How to Make TikTok Ramen, a Dry Take on the Soupy Noodle Dish

Take a packet of ramen noodles, toss the seasoning sachet, and you have endless possibilities. While slurping ramen is part of the joy of eating it, it’s always fun to try new variations of our favorite foods. This TikTok Ramen recipe forgoes the big bowl of broth and offers a more simplistic—yet just as flavorful—twist.

What Is TikTok Ramen?

TikTok ramen is a “dry” version of ramen noodles. The noodles are cooked, drained and tossed with a quick and flavorful pan sauce. Then you scramble an egg, stir it into the noodles and garnish the dish with “everything” seasoning and scallions.

Tons of the earliest TikTok ramen vids credit @westnest4, but it’s hard to pinpoint the original version of TikTok ramen. Regardless of who hashtagged it first, people have been experimenting with wet and dry versions of instant ramen since 1958, when the freeze-dried noodle soup was invented by Taiwanese entrepreneur Momofuku Ando.

Also, check how to make the crispy ‘TikTok Potatoes people can’t stop talking about.

How to Make TikTok Ramen

Ingredients

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• 1 (three-ounce) package instant ramen noodles, seasoning packet set aside for another purpose
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, such as gochugaru
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tablespoons reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 egg, cracked into a bowl and whisked
• 1 teaspoon everything bagel seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sliced scallions

Directions

Step 1: Cook the noodles

Prepare the ramen noodles to al dente (I found that one minute less than the package suggests was just about perfect). Before you drain the cooked noodles, set aside 1/4 cup of cooking water.

Editor’s Tip: You want the noodles to remain al dente because you’ll cook them a bit more once they’re in the sauce. If they’re al dente, they won’t get soggy!

Step 2: Drain the noodles

When the noodles are al dente, pour them into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Turn the burner to medium-low and place the pan back on the heat to dry.

Step 3: Make the sauce

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Once the pan is dry, melt the butter. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, around two minutes. You’ll notice the chile flakes will tint the butter a brownish red. Now, stir in the reserved cooking water, brown sugar and soy sauce; let it simmer for a few seconds.

Step 4: Toss the noodles

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Toss the noodles with the pan sauce and let cook for about a minute, adding a little more of the reserved pasta water if you’d like the sauce to be more saucy. Do a taste test and add more soy sauce, chile flakes or sugar, if desired. A touch of rice wine vinegar is a nice addition here too.

Step 5: Scramble the egg

Give your beaten egg another stir before pouring it into the pan. Let the egg form a sheet on the bottom of the pan before you turn it, and continue cooking until the egg is no longer wet and glistening. Chop the egg a bit with your spatula, then mix with the noodles.

Editor’s Tip: The original TikTok recipe cooks the egg in the pan with the noodles, but it’s less messy when you move your noodles to your favorite ramen bowl and cook the egg on its own.

Step 6: Gussy it up

Garnish the ramen with everything bagel seasoning and sliced scallions, adding more to taste.

Tips for Making TikTok Ramen

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What kind of instant ramen noodles are best?

I love making my own fresh ramen noodles, but that’s a whole project, for sure. When I’m not in DIY mode, I buy Korean Nongshim Shin noodles, which are nice and thick. For more excellent options, check out these best ramen noodle brands.

What is everything bagel seasoning?

This classic sprinkle combines sesame and poppy seeds with salt and dried minced garlic and onion. There are plenty of brands available on store shelves, but you can also make your own from the spices in your cupboard.

Want to stick with a more classic ramen vibe? Try sprinkling on some type of furikake, which means “to sprinkle” in Japanese. These spice blends are generally used on rice, and there are many variations. A common combo is made from sesame seeds, seaweed, herbs, fish flakes and salt.

If you like some heat, try togarashi, which has a chili powder base plus orange zest, black and white sesame seeds, ginger and nori.

How to make TikTok ramen your own

There are hundreds of ways to customize instant noodles. For one thing, you could try playing with the basic ingredients in this recipe, swapping in sesame oil for the butter or mirin for the brown sugar. If you like spice, stirring some Sriracha into the sauce will kick up the heat. And you can sub in a classic ramen egg, like the one in this shoyu ramen recipe, in place of the scrambled egg. While you’re at it, braised pork belly, sliced steak, roasted chicken or baked salmon would make a great protein-rich addition.

If you’re feeling really creative, you can even switch cultural traditions completely! Mix Romano cheese, cooked bacon and raw egg into hot ramen noodles to make the fastest-ever twist on carbonara; melt peanut butter, soy sauce and brown sugar in the pan to make a super fast satay-style sauce, and serve the noodles with chicken; or make it healthy by serving the noodles on a bed of veggies. I served my TikTok ramen with steamed eggplant and wilted greens drizzled with tamari and sesame oil and topped with a bunch of grated ginger and scallions.

How to store leftover ramen

The good news is that TikTok ramen noodles won’t get soggy like soupy ramen noodles do. Make sure your noodles are nicely coated with sauce, toss with an extra teaspoon of oil, and store in a glass container with a snap-on top.