These easy spicy garlic ramen noodles make a super simple weeknight meal! Packed with flavor, they can be yours in 30 minutes or less.

It’s time to take every day ramen noodles to a whole new level! This winner of a recipe is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner (and the leftovers are fabulous!).

Ramen noodles with peas, green onions, ground turkey and cashews in cast iron skillet.

Simple Sauce with Loads of Flavor

The sauce for this recipe boasts a huge flavor punch with only a few key ingredients.

  • soy sauce
  • rice vinegar
  • sesame oil
  • chili garlic sauce
  • tiny bit of brown sugar

You can dial the amount of chili garlic sauce up or down to make it more or less spicy, depending on how you like it. Even if you want a mild flavor profile, don’t omit the chili garlic sauce completely! It’s needed for flavor, so even a small dab’ll do you some favors.

Ramen Noodles: What Kind to Use

Every day ramen noodles – you know, the kind in plastic packages with powdered seasoning packets stored in plentiful rows at the grocery store – work great in this recipe. Just toss the seasoning packets and boil the noodles according to package directions.

Other types of dry ramen will also work great. I’ve made this recipe with rice ramen (the Lotus Foods brand, found at Costco), and it is delicious!

If using dry ramen noodles that come in a bulk-style package, use two “bricks” of ramen about the same size as the packages of ramen from the grocery store, or weigh out the equivalent (you’ll need 6 ounces dry ramen total). 

Optional Ingredients

The frozen peas and ground chicken (or turkey) called for in the recipe add a hearty and fresh dimension to the recipe, but both of those ingredients can be left out, if you just want a simple, flavorful noodle dish.

However, don’t omit the flavor-enhancers: ginger, garlic, green onions…or the delectable sauce. Doing so will make you, me, and these noodles very, very sad.

The noodles need all those amazing flavors to transform from plain ol’ ramen into something totally slurpably delicious!

Tongs grabbing scoop of ramen noodles with peas and green onions.

The finished dish is simple and so tasty. Toss chopped green onions and cashews on at the end for a pretty pop of color and tasty toasty crunch.

There’s a lot to love about this recipe – not the least of which is that it comes together quickly and calls for a lot of pantry-friendly and inexpensive ingredients.

Another reason to wax poetic about these noodles is because the leftovers are absolutely amazing. And although we may have to differ on how to eat them (me: always straight from the fridge – never risking a microwave reheat when cold leftovers are so ridiculously good), rest assured that you are definitely going to want to find a way to hide the leftovers so you can eat them however you want all by yourself.

Fork twirling bite of ramen noodles with peas and green onions.

One Year AgoThe Very Best Blueberry Muffins 
Two Years Ago: Easy Cheesy Weeknight Pasta Bake {Make-Ahead and Freezable} 
Three Years AgoButterscotch Rice Krispie Treats 
Four Years AgoButtery Garlic + Herb Pull-Apart Bubble Bread
Five Years AgoHoney Lime Chicken or Pork Enchiladas 
Six Years AgoThick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 
Seven Years AgoFrench Bread Rolls {Step-by-Step}
Eight Years AgoDoubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nine Years Ago: Chicken Pot Pie Baked Potato
Ten Years Ago: Homemade Marshmallow Easter Eggs 

Tong grabbing scoop of ramen noodles with peas, ground turkey and green onions.

Easy Spicy Garlic Ramen Noodles

4.75 stars (12 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 2 packages ramen noodles (3-ounces each), seasoning packets discarded (see note)
  • cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or ginger paste or cubes – see note)
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 4 to 6 green onions white and green parts, chopped
  • Coarsely chopped cashews or peanuts

Instructions 

  • In a medium pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the ramen noodles until al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and drain again. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Set aside.
  • In a 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and add the ground chicken or turkey. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or so, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
  • Add the ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions, and continue to cook, until the meat is no longer pink. Drain excess grease, if needed.
  • Add the drained noodles to the skillet.
  • Whisk the sauce to recombine. Add it to the skillet with the frozen peas. Toss and stir, cooking over medium heat, until the peas are heated through.
  • Sprinkle with green onions and cashews. Serve immediately.

Notes

Ramen: I’ve made this recipe with every day ramen noodles and also with rice ramen (the Lotus Foods brand, found at Costco). If using dry ramen noodles that come in a bulk-style package, use two “bricks” of ramen about the same size as the typical packages of ramen from the grocery store, or weigh out the equivalent (you’ll need 6 ounces dry ramen total). 
Chili Garlic Sauce: dial down the chili garlic sauce, to taste, for less kick, if needed. 
Ginger: when it comes to ginger, several options work in this recipe. Freshly grated ginger (freeze knobs of ginger and grate, from frozen, on small holes of a box grater – no need to peel). Ginger paste (often found in tubes in refrigerated produce section). Ginger cubes (usually found in freezer section – I also use frozen garlic cubes for the garlic called for in the recipe). 
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 209kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 776mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g

Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe in Cuisine at Home 2023