Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles Recipe

Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles Recipe tastes clean, soy-forward, and deeply savory with springy noodles and a glossy scallion-garlic oil on top. It suits weeknight cooks and noodle nerds alike, and you can finish it in about 1 hour 15 minutes. I started making this after a Tokyo layover bowl ruined me for bland broth forever.

Why Choose This Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles Recipe

This Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles Recipe builds flavor fast with a simple soy tare, good chicken stock, and a quick aromatic oil. You skip a long tonkotsu boil and still get restaurant-level depth. Pantry bottles do the heavy lifting, while fresh toppings make it feel special.

You can make fresh noodles or use quality fresh or frozen ramen from the store. I include both paths, so you choose based on time and courage. Either way, the broth and tare give you a win.

Ingredients You Need

• Tare sauce
  • 1 cup soy sauce, naturally brewed; I like Kikkoman or Yamasa for balanced salt
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 1/3 cup sake, or dry sherry if you need a swap
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, adjust to taste
  • 1 piece kombu, 3 inches, optional but adds depth
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed
  • 3 slices fresh ginger
  • 2 scallion ends, optional
• Broth base
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, optional but great umami
  • 1 small carrot, chunked
• Aromatic oil
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 scallions, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Noodles
  • Easiest route: 4 portions fresh ramen noodles or 12 ounces frozen ramen, Sun Noodle works well
  • Homemade noodle option: 200 g bread flour, 100 g all-purpose flour, 150 g water, 5 g kansui or baked baking soda, 4 g fine salt
    • Kansui swap: bake 1/2 cup baking soda at 250°F for 1 hour, then use 1 teaspoon of the baked powder
• Toppings, mix and match
  • Soy eggs, sliced, or a soft-boiled egg
  • Sliced chashu or roast chicken
  • Menma bamboo shoots
  • Nori sheets
  • Blanched spinach or bok choy
  • Corn and butter, Hokkaido-style
  • Sliced scallions, to finish
  • Chili oil or shichimi togarashi
• Equipment
  • 2 pots, one for broth and one for noodles
  • Small saucepan for tare
  • Small skillet for aromatic oil
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Tongs and ladle
  • Scale and stand mixer for noodles, or a rolling pin if mixing by hand

How to Make Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 55 minutes

Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

1. Make the tare
   Add soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, kombu, garlic, ginger, and scallion ends to a small saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer for 5 minutes, then cut the heat and let it steep 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.
2. Simmer the broth
   Add chicken stock, water, onion, shiitake, and carrot to a pot. Bring to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, then strain. Stir in 6 to 8 tablespoons of tare to season, tasting as you go for salt and sweetness.
3. Cook the aromatic oil
   Warm neutral oil and sesame oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic, sizzle until fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes, then pull from heat. You want fragrance, not burnt bits.
4. Make homemade noodles, quick method
   Combine bread flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and kansui in a bowl. Add water and mix until shaggy, then knead until stiff and smooth, 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 5 to 6 minutes in a stand mixer. Rest 30 minutes, then roll thin, dust with starch, and cut into noodles about 1.5 to 2 mm wide.
5. Cook noodles
   Bring a large pot of water to a hard boil. Salt lightly if your noodles need it, then cook fresh or homemade noodles until just shy of tender, usually 1 to 2 minutes for fresh and 90 seconds to 2 minutes for homemade. Shake off excess water so the broth stays clean.
6. Prep toppings
   Slice soy eggs, warm chashu or chicken in a splash of broth, and blanch greens for 30 seconds. Set out nori, menma, scallions, and chili oil so you can build bowls fast. Your future self will smile.
7. Assemble bowls
   Ladle 1 to 1.5 cups seasoned broth into each heated bowl. Add a drizzle of aromatic oil, drop in a portion of noodles, and top with your mix of protein, egg, greens, and nori. Finish with scallions and a touch of chili oil if you like heat.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Keep kombu under a simmer, or it turns bitter.
• Taste tare in the broth, then adjust salt or sugar before you add noodles.
• Boil noodles in separate water, not in the broth, to keep flavors clean.
• Pull noodles slightly underdone, they finish in the hot broth.
• Heat bowls with hot water so the soup stays hot longer.
• Slice garlic for the oil thinly, and stop at pale gold to avoid bitterness.
• Use low-sodium stock, then season up with tare for balance.
• Portion tare into ice cube trays for quick weeknight ramen.
• Cut noodles evenly, or they cook at different speeds.
• Avoid a rolling boil with the finished broth, gentle heat keeps it clear.

Variations I’ve Tried

• Shoyu with niboshi dashi: steep a small handful of dried anchovies with kombu for a briny, savory kick.
• Tokyo-style clear broth: skip shiitake and carrot, lean on kombu and light soy for a crisp profile.
• Spicy shoyu: whisk a spoon of chili crisp or rayu into the aromatic oil for warmth.
• Weeknight veggie: use mushroom stock, double the shiitake, and add corn, tofu puffs, and spinach.
• Butter shoyu: add a pat of butter to each bowl for rich aroma and gloss.

How to Serve Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles

Heat bowls, add seasoned broth, then noodles and toppings so everything lands hot and lively. I like soy egg, sliced chashu, menma, a square of nori, and a ribbon of scallion oil. Pair with quick cucumbers, gyoza, or a crisp lager. Green tea or iced barley tea also plays well with the soy-forward broth.

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Tare: refrigerate up to 2 months in a sealed jar, or freeze in cubes for 6 months.
• Broth: refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove until steaming, not boiling.
• Aromatic oil: refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Warm gently to loosen before drizzling.
• Noodles: cook to order for best texture. Refrigerate fresh dough overnight, or freeze cut noodles for 1 month with extra starch to prevent sticking.

Nutrition Information

Approximate per bowl with broth, noodles, and basic toppings: 640 calories; protein 28 g; fat 20 g; carbs 86 g; fiber 4 g; sugars 8 g; sodium 2100 mg. Values vary by toppings and soy brand. For lighter bowls, use more greens, lean protein, and a smaller drizzle of oil.

Ally Sanders

Homemade Shoyu Ramen Noodles

A traditional Japanese dish featuring hand-made noodles served in a flavorful soy sauce-based broth.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon kansui (alkaline water)

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger

Instructions

 

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Combine warm water and kansui, then gradually add to the flour mixture.
3. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough thinly and cut into noodle strands.
6. Boil the noodles in salted water for 2-3 minutes until al dente, then drain and set aside.

1. Combine chicken stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a pot.
2. Add garlic and ginger if using.
3. Simmer the broth for 30 minutes to develop flavor.
4. Strain the broth before serving.

1. Place the cooked noodles in bowls.
2. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles.
3. Add desired toppings such as sliced pork, green onions, and boiled eggs.
4. Serve immediately.

Notes

Homemade noodles can be replaced with store-bought ramen noodles for convenience. Adjust soy sauce to taste for saltiness.