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!
Who's in the mood for a big satisfying bowl of Spicy Ramen Noodles? I am! Ramen noodles are a pantry staple for households everywhere. It's such an easy thing to whip together with a packet of the store bought stuff, but did you know you can just as easily make homemade ramen noodles?
Yes!
I love making ramen soup at home. The big question is - is ramen a noodle dish or a soup? It's both! It's a Japanese noodle soup with a seasoned broth and many possible extras. It's extremely easy to customize to your own preferences.
For me, I like to make mine nice and spicy with all sorts of wonderful ingredients that I always have on hand. There are many spicy ramen recipes out there, but most call for a few squirts of sriracha and call it a day.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, but if you're a true spicy food lover like I am, you'll want a bit more.
And this is it. This is the truly spicy ramen noodles recipe you've been looking for. Throw away those lame chicken flavored packets of ramen seasoning.
Bust out the ramen bowls, my friends! It's time to make spicy ramen noodles the right way!
Let's talk about how to make spicy ramen noodles, shall we?
Spicy Ramen Noodles Ingredients
- Broth. I use 5 cups 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 2 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.
- For Serving. Fresh chopped parsley, green onion or scallions, spicy chili flakes, sesame seeds
How to Make Spicy Ramen Noodles - the Recipe Method
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.
Recipe Tips & Notes
The Heat Factor
This particular recipe will give you a nice and spicy ramen noodle recipe. However, you can very easily dial back on the spicier ingredients for a not-so-spicy experience.
If you're looking for even SPICIER ramen, add in some hotter peppers with the minced garlic and ginger, extra chili flakes, and also more of the hot stuff, like gochujang. Try it with these Japanese "Japones Peppers". Nice heat!
The Noodles
Traditional ramen is made with Chinese style wheat noodles. You can often find these in grocery stores near the ramen packages or in the Asian aisle. I buy mine from a local Asian market.
I love using thin round wheat noodles. You can also make it with egg noodles. You can also find gluten free noodles for a gluten free diet.
The Proteins
I am using shrimp for this recipe, as the shrimp are very easy to lightly poach in the ramen broth. However, you can use others, such as chicken, pork, beef, fish, tofu and more. I love a good chicken ramen or pork ramen. Try this birria ramen recipe, too.
Ramen is perfect for leftover proteins you may have on hand. Just toss them into the broth to warm up.
Vegetarian Ramen Noodles
You can easily skip the shrimp with this recipe and use tofu instead for a vegetarian version. Skip the chicken broth as well and use vegetable broth. Just as spicy and just as delicious!
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 and more. Use your favorites!
Store Bought Ramen Noodles
If you have a hard time finding ramen noodles, you can use the noodles that come in the pre-made packages of ramen, like chicken ramen noodles or beef ramen.
Just discard the seasoning packets that you toss into boiling water and build your own. So much better that way!
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!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Miso Ramen
- Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
- Yakisoba Noodles
- Dan Dan Noodles
- Lo Mein Noodles
- Spicy Teriyaki Shrimp Stir Fry
- Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
- Pork Stir Fry
- Beef Stir Fry
- Spicy Stir Fry Sauce
- Szechuan Chicken
- Tonkatsu (Japanese Fried Pork Cutlet)
- Spaghetti Verde
Try Some of These Spicy Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Firecracker Shrimp
- Thai Shrimp Curry
- Blackened Shrimp
- Spicy Cajun Shrimp
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
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 4/1/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 10/14/20.
