The Best Instant Ramen Can Be Made in the Microwave (2024)

Instant ramen is an affordable and easy meal to make in a pinch. While the stovetop instructions are fairly simple, you can enjoy it even faster by making ramen in the microwave. No need for a pot and heating up the stove. Here’s how to make ramen quickly with a few pushes of a button, and also how to elevate your ramen with a few flavorful additions.

How to Make Ramen in the Microwave

Megan Barrie for Taste of Home

Microwaving ramen looks a bit different than how to make ramen from scratch on the stove. Make sure you have a large, mircowave-safe bowl and plastic wrap or a silicone lid.

Also, if you’re looking for a new way to eat ramen, you might want to put a new trend,creamy ramen, at the top of your list.

Ingredients

• 1 package instant ramen noodles
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 flavor packet

Directions

Step 1: Pour boiling water on noodles

Bring two cups of water to a boil in a kettle or heat in a microwave safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup for 2 minutes in the microwave. Meanwhile, remove noodles from packaging and place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Pour boiling water into the bowl to submerge the noodles completely. If the noodles don’t fit in the bowl, you can break them into pieces.

Step 2: Cover and microwave

Megan Barrie for Taste of Home

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a silicone lid. Microwave for 2 minutes on high.

Step 3: Check noodles for doneness

Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave—you might need to use oven mitts—and give the noodles a stir. Since every microwave is different, test the noodles for doneness, and microwave for another 30 seconds on high again if they’re too firm for your liking.

Step 4: Flavor the ramen

Add the flavor packet and stir, mixing thoroughly until the broth is flavorful and all clumps are dissolved. If desired, add any additional toppings like sesame seeds, furikake or green onions for garnish (see below for more suggestions).

Tips for Making Ramen

Megan Barrie for Taste of Home

• Overcooked noodles are a noodle-lover’s nightmare. It’s unfortunately easy to do with the microwave, as microwaving foods often results in uneven cooking. But if you’re sure to use a large enough bowl and submerge the noodles fully in water, they should remain al dente. If you’re using your largest bowl and the noodles aren’t covered by the boiling water, break the noodles into pieces. That way you ensure more thorough cooking on the noodles and don’t end up with raw pieces.
• For a more flavorful noodle, add the flavor packet along with the boiling water to the raw noodles and microwave the noodles in the seasoned broth. By letting the noodles cook in the seasoned broth, they absorb that flavor rather than absorbing water.
• To reduce sodium, only add about half of the flavor packet. Taste, and add a bit more as desired.

Microwaveable Ramen Variations

Megan Barrie for Taste of Home

The best instant ramen noodles can be made even better with plenty of fridge and pantry staples.

• For a sesame-boosted flavor, top your bowl with a drizzle of sesame oil (no more than 1/2 teaspoon) and a few shakes of sesame seeds (about 1/2 teaspoon).
• Top your noodle dish with a handful of chopped green onions. It instantly brings a freshness to packaged noodles. To add a bigger boost of healthy vitamins from vegetables, add a few tablespoons of frozen corn, broccoli or shelled edamame. You can add them to the bowl before microwaving the noodles.
• Many ramen noodle recipes include an egg. To give your soup a boost of protein, crack an egg into the bowl before microwaving your noodles and water. You may need to microwave your noodles 30 seconds longer to achieve the doneness you’re looking for on the egg. When you remove the ramen from cooking in the microwave, you can pierce the egg yolk and stir so the rich yolk emulsifies with the broth.
• For a luxurious and slightly spicy ramen, add a tablespoon of Kewpie mayonnaise and as much sriracha as you’d like (perhaps a teaspoon) to the bowl along with the spice packet. Give the mixture a thorough stir to fully incorporate the condiments to get a creamy spicy broth.
• Heard of the viral creamy ramen hack? If you prefer a creamy base to a broth, you’re going to want to try this.

Originally Published: December 22, 2022