemade ramen with bold, fiery flavor. Skip the store-bought packets - making your own spicy ramen at home is simple, satisfying, and totally customizable.
Why You'll Love This Ramen
- Quick & Easy. Your homemade ramen is ready in about 15 minutes with simple ingredients you already have on hand.
- Bold & Spicy. A fiery twist on classic ramen soup that’s completely customizable to your heat level. This is made for spice lovers, with plenty of room to kick it up even hotter, or milder if you prefer.
- Better Than Packaged. Skip the seasoning packet. This homemade ramen is fresher, healthier, and way more flavorful.
Bust out the ramen bowls, my friends! It's time to make spicy ramen the right way!
Want more quick and easy (and spicy) noodles? Try my spicy noodles recipe, drunken noodles, or my Lo Mein noodles recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Broth. I use chicken broth as my base, but you can use vegetable broth. Beef broth works, too, but will have drastically different flavor.
- Sliced Peppers. I use serrano peppers for a good level of heat, though you can use milder peppers, such as jalapeno peppers. Try habanero peppers, ghost peppers or something superhot like scorpion peppers, 7 pot peppers or the Carolina reaper for some dramatic heat.
- Fresh Garlic and Ginger. I use smashed garlic and minced ginger to season the ramen broth, but you can use dried if you'd prefer.
- Gochujang. 3 tablespoons gochujang, or to taste - I usually use 1/4 cup. If you're concerned about the gochujang, simmer the ramen based with 1 tablespoon first, then adjust from there.
- Chili Crisp. I use 1 tablespoon chili crisp, though you can use hot chili oil as a substitute. The chili crisp is great to get those extra crispy bits and also heat. Try my homemade chili crisp recipe.
- Soy Sauce.
- Sesame Oil. Hot sesame oil is ideal here for the spicy food lover, though you can use a milder sesame oil.
- Sambal Oelek. 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, or use chili-garlic sauce as a good substitute. You can add in more if you'd like.
- Rice Wine Vinegar.
- Sriracha Sauce. Use sriracha sauce to taste, or you can use your favorite hot sauce.
- Ramen Noodles. 4 ounces ramen noodles is perfect for 2 people. You can try this with other noodles, but ramen instant noodles are ideal. Or use thin round wheat noodles.
- Shrimp. You can use other cooked proteins like chicken, pork or beef. Tofu is popular, though we're using shrimp today.
- Eggs. Use 2 soft boiled eggs for extra flavor and garnish, if desired. Or use these homemade ramen eggs!
- For Serving. Fresh chopped parsley, green onion or scallions, spicy chili flakes, sesame seeds
How to Make Spicy Ramen - Step by Step
Heat the Broth. Add the chicken broth to a large pot and heat to medium heat.
Stir in the Spicy Ingredients. Stir in serrano peppers, garlic, ginger, gochujang, chili crisp, soy sauce, sesame oil, sambal oelek, vinegar and sriracha. Stir until everything is completely incorporated.
Simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop. It should look like the photo below.
The Noodles and Proteins. Stir in the noodles and shrimp (or other cooked proteins) and cook the ramen noodles until they are softened and the shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Serve Your Ramen Noodles! Serve into bowls and garnish with sliced soft boiled eggs, fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, green onion and sesame seeds.
Boom! Done! Spicy ramen noodles are ready to serve! Looks great, doesn't it? I love a good spicy ramen recipe. So delicious! And super easy to make, isn't it? Ready in about 15 minutes or so. I do love easy cooking, especially with such HUGE flavor.
Mike's Recipe Tips & Notes
The Proteins
I am using shrimp for this recipe, but you can use chicken, pork, beef, fish, tofu or other proteins. I love a good chicken ramen or miso ramen. Try my birria ramen recipe, too.
Ramen is perfect for leftover proteins. Just toss them into the broth to warm up!
Other Seasonings and Flavors
Ramen is VERY easy to customize with other spices and ingredients. Some popular additions include miso paste, fish sauce, chili sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and more. Use your favorites!
Extra Spicy Ramen Noodles
This recipe makes flavorful, spicy ramen noodles with a heat level most spicy food lovers will enjoy. For extra spicy ramen, add hotter peppers (like habanero), more chili flakes, and extra gochujang. Prefer it milder? Just scale back the heat.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover spicy ramen noodles in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days. The noodles will continue to soak up broth, so expect them to soften more as they sit.
