You might be wondering, “Peanut butter in soup?” Trust me on this one. This peanut butter ramen recipe is comforting enough for a weeknight meal but impressive enough to serve to guests.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Jump to:
The creamy, slightly sweet, and nutty profile of peanut butter complements the salty, fermented notes of the miso paste deliciously. It’s an unexpected but truly umami combination.
The peanut butter adds a luxurious thickness and a depth of flavour to the ramen that is both comforting and complex. Think of it as a savoury cousin to a Thai satay sauce, but in soup form!
This ramen recipe is naturally vegan and can be easily made gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce. It’s also highly customizable.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredients For the Broth:
- Creamy Peanut Butter, unsweetened, preferably homemade or a natural one.
- Miso Paste (fermented soy paste), white or yellow for a rich, umami flavour.
- Mushrooms like cremini, shiitake, or oyster for the umami flavour.
- Vegetable Stock or broth instead of water takes your ramen to the next level.
- Sesame Oil to saute the aromatics.
- Garlic and Green Onion to build the base of soup
- Seasoning: Soy Sauce or tamari (for a gluten free version), Salt, Pepper
Ingredients For the Crispy Tofu Crumble:
- Firm Tofu, pressed, crumbled, and air fried till crispy.
- Soy Sauce, Salt, Pepper
Ingredients For the Ramen:
- Coconut Milk for the much required creaminess like a tonkatsu broth.
- Ramen, soba, udon, or shirataki noodles. I use Shirataki Noodles for this peanut butter ramen to save a few calories and keep the recipe gluten free.
- Baby Spinach, Sweet Corn Kernels, or bok choy, roughly chopped
Toppings (choose your favourites!):
- Chopped Nori sheets
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Crushed roasted peanuts
- Drizzle of garlicky chilli oil
- Chopped green onions or chives
How To Make Peanut Butter Ramen
1. Prepare the Tofu:
- Pressing the tofu is a crucial step to remove excess water, allowing it to better absorb the flavours of the soup.
- Wrap the block of tofu in a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place it on a plate and set something heavy on top (like a few cookbooks or a cast iron skillet) for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Once pressed, crumble it into chunks. Toss it in soy sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Air Fry at 180 degree celcius for 10 – 15 minutes or till slightly crispy. Or cook it in a cast iron pan till crispy.
2. Build the Broth:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the sesame oil over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic, green onion, and mushrooms for 5 – 6 minutes or until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
- Add the vegetable stock. Once the broth starts simmering, take a ladle full of it and mix with miso and peanut butter in a bowl. This way they don’t clump up in the soup.
- Pour the prepared paste mixture into the pot along with soy sauce. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer covered for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
- Once broth is ready, add the coconut milk and gently simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Finishing Touch
- Cook the noodles separately right before serving till al dente.
- Just before serving, stir in the spinach or bok choy and sweet corn to the ramen and cook for 1-2 minutes, until wilted.
- Peanut Butter Ramen is ready to serve!
Serving Suggestion
This is where you can truly make the peanut butter ramen your own!
Add equal portion of cooked noodles in each bowl, and top it with piping hot soup. Top each bowl with chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and crumbled crispy tofu for a satisfying crunch. A dash of chilli oil adds a welcome kick.
Try Korean cucumber kimchi, steamed or fried gyoza (Japanese style dumplings), stir fried edamame beans, or crispy air fried tofu for the side dishes.
My Tried and True Tips
- Mix Paste Separately. It is important to mix miso paste and peanut butter separately in a bowl with vegetable stock to avoid lump formation in the soup. At times, when added directly to the soup, they clump and become difficult to dissolve.
- Do Not Boil. After adding seasoning and miso to broth, do not let it come to a rolling boil, as this can diminish the flavour of the miso leaving you with a bland tasting ramen. Always cover and cook it over low heat.
- Al Dente Noodles. Do not overcook the noodles else after adding to hot ramen they will become overcooked and mushy.
- If using water, you can add 1 vegetable cube or bouillon. You can also just use plain water but I will not recommend it.
Yes, that’s possible. But while cooking ramen in the broth somehow makes them overcooked, and they soak up a lot of liquid from the soup. I don’t personally prefer that. I suggest adding up to 1 cup of additional broth to offset how much is soaked up by the noodles while they cook.
Miso is the Japanese fermented soybean paste. For this ramen recipe, we used white miso because we wanted a smooth, light, umami flavour.
Use coconut aminos, tamari sauce, or good quality tahini (white sesame seeds paste) combined with soy sauce for a rich, nutty, umami flavour.
More Noodle Recipes For You
- Green Curry Noodle Soup
- Healthy Manchow Soup
- Chilli Garlic Noodles
- Chinese Chop Suey
- Vegetable Thukpa
- Chilli Oil Noodles
follow us on Youtube and Instagram for video recipes
Tofu Peanut Butter Ramen Recipe
- stockpot or saucepan
Ingredients
Ingredients For Ramen Broth
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped
- 4 shiitake mushroom
- 1 Cup sliced button mushrooms
- 2 Cup vegetable stock (get recipe)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter (get recipe)
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ Cup coconut milk
Ingredients For Crispy Tofu:
- 100 gram firm tofu, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Additional Ingredients
- 200 gram Shirataki noodles
- ⅓ Cup sweet corn kernels
- 2 sprigs green onion, sliced
- ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
Prepare the Tofu:
- Wrap the block of tofu in a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place it on a plate and set something heavy on top (like a few cookbooks or a cast iron skillet) for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Once pressed, crumble it into chunks. Toss it in soy sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Air Fry at 180 degree celcius for 10 – 15 minutes or till slightly crispy.
Build the Broth:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the sesame oil over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic, green onion, and mushrooms for 5 – 6 minutes or until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
- Add the vegetable stock. Once the broth starts simmering, take a ladle full of it and mix with miso and peanut butter in a bowl. This way they don’t clump up in the soup.
- Pour the prepared paste mixture into the pot along with soy sauce. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
Finishing Touch
- Cook the noodles separately right before serving till al dente.
- Just before serving, stir in the spinach or bok choy to the ramen and cook for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Peanut Butter Ramen is ready to serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Make it Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, or a spoonful of sriracha or chili garlic sauce to the broth.
- Add More Veggies: Broccoli florets, bell peppers, carrots, or snow peas would all be delicious additions. Add harder vegetables at the beginning with the onion, and softer ones towards the end.
- Protein Boost: While tofu is the star, you could also add shelled edamame for extra protein and texture.
- For a Smoother Soup: Use a stick blender to purée one fourth portion of the soup right in the pot for a thicker, creamier consistency.
Leave Your Rating & Comment