If you’re craving for some ramen, this easy Vegan Shoyu Ramen is sure to satisfy those cravings. Not only is it perfectly warm and hearty, but the clear broth is umami-packed from the kombu and mushrooms.
This ramen is topped with some homemade “Char Siu” Mushrooms that I made using a mix of fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms.
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THIS RAMEN RECIPE
- Prepare the broth and toppings first before you cook the noodles. This way everything is ready so things go smoothly and you’ll be able to enjoy the ramen immediately after pouring the soup in.
- You can use just 1 pot for this recipe. If doing so, you can cook the mushrooms in the pot first then just set it aside before using the same pot for the broth. If using dried noodles, you can cook it in the same pot with water and just set the noodles aside before working on the broth. I would highly recommend cooking the noodles until these still have a very good bite. This way you can blanch the noodles in the soup later on to heat them before separating into 2 bowls. Though of course using only 1 pot will take longer than the indicated 30 minute cook time since you’ll have to wait for the char siu mushrooms and noodles to cook before you can prepare the broth.
SHOYU RAMEN
Shoyu is Japanese for soy sauce. Basically, what makes Shoyu ramen is the soy sauce-based broth. Shoyu Ramen is also traditionally saved with a perfectly cooked ramen egg—boiled eggs with a custard-like yolk cooked in soy sauce and mirin.
Other common toppings are some nori sheets, thin slices of pork or char siu, bamboo shoots, and of course chopped green onions or scallions.
I don’t think I can ever do ramen eggs justice even by creating a vegan alternative for it so I’m sticking to other toppings I can make myself, that go well with a warm bowl of ramen.
Traditionally, Japanese ramen is made dashi, a stock that’s used in a wide range of Japanese dishes, which contains bonito flakes. These bonito flakes are derived from tuna that makes the broth really umami. Traditional dashi is of course not vegan due to the bonito flakes so in this version I make use of dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu.
I’ve had countless bowls or ramen and there’s no denying that crafting these bowls is an art. Most especially in Japan, every single bowl of ramen I’ve had was unique with its choice of toppings, type of noodles, and of course the broth.
You can also check out my other vegan noodle recipes:
- Tantanmen (Vegan Ramen)
- Peanut Satay Noodle Soup
- Jjajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)
- Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
- Easy Spicy Miso Noodles
- Ginger and Scallion Noodles
NOODLES
If there’s one thing that is a must in a good bowl of ramen, it’s the CHEWY noodles!
For this recipe, I unfortunately didn’t have fresh ramen noodles on hand so I opted for instant fresh ramen noodles that come in these vacuum sealed pouches. I get these from my local Asian grocery and they last months on end in the refrigerator (and are actually shelf stable but I prefer to refrigerate these to prolong shelf life).
THE RAMEN BROTH
Before preparing the other elements for this ramen, I started with my broth.
This is the most important aspect to this recipe (plus the noodles, of course) and it’s best to be simmered for at least 20 minutes for the kombu and mushrooms to release their flavours into the soup.
The ramen broth is clear but packed full of flavour.
KOMBU AND MUSHROOMS
The umami-packed duo! I find that these two go perfectly well in vegan cooking to prepare good, umami soup bases.
TO PREPARE THE BROTH
- To prepare the broth, start by heating a medium or large pot over medium heat.
- Add the sesame oil.
- Once hot, sauté the garlic and ginger until aromatic, around 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, and kombu.
- Add the sake, soy sauces, and sugar as well.
- Cover the pot and leave the broth to boil over medium high heat, around 5-8 minutes. Once it boils, leave to simmer over medium heat for the remaining time, around 20 minutes, while you prepare the toppings and noodles.
- When the kombu and mushrooms are tender, you can remove these from the soup. I let mine cool for a few minutes before thinly slicing these. I added the kombu as topping for my ramen.
You can also use the leftover kombu from the broth to make kombu tsukudani, or simmered kombu, that's so great as a side or enjoyed with rice!
