I never thought I'd be the person making miso ramen recipe from scratch on a Tuesday night. Ramen was always that thing I ordered at restaurants, right? The kind of dish that felt way too complicated for a home kitchen. But then I stumbled onto this method that uses ground pork and three types of miso, and everything changed.
Emily actually stopped scrolling her phone mid-bite the first time I made this. That's when I knew this one was special. The broth is rich, silky, and packed with so much flavor that it honestly rivals what you'd get at a Japanese ramen shop. And the best part? You need just 30 minutes from start to finish.
If you love warming, brothy dishes, you should also check out my crack chicken noodle soup — it's another one of those bowls that just makes everything feel better on a cold night.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Miso Ramen
- Done in 30 minutes — 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking. That's it.
- Restaurant-quality broth — The combo of three different misos creates a layered, savory depth you won't believe came from your own stove.
- Ground pork adds serious richness — The fat renders into the broth, giving it that velvety body.
- Gelatin trick works like magic — It mimics hours of bone simmering in just minutes.
- Totally customizable — Top it however you want with chashu, soft-boiled eggs, corn, or scallions.
- Simple ingredients — Most of what you need is already in your kitchen or easy to find at any grocery store.
The Key Ingredients for Miso Ramen Broth
Here's what you'll need to pull this together:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 230 grams ground pork (75/25 meat-to-fat ratio)
- 30 grams onion
- 25 grams carrot
- 25 grams ginger
- 20 grams garlic
- 1 tablespoon Hatcho miso (a deep, intense soybean miso)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 4 ½ cups chicken stock
- 10 grams powdered gelatin
- 4 tablespoons red miso
- 1 tablespoon Saikyo miso (also called Shiromiso or white miso)
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
- 230 grams fresh ramen noodles
Quick note on the misos: You're using three types here, and each one does something different. The Hatcho miso adds a deep, roasted punch. The red miso brings bold savoriness. And the Saikyo miso rounds it all out with a gentle sweetness. Together, they create a broth that's layered and full. Trust me — it's worth picking up all three.
How to Make Miso Ramen From Scratch
Brown the Pork Base
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 230 grams ground pork to a large deep skillet. Set the pan on a kitchen scale and zero it out.
- Grate 30 grams onion, 25 grams carrot, 25 grams ginger, and 20 grams garlic directly into the pan. Zero out the scale between each ingredient so your measurements stay accurate.
- Add 1 tablespoon Hatcho miso and ¼ teaspoon baking soda to the pan. Place it on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Use a spatula to crumble the pork as it cooks. The smaller you get those crumbles, the more surface area they have — which means more browning and more flavor. I learned this the hard way after my first batch had chunks that were too big and the broth tasted flat.
- Keep crumbling and frying until the meat is well browned and you see a thick layer of brown fond on the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn it. This takes about 8 minutes.
Build the Broth
- Add 2 tablespoons sake and scrape up all that fond from the pan. This is where the magic happens — all those caramelized bits dissolve right into the liquid.
- Pour in 4 ½ cups chicken stock and sprinkle in 10 grams powdered gelatin. Stir everything together while continuing to scrape any remaining flavor from the pan. Bring it to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the miso ramen broth cook for 10 minutes.
Finish and Serve
- Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to get as much liquid out as possible. Don't skip the pressing — there's so much flavor hiding in those solids.
- Add 4 tablespoons red miso, 1 tablespoon Saikyo miso, and 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter to the strained broth. Use an immersion blender to blend everything together until the soup is smooth and emulsified.
- Pour the finished broth into a pot and keep it warm over low heat. Don't let it boil — boiling breaks down the miso and makes the broth grainy.
- Boil 230 grams fresh ramen noodles according to the package directions. Drain and shake the strainer in a downward motion to force out any extra water. (Watery noodles will dilute your broth, and nobody wants that.)
- Divide the noodles between two bowls and ladle the hot broth over them. Garnish with your choice of toppings — chashu, a ramen egg, menma, scallions, and corn are all amazing here.
Storage and Reheating Tips
The broth stores really well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. It'll thicken up because of the gelatin, which is totally normal.
