14 Insanely Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Instant Ramen

Nothing against ramen burgers or serious ramen shops, but sometimes all you have is five minutes and a microwave. And sometimes that’s all you need. Believe it or not, the distance between a sad dorm dinner and grocery store gourmet can be as short as the walk to your fridge or kitchen pantry. We rounded up a couple of our favorite super simple, mildly out-of-the-box instant ramen upgrades that will make you feel like the cleverest, cheapest bastard on the block. And isn’t that the dream?

_______________

American Cheese

ramen-hacks-1

Shout outs to Roy Choi for this little tip. Two slices of American cheese + chicken ramen block = even instant-er mac & cheese.

_______________

Peanut Butter

ramen-hacks-4

Sounds weird, tastes amazing, like a soupier version of pad thai. A tablespoon or less should be more than enough.

_______________

Ice Cream

ramen-hacks-6

Okay, hear us out. We understand Japan does some really weird shit. But in this case it pays off. The key is not to mix the vanilla ice cream into the chicken broth, but to let it slowly melt, taking small doses of it in with every spoonful like a dip. The result is creamy and subtly sweet, like eating dessert before dessert.

_______________

White Pepper

ramen-hacks-8

A staple table seasoning at many ramen spots, but also a total revelation when you have nothing else at hand. Subtler than black, you can sprinkle white pepper generously over any flavor ramen you’d like.

_______________

Hot Sauce & Honey

ramen-hacks-10

Great separately or together, this combination using Sriracha and chicken ramen tastes a little bit like sweet Filipino spaghetti, though bolder flavors on pork broth might resemble a sweet and sour pork.

_______________

Pudding

ramen-hacks-14

Full disclosure here: this combination was gross. Our research told us it should have tasted good, and the reason ours didn’t might have to do with the fact that we used normal butterscotch pudding instead of the caramel “flan” the original version called for. Still, beware, adventurous eaters only.

_______________

Coconut Milk & Ginger Powder

ramen-hacks-18

Like Thai coconut curry. We used about five tablespoons of coconut milk and sprinkled ginger powder to taste. A squeeze of lime goes in nicely as well.

_______________

Tequila & Lime

ramen-hacks-19

As you might expect, the tequila and lime juice combination adds a nice burn to chicken broth. Add a half tablespoon of tequila and a tablespoon of lime halfway through boiling to help meld the flavors.

_______________

Pineapple

ramen-hacks-21

Best with pork broth, tastes a bit like Hawaiian ham.

_______________

Bacon Bits

ramen-hacks-22

Another no-brainer, we hope. Though, unlike us, you could drain most of the soup to transform the dish into something like ramen carbonara. We are not a smart bunch.

_______________

Fried Egg

ramen-hacks-34

If you’ve heard of this and never done it before, you might want to re-assess your life choices. If you’ve never heard of this before, you’re welcome.

_______________

Red Chile Flakes

ramen-hacks-28

Less invasive (and arguably hotter) than Sriracha.

_______________

Dino Nuggets & Katsu Sauce

ramen-hacks-30

The layman’s chicken katsu. Regular barbecue sauce also works.

_______________

Yogurt & Curry Powder

ramen-hacks-24

Another one you’ll want to drain most of the soup for, best when paired with either chicken or oriental broth. A dollop of yogurt should be enough. Sprinkle curry powder to taste.

More content

Products
Mountain Dew Announces New ‘Dragon Fruit’ Flavor
Survive the summer heat with Mountain Dew’s new limited-edition Dragon Fruit Flavor. Blending citrusy zest with tropical sweetness, the Walmart exclusive is now available in…
,
CultureProducts
Thailand’s Signature Orange Thai Tea May Lose Its Color—Here’s Why
Countries the world over are moving away from artificial food coloring. For example, in the US, RFK Jr. has declared war on Citrus Red No.…
,
Eating Out
Get Ready: Bottomless Apps Are Coming To Buffalo Wild Wings
When food goes bottomless, the place serving it instantly earns a spot on your must-revisit list. Buffalo Wild Wings just gave you a reason to…
,
Burger
We Deliver!

Enter your email address below and we'll deliver our top stories straight to your inbox