This Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen recipe is inspired by the delicious ramen at Jinya Ramen Bar. It’s creamy, savory, rich and topped with silken tofu, spinach, green onion, sesame seeds, chili oil, and garlic oil. This ramen is honestly addicting! Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes and can be made in the Instant Pot.
Note: This recipe was updated on December 31, 2022 to include better recipe images. The popular recipe remains the exact same.
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This recipe is inspired by Jinya Ramen Bar’s Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen. The first time I had Jinya’s ramen was at their Vancouver, BC location and I was blown away! It was so incredibly delicious I genuinely could not stop eating! Plus it was raining out, making it all the more cozy. No other ramen I have ever had has come close to their vegan ramen. It’s that good.
I must say though…this one’s pretty dang close to the Jinya ramen and I am VERY PLEASED. I don’t live close to another Jinya location at all and I was genuinely dying for some good copycat Jinya ramen in my life! If you love Jinya’s ramen, you will love this recipe. Promise!
What You’ll Need
Jinya shares on their website that their secret to a creamy vegan ramen is sesame paste. Now, I don’t have sesame paste in my pantry and I didn’t want to hunt it down just for this recipe so I decided to use tahini instead. Tahini is also made from sesame, it’s just as creamy, but it is a bit lighter and milder in flavor! So, to help compensate for the milder flavor, I added in some miso paste to give it depth. And whoa, it worked! The broth of this ramen is probably as close as I’m going to get to Jinya ramen and it certainly helps satisfy the craving!
How to Make Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen
Although this recipe is super easy, I do recommend taking the extra step to cook the noodles separately. I know a lot of ramen recipes call for cooking the noodles in the broth, but I find it makes the broth too starchy. It’s worth the extra five minutes to cook them separately!
If you’re using the Instant Pot, boil the noodles using the sauté function before making the broth. Once the noodles are cooked, rinse them with cool water to prevent them from sticking together and set aside with the rest of your toppings.
If you’re using the stovetop, cook the noodles separately in a small pot once the broth has about 5 minutes left of simmer time.
Once your broth has cooked, add in your spinach until bright green and slightly wilted. Don’t add it in too early or the greens will get too soft!
Ladle the broth into large bowls and then add in the noodles and all of your toppings! It’s fun to add all of the ramen toppings to little bowls and let your family or dinner guests add on their own toppings! A true ramen bar.
Note: You may notice that I chose not to make the broth actually spicy, but instead added chili oil on the top! This is so that people can add the amount of heat they prefer and it can be completely mild for kids if need be! If you do like spice, I recommend this Vegan Chili Oil Sauce. It has simple ingredients, no fish sauce, and is very versatile. I personally like to add quite a bit to my ramen!
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Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen Recipe (Jinya Copycat)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Ramen
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup tahini - smooth and runny
- 2 tablespoons miso paste - I prefer white miso paste, but red miso paste works too
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2-3 cups spinach - substitute kale if desired
- 2 bricks ramen noodles -
Toppings
- silken tofu - cubed
- green onion - to taste
- crispy onion strings
- sesame seeds
- chili oil - to taste
- garlic oil
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn on sauté function and add 3-4 cups of water. Once water is simmering, add in 2 bricks of ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions.
- Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Again, using sauté function, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté onion and garlic. Stir frequently to prevent burning the garlic.
- Once the onion is translucent and fragrant, add in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, ¼ cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons miso paste, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir until tahini and miso paste have completely dissolved and are well incorporated with broth. This will help prevent the tahini and miso paste from sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Next add in remaining 3 cups broth. Stir well and add the lid. Make sure the valve is set to seal.
- Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Release pressure immediately once cooked.
- Stir in 2-3 cups spinach and the cooked noodles to warm though. Alternatively, you can add the spinach raw as a topping.
- Ladle the ramen into serving bowls and top with desired toppings and chili oil to taste!
- Enjoy.
Stovetop Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pot over medium heat (I used a 5 qt). Sauté onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Stir frequently to prevent burning the garlic.
- Next, add in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, ¼ cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons miso paste, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir until tahini and miso paste have completely dissolved and are well incorporated with broth. This will help prevent the tahini and miso paste from sticking to the bottom of the pot while simmering.
- Once incorporated, add in remaining 3 cups vegetable broth. Stir well and add the lid. Allow broth to gently simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring it half way through to be sure miso paste isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- When the broth has 5-10 minutes left to simmer, cook your ramen noodles according to package instructions in a separate pot.
- After 20 minutes, stir in 2-3 cups spinach and the cooked noodles to warm though. Alternatively, add spinach raw to the top of ramen bowl.
- Ladle the ramen into serving bowls and top with desired toppings and chili oil to taste!
- Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- The broth of this ramen is not actually spicy. I chose to add the chili oil to the top so everyone can spice their ramen to their own liking.
- What is silken tofu? Silken tofu is a very soft tofu that has a very high water content. It’s great for soups and ramens! I generally buy this one.
- Where do I buy chili oil/chili sauce? Your local super market should have some, but if not, I like this one and it is available on Amazon.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
Note: This recipe was updated on December 31, 2022 to include better recipe images. The popular recipe remains the exact same.
