Ramen noodles are made from wheat flour and oil, usually with a few extra ingredients for flavor, such as salt, or additional fillers such as potato starch. So, then what's the problem? It's the seasoning packets that are nearly always decidedly not vegetarian, as they usually contain such appetizing ingredients as "powdered cooked chicken" or "dehydrated beef extract". The one exception to this rule is Top Ramen brand Oriental flavor, which contains no animal ingredients at all, including in the flavoring packet. So by all means, stock up on this vegetarian ramen brand! Look for the blue Top Ramen packages at your grocery store.
Health food stores may carry vegetarian ramen noodle brands, though they aren't cheap, and if you eat ramen because its cheap, well, there’s no reason to purchase ramen if it's not budget-friendly! If it's convenience you’re after, then look for Soken brand vegetarian ramen (with such awesome flavors as "Spicy Dragon", "Bengal Curry" and Wasabi) or Dr. Mc Dougall's ramen noodle soup cups.
Some vegetarians and vegans choose to still purchase the ramen noodles and then just throw away the spice flavor packets. Whether or not this fits your definition of vegetarian is entirely up to you.
Vegetarian Ramen Noodle brands:
- Top Ramen Oriental Flavor (the blue one)
- Soken Brand Ramen
- Dr. McDougall’s Ramen Noodle Cups
Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Recipes:
- Quick Soy Sauce Flavored Ramen
- Chinese Ramen Noodle Salad
- Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Curry
- More Vegetarian and Vegan Ramen Noodle Recipes
Here’s a few extra tips if you’re looking to save money on a vegetarian diet or eat cheap with ramen noodles:
