Easy Gluten Free Ramen Recipe (with Brown Rice Noodles)

What Makes This Recipe Great

Ramen is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Wanting to eat ramen but not being able to eat gluten is challenging for more than just one reason. The obvious reason is that regular ramen noodles are typically made with gluten, but something you might not know is that soy sauce, often used to make broth and season Japanese food, also contains wheat. 

Shoyu ramen, in particular, which has a soy sauce-based broth, is obviously a no-go for anyone avoiding gluten, but if you are part Japanese and allergic to gluten, your girl has you covered with a Gluten Free Ramen Recipe you can make at home!

Not only is this recipe gluten free, but it’s also much healthier than most of the ramen you’ll eat at restaurants (and 200% healthier than ramen instant noodles). Despite the idea that making ramen at home can be a little daunting, this recipe is actually incredibly easy! 

Recipe Highlights

• Traditional ramen noodles are made with wheat flour! If you’re restricted to a gluten-free diet, have celiac disease, or a gluten intolerance, this recipe will satisfy your ramen craving using delicious gluten-free ramen noodles! 
• It’s an easy-to-make, versatile recipe using simple ingredients. You can add your favourite veggies if you want to switch it up.
• This recipe makes the perfect amount for 1, but feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed to feed as many bellies as you’d like!

How To Make Gluten Free Ramen

This is a recipe from my おばあちゃん (Japanese for grandma) that I put my own twist on to make a vegan and gluten-free version. My grandma says, “I don’t know why people think[s] (sic) ramen is fancy or hard to make. Actually it was a commoner’s food when I was little!”. 

What she means by that is historically, it was an affordable dish to make, enjoyed by all in Japan. Think street pizza or NYC food cart hot dog. 

This Gluten Free Ramen is made with ingredients like brown rice and millet-based ramen noodles, tamari, Asian veggies and plant protein. It’ll satisfy all of your ramen cravings, but healthier!

Broth

The focus of creating a rich broth sans animal products is to focus on umami, earthy flavours coming from miso, tamari, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Also, most broths develop flavour with time so the longer you can simmer, the better, and sometimes the broth will taste even better the next day! You can source these ingredients from your local grocery store or Asian market.

• toasted sesame oil
• scallions/green onions
• garlic cloves
• vegetable broth
• dried kombu
• dried shiitake mushrooms
• tamari or liquid aminos: I don’t recommend coconut aminos, as the flavour is sweeter and different. Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce alternative that works super well.
• white miso paste
• menma: Fermented bamboo shoots. Menma are one of my secret weapons whenever making ramen, something about it really adds to the authentic flavour of ramen, so if you can find it at your local Japanese or Asian market, I highly recommend it!

Gluten Free Ramen

• gluten free ramen noodles: I use these brown rice noodles by Lotus Foods. I recommend rice-based noodles, as they hold up well in soup! 
• shimeji mushrooms: or mushrooms of choice.
• sautéed lotus root
• tempeh or tofu: For extra protein!
• veggies of choice: bok choy, corn, spinach etc.

Garnish, optional

• nori
• shichimi togarashi: Japanese pepper spice– adds extra flavor and spice.
• scallions to top
• toasted sesame oil
• sesame seeds
• red pepper flakes

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. In a pot, heat the sesame oil and add garlic and the white stem parts of the scallion over medium heat. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the green scallion tops and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Next add broth, dried kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat, covered. Remove the mushrooms and dashi and set aside.
3. When ready to eat, bring heat to low and add tamari and miso paste to taste. Try to avoid bringing the broth to a boil once tamari is added. Add menma and allow to steep for a few minutes. Something about the menma really adds to the broth flavour in my opinion!
4. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Boil the ramen noodles and shimeji mushrooms and strain. To serve, add noodles to a serving bowl, and toppings like mushrooms, lotus root, tempeh, and any additional veggies. Pour soup over top of the noodles.
5. Garnish with scallions, shichimi togarashi and nori. Drizzle with a dash of toasted sesame oil if desired.

Secrets To Success

• Most of the Asian ingredients listed are easily found at Asian grocery stores if there is one nearby. I’ll share links to online purchase some of the harder-to-find ingredients in the recipe, but recommend browsing an Asian store near you for better prices (just being honest!).
• For maximum flavour, we’re using shiitake and kombu to infuse flavour into the broth, and the longer you can allow it to steep, the deeper and richer the result. Ramen is typically known for its rich broth flavour, so for best results, I recommend steeping as long as possible.

Storage Tips

• I don’t recommend cooking noodles far in advance or saving cooked noodles for leftovers, as the texture will not stay intact.
• The broth, however, saves well. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I think the broth tastes even better the next day!

Try These Delicious Vegan Recipes…

• Zenzai (Japanese Sweet Red Bean Soup with Mochi)
• Sautéed Lotus Root
• Miso Cashew Broccoli Salad
• Matcha Vanilla Bean Oatmeal
• Miso Mushroom Burger