To reheat, warm gently on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through. If the noodles have absorbed too much liquid, just add a splash of broth or water to loosen them up.
Tip: For best texture, store the broth and noodles separately if you plan ahead. Combine them when reheating for fresher-tasting ramen.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my spicy ramen noodles recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how you tweaked it to make it your own, you crazy chiliheads! Keep it spicy!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 100 easy recipes with big, bold flavor. This Spicy Ramen Recipe is included on page 219.
- Flavor Madness Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Try my Tom Yum Soup recipe, which you can make clear or creamy, and add noodles, too!
- Yaki Udon Noodles
- Chili Oil Noodles
- Spicy Stir Fry Sauce
- Szechuan Chicken
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.
Spicy Ramen Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth or use vegetable broth
- 2 serrano peppers sliced (use jalapeno for milder)
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 thumb sized knob of fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons gochujang or to taste - I usually use 1/4 cup
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp or use hot chili oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or use chili-garlic sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- Sriracha to taste or use your favorite hot sauce
- 4 ounces ramen noodles
EXTRAS
- 1/2 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (or use other cooked proteins)
- 2 soft boiled eggs
- Fresh chopped parsley, green onion, spicy chili flakes, sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth to a large pot and heat to medium heat.
- Stir in serrano peppers, garlic, ginger, gochujang, chili crisp, soy sauce, sesame oil, sambal oelek, vinegar and sriracha. Stir until everything is completely incorporated.
- Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.
- Stir in the noodles and shrimp (or other cooked proteins) and cook until the noodles are softened and the shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve into bowls and garnish with sliced soft boiled eggs, fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, green onion and sesame seeds.
Video
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 9/5/25 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 10/14/20.
Janice says
This was really good and spicy. Doubled order and followed as written. No changes needed. We like spicy and this met our levels.
Mike H. says
Thank you for the review, Janice. Glad you enjoyed the dish!
Charles Pascual says
I'm always on the alert for Ramen noodle dishes and this one is definitely a keeper. Terrific flavor - spicier than I expected - good for me, but a bit more than my spouse can tolerate (she wants me to "de-tune" it a bit 'cause she likes the flavor). I substituted Korean Cheongyang peppers, which I'd just bought, for the serranos - they're supposed to be in the lower Scoville range of serranos but when chopping these, my eyes and nose reacted in a way that serranos don't affect me, so maybe I have a hotter bunch. Then instead of your quarter cup of gochujang, I added about 6 tablespoons (had only a little bit left in the tub - couldn't put that back in the fridge, right?). But then, gochujang is not very spicy. Maybe it was the garlic chili paste (not sambal oelek), maybe it was the chili flakes (I make my own). Anyway, you get the picture. Your recipe is the terrific formula - I know the variables - now I get to play mad scientist. Thanks, Mike
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Charles. Glad you enjoyed it, and yes, perfect recipe to adapt and play! Cheers.
tony williams says
Followed most of the recipe. Regular size garlic - 5 cloves, mashed. I Serrano, 1 Jalapeño, 1/2 Habanero. Added 2 large sliced green onions.
Other than that, as written.
Smooth, easy to eat, wish I was allowed to eat more than one serving. I am COPD & diabetic, so I am supposed to be cautious.
Better than my recipe. Many thanks.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Tony. Enjoy it!
jimmothy says
Fantastic recipe! I have made this at least a dozen times, using different proteins
such as shrimp, shaved steak, shredded chicken, and pork tenderloin. All were great, everyone raved about the Ramen broth and depth of flavor. But my favorite use for the broth is to cook mussels in it. I serve it as an appetizer with a good crusty bread, and people go crazy about it. Going to a fish feast this coming weekend and the host insisted that I make them. He said he has been telling everyone about them, and they will be disappointed if I don't make them. Thanks again for the great recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom!! Glad you like it! I love to hear it.
Charles Pascual says
Mussels in this broth - what a great idea! Thanks for sharing that.
Diane says
Fabulous recipe! Spicy, flavorful, open to different ingredients with great results. Keeper!
Mike H. says
Super happy to hear it, Diane. Enjoy!