Reheat it gently over low heat and stir until it's smooth again. Just remember — don't boil the broth once the miso has been added.
I'd recommend cooking the noodles fresh each time you serve it. Leftover noodles get mushy and soak up too much broth overnight.
You can also freeze the broth for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat slowly on the stove.
Tips and Easy Miso Ramen Variations
- Make it spicy — Stir in a tablespoon of chili paste or drizzle some rayu (Japanese chili oil) on top. Emily actually prefers it this way now.
- Go vegetarian — Skip the pork and use mushroom stock instead of chicken stock. Add some sautéed shiitake mushrooms for that umami depth.
- Switch up the protein — Ground chicken or turkey works if you don't eat pork. The broth won't be quite as rich, but it still tastes great.
- Add veggies — Bok choy, bean sprouts, spinach, or roasted corn all make great additions.
- Double the broth — This recipe makes broth for 2 bowls. I almost always double it because honestly, who stops at one bowl?
Have you ever tried adding a pat of butter right on top of your ramen before eating? It sounds odd, but it melts into the broth and makes it even creamier. Game changer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Miso Ramen
A combination of red miso (aka akamiso) for deep, savory flavor, Hatcho miso for richness, and Saikyo miso (white miso) for a touch of sweetness creates the most complex and balanced miso ramen broth.
Yes, you can use ground chicken or turkey as a lighter alternative. However, ground pork with a 75/25 meat-to-fat ratio is ideal because the fat adds body and richness to the broth.
Powdered gelatin gives the broth a silky, rich mouthfeel that mimics the collagen found in traditional long-simmered tonkotsu-style broths, saving you hours of cooking time.
This miso ramen recipe takes just 30 minutes — 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking — making it a quick yet restaurant-quality homemade ramen option.
Recipes You May Like
- Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup — Another warm, comforting bowl that's perfect for chilly nights.
- Easy Beef and Broccoli — A quick Asian-inspired dinner that pairs perfectly with a side of rice.
- French Onion Soup — If you love savory, brothy recipes, this one's a must-try.
Make This Miso Ramen Recipe Tonight
So there you have it — a quick miso ramen that takes 30 minutes and tastes like you spent all day on it. The three-miso blend, the browned pork fond, the gelatin trick — they all come together to create something pretty special.
I've made this recipe more times than I can count at this point, and it's become one of our go-to weeknight dinners. Emily even requests it by name now, which is the highest compliment a mom can get.
Give it a try this week and let me know how it turns out! If you love it as much as we do, don't forget to save this pin to Pinterest so you can come back to it whenever that ramen mood hits.
Miso Ramen
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 230 grams ground pork to a large deep skillet, set it on a scale, and zero it out.
- Grate 30 grams onion, 25 grams carrot, 25 grams ginger, and 20 grams garlic into the pan, zeroing out the scale between each ingredient.
- Add 1 tablespoon Hatcho miso and ¼ teaspoon baking soda to the pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Use a spatula to crumble the pork as it cooks. The smaller you can get the crumbles, the more surface area it will have, which means the more flavor you can develop.
- Continue crumbling and frying the mixture until the meat is well browned and you have a thick layer of brown fond on the bottom of the pan (be careful not to burn it). This will take about 8 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons sake and scrape up the fond from the pan, then add 4 ½ cups chicken stock and 10 grams powdered gelatin. Stir the mixture together, continuing to scrape any flavor stuck to the pan, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the ramen broth for 10 minutes.
- Strain the soup, pressing on the solids to get as much of the liquid out of them as you can.
- Add 4 tablespoons red miso, 1 tablespoon Saikyo miso, and 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter to the broth, and use an immersion blender to emulsify the soup.
- Pour the miso ramen broth into a pot and keep it warm over low heat. Be careful not to let this boil.
- Boil 230 grams fresh ramen noodles according to the package directions. Drain and shake the strainer using a downward motion to force out any excess water.
- Divide the noodles between two bowls and cover with soup.
- Garnish the ramen with your favorite toppings such as chashu, a ramen egg, menma, scallions, and corn.