TOPPINGS
For my shoyu ramen, I prepared the following for topping:
- Mushroom char siu (recipe down below as well!)
- Chopped green onions or scallions
- Sliced mushrooms and kombu (from broth)
- Sesame seeds
- Nori sheets
- Japanese chilli oil, for spice (rayu)
- Vegan 'fish' cakes
Vegan “fish” cakes
I actually got these vegan ‘fish’ cakes from a local store that has some vegetarian/vegan products. These are similar to bean curd skin but with a spongier texture
MUSHROOM “CHAR SIU”
For the mushroom char siu, I used a mix of fresh oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms.
To make these, simply heat a small or medium non-stick pan over medium heat. I did this in a separate pan while the broth was simmering.
Add in the sesame oil, soy sauce, sake/mirin, and sugar. Leave to cook over low to medium heat and mix continuously until the sugar starts to dissolve.
Once the sugar has dissolved, add in the mushrooms.
Mix the mushrooms to coat in the sugary glaze.
Leave the mushrooms to cook down for 4-5 minutes until these are tender.
You can turn up the heat to medium high heat and leave the mushrooms untouched to get the mushrooms nice and golden brown. Keep an eye on the mushrooms during this time since these can easily burn due to the sugar and high heat.
Once golden brown throughout, turn off the heat and then set the mushrooms aside for topping later on.
COOKING THE NOODLES
For the noodles, since I used fresh instant ramen noodles, I simply added these directly to the hot broth to cook them a bit and carefully separate these.
If you’re using dried noodles or other type of noodles, it would be best to follow the package instructions since some types of noodles can make the broth starchy if cooked directly in it.
So I would recommend cooking dry noodles in a separate pot of water until still very chewy and then run these through water quickly to rinse off any starch. So it would be best to check with the recommended preparation for the type of noodles you’re using.
ASSEMBLING THE RAMEN BOWLS
Divide the noodles into 2 bowls (or according to your number of servings).
Top with the toppings.
Pour in the hot broth.
Top with some chili oil, sesame seeds, nori sheets, etc.
Enjoy!
Find the full recipe for this vegan shoyu ramen below. ?
If you try out this recipe, I’d appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my recipe card!
Vegan Shoyu Ramen
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger grated or minced
- 5 cups vegetable broth or water (see notes)
- 1 piece/sheet kombu sliced into 2x2” pieces (see notes)
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp sake or other rice wine
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce , adjust to taste
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce optional
- 2 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
“Char Siu” Mushrooms
- 150 g fresh mushrooms of choice sliced (I used a mix of shiitake and oyster mushrooms)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbs sake or mirin
Noodles
- 2 servings fresh ramen noodles or dried ramen noodles, see notes
Toppings
- Mushroom “Char Siu” (recipe above)
- Chopped green onions or scallions
- Shiitake mushrooms and kombu (from broth), sliced
- Vegan “fish” cakes (store-bought), sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Nori sheets (I cut mine into rectangular pieces)
- Japanese chilli oil for spice (rayu)
Instructions
Broth
- To prepare the broth, start by heating a medium or large pot over medium heat.
- Add the sesame oil.
- Once hot, sauté the garlic and ginger until aromatic, around 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, and kombu.
- Add the sake, soy sauces, and sugar.
- Cover the pot and leave the broth to boil over medium high heat, around 5-8 minutes. Once it boils, leave to simmer over medium heat for the remaining time, around 20 minutes, while you prepare the toppings and noodles.
- Taste the broth and season with more soy sauce or salt, to taste, if needed.
- When the kombu and mushrooms are tender, you can remove these from the soup. I let mine cool for a few minutes before thinly slicing these. I added the kombu as topping for my ramen.
Mushroom “Char Siu”
- While the broth is simmering, heat a small or medium non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add in the sesame oil, soy sauce, sake/mirin, and sugar. Leave to cook over low to medium heat and mix continuously until the sugar starts to dissolve.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add in the mushrooms. Mix the mushrooms to coat in the sugary glaze.
