10 Best Japanese Instant Ramen 2022 | Best Japanese Instant Noodles

Are you looking for the best Japanese instant ramen? Well, check out this list of top instant noodles that are incredibly tasty and get ready in no time. Read further to know more about these Japanese cup noodles. 

Ramen is an extremely popular Japanese noodle soup dish that consists of Chinese style noodles and a broth of meat, fish or veggies. Japanese ramen is often flavoured with miso or soy and served with different toppings like scallions, pork or any other meat. 

Instant ramen are mostly pre-cooked with a sachet of flavouring as well as toppings. It’s one of the quickest snacks everyone can have at any time of the day. All you need to do is arrange everything in the pan with the required amount of water and cook it for a few minutes and voila!

Best Japanese Instant Ramen: Quick Summary

Best Japanese Instant Ramen	Flavour
Nissin Donbei kitsune	Soy flavour, topped with tofu (vegetarian)
Narikyu Dan Dan	Spicy, and creamy
Maruchan Midori No Tanuki Ten Soba	Buckwheat noodles, shrimp tempura
Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood	Creamy seafood with egg toppings
Nissin Raoh Ramen	Pork, umami
Nissin Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto ramen	Spicy miso with meat and veggies
Sapporo Ichiban Shio ramen	Miso, sesame
Nissin UFO Yakisoba	Saucy and creamy
Maruchan – Seimen Japanese Instant Ramen	Miso, meat and veggies

In recent times, instant Japanese ramen noodles have become everyone’s staple as it’s easy to cook and satiate all your cravings. Some of these Japanese instant ramen come in a cup which makes them easier to carry and enjoy anywhere we want to. 

Ramen is undoubtedly my favorite snack. I can have ramen any time of the day, all day. I was first introduced to ramen by my Japanese best friend about 5-6 years back and have had it every week after that day. 

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If you love Japanese instant ramen too and want to try some of the best Japanese instant ramen then here I have some of the top recommendations for you that you can explore to satisfy your taste buds. 

Best Japanese Instant Ramen

Nissin Donbei kitsune

Best Japanese instant ramen vegetarian

Nissin Donbei Kitsune is one of the best vegetarian ramen that has a rich flavour of soy and instant udon noodles. This is one of my personal favourites because of the soy flavour and added tofu. I love eating it on a rainy day.

The topping of deep fried tofu perfectly matches the udon and soy sauce combination. It resembles Osaka’s specialty ramen and brings back so many memories. 

If you’re a vegetarian and want to try out instant ramen, this is perfect for you! All you need to do is just pour some hot water and let it sit for about 5-7 mins to let it cook. It’s one of the best Japanese instant ramen in vegetarian options that I’ve ever had!

What I liked:

• Vegetarian
• less time to cook
• Amazing flavour

What I disliked:

• nothing

Ratings:

• Texture: 8/10
• Taste: 9/10
• Affordability: 8/10

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Nakiryu Dan Dan

Best instant ramen Japan – Michelin star

Nakiryu Dan Dan is an award-winning ramen noodle that’s worth trying at least once. Nakiryu is one of the very few shops that has won a Michelin star award. The Nakiryu Dan Dan instant ramen is scrumptious with notes of spiciness and creaminess. 

I’ve had Dan Dan ramen only once but the taste of it still lingers on my tongue. I love the taste, it’s something you’ve never had before.

The noodles are thin and the broth is thick which makes for a perfect combo. This best Japanese instant ramen is a little expensive but it’s definitely worth the money. Add dry ingredients first and then the wet to cook the Nakiryu Dan Dan ramen.

What I liked:

• Flavour of spice and cream
• Thin noodles
• Thick broth

What I disliked:

• No value for money

Ratings:

• Texture: 9/10
• Taste: 10/10
• Affordability: 6/10

Maruchan Midori No Tanuki Ten Soba

Best Japanese instant ramen for shrimp flavour

Maruchan’s midori no tanuki ten soba is a must try as it belongs to the best Japanese instant ramen brands. It has buckwheat noodles that’s light brown in colour with a full shrimp based tempura. It’s the best snack to enjoy during the cold season. 

This ramen is decently priced and worth it. You can also add toppings such as boiled or fried eggs with pieces of meat to enhance the flavour. If you love seafood, this is going to be your favorite. It’s my go-to snack during winters.

The only thing I didn’t like about this instant ramen is that the noodles’s texture isn’t great and takes a lot of time to cook properly.

What I liked:

• Easy to make
• Seafood based
• authentic flavour

What I disliked:

• Noodles texture isn’t good

Ratings:

• Texture: 6/10
• Taste: 8/10
• Affordability: 9/10

Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood

Best Japanese instant ramen for seafood flavour

Nissin Cup Noodles come in various flavours like tomato chilli, curry, soy sauce, seafood etc. This seafood flavour is definitely the best out of all. The creamy seafood flavoured broth with egg, crab, squid, and shrimp toppings taste delicious. 

Another seafood-based ramen that I absolutely love is this cup noodles. I love the broth especially as it’s super delicious.

The best part about this ramen is that it’s fairly healthier than the rest as it has no added MSG and has reduced sodium as well. The noodles are thin and flat that go along well with the broth and seafood topping. It’s definitely one of the best Japanese instant ramen noodles. 

What I liked:

• Seafood based
• Delicious broth
• Thin and flat noodles texture
• Affordable
• Comparetively healthy

What I disliked:

• nothing

Ratings:

• Texture: 9/10
• Taste: 8.5/10
• Affordability: 9/10

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Nissin Raoh Ramen

Best Japanese instant ramen for pork flavour

Nissin Raoh ramen is one of the best flavours I’ve ever tasted. The ramen when completely cooked doesn’t look as appealing but it tastes amazingly delicious.  The rich, creamy, and white pork bone soup with noodles is heavenly. 

