Want to make chewy homemade ramen noodles like you find in Japanese soup shops? With a few special tools and a block of free time, these noodles are worth the extra effort.
Homemade Ramen Noodles
Published on Dec. 11, 2024
As a 12-year-old, long before I learned how to make ramen noodles from scratch, I was confident that I made the best ramen in the world. Going rogue, I tore open the foil sachets from store-bought soup packages and tapped the powdered seasoning into the cooking water before the dry noodles had their boiling three-minute bath, even though the instructions said to flavor them afterward. I enhanced the broth with tidbits of frozen corn and peas and, on luxurious days, leftover meat from the fridge.
It was more than a decade before I learned that you could make ramen at home from fresh ingredients. Armed with that knowledge, I learned to make fresh, chewy noodles and developed my takes on broth and garnishes. In the following years, I won first place in a ramen-making competition and occasionally served unusual variations in my restaurant (duck soup, anyone?). No matter which broth I’m using, the noodles made with the recipe below go into the bowl.
How to Make Ramen Noodles at Home
Ramen noodles are alkalized, which gives them their distinctive flavor and springy texture. This means that a basic (the opposite of acidic) ingredient is added to the dough. Traditionally, ramen noodles are alkalized with kansui (aka lye water). Kansui isn’t something you’ll find in most American grocery stores, but you can order it online or find it in a shop specializing in Asian ingredients. Or, you can use an easy alternative: baked baking soda. Cooking baking soda in the oven makes it more alkaline.
Once you’ve baked the baking soda, ramen noodles only need three additional ingredients: all-purpose flour, water and salt. If you have bread flour, you can swap that in to make your noodles even chewier.
Ramen noodle dough is too stiff to roll easily with a rolling pin, so you’ll want a pasta roller to make these noodles (it will also come in handy when making other homemade pasta). A stand mixer is also very helpful; without it, you’ll be doing a lot of kneading. The dough is a tad dry and can be challenging to work with. In this recipe, we’ll add more water than is traditional to make the process more manageable at home.
Ingredients for Homemade Ramen Noodles
- Baking soda: This recipe calls for only generic baking soda. You’ll bake the baking soda to convert it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate, a stronger base.
- Kosher salt: Coarse kosher salt and fine table salt don’t fill measuring spoons the same way, because their crystals are different in size. If you’ll be using fine salt for this recipe, use 1/2 teaspoon instead of a full teaspoon.
- All-purpose flour: Classic AP flour makes nice noodles and is easy to find at almost any store. Bread flour has a higher gluten content, and will make your noodles even more springy and chewy.
Directions
Step 1: Bake the baking soda
Preheat your oven to 275°F. Spread the baking soda in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake it for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Set it aside to cool. Measure out 1 tablespoon for this recipe and store the remainder in an airtight container for future use.
Editor’s Tip: Baked baking soda is more caustic than regular baking soda and can irritate the skin, so keep it labeled and out of the reach of kiddos.
Step 2: Mix and knead the dough
Measure 1 cup of cold water in a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the 1 tablespoon of baked baking soda and the salt until they have dissolved. Place 4 cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer to low, and trickle in the water with the dissolved baking soda and salt. Increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes or until the dough is shaggy. Add additional water if the dough is dry at the bottom.
Let the machine knead the dough for three more minutes, then remove it from the mixing bowl and knead by hand until it comes together in a ball.
Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Flour is drier when the humidity is low, as it often is in the winter. Many baking recipes usually require more liquid during the colder months.
Step 3: Begin rolling out the dough
Set up your pasta roller, whether it’s a stand-alone unit or a stand-mixer attachment. Cut the dough into six equal parts. Put the pasta roller on its widest setting. Flatten the first pasta ball into a disk with the palm of your hand, ensuring the leading edge is thin enough to fit between the rollers. Run the dough through the rollers. Fold the dough sheet in half lengthwise and run it through the machine again with the dough facing the same direction on the same setting.
Step 4: Make the dough even thinner
Adjust the pasta roller attachment down one notch. If the dough pieces are sticky, dust both sides with flour. Run each piece of dough through the machine. Repeat with smaller and smaller settings, dusting with flour whenever needed, until the dough has passed through the lowest setting. Repeat with the remaining five dough balls.
Editor’s Tip: Your aim is to get the dough to around 1/16-inch thick.
