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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!
Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen Recipe (Jinya Copycat)
Ingredients
Ramen
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth ($0.32)
- 1/4 cup tahini smooth and runny ($0.70)
- 2 tablespoons miso paste I prefer white miso paste, but red miso paste works too ($0.92)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup ($0.26)
- 3 cloves garlic minced ($0.18)
- 1 yellow onion diced ($0.60)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil ($0.19)
- 2-3 cups spinach substitute kale if desired ($1.80)
- 2 bricks ramen noodles ($1.66)
Toppings
- silken tofu cubed ($1.09)
- green onion to taste ($0.22)
- crispy onion strings ($0.28)
- sesame seeds ($0.36)
- chili oil to taste ($0.68)
- garlic oil ($0.78)
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, 1/4 cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons miso paste, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir vigorously until tahini and miso paste have completely dissolved and are well incorporated with broth. This will help prevent the tahini and miso paste from separating or 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, 1/4 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.
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.
- How to prevent the tahini from “curdling”: When tahini undergoes a drastic temperature change very quickly, it is likely to appear curdled. This affects the appearance of the broth, but still tastes very good. However, to prevent this from happening, you have a few options:
- Let the tahini come to room temperature before whisking into the broth. Alternatively, you can microwave the tahini until lightly warmed. This will prevent a temperature shock that will happen when you add cold tahini to hot broth.
- Thin the tahini with broth before adding to the ramen broth. This is similar to making a cornstarch slurry. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini with 1 cup of broth until well emulsified and creamy. Then, add to the soup broth as usual.
- Heat gradually. This is easiest to do with the stovetop method. Keep the heat low when combining the broth and tahini until well emulsified, then increase the heat slowly.
- Blend the broth ingredients. A lovely reader shared this method and this would work wonderfully. Place the broth, tahini, maple syrup, and miso paste in a high speed blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes, or until fully emulsified and creamy, then add to the pot as usual.
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.
Did You Love This Recipe?
Rate the recipe here and make sure to leave a comment below!
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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97 Comments
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this was quite yummy!!! :3 however it did come out a little sweet so if you don’t like that i would recommend maybe a little less maple syrup. but overall delicious
So happy you enjoyed it Ava! I really appreciate you sharing your feedback! 🙂
This soup was very tasty and filling. I liked using the tahini to make it creamy. I didn’t have chili oil but I looked up a recipe and made a small batch of it—very easy.
I would love if you could make a copycat version of their flying vegan harvest ramen bowl!!
Hi Kay!! I get this request SO often and I really would love to create this. I currently live hours away from the closest Jinya Ramen Bar 🥲 and making it out to the restaurant has not been in the cards for me recently. Please know this is on my to-do list, however, so the first chance I get, I will be trying to develop this recipe!
Sorry to jump in here. I ordered the Flying V by mistake a couple months back and while the toppings were different, the broth seemed to be the exact same to me. Thank goodness as the red opal is by far my favorite. I also love hours away from a Jinya.
I’ve made this twice and it DOES taste like Jinya’s! The second time I made it, the flavor was somewhat bland . Not sure what I did wrong. I’d like to freeze the broth for using later-has anyone tried that?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julie! I have not tried freezing the broth – since it is pretty creamy there is a chance it would separate and become grainy upon thawing, but if you were to blend it after thawing that might help. If you give it a try let me know!
Delicious! We were in Phoenix and had ramen from Jinya and loved it. This is my daughter’s go to, and she wondered what made it creamy. I added some chili oil and tamari to the broth, air baked the tofu, and added sautéed mushroom. A new favorite!
Hiya! I’m stoked to have found this recipe because the Spicy Creamy Vegan is my jam. Truthfully I have a few locations nearby but want to make it at home to save some money.
My question: If I have sesame paste, would I follow your combined measurements of 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp? I know you used Tahini and Miso paste because you didn’t have any sesame paste, so I just want to ensure I use the correct amount.
Thanks a million!
Hey!! I hope you love the recipe! I would try 2 tablespoons sesame paste and 2 tablespoons miso paste.
I’ve just made this in the instant pot and it’s curdled. What a waste
What vegetable broth do you use? I’m dying to make this recipe.
Hi! I use Better than Bouillon vegetable base. I buy it from Costco in a big jar and keep it in the fridge! I hope you love the recipe 🙂
AHHHHH!!!! I made this recipe using 2 packets of instant spicy ramen and it was aaaaammmmaaaaazzziiinggggg!! Literally mind blown at how perfect it was! Tasted just like Jinya’s!!! Thank you for this recipe gold! Adding this to our monthly rotation!
Did you use the flavoring packets from the instant ramen also? Which brand did you use if so?
I made the stove stop recipe twice and it curdled both times. I’m not sure why… I followed the recipe as directed. Any idea?
Hey Sarah! Great question – I find this happens to me when the tahini doesn’t blend super well into the broth. To avoid this, add tahini to the pot and slowly whisk in the broth (almost like you’re making a roux). This should help the tahini mesh with the broth better and prevent the clumpiness that looks like curdling. I know the texture isn’t pretty when this happens, but it should still be really delicious! I hope you enjoyed the recipe! ☺️
Mine started to curdle so I poured the whole thing into my blender and let it emulsify and it fixed it!
This is an amazing suggestion! Thank you so much for sharing Alex!
Hi! What brand of crispy onion strings do you recommend?
I typically buy the 365 Whole Foods brand but any brand is fine! Just check for dairy and eggs on the ingredients if you are vegan 🙂
What can we sub the miso with?
The miso is a fairly prominent flavor here. You could try replacing it with salt to taste, but I’m afraid you’ll lose a lot of flavor in the broth!
This tasted just like Jinya’s. It was so good and so easy to make the broth. Thank you! I’ve moved far from the restaurant and always think about it and now I can have it when ever I want.
Ahh, I am so glad to hear this!! Enjoy!
This is so exciting, gonna try it this weekend!
If you ever make their ‘ Tsunami White Pearl ‘ ramen 🍜 that would be a literal dream come true!
Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t heard of that! I’ll have to give it a try and see what I can do!
Hello, I hope you are doing well! I have been trying to click on the Amazon links, but they haven’t been working. I am dying to make this, it looks so yummy!
Where do I buy the spicy sauce?
I linked the one I purchased in the recipe card – I got it at Whole Foods but it is for sale on Amazon too. It’s expensive, but it lasts FOREVER.
SO delicious! I love the creamy vegan ramen at Jinya and am super happy you created this recipe to copycat it! YUM! I added a big scoop of peanut butter in my broth but otherwise followed everything to the letter. Super tasty! Thank you so much! 🙂
I am so happy to hear this!! Thank you for sharing!
This was incredibly delicious. I made a few additions to make it my own but the base broth recipe was heaven. Thank you!
Ah, I am so glad you thought so. This is seriously one of my favorite ramens!!
Wow I am SO happy I came across this recipe on Pinterest because I also LOVE the vegan ramen at Jinya and am dying to make it at home! Will definitely be making this recipe ASAP!
Ahh, I am so glad Stephanie! Definitely let me know what you think.
What brand of brick ramen do you recommend?
Great question I’m curious as well
I use Lotus Foods ramen noodles 🙂
I’ve just made this in the instant pot and it’s curdled. What a waste
Hey Les! Sorry to hear your ramen broth curdled. This has happened to me with certain brands of tahini that don’t blend super well into liquids. Despite not being the prettiest, the ramen broth should still taste very good (so don’t toss it just yet!). To avoid this next time, slowly whisk the tahini into the broth (almost like you’re making a roux). This should help the tahini mesh better with the broth and prevent clumping.