Photography by: Stacey Gaar
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Hi there! it says on the restaurant menu that it has garlic oil and garlic flakes. I don’t see this anywhere on your recipe. Any suggestions? Should I try to find these 2 items? Thank you so much!
Hi Ross, I wanted to use easy to find ingredients or ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen when making this copycat version so I didn’t use garlic oil or garlic flakes. You are of course welcome to if you have it or see it at your grocery store.
Would white miso paste or red miso paste work better for this?
My grocery store sells both red and white miso paste… Any advice on which will work better? Thanks
Hi Steven, I usually use white or yellow miso paste! Great question.
I cannot have oil of any kind which means no tahini. Do you have a suggestion for it or should I just omit?
Tahini is essential to making this ramen and there is unfortunately not a no-fat substitution that would yield a close resemblance. I do not recommend trying to make it without. Sorry!
Hi! Firstly, you rock for sharing this. I love Jinya’s Creamy Vegan Ramen and have been looking for a recipe for awhile!! I’ve been buying all the ingredients and am making it this weekend, can’t wait! 2 questions though.. For the maple syrup, is dark maple the key or would Regular Aunt Jemimas maple syrup also work? ( I’m not vegan) Also ..in pictures, Jinyas vegan ramen seems more white in color- is that more sesame included or some kinda of milk alternative base? Any ideas? Thanks again!!
Hi, I would only use the Aunt Jemima’s maple syrup if it’s true maple syrup. If it has added sugar or other additives I wouldn’t recommend it. And as for the color, it is a bit darker than the restaurant because of the broth but I think the editing in the photos on my website make it look darker than it is in real life. Hoping to update the photos soon! 🙂
Sweet, thank you for helping me with that and for responding so quickly. You’re the best! 🙂
If you were to use sesame paste for this recipe, would the quantity be in the same proportions as the tahini + miso paste? Or more/less? Any ideas would be appreciated!
Hi Amir, Sesame paste is a stronger flavor than tahini so I’d try starting with 2 tablespoons instead of a quarter cup and increase from there if needed! Hope that helps!
I am so excited to try this! I have tried to recreate Jinya’s genius vegan Ramen but it is never quite right. What broth do you use? Which brand, or is it homemade? I feel like this may be what I have been missing!
I use the Better than Bouillon vegetable broth paste mixed with water! Hope you love the recipe.
Thank you so much for the response! I made it yesterday and honestly I was shook, it was so easy to prepare and yet had such a unique flavor. My boyfriend is not the biggest fan of vegan food but he looooved it! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
This makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed.
Hi! I’m about to prepare this tommorow, however I’m wondering how to work with tofu? Should I make it in some particular way?
Hello, great question. No prep for the tofu needed. It goes in straight from the package. Silken tofu is very very soft and does not need to be cooked – it’s the same tofu used in miso soup if you’ve ever had that! Hope that helps 🙂
I also wanted to add that unfortunately I was unable to find silken tofu so I got a regular one. Any tips? 🙂
Any tofu you buy can be eaten raw but if it’s firm or extra firm I might simmer it in the broth so it softens up and absorbs some of the flavor. Medium or soft tofu should be okay just added in as usual.
I have tried to recreate the Jinya Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen – but it was never very good. This recipe is life changing. So good. So easy.
Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it, Julie!! Thank you.
Jinya’s creamy vegan is my ultimate favorite! Looking forward to giving this a try.
Yay! I hope you love it!!
I found sesame paste at my local store! How much sesame paste should I add to this recipe, considering I won’t be using tahini or miso paste as a replacement?
Amazing!! I would try two tablespoons sesame paste. It’s a lot deeper and richer of a flavor than tahini so a little will go a long way! 🙂 Please let me know how it goes, so curious!
Amazing! Satisfied my Jinya craving!
I am so happy to hear that, Brie!
I never made ramen but you make it seem so easy. And the addition of tahini and miso to the broth sure must give it such an interesting flavour profile! I think the time has come for me to start making ramen.
I hope you love the recipe!
This is my first time learning of sesame paste! Thank you! This is one delicious sounding and looking recipe – cannot wait to give it a try!
So glad you love the sound of this recipe! I hope you really enjoy it.
Never thought about making ramen in the Instant Pot. It looks so, so good!
It is very quick and easy. Thank you, Alice!
I’m loving the sound of a creamy version of ramen and using your instant pot makes it super easy too. Love it!!
Creamy ramen is our favorite! Thank you, Charla!
I never would have thought to do ramen in the instant pot. I love this creamy version.
Thank you! Glad you loved it!
Vegan chili oil sauce link doesn’t work
Oops! Sorry about that, Hannah. I just tested and the links for the chili oil in the recipe card are working. Will work on that link in the post!
Should be all fixed 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know about that link.
As I was eating this ramen it felt like I was being embraced in a big, warm hug. It is so creamy, hearty, and flavorful. I chose to forego the chili oil, but I might try it next time because I do think that added kick would go so well with it.
I’m so glad you liked it! The chili oil is great but if you don’t have it maybe sriracha?
Hey I’m cooking the recipe right now! When do I add the sesame oil?
Hi Rochelle, the sesame oil is what I used to saute the onion. 🙂