If you love pork, you’re going to love this ramen. I also add veggies to make this ramen more interesting and it goes so well with the pork broth.

It’s tonkotsu served with thin and firm noodles with a slightly umami flavour. It’s one of the most flavourful instant ramen where you can literally taste and differentiate between different flavours. These Japanese instant noodles are available online for purchase. 

What I liked:

• Pork bone soup
• Thin and firm noodles
• flavoursome

What I disliked:

• No value for money

Ratings:

• Texture: 9/10
• Taste: 9.5/10
• Affordability: 7/10

Nissin Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto

Best Japanese instant ramen for spicy miso flavour

Nissin Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto ramen is a collaboration between a restaurant and 7-Eleven convenience store. Tanmen Japanese instant noodles are extremely famous for their spice and flavourful balance of veggies and meat in miso paste. 

I have these noodles only once in a while as I find it way too spicy for my liking.

I love this Japanese ramen as it’s not bland. It’s super aromatic and doesn’t feel like it’s “instantly” made. It’s apparently one of the spiciest instant ramens so if you can’t handle spice, I’d advise you to avoid it. If you can handle spice, it’ll be the best Japanese ramen you’ve ever had. 

What I liked:

• Easily available
• Spicy flavour
• Contains vegetables

What I disliked:

• Extra spicy

Ratings:

• Texture: 8.5/10
• Taste: 7.5/10
• Affordability: 8/10

​​Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen

Best Japanese instant ramen for miso flavour

Sapporo Ichiban Shio ramen will not disappoint you because you’ll definitely feel like it has the taste of authentic Japanese ramen. The noodles are deep fried and the broth is made with miso that is perfect for an evening snack. 

The notes of sesame make it better as you sprinkle it on top. You can also taste salt, onion and garlic flavour in the broth that goes pretty well with the noodles. The hidden notes of chicken in the broth makes it even better. This is one of the best Japanese instant ramen in miso flavour.

It’s best to add a piece of meat because it adds more flavour to the ramen. I love this ramen as it’s easily available.

What I liked:

• Easily available
• Flavoursome
• Authentic ramen noodles

What I disliked:

• not very healthy

Ratings:

• Texture: 8.5/10
• Taste: 9/10
• Affordability: 9/10

Nissin UFO Yakisoba

Best Japanese instant ramen for soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce flavour

Nissin UFO Yakisoba is one of the best tasting Japanese instant ramen noodles that you’ll ever try if you love different types of flavour blast. The noodles are not ordinary and are pretty chewy which goes well with the Worcestershire and soy sauces.

If you love your ramen thick, this is the best choice for you. I don’t like this ramen as much as I like thin noodles in my ramen.

You can also taste cut crispy cabbages, pork, pickled ginger and seaweed. It’s extremely flavoursome and the entire pack is a treat. The perfect balance of sweet and savoury, and is definitely a must try. 

What I liked:

• Sweet and savoury taste
• Added veggies
• flavour blast

What I disliked:

• A little too chewy

Ratings:

• Texture: 7/10
• Taste: 9/10
• Affordability: 8/10

Maruchan – Seimen Japanese Instant Ramen

Best Japanese instant ramen for miso, meat and vegetable flavour

Maruchan Seimen instant ramen has a perfect flavour of miso in their broth and the veggies and meat add power to this instant ramen. The noodles are slightly thick and chewy with a broth of red miso, and ginger. 

I love the taste of this ramen and it also is extremely aromatic. It’s a perfect snack for winters as the piping hot bowl of ramen noodle soup is extremely soothing. It’s one of the best Japanese instant ramen in miso flavour. 

What I liked:

• Aromatic
• Contains veggies
• Amazing Miso flavour

What I disliked:

• Thick and chewy noodles

Ratings:

• Texture: 7.5/10
• Taste: 8/10
• Affordability: 9/10

Nissin – Raoh Kojuku Koku Miso

This Japanese instant ramen noodles is definitely my favorite for its blast of flavors in the tongue. I love how the ramen noodles are not so thick and chewy that come well with a thick and spicy miso soup. 

You’ll find four sachets in the instant ramen box that contains two dry toppings, and two soup stocks. It’s advisable to add the flavor sachets after 5 minutes of adding hot boiling water so that it’s cooked well. The aroma of this Nissin noodles is so delectable. You can add a piece of meat if you feel like it.

What I liked:

• Spicy miso flavour
• A lot of veggies and other toppings
• Easy to cook

What I disliked:

• No value for money

Ratings:

• Texture: 8.5/10
• Taste: 8.5/10
• Affordability: 7/10

Which is the best Japanese instant ramen?

My team and I taste tested 20+ ramen on the basis of noodle texture, taste,as well as ingredients and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5. We found Nakiryu Dan Dan to be the best Japanese instant ramen.

Nakiryu Dan Dan is an award winning ramen noodle that’s worth trying at least once. Nakiryu is one of the very few shops that has won a Michelin star award. This ramen is scrumptious with notes of spiciness and creaminess. The noodles are thin and the broth is thick which makes for a perfect combo. Nakiryu Dan Dan is a little expensive but it’s definitely worth the money. Add dry ingredients first and then the wet to cook the Nakiryu Dan Dan ramen.

Best Japanese Instant Ramen: FAQ

Japanese Instant Ramen Noodles

I hope you enjoyed some of our top recommendations for the best Japanese instant ramen. These instant ramen are delicious and so easy to make. It’s definitely worth having once in a while. Don’t forget to top it with your favorite toppings like egg, meat or scallions. Cheers!

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