Are Maruchan ramen noodles vegan? If I could only choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be ramen. The ramen you get in a restaurant is a bit different than the instant ramen noodles that comes in a packet at your local grocery store.
Even though it's not the healthiest, the 3 minute ramen is still tasty. There are many kinds and flavors of ramen. But are they vegan? Let's check out the ingredients list.
Maruchan Ramen Noodles Ingredients
It's not the noodles themselves that contain animal products, it's the flavoring packet. Below are the ingredients for just the noodles themselves without any flavoring.
Ramen Noodles Ingredients: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola, Cottonseed, Palm), Preserved by TBHQ, Contains Less than 1% of: Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Potassium Carbonate, Sodium (Mono, Hexameta and/or Tripoly), Phosphate, Sodium Carbonate, Turmeric.
These instant noodles do not contain any animals ingredients. What about the flavor packets? Let's check out the different flavors and ingredients.
Maruchan Ramen Flavors
- Chicken
- Beef
- Pork
- Shrimp
- Picante Chicken
- Lime Chili Shrimp
- Creamy Chicken
- Roast Chicken
- Roast Beef
- Less Sodium Chicken
- Less Sodium Beef
- Chili
- Soy Sauce
With the exception of Chili and Soy Sauce flavors, it's obvious the other flavors contain animal ingredients. Let's check out these two possibilities.
Maruchan Ramen Chili Flavor
The Chili Flavor of Maruchan ramen noodles is one of the two flavors that don't have any meat or fish in the name of the product. Let's check out the ingredients. Any non-vegan ingredients will be in bold.
Chili Flavor Ingredients: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola, Cottonseed, Palm), Preserved by BHT and/or Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola, Cottonseed, Palm), Preserved by TBHQ, Salt, Potassium Carbonate, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Carbonate, Turmeric. Soup Base Ingredients: Salt, Chili and Other Spices, Maltodextrin, Monosodium Glutamate, Sugar, Dehydrated Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Maltodextrin), Dehydrated Vegetables (Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Chive), Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Beef Extract, Silicon Dioxide (Anti-Caking Agent), Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate.
Unfortunately, the Chili flavor contains beef extract and is not vegan.
Maruchan Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor
Ramen Noodle Ingredients: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola, Cottonseed, Palm) Preserved by TBHQ, Contains Less than 1% of: Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Monosodium Phosphate, Sodium Carbonate. Soup Base Ingredients: Salt, Contains Less than 1% of: Monosodium Glutamate, Dehydrated Soy Sauce (Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Sugar, Dehydrated Vegetables (Garlic, Onion, Chive), Caramel Color, Spices, Beef Extract, Maltodextrin, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Natural Flavors, Yeast Extract, Lactose
Unfortunately, the Soy Sauce flavor contains both beef extract and lactose (a dairy ingredient) and does not fit in with a vegan diet. There are no vegan flavors of Maruchan Ramen Noodles.
Maruchan Gold
Maruchan Gold is the new variety of ramen that is supposed to be more authentic. Unfortunately, the ramen noodles themselves contain egg so they can't be eaten separately from the flavor packets. There are two varieties which are listed below.
- Spicy Miso - Contains egg, fish and milk ingredients
- Soy Sauce - Contains egg, fish and milk ingredients
Vegan Ramen Alternatives
Is there a vegan option for cheap ramen at the grocery store? Yes there is! Top Ramen Soy Sauce flavor is vegan! Let's check out the ingredients.
Top Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Rice Bran Oil), Salt, Dehydrated Soy Sauce (Maltodextrin, Salt, Wheat, Soybean), Contains Less Than 2% Of: Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Succinate, Dried Leek Flake, Garlic Powder, Hydrolyzed Coran and Soy Protein, Natural Flavor, Onion Powder, Potassium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Spice, Succinic Acid, Sugar, TBHQ (Preservative)
Not only does it not contain and dehydrated beef extract or other animal ingredients, it also doesn't contain any MSG which is good news. That's not all - Top Ramen Chili Flavor is also vegan! One thing to mention is that packaged ramen flavorings contain A LOT of sodium. I'd recommend using only part of the seasoning packet.
If you are lucky enough to have an Asian market near you, there are many other brands of ramen that do not contain any animal ingredients. Just make sure to always check the package label. I've tried Nongshim Soon Kimchi Ramen which is both vegan and very tasty. There are many more choices out there.
Best Vegan Ramen Noodles Choices
The following are some vegan ramen options that you can find in your local grocery store or an Asian market.
- Top Ramen Brand Soy Sauce
- Top Ramen Brand Chili
- Dr. McDougall's Vegan Ramen Chicken Flavor
- Nongshim Soon Kimchi Ramen
- Annie Chun's Shoyu Ramen Noodle Bowl
Make A Better Ramen At Home
It's super easy to make a delicious ramen at home with or without the seasoning packet. If you don't use the seasoning packet, use vegetable broth instead of water to cook the noodles in. You'll also want to add some soy sauce to it. Then it's all about the toppings. Here are my favorites.
- Kimchi - My absolute favorite topping for ramen. It brings so much flavor to any dish! I always have a jar of vegan kimchi in my fridge. My favorite brand is Mother-In-Law's Vegan Kimchi.
- Mushrooms
- Bok Choy
- Corn
- Bean sprouts
- Tofu - I like to cube and stir fry it first.
- Bamboo shoots - You can easily find these canned in the grocery store.
- In a pinch, a bag of frozen mixed veggies.
Want to follow a recipe. Check out Easy Vegan Ramen by Minimalist Baker!
FAQ
Are any flavors of Maruchan ramen vegan?
Unfortunately, none of the flavors are vegan.
Are ramen noodles without the seasoning vegan?
Yes. Maruchan ramen noodles themselves are vegan. It's the seasoning that contains animal products. However, the Maruchan Gold noodles contain egg and are not vegan.
Does Top Ramen have any vegan flavors?
Yes! Both Soy Sauce and Chili flavors of Top Ramen are vegan.
Summary
Unfortunately, there aren't any Maruchan Ramen vegan flavors. You could always use the noodles in the packet to make your ramen at home. If you want your traditional instant ramen fix using the little seasoning packets, try Top Ramen Soy Sauce flavor in the blue package. It contains only vegan ingredients and no msg. There are plenty of vegan ramen options out there but my favorite option is at a restaurant!
Wondering if other foods are vegan? Check out:
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