10 Best Vegetables to Add to Ramen – A-List

The goodness of ramen is made more mouthwatering by the various toppings available for use, the options are endless but vegetables remain an absolute favorite. From pickled vegetables to frozen and raw options, adding vegetables is one of the best ways to enjoy your ramen.

There are so many reasons why they make such perfect additions; not only are they healthy, they can bring a much-needed aesthetic appeal to the meal and even improve your appetite levels. Whether you’re using a mixture of vegetables or a single one, the color addition makes your palette beautiful to behold and the health benefits of vegetables mean your favorite ramen is no longer junk food, but it has become a healthy treat!

Here’s our list of the 10 best vegetables to add to ramen for the ultimate meal.

Best Vegetables to Add to Ramen – The Ones We Love

  • MUSHROOMS
  • SEAWEED
  • CABBAGE
  • CARROT
  • SCALLIONS
  • BEAN SPROUTS
  • BAMBOO SHOOTS
  • TAKANA
  • PINACH
  • CAULIFLOWER

MUSHROOMS

Although not actual plants, mushrooms are usually sold in the vegetable sections so they fit right into this list. They are also one of the most popular toppings for ramen, especially the Enoki variant of mushrooms. They can be used in different forms, whether chopped, oven-roasted, sliced, or dried, and can be added directly to cook with the ramen or pan-fried to be placed on the ramen while serving.

Mushrooms are a great source of fiber, which makes them great for your gastrointestinal tract. One fun reason to include mushrooms is that sautéing in butter makes Enoki mushrooms taste like scallops!

SEAWEED

A staple topping in Asian countries, seaweed can be found in almost every ramen serving shop. It is also considered by some to be the most versatile topping for any kind of ramen, due to the options it offers. There’s the sweetness of arame, the crunchiness you get from adding dried nori sheets, and the soft chewiness of fresh wakame seaweed.

Seaweed is a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, they have also been said to help in the regulation of blood pressure.

CABBAGE

One of the best things about including cabbage in your ramen is its low-calorie and low-fat content, so you never have to sacrifice your health for the extra crunch it brings. To get the best of crunchy cabbage goodness in your ramen, put it in towards the end of your cooking.

Cabbages are a great source of vitamins and minerals and have loads of fiber content as well. Here’s a great cabbage in ramen recipe for Spicy Cabbage Ramen Noodles. You can also enjoy cabbage as a side dish with ramen by making coleslaw with it.

CARROT

A list of the 10 best vegetables to add to ramen will never be complete without carrots. These orange beauties make a great tasty and crunchy addition to ramen. They are best used in a stir fry with other vegetables like peas and green beans or even corn. Carrots are full of vitamins and minerals; they also contain fiber.

SCALLIONS

Easily the world’s favorite ramen topping, you can never go wrong with scallions. They promote the taste of the ramen, creating a perfect blend with the other spices present in the soup. The best way to enjoy scallions is to thinly slice them – preferably diagonally – before adding them into the ramen.

BEAN SPROUTS

Whether raw or cooked, bean sprouts, also called “Moyashi” by the Japanese are perfect for many types of ramen. The crunchiness it brings to the palette makes it a great choice to use and it is often a regular addition to miso ramen. Bean sprouts tend to thin out the taste of the soup due to the moisture content, so take note of that if you like your ramen spicy.

BAMBOO SHOOTS

A type of fermented bamboo shoot called “Menma” is one of the best things that can happen to your ramen. It is made by fermenting the bamboo shoots of a particular type of bamboo called “Machiku”. The result is a great umami flavor which the menma adds to your soup.

TAKANA

Takana is a plant with hot leaves and stems. If you ever have the option of trying it out in your ramen, you’re definitely in for a treat. The best way to enjoy takana is to have it as an addition to tonkotsu ramen.

Read also: How to Make Turkey Wings Fall Off the Bone

SPINACH

Not what you might think to see on a list of 10 best vegetables to put in ramen, but spinach is a great choice not just for its nutritional benefits, but also for the rich green color it spices up your palette with its refreshing taste that makes it perfect in thick soups.

CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower is a great vegetable that has low fat and calorie levels just like cabbages. From a cup of chopped cauliflower, you’d be getting 2.1g of protein, 5.3g of carbohydrates, 0.3g of fat, and 27 calories. Definitely a good deal, right? It is also an easy way to get vitamin C, vitamin B6, and magnesium.

There are many cauliflower ramen recipes but here’s one that is sure to tickle your taste buds. Try out this fried cauliflower with ramen and thank me later:

There you have it! The 10 best vegetables to add to ramen and all their health and aesthetic goodness. If you exhaust this list of the best vegetables to add to ramen, ones that we love, and still seek to try your hands at more, check out other recommended vegetable options for ramen here.

Read also: How to Keep Alfredo Sauce Creamy

Does Adding Vegetables to Ramen Make It Healthier?

Absolutely! Adding vegetables to your ramen makes it healthier for you, which is great because you can enjoy your meal without having to feel guilty. It’s not enough to just add vegetables though; reducing the sodium content of your ramen as well will seal the deal. To do this, you simply replace the ramen seasoning packets with healthier options.

By Johny

Meet Johny, our exceptionally talented bartender at Bourbono. With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and an innate ability to mix the perfect drink, Johny is the heart and soul of our establishment’s bar. In addition to his skillful bartending, he also contributes to the Bourbono blog, sharing his love for all things food-related but with a particular passion for beverages and the art of bartending.

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