- Leave the mushrooms to cook down for 4-5 minutes until these are tender.
- You can turn up the heat to medium high heat and leave the mushrooms untouched to get the mushrooms nice and golden brown. Keep an eye on the mushrooms during this time since these can easily burn due to the sugar and high heat.
- Once golden brown throughout, turn off the heat and then set the mushrooms aside for topping later on.
Noodles
- For the noodles, I used fresh instant ramen noodles that came vacuum sealed. These can be blanched in the hot broth to separate the noodle “cakes” and don’t require to be boiled since they’re already chewy enough to be added into the soup.
- If you’re using dried noodles or other type of noodles, it would be best to follow the package instructions since some types of noodles can make the broth starchy if cooked directly in it. So I would recommend cooking dry noodles in a separate pot of water until still very chewy and then run these through water quickly to rinse off any starch. So it would be best to check with the recommended preparation for the type of noodles you’re using.
- Once your noodles are ready, divide these into the 2 bowls.
Assembling the Ramen Bowls
- Over the noodles, add in the toppings of of your choice.
- Pour over the soup. Divide these into the 2 bowls.
- Top with chili oil, sesame seeds, and nori sheets (if using).
- Enjoy immediately while hot!
Notes
BROTH
- If using water for the broth, you will need to season the broth with more soy sauce or salt, to taste.
Kombu
- There are different types of kombu depending on what you have access to. My kombu was thin so I was able to cut these up into smaller pieces using some scissors. It’s best to cut these into smaller pieces or at least make some cuts into the large sheet/piece for the flavours to seep out during cooking.
- Also, do NOT wash your kombu. The white powdery layer on the kombu is naturally occurring and is what adds to the umami flavour when cooked down.
- How to use leftover kombu: You can make some kombu tsukudani or simmered kombu! I love this with rice or as a side dish.
Noodles
- For the noodles, I used fresh instant ramen noodles that came vacuum sealed. These can be blanched in the hot broth to separate the noodle “cakes” and don’t require to be boiled since they’re already chewy enough to be added into the soup.
- If you’re using dried noodles or other type of noodles, it would be best to follow the package instructions since some types of noodles can make the broth starchy if cooked directly in it. So I would recommend cooking dry noodles in a separate pot of water until still very chewy and then run these through water quickly to rinse off any starch. So it would be best to check with the recommended preparation for the type of noodles you’re using.
You can use just 1 pot for this recipe
- If doing so, you can cook the mushrooms in the pot first then just set it aside before using the same pot for the broth. If using dried noodles, you can cook it in the same pot with water and just set the noodles aside before working on the broth. I would highly recommend cooking the noodles until these still have a very good bite. This way you can blanch the noodles in the soup later on to heat them before separating into 2 bowls. Though of course using only 1 pot will take longer than the indicated 30 minute cook time since you’ll have to wait for the char siu mushrooms and noodles to cook before you can prepare the broth.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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Do you think I could use dried/rehydrated shiitake mushrooms for the char siu topping?
Hi Rhianna, yes should work perfectly fine too ◡̈ it’ll help to soak the mushrooms overnight in room temp water if you have the time to prep!
Hi! I have a question regarding the broth. In the instructions you mention “Add in the vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, and kombu.”
Are we supposed to have a separate vegetable broth and then add the mushrooms and kombu to it? Or is the mushroom and komnbu the vegetable broth itself?
Thank you! I cannot wait to make this!
Hi Ash! Yes I used vegetable broth to cook down the mushrooms and kombu. I edited the recipe and noted that you can use water as well. But you’ll need to season with more soy sauce and salt, to taste. I find that using veg broth adds another layer of flavour compared to just water, but water works well too. Hope this helps. 🙂
So yummy!!!!
best ramen i have ever had!! jeeca, i’m a hugee fan of your recipes and can’t wait to try all of them!!
Wah thank you so much Kaelyn! Rly makes me so so happy!!
Super easy and delicious! My go to comfort meal.
Aw yay, thanks Juri! Glad you like it ◡̈