Step 5: Cut the ramen noodles
Put a small amount of flour on your flat work surface and place a lightly floured sheet pan nearby for finished noodles. Using the angel hair or spaghetti setting on your pasta cutter, send through each piece of dough, gently catching the noodles as they exit the machine. Run the cut noodles through the pile of flour, lightly coating all sides, and curl them into the shape of a bird’s nest. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Refrigerate or freeze the noodles until you’re ready to use them.
Editor’s Tip: Cornstarch can also prevent dough from becoming sticky. You can mix it with flour or use it by itself.
What to Add to Ramen Noodles
These homemade ramen noodles will make an excellent accompaniment to any ramen broth, whether you make yours with miso, soy sauce or salt. When you don’t have time to make noodles from scratch, these creative upgrades to packaged ramen will make your dish feel homemade. Not in a soup mood? Here are some of our favorite ramen noodles recipes without the broth.
Homemade Ramen Noodles Variations
- Change the size: This recipe creates thin noodles, but you can cut yours to any width you prefer. A linguine or fettuccine cutter will make slightly wider noodles than an angel hair or spaghetti cutter. If you decide you like chunkier noodles, you could also roll the dough through the pasta machine fewer times.
- Skip the soda: You can make serviceable noodles without the baked baking soda, although it will change the flavor and texture of the finished product.
- Taste the rainbow: You can tint ramen noodle dough by adding a small amount of food coloring, or by using ingredients such as beet powder, turmeric or spinach puree.
How to Store Homemade Ramen Noodles
Ramen noodles coated in flour or cornstarch can be stored in the refrigerator in a rigid, tightly sealed container. However, if they aren’t packaged carefully, they can get sticky. Refrigerated ramen noodles last up to four days.
Can you freeze homemade ramen noodles?
I love to make batches of ramen noodles and freeze them for future soup. Place the well-floured ramen nests on a piece of parchment in a rigid airtight container, cover them with another piece of parchment paper, and freeze them for up to three months.
Homemade Ramen Noodles Tips
How do you keep homemade ramen noodles from clumping?
A good dusting of flour, cornstarch or a mix of the two should keep your noodles from sticking together.
What kinds of broth should you use to make ramen?
There are classic ramen broths made with pork bones, miso or soy sauce; however, you can customize your soup however you like. I’ve made excellent ramen with homemade chicken broth, seaweed and mushroom broth, and various store-bought stocks. You can also try vegan ramen.
Homemade Ramen Noodles
Prep Time
1 hour
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 cup cold water plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting noodles
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275°.
- Place baking soda on a baking sheet; spread into a thin layer. Bake 1-1/2 hours. Set aside to cool. Measure out 1 tablespoon baked baking soda for this recipe; store the remaining in an airtight container for future use.
- Measure 1 cup cold water in a liquid measuring cup. Stir in 1 tablespoon baked baking soda and salt until dissolved.
- Place 4 cups flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn mixer to low; trickle in water with dissolved baking soda and salt. Increase speed to medium; mix 3 minutes or until dough is shaggy. Add additional water if dough is dry at the bottom. Let the machine knead the dough 3 more minutes. Remove dough from the mixing bowl; knead by hand until it comes together in a ball. Cover dough in plastic wrap; rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Set up pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer. Cut dough into 6 equal parts. Put pasta roller on its widest setting. Flatten the first pasta ball into a disk with the palm of your hand, making sure the edge is thin enough to fit in between the rollers; run the dough through. Reduce setting one notch. Fold the dough sheet in half lengthwise; run it through the machine again with the dough facing the same direction. Repeat until dough has passed through the lowest setting; dusting with flour as needed. Repeat with remaining 5 dough balls.
- Put a small amount of flour in a flat work surface; place a sheet pan next to work surface for finishing noodles. Set pasta machine to angel hair or spaghetti cutter. Send each piece through the cutter, catching the noodles as they exit the machine. Run the cut noodles through the pile of flour, lightly coating all sides; curl the finished noodles into the shape of a bird's nest. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Use noodles in your favorite ramen recipes, or freeze for later use.
Nutrition Facts
1 serving: 308 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 951mg sodium, 65g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 2g fiber), 9g protein.
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Have ramen noodles to accompany any bowl of broth with just four simple ingredients. The key is the secret ingredient: baked baking soda, which gives them their distinctive flavor and texture. —Suzanne Podhaizer, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
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