Beef Ramen Recipe

My favorite beef ramen recipe is a homage to my college days. Instant ramen was a lifeline back then (anyone else?). To this day, I can’t resist a slurpy, saucy bowl of noodles. Luckily, I’ve leveled up my ramen noodles since my microwave era. My daughter Aleksandra is a huge fan of ramen noodles, especially my doctored-up versions, and that always inspires me to come up with new variations.

This homemade beef ramen is spicy and warming from the inside out. Everything about it is just YUM. Between my peanut butter ramen, these chicken ramen noodles, and now this recipe, there are so many ways to transform plain instant noodles into something 100% delicious.

Why You’ll Love This Beef Ramen Recipe

• Big flavor. The cooking broth is flavored with garlic, soy sauce, sweet chili, and sesame. Most of the liquid gets soaked up (hello, flavor!), and you end up with the silkiest noodles ever, tossed with juicy beef and veggies.
• Quick and easy. Yes, you can make a fast and tasty weeknight bowl of ramen noodles without a microwave or a seasoning packet. This beef ramen comes together in 30 minutes with very little effort on the stovetop.
• Adaptable. You can really play around with the ingredients and flavors in this beef ramen recipe. Change up the protein, make it spicier, or add more veggies– it’s totally customizable depending on what you and your family like. I share some easy suggestions later on.

What You’ll Need

This ramen recipe is more like a saucy takeout noodle bowl, and less like a soup-style Japanese ramen (if that’s your jam, though, you might like this soba noodle soup).

I cook my instant noodles in a mouthwatering broth that gets soaked up along the way. It takes very simple ingredients to make! Here’s what you’ll need. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list of ingredients.

• Oil – I use vegetable oil to saute the meat and veggies. You can opt for any mild-flavored cooking oil you have on hand in the kitchen. 
• Ground Beef – Lean ground beef makes this recipe super easy. See below for more ideas. 
• Seasonings – Salt and pepper, plus garlic powder or onion powder.
• Veggies – Carrots and bell peppers, sliced julienne (matchstick) style. I throw some scallions into my ramen for a pop of green, or you can use parsley.
• Garlic – Everything is better with garlic, and I never add less than three cloves to any recipe, lol. Feel free to mince up as many cloves as you’d like.
• Broth – Beef broth goes best with beef ramen, but you can always substitute chicken broth or stock if that’s what you have.
• Sauces – Traditional ramen recipes use “tare” (pronounced “ta-reh”), a kind of seasoning sauce that flavors the soup. This can be soy sauce only, but my version has soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil for all that umami goodness.
• Ginger – Ground ginger works great, or you can substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger for every ¼ teaspoon of ground.
• Sweet Chili Sauce – My shortcut ingredient for a touch of sweetness and delicious chili heat all-in-one. You can also use another chili sauce, like Sriracha.
• Ramen Noodles – I always pick up a couple of packages of instant ramen noodles from the store. You won’t need the flavor packets (life hack: save the packets and sprinkle ramen seasoning over popcorn on movie night. You can thank me later!). 

What Kind of Beef Should I Use?

While it’s not exactly a conventional choice, I use ground beef in this ramen recipe since it’s widely available, easy to cook, and it really clings to the noodles. Other good options for ramen are thinly sliced flank steak, sirloin steak, or pretty much any beef you’d use in a stir fry. It should be a tender cut that cooks nicely over high heat.

Of course, if you’d prefer to make your ramen noodles with another protein altogether, you can always opt for ground or shredded chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu instead.

How to Make Beef Ramen Noodles

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the best beef ramen in just over 30 minutes!

Serving Suggestions

I save the scallion greens to sprinkle over my beef ramen bowls when serving. For even more flavor, I’ll top my ramen with an extra drizzle of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, or oyster sauce. If you like it spicy, try a squeeze of Sriracha, or spoon over some chili oil or chili crisp (so good!).

Some of my favorite sides for this beef ramen recipe are a creamy Japanese kani salad or a spicy Asian cucumber salad. Light and crispy bang bang shrimp are also great as an easy appetizer. As a side, ramen noodles are a fun way to round out main dishes like chicken katsu or Korean chicken bulgogi.

Storing and Reheating Extras

• Store in the fridge: Leftover beef ramen should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. It’ll keep for up to 3 days.
• To Reheat: Warm the ramen in the microwave, or in a skillet on the stovetop until everything is hot throughout. You might want to sprinkle over some water to help loosen up the noodles again if they’ve dried out in the fridge.

More Noodle Recipes

• Teriyaki Noodles
• Tom Yum Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Pho
• Beef